Title: Returned a shipping damage; cautionary tale
Review: Be advised when buying instruments: you never know who is shipping or how. Ordered a Dean banjo well before it was needed (TG) and received it on time. Opened the single corrugated wall cardboard parallelogram box it was shipped in that felt more like a case interior package than a shipping carton. Inside were three pieces of low grade styrofoam styled packing and a partially tensioned banjo - in two unfortunate pieces.The banjo snapped from the heel to the 18th fret in the classic axe-handle split. While I could have glued and proceeded (some repair skills) it was a gift and I wasn't going to do that. Returned the 'jo and got one locally that I could see. Who knows how many inexpensive instruments shipped out of case are damaged/destroyed at the dock like this but I would think sturdier packing and more padding would be the norm in a delicate musical instrument. Sad; not offputting from Amazon's sake, but a lesson nevertheless.
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