# Communities > Antique Arms & Armour Community > Chinese, South-East Asia (CSEA) >  Shipping Damage

## GT Christensen

Hi All,

Im new here and very excited to be part of this online community. In usual fashion I have something to post right off the bat. In addition this fopaux I am not even posting about a sword. I hope you will forgive me and share a little of your knowledge with me. 

I recently purchased a new arrow for my collection but when it arrived this is what I found. 





This is what it looked like before:



This arrow is a Qing dynasty military arrow probably from the early 1800s. These are very rare, and this one was in excellent condition for its age (see here for more information on these http://www.manchuarchery.org/manchu-war-arrows). Unfortunately it was a gross packaging error on the part of the seller that was at fault for the damage.

As disappointed as I am I still want to keep this piece as it is so rare it will be difficult to find another. At the same time however I dont want to pay full price. Luckily the seller realized his error and is on board. He asked me to come up with an appropriate discount for the damage. In an effort to remain unbiased, and because I am not sure what this damage would reduce the worth by I would like to pose the question to you. By what percentage would this damage reduce the value of this piece? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Regards,

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## Gene Wilkinson

If you and the seller agree that the way forward is a partial refund, then I think that you have to ask yourself what it would have sold for in it's present condition and go from there.

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## GT Christensen

> If you and the seller agree that the way forward is a partial refund, then I think that you have to ask yourself what it would have sold for in it's present condition and go from there.


Thanks for the comments Gene. That is definitely the direction that I am trying to head. My hangup is the value after the damage. I imagine that it will be worth somewhere between 50% and 75% of what it was as a complete piece, but that's still a pretty big gap. Anyone able to put a finger on a percentage?

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## Gene Wilkinson

> Thanks for the comments Gene. That is definitely the direction that I am trying to head. My hangup is the value after the damage. I imagine that it will be worth somewhere between 50% and 75% of what it was as a complete piece, but that's still a pretty big gap. Anyone able to put a finger on a percentage?


It's difficult to say as I'm not familiar with these.
There are so many factors to take into account.
Your expectations of receiving a complete item and disapointment at receiving something broken.
How rare the complete ones are compared with damaged ones.
The cost of postage both ways if you have to return the item.
I would say that the likely way forward is for you to propose what you consider fair to the seller and take it from there.
The damage looks repairable, but in many ways that's not the point.
Ask the seller where they see the figure and see how that comares with your estimate.
You want to keep it, so presumably you'll want to repair it? Once repaired it will still be worth slightly less than an unrestored one and it will cost you time and materials to repair it properly.
It''s a somewhat subjective process and there will probably be a little room between you and the seller.
Be fair and honest in your expectations and hopfully you'll come to a mutually agreeable arrangment.

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## Gene Wilkinson

I would like to add one thing.

I don't see this sort of item discussed often and would be interested to hear more from you on the subject, so hope that you will stick around and share your knowledge.

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## GT Christensen

> I would like to add one thing.
> 
> I don't see this sort of item discussed often and would be interested to hear more from you on the subject, so hope that you will stick around and share your knowledge.


Thanks again Gene for your comments and advice. I am very glad to hear you would like to see more of this. I have a love for, and am a collector of edged weapons, but I have a passion for ancient archery equipment. I feel that archery equipment is less popular to collect partially because it doesn't last like many other arms do therefore there is just less of it out there. A large part of my fascination with it comes from how extremely important and pivotal for many battles, conquest, and societies archery technology and prowess has been. My collection and knowledge are still young but I will happily share what I have here. For Qing/Manchu archery specifically there is no way that I can hold a candle to Peter DekKer's incredible collection of knowledge and example pieces, but I do have a couple examples that I plan to do a post on just to share what I do have. Again, glad to hear it will be appreciated.

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## Gene Wilkinson

Hi Gt

I absolutely agree. 
I think that Chinese archery with it's incredibly long history is hugely interesting.
I look forward to learning more about it from you.

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