Lost in the mail...

necrontyr · Post by **necrontyr** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 9:46 pm

So I have a dilemma about a recent trade.

I made a large trade recently, and being as I had a much higher rating, it was agreed that the other person would ship first. Everything arrived great, I left a positive feedback, and shipped out my end. The problem was I used the automated shipping machine, and must have missed the delivery confirmation screen or something, so I ended up shipping just as a standard priority service, no confirmation or insurance.

Well it's been a month now, and the package has not arrived. Now I trust the guy, and don't want to accuse him of trying anything sneaky, but I am kind of lost as where to go from here. Since I don't have proof of shipping , I can't file a lost article with the post office, but if I return everything I was sent I am out nearly $500 in trade stuffs.

So basically, how should I proceed from here?

Forsaken Poptart · Post by **Forsaken Poptart** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 9:54 pm

Do you at least have a receipt? Did you pay on a credit card? There are, I think, some tracking numbers built in to certain methods of shipping.

Sadly, I also think you might be out of luck.

Alkatchoff · Post by **Alkatchoff** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 9:57 pm

The only hope I can give you is that a 'lost package' will may be returned to sender after a while - or at the least that's what happened to me - so I'd urge you to give it a little more time in the hopes that the package either reaches its destination or gets returned to you.

wookieegunner · Post by **wookieegunner** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:02 pm

Go to your post office and explain to them what happen. I believe they have a form you (as the sender) can fill out where they do a trace and see if they can find it in the system.

kturock · Post by **kturock** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:07 pm

you can file a lost mail form, but, basiclly you're SoL.
the post office has a couple places, that lost or damaged mail ends up; eventually, sooner or later. but the odds of finding it, are slim. if you used a plain box, with both addresses written in permanent marker, then you have half a chance. if you wrapped it in paper, then you have almost no chance.

you should always put a shipping invoice, with both addresses on it, inside the box.

you sent $500 worth of goods, but didn't spend the 75 cents to get delivery confirmation, or the $6.40 for insurance.
it's the same as buying a new car, for cash, and not having insurance, then running into a tree and totalling it.

nightshade_eyes · Post by **nightshade_eyes** » Thu May 01, 2008 12:19 am

kturock wrote: You should always put a shipping invoice, with both addresses on it, inside the box.

Good advice, thanks!

wookieegunner · Post by **wookieegunner** » Thu May 01, 2008 12:35 am

kturock wrote:
you sent $500 worth of goods, but didn't spend the 75 cents to get delivery confirmation, or the $6.40 for insurance.
it's the same as buying a new car, for cash, and not having insurance, then running into a tree and totalling it.

No, he sent $500 worth of goods and missed the screen for the confirmation and insurance. It was a oopsie not intentional.

Adunaphel · Post by **Adunaphel** » Thu May 01, 2008 12:43 am

Well, oopsie or not, kturock has the right of it. I really hope you have the box appear, but without tracking and confirmation it doesn't look good.

If nothing else, it is a cautionary tale for the rest of us. I know that I used to roll the dice with small trades and eBay auctions by shipping without any safety net, but I don't do it any more.

Karl

kturock · Post by **kturock** » Thu May 01, 2008 12:53 am

wookieegunner wrote:
kturock wrote:
you sent $500 worth of goods, but didn't spend the 75 cents to get delivery confirmation, or the $6.40 for insurance.
it's the same as buying a new car, for cash, and not having insurance, then running into a tree and totalling it.
No, he sent $500 worth of goods and missed the screen for the confirmation and insurance. It was a oopsie not intentional.

dear wookie.. have you ever seen the screen? i have. i work for usps and use the machine and.. work on them. the writing on the screen askes, do you want you want to insure the item? do you want delivery confirmation?
the letters are only 1 inch big. on a 15 inch screen.

you have to purposely click the button saying no. it's not in small print like discloses on tv ads.

if you realise you didn't have the service, you can always go back in line and add either service. OR you can also go through the process again, on the machine, and add insurance or delievery confirmation.
both will only charge you the extra.

it's not something you blink and it goes by. you must actively click a button to not choose it.

necrontyr · Post by **necrontyr** » Thu May 01, 2008 3:35 pm

Well it's obvious I screwed the pooch here, the real question is where do I go from here? IF I keep the stuff and say sorry about your luck, I'm a jerk. If I send him his stuff back I'm out A LOT. The problem is it isn't really either of our faults, well partly mine for not getting the tracking #.

( 3094 ) · Post by **porkuslime** » Thu May 01, 2008 5:55 pm

Hate to say it, but the problem really IS yours. Yes, your trade partner might be a jerk and claim to not get it and secretly laugh about it over your parcel.. but.. as you say.. you screwed the pooch. Delivery Confirmation or insurance on something for $500.. not something to slip up on.

I don't see where the trade partner made any mistakes in what you are telling us. Best advice is to take the loss, perhaps, but only when you are SURE that the package is gone walkabout.. maybe 2 months? I assume you are both inside the US and neither party is in canada.. lol

-Porkuslime

morgan kelly · Post by **morgan kelly** » Thu May 01, 2008 6:32 pm

I am currently hoping that a package I sent to Canada gets to it's recipient. I shipped first and payment is due when it's received, but my local Post Office stated there was no "tracking" available from the US to Canada. It's been just over a month, so I am hoping it isn't stuck in customs. (the odd thing is that 2 other shipped packages to the same general area made it through..) I feel bad when I send something and it never arrives.

Is there a way to check to see if the package is indeed stalled in customs somehow?

kturock · Post by **kturock** » Thu May 01, 2008 10:03 pm

morgan kelly wrote:I am currently hoping that a package I sent to Canada gets to it's recipient. I shipped first and payment is due when it's received, but my local Post Office stated there was no "tracking" available from the US to Canada. It's been just over a month, so I am hoping it isn't stuck in customs. (the odd thing is that 2 other shipped packages to the same general area made it through..) I feel bad when I send something and it never arrives.

Is there a way to check to see if the package is indeed stalled in customs somehow?

no there is no tracking. period. unless you send it express mail. anywhere in the US, and mostly the world. but some foreign countries, namely europe and canada, do mostly voluntarily participate in the scanning system. everything else, THAT HAS A NUMBER, ONLY GETS SCANNED WHEN DELIVERED, [in the US] unless you get lucky and it's 1 of the random 3-5 pieces that get scanned per container. [a container can hold anywhere from 30-100 items]. [in the US.]

and there is no way to tell if customs has it or still has it. they [customs] are SUPPOSED TO scan it when they receive it, and when they send it out. i've sent things out , and only reveived a notice from the recipiant that the item was received. customs never scanned, but stamped it 'cleared customs.'

you can always file a lost mail claim form.. but don't expect much.

( 34 ) · Post by **Morlock-Bloodletter** » Fri May 02, 2008 1:45 am

Kturock-having dealt with a lost package before and having the insurance I would like to ask you a question.

Even if one purchases the insurance doesn't the USPS make you provide a receipt for the merchandise inside the package when filing a claim against it?

When I went to claim the insurance on a lost package I was told that since I did not have a receipt showing the actual amount of the contents of the package that they would not honor it.

I ask this because we gamers collect and collect over a period of time and then subsequently trade things off. I know that I am not the only one who would NOT still have receipts for every model I ever purchased therefore making the insurance claim (by the definition I was given) useless. More like a donation to the USPS than anything else.

As for the OP: I would suggest filing whatever claims you can and then trying to work something out with the other party. If you ever do figure out what happened then go from there, other than that though you are looking at a "life lesson" in humility and biting the bullet. It's going to sting losing that much "money" in lost items but you have your integrity and a lot of empathy from all of us here.

kturock · Post by **kturock** » Fri May 02, 2008 2:00 am

your receipt is what you paid for it, if you bought it, or receipts of what you bought, if you traded for it.

now.. i know, like me, none of us keep, if we ever even had, a receipt for the minis.. but, you can use as a receipt, a list of items traded, and what they're worth.. for example,
i'm sending you a box of tactical space marines for your box of lets say screamer deamons. gw site shows tac marines are worth $35, and a box of screamers are worth $30. so the worth of the marines is actually $30..

you proof of worth is the pm's or emails showing the details. 1 box of tac marines for 1 box of screamers.
you print out the page from gw showing the items and how much it's worth and..voila.

thats the same way if they lose or damage an item you bought from ebay. you got a receipt from ebay.

WHEN YOU TRADE, ALWAYS QUOTE WHAT YOU'R TRADING; BOTH SENDING AND RECEIVING.
then when you ship:
LIST THE WORTH/VALUE ON THE SHIPPING INVOICE.
then you have a receipt showing what it's worth. it's worth someone else is willing to pay for it.

in my example, the marines are worth $30, because your sending me 430 worth of screamers.

ALWAYS. ALWAYS. ALWAYS.. send an invoice with all you items. showing worth..and both addresses; to and from.

and keep a copy for yourself.

oops wife aggro.. gotta crash for bed...
laters.