USPS botched my trade... what do I do?

[kturock]

That was my point.
Why was it inspected?

What part opened; the reseal or somewhere else?

USUALLY, the tape we use is stronger than what most people use.

If something was removed do it being illegal, then some type of law enforcement would have been notified. Only postal inspectors remove items from mail. The containers might be removed from the mail stream by other employees, but the items inside aren't. [yes, even supected, bombs, drugs, poisons {ie anthrax} are left in the box, and not moved far, by postal employees.


You got to understand. USPS is a factory. More and more things are getting mechanized/automated. Even if the box was resealed by an employee, doesn't assure that the seal is what gave out. What kind of box was it?
Someone posted they received items in a shoe box. I can guarantee that that will break open, especially if it has something heavy like magazines or catalogs.


Back to the car analogy, if the car had bad gas or cheap gas, who is responsible; the gas station for selling cheap gas, the car lot for buying cheap gas?

If the steering column became loose and it caused the accident, the the lot would be responsible. But if it came loose and you stopped the car, in the middle of traffic and got hit by another driver, you're at fault.
.

[EZ mac]

How is the post office not a convienience? There does not have to be a company which moves something for you to another place for a charge not easier than you to go and deliver the box yourself? The entire idea of having a quicker form of Mail delivery by stage coach was to make it more convinient than to go and bring something yourself to someone a few hundred miles away. Just because a company charges you for a service does not make it not a convienience.

It's the same thing as when the gas prices went stupid expensive. Noone HAS to drive (with a few select people) and if u do not want to pay for gas then take a bus or walk. Personally I'd rather drive my truck and pay $4 a gallon then ride the bus.

The usps is a goverment run program which means changing anything about it does not happen very quickly (DMV anyone?) and is not perfect but they make due with what they have. The usps is also a bit cheaper for sending most kinds of box's over ups or fedex so how could you possibly expect to have the same service from one of them as with the usps office (not that there is anything wrong with the usps office).

True that it would beNice if everything was insured for free but then people would whine about the price of sending boxes being too high.

How often have you had to use the insurance that you did payfor? I haven't and so I stoped getting it for the majority of boxes I send/recieve (except for the $1k+ kind) because the likelyhood of using it is a 1:100 shot EACH time u use it. It's not to say that if I do 100 boxes that I will get 1 lost, I know a few people that have sent of 20 and lost 4 of them.



From now on it sounds like everyone wants insurance then just figure each box is $3(ish) more than what you expect and get it everytime.

[Ironhide]

Oh, the post office is a convenience, a paid convenience. It's not free.

That was my point.
Why was it inspected?

Would be nice to know that! If it was because the books and piece of razorwire made the package look "suspicious", then we'd all know not to do that in the future.

What part opened; the reseal or somewhere else?

USUALLY, the tape we use is stronger than what most people use.

Isn't media mail only allowed to be shipped in certain types of packaging?

As for the car, dealership would be responsible, if it was in NC. It falls under most states' "lemon laws".

[kturock]

Oh, the post office is a convenience, a paid convenience. It's not free.

That was my point.
Why was it inspected?

Would be nice to know that! If it was because the books and piece of razorwire made the package look "suspicious", then we'd all know not to do that in the future.

What part opened; the reseal or somewhere else?

USUALLY, the tape we use is stronger than what most people use.

Isn't media mail only allowed to be shipped in certain types of packaging?

As for the car, dealership would be responsible, if it was in NC. It falls under most states' "lemon laws".

Media mail can be shipped in anything. Right now, I have a hardback book being shipped out in a manilla envelope. The books is in a plastic bag, to help keep it dry. The brown envelope is 95% covered in 2" wide clear plastic tape.

Look at the shipping instructions at paperbackbookswap.com on how to wrap books. Check out their dvd and cd sites to see how to wrap them. All usualy go 1st class, until 8 ounces, then they go media. All 3 can go media rate, since they are PRE-RECORDED, NON-PERSONALIZED. When you ship media rate, you can't enclose and correspondence, other than a shipping invoice showing to, from, items enclosed and costs. Anything else, even a hand-written thanks-you, will get it chared as postage due.

If the razor wire didn't feel or sound like a cd, dvd or book, then yes, it's suspicious. If it sounds funny, it can get opened. [cell phone, radio, ipod, pager, alarm clock, clock radio; and it's making noise] it's suspicious. [is that static of a radio or the hissing/ticking of a bomb? We had that happen 2x at my facility alone.]

Also, if it looks like a priority mail box, that was used, and the labeling was obsured, taped, marked, markered or painted over, the box would be suspicious and cold get opened.

Also, sometimes packages leak. Powder, leaking from a package will get it isolated and inspected. If the powder is on several boxes, and you can't tell which one it's from, they all get isolated. If the OP's box was opened, for that reason, and saw to not contain any powder, it'd be treated the same way.

Most magazines, and all catalogs can't go media rate. Too many ads per 5 of content. [look at WD's cover, it's not even a magazine, since it has too many ads.] Thin of it like the restaurant and bar vs. the bar and restaurant for licenses.

1st, we need to see what mail class was paid for. Then we might, have a chance to figure, guess why it was opened.

We also need to be told, shown wear the box opened.

It could easily be that it was opened, resealed and then the receiver, figuring he could pull a fast one, bcause it was opened; lied to the OP.

So far, the receiver, who is supposed to be a b-towner, hasn't responded...
He must recognise the OP's name and the problem. I'd want to know what's going on if it was me, and my trade was being discussed on the forum.


Bad gas isn't covered under a lemon law. If the dealership goes to the cheapest station in town, and there happens to be too much water:gas in the mix, [all gas station tanks have water/moisture in them], how is the dealer responsible if the car starts sputtering and stalls as you pull onto the highway? He gave the tank, 1/2 tank of gas in good faith. You add better gas, a better brand or higher rating, and the problem goes away. Maybe you have to get a can of fuel additive or dry gas. That's not the dealers responsibilty. ANd if you know the car is sluggish, or hesitating, and you pull out on the highway and it stall, it's not the dealers fault. {the only way if could be, is if the dealer put water or a lower octane fuel in that recommended by the manufactuer.}

[Ironhide]

Doesn't matter the problem with the car. The fact that it happens right when you pull out of the lot, and falls within the time-span covered by the lemon law, is why it is covered under the lemon law. And when you tell the officer the full story and show him the proof, he'll be going right to the dealer to ask questions.

[kturock]

Well this has gone off-topic. If you want to continue the discussion about the car dealer example. PM me.

I don't want/need to get reprimanded again for a post, because someone else doesn't like it; especially when a watchman is involved. I don't like railroads, I got one once before, not gonna let it happen again.

[Adunaphel]

Yeah. A lot of this is pure conjecture. It would help to know HOW it was shipped. If it was Media mail and there were items that are not allowed, then I can see where things might have gone very wrong.

Also, it would be nice to know exactly what the box looked like and what the PO stamped on it.

If the original poster or the trader who received the opened box could illuminate us on the ACTUAL facts about what happened that would help us figure out a way to really help instead of just snipe at each other.

As far as insurance goes, I rarely get it UNLESS (like kturock says) I wouldn't want to have to replace the shipped items.

On the other issues here though, it would be very helpful to know exactly what went wrong. Or at least what the two traders know of what has happened.

Lastly, and this is off topic a little, somebody mentioned paperbookswap. I went and took a look around on paperbookswap and I was AMAZED at how they tell you how to ship the books. Basically, they claim that you can just wrap the book in a piece of paper and ship it. That sounds CRAZY to me! Does anybody have any experience with this form of shipping a book and how well it works?

Karl

[kturock]

I do and so does porkuslime, I believe. I've seen the books shipped like this, and sent out and received well over 100. All have made it safely. [then again, i cover all of the paper with 2' wide clear tape.] I've only had one i've recieved camaged. It was 'bent' but still readable. i'm reading it now matter of fact.

I usually use brown envelopes, or padded bubble mailers. Note: that with enough tape, it's no longer paper, but is laminated paper/plastic. It then becomes like a brick.

[connivingsumo]

I've also been told to just wrap the book in brown paper and call it good... no thanks

I'm w/Kturock - I just pick up a padded envelope and toss the book in that way. Just my $0.02.

[MagickalMemories]

I've been a cheap-scate, honestly, and have sent many-a-items without insurance because the buyer/trader never requested it, probably a roll-over from my eBay (FEEbay) days; however, there have been very solid arguments made here as to why I should -on my end- insure the packages anyway regardless of what my buyer/trader requests.

Depending on the item, sometimes I offer insurance and sometimes I just get it. If I OFFER insurance I make it known that, if it is refused, I'm not held responsible for anything that happens in transit.
If you DO NOT offer insurance & don't buy insurance, it's your responsibility by default.
If you offer it and they refuse... it's STIL your responsibility by default.
If you write it in as part of your trade negotiations that refused insurance = their responsibility (and they agree to the trade), you've covered yoruself.

I understand that they can't complete every singe delivery with no accidents or loss but that's not what happened here. They opened it and then half of it got lost somehow. They should be help resonsible.

As of writing this, I haven't gone past this post (@ bottom of page 1). So, forgive me if I'm just repeating what others have said...
I don't think it's fair to point fingers @ USPS until we have all of the information.

Eric

[MagickalMemories]

Page 3 hasn't been too bad, but there was a lot of arguing and/or near-arguing over this topic on page 2.

Remember, folks, the ONLY facts we have are what the OP has given us, so far... and that isn't alot.
Let's not get in arguments over suppositions and hypotheticals.

Also, kturock... 2 things...

1) Thanks for chiming in with your professional experience
2) Thanks for the "on topic" response. I appreciate you trying to get the topic back on track. We're all guilty of tangents every now & again.

Eric

[kturock]

This isn't completly on topic, but does relate to it.

I just got a book in trade, via the papberback book trading site I mentioned above.
It was in a plain manilla/brown large envelope. On the outside was handwritten "Media Mail".
Also on the front, was 3 stampings stating "MEDIA MAIL SUBJECT TO INSPECTION". These are official stamps.
The envelope wasn't opened, but it was quite easy to feel it was an over-sized paperback book inside.


That comes back to how it's is on topic. Did the stamping on the OP's package say it was opened, or could be opened? Both stamps exsist.


So, we're waiting for the OP to answer the same questions:
What rate was it shipped?
What part opened, the reseal if it was opened or somewhere else?

[-=Ashigaru=-]

Hey all,

Thanks for all the input on the situation. Your responses have shown various angles on the subject. In the end, it was my fault for sending via media shipping, although it was at the suggestion of the other trader. I didnt research what it entailed, and assumed the other trader knew more than I. Also the slipping in of the figures and the razorwire was at his suggestion as well, an it seemed to be no big deal at the time. Had I known that White Dwarf magazine did not really fall under media mail, I would have just sent it all as a normal package. Also I did not setup insurance, Ive never actually needed it in all the small time trades ive done over the years, and I would have usually reserved it for larger trades of more worth, but I see now how it applies all across the board.

But then I suppose it is a learning situation, and I see now how things can go unexpectedly wrong even in an honest trade. And for future trades, its better to be safe than sorry by taking precautions and doing your research, at least on my own behalf. Well, that aside, I'm talking to the other trader, and I'm more than willing to provide some sort of compensation to balance things out, cause after all, I got everything I asked for in the trade.

Thanks all for your responses BT really looks out on the side of fairness, and I hope this uphill climb to reach a higher trade rating will place me one day amongst you veterans.

thanks,

-Ashi

[kturock]

So, it was sent media rate and was sent forward.
That answers the 1st question.

But, on to the second; what opened, the reseal or somewhere else?

It's also strange that since it was opened, and found to have no media rate qualifing material inside; that it was sent forward postage due, or returned to sender for additional postage.

Only a few traders, until recently, knew WD doesn't qualify for media rate. I could name at meast 1mod/watchman I know didn't know.

Most veteran traders should've known that the razorwire and figures don't classify.