The box arrives on a Sunday. You cut the tape and lift the thermocol. Then you hear a small clink.
One glass globe is in pieces. The rest of the light looks fine. Your electrician is coming tomorrow, and the seller’s phone goes to voicemail.
Transit damage is the break, dent or crack that happens while a parcel travels to you. Glass, crystal and stone parts can crack on the way. What you do in the first 24 hours decides how fast you get your light back.
Below, you will see what to check before you buy, what to do when the box opens, and what we found in 10 seller listings.
The short answer
Film the unboxing, photograph the broken part and report transit damage on the same day. Our policy gives you 24 hours, and IKEA India gives 7 days. Before you buy, ask the seller who sends the replacement part, because 0 of the 10 listings we read said.
What is really going on with transit damage
A light usually breaks in a box when the box is dropped or knocked on the way. Here are the numbers.
- Fragile parts are common: 232 of our 420 lights have glass, crystal or stone parts.
- Spares are mostly glass: 25 of the 33 spare parts we sell on their own are borosilicate glass, the heat-safe glass used in oven-safe dishes.
- Boxes get dropped on purpose in tests: FedEx’s own packing test, called 6A, runs a sealed box through a set of 17 drops and shocks. A box under 70 pounds, about 32 kg, falls from 18 inches, about 46 cm.
- Moving goods costs India a lot: logistics, the work of moving and storing goods, cost India 7.8% to 8.9% of GDP (the value of all it produces) in 2021-22, says an NCAER study for the Commerce Ministry’s industry department.
- More buyers complain: the National Consumer Helpline got 37,062 complaints a month in 2017 and 1,70,585 a month in 2025.
- Our study: of 10 IndiaMART chandelier listings read on 27 Oct 2026, 0 stated what happens if the light breaks on the way.
More than half of our own lights can crack in a box. 232 ÷ 420 = 55%. So we treat packing and spares as part of the product, not an extra.
Every handover is one more chance for a drop. A sea import passes a port abroad, a ship, an Indian port and customs before it reaches a shop. Then it still needs a courier to reach your door.
A light made in India skips the ship and the ports. We still send it by a third-party courier, like everyone else. The real difference comes after the break: who keeps the part, and how fast it reaches you.
Complaints have grown with online buying. 1,70,585 ÷ 37,062 = 4.6, so the helpline gets about 4.6 times more complaints a month than in 2017. A clear damage rule, written before you pay, helps you stay out of that queue.
The law helps you here. The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 ask online sellers to show their return, refund, exchange and warranty terms. An online store’s grievance officer must accept a complaint within 48 hours and solve it within 1 month.
How to check it yourself
Do the first two checks before you pay. Do the last three when the box arrives.
- Find the seller’s transit damage rule in writing: how many hours you get to report, and what they send back.
- Ask if they keep the glass shade or globe as a spare, and how many days it takes to send.
- Film the unboxing in one take, from the sealed box to the light.
- Photograph the broken part next to the box label, and email it within the time limit (24 hours for us).
- Keep the thermocol, the outer carton and the invoice until the claim is closed.
We read 10 IndiaMART chandelier listings on 27 Oct 2026. 5 described their packing. 5 gave a delivery time, from 3 days to 45 days. 0 stated a damage rule or a warranty on the listing itself.
Side by side
Here is how our written rules compare with the listings we read.
| What you care about | JagMag | Marketplace listings we read |
|---|---|---|
| Time to report damage | 24 hours, with photos | Not stated on 10 of 10 |
| What gets replaced | The broken part, free, within 7–10 days | Not stated on 10 of 10 |
| Spare parts | 33 parts sold on their own, for 10+ years | Not stated |
| Packing described | Box sizes listed on 20 lights | 5 of 10 |
| Delivery time | 4 working days to dispatch, then 7–10 days | 3 to 45 days, on 5 of 10 |
Where big stores are better
IKEA India gives you 365 days to return a purchase for a full refund. Our policy gives you 24 hours to report damage, a manufacturing defect or another genuine complaint, and every return needs our approval by email.
IKEA India also gives 7 days to raise a delivery claim. 7 days is 168 hours, which is 7 times our 24 hours. If you need more time to open boxes, a big store is kinder.
Some marketplace sellers are fast. One Delhi listing for an 8 × 8 ft crystal chandelier promised delivery in 3 days.
What we do at JagMag
JagMag Lights, a decorative lighting manufacturer in Greater Noida, replaces the broken part, so you do not wait for a whole new light. If a glass shade or alabaster piece breaks on the way, we replace that part at no extra cost after we see the photos, and we provide the spare part within 7–10 days. Report it within 24 hours of delivery, as our refund and return policy and legal policies say.
We can do that because we make the parts ourselves. Our lighting components range has 33 spare parts you can buy on their own. One of them is a 5 inch clear ribbed borosilicate glass globe for chandeliers.
Each light leaves our own Greater Noida factory, where we have made lights since 2015. In-stock lights dispatch in 4 working days and reach most of India in 7–10 business days. 4 + 7 = 11 and 4 + 10 = 14, so plan on 11 to 14 days in all.
Big lights travel in more than one box. Our raindrop crystal chandelier ships as one plate box plus 2 to 10 crystal boxes, with every box size on its page. Shipping is free across India.
Vastu thinking values a room that is evenly lit, so even one dark socket matters. A spare globe from the maker brings the full light back.
Want to know more? Read why chandelier repair is easier from a maker, and how the e-commerce rules protect you. Choosing glass? See our glass chandeliers.
FAQs
What is transit damage?
Transit damage is any break, dent or crack that happens while a parcel travels from the seller to you. Glass, crystal and stone parts are most at risk, and 232 of our 420 lights have one.
What should I do if I receive a damaged product?
Report it within the seller’s time limit, with photos and an unboxing video. At JagMag the limit is 24 hours from delivery, by email with your invoice.
Will you replace the whole light or only the broken part?
We replace the broken part, such as a glass shade or alabaster piece, at no extra cost after checking your photos. We provide the spare part within 7–10 days, and a full replacement needs our written email approval.
Do online sellers have to show their return rules?
Yes, the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 ask them to show return, refund, exchange and warranty terms. Yet 0 of the 10 listings we read on 27 Oct 2026 stated a damage rule on the listing itself.
How long does a JagMag light take to arrive?
An in-stock JagMag light takes about 11 to 14 days in all. The light leaves our factory in 4 working days and takes 7–10 business days to reach most of India.
Nature gives the material. Human hands give it meaning. Light brings it to life.
Need a spare? Browse lighting components. Not sure which part you need? Video-call us with a photo of the broken piece.
Sources
- IKEA India, Returns and claims (read 27 Oct 2026)
- Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 (PRS India)
- PIB, National Consumer Helpline note, October 2025
- Business Standard, India’s logistics cost 7.8–8.9% of GDP in FY22 (NCAER)
- Atlantic Packaging, ISTA drop testing info sheet
- IndiaMART chandelier listings (10 product pages read 27 Oct 2026)
- IndiaMART, 8 × 8 ft crystal chandelier listing (read 27 Oct 2026)