The Force Wasn't With Me

While looking through eBay listings a week ago, I found a complete set of Star Wars Episode 1 Pepsi cans from 1999, including the rare Gold Yoda.  But first, a little information on the set.

In conjunction with the 1999 release of the first new Star Wars film in over fifteen years, PepsiCo had the rights to release the Star Wars Episode 1 set of collector cans.  The set was different from country to country, but the United States base set consisted of twenty-four cans; eight Pepsi, eight Mountain Dew, four Diet Pepsi and four Pepsi One cans.  In addition, there was the rare Gold Yoda can.  At the time, you could redeem the Yoda can for $24 cash.  Also, there was a word hidden on each of the twenty-four cans that created three hidden messages.

Finding the complete 24-can set isn't too hard, but the Gold Yoda is rare.  So I was excited to find on eBay a complete set of twenty-four cans PLUS the Gold Yoda.  The price was a bit high for what I wanted to spend, but for that money I would have the total complete set of unopened cans.  The seller said it took him a year to collect them all from buying 12-packs and saving one of each can.  A perfect collection!

I bought the set.  He shipped the set.  When I got home from work two days ago and found the box (which looked a little small to hold twenty-five cans), I opened it and this is what I found:

There were only eight cans inside and they were smashed and dented.  Some of them were empty, a couple of the others were about half full after leaking soda on the outside of the other cans and on the plastic bags used as packing material.  Immediate fury.  Had I been scammed?  I emailed the seller.  He said he took pictures of the twenty-five cans in the box before he shipped it in case something like this happened.  Still, had I been scammed?  After discussing the situation with a co-worker yesterday, we realized what happened.  The seller had shipped the cans with soda still in them, one or more had leaked on the trip, probably ruining the original box, so the parcel service threw out most of the dented, wet cans and reboxed the remainder.  And that's what I received!

Damaged cans 1-4

I emailed the seller and explained what I thought had happened and suggested he refund my money and take up the battle with the parcel service, if he wanted to, for the value of the cans.  I explained the correct way to bottom-open a soda can (I use a small nail and punch two holes in the bottom, one to drain the soda and one for air to go in) before shipping.  He wrote back yesterday, just as angry as I was at the situation, and said he refunded my money, asked that I return the 8 cans, and he said he learned his lesson!  When I sent him pictures of the cans, he said he laughed because the cans were so beat up.  He told me to save my money and not return them to him, just throw them away.  

Damaged cans 5-8

He had worked hard at putting the collection together for someone to enjoy.  He lost a lot of time and money and I lost a good Star Wars can collection.