Your Breyer Model Arrives Broken.. Is It Insured??

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week thus far....

Today I felt I should address the issue of packaging and shipping Breyer Model Horses, all model horses as well as all fragile items. You see, even though I have worked for the Post Office, seems like forever ago now, and even though I keep telling Collectors the questions to ask, models are still shipped haphazardly. And I still receive Breyer Models wrapped in paper... rrrg

I have written some content on this on our website on the selling page, however, I do think this issue needs to be addressed and updated. You see, not too long ago the Postal Service decided that to help eliminate insurance fraud that was taking place, they would ONLY pay for insurance claims that met certain criteria.

And really it is pretty simple. Their specifications are:

Fragile items must be wrapped in bubble wrap and packaging peanuts, enough to ensure safe delivery.

Simple.

So what this means is that when a Seller sends out a fragile item, like a Breyer Model, wrapped in paper and it breaks, the insurance coverage is null and void. You wont' get a dime. Why? Because the Seller did not package it correctly. Simple.

Standards that should be used when packaging and shipping anything fragile like a Breyer Model are:

• Within your own country of origin use 3-4 inches of Bubble wrap on ALL sides of the Model.
  
• Outside the country of origin, use 4-6 inches of Bubble Wrap on ALL sides of the Model.
  
• Use packaging peanuts to fill in the open spaces.
• When you close the top of the box before taping it closed, gently shake it. If you hear ANY sound of movement then you DO NOT have enough packaging and need to redo.
  

Buyers should always request this to be done before making a purchase. You will pay for the insurance on the Model one way or another, whether in the shipping price or the Model price. So while you are paying for the coverage, doesn't it make sense to actually HAVE the coverage?? I think so!

And Sellers, build and protect your reputation and wrap the right way without being asked. Please? It really would save all of us time and head ache.

And here's a heads up for those not familiar with eBay policies. eBay now requires ALL Sellers to include insurance coverage on all items they are selling. It is no longer optional for the Buyer to ask for or not. Must be covered by the Seller. So you will likely see shipping charges going up. As long as insurance is paid for AND the Model is wrapped the right way, you should be fine.

If you are planning on making a purchase of a Breyer or other Model Horse sometime soon, send them the link to this blog and ask they follow these standards. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Here's to safe shipping of Model Horses everywhere!

~you can also find cheap packaging supplies on this page of our site~ Hey, we try to make it as easy as possible for you don't we??

Many blessings,
Bonnie
www.breyerhorsecollectors.com

Breyer Eye Whites - fasinating!

I am so excited!! I just received my new treasure! It is of course the book written by a wonderful life long Breyer Collector, the late Marney J. Walerius. And though Marney passed away some time ago, her wonderful collection of details and information about the early Breyer model production lives on. Thank you Marney!

This wonderful book is called: "Breyer Models - Reference and Insurance Guide". It is a rather small book when compared to the other guides being only 107 pages long. However, there is a great deal of detail and information within it's pages. Also very few pictures in comparison to the other guides and most of the ones that are presented are in black and white.

It will be a wonderful resource for me to gruel over in the evenings through out the coming winter. And as I find information that may be helpful, I'll be sure to pass it on to you.

The first bit of information I found was on the eye whites that were painted on the early models, namely from the 1950's through the 1960's. According to Marney, in the late 1960's quotas were raised per painter and the time to paint the eye whites was eliminated.

Then new limited runs were done or began in 1984 with the Just About Horses first release as the American Saddlebred Weanling. She also mentions the 1990 BreyerFest model Dr. Peaches. However the one detail that caught my attention is this:

Quote: "One fun variation occurred when some painters would paint the back of the eye white and in the same hand turn the model over and in error put the eye white in the front of the eye".

She does not state when exactly this occurred or on which models or the years, those details are a bit skechy. However, we can say for sure that this would be a variation of a model and may be a bit difficult to find.
So for myself, I know that I will pay close attention to ALL models from 1950 through the 1990's just to be on the safe side that I don't miss out on a rare one!

If anyone has a picture that they can share, or knows a bit more about the details of the eye whites; I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, enjoy your collection and keep imagining!