Has this happened to you - missing package??

[Merryweather]

Hi fellow DPF people,

I need advice with a delicate situation:

Pins were sent, DC# shows package was delivered, yet the other party says that they have not received the package.

This is uncomfortable and bothersome, I would like to know how to deal with this. Do you start by checking at sender's post office, at the receiver's post office, mailman, neighbors ...?

If good ole usps can not find the package, how do you make the situation right? Return the other trader's pins, send replacement pins? Or do you sleep in peace as your pins show sent and delivered and you have done your part?

I would appreciate input and if you can share any past experiences like this (if you have any)

 

[Constance]

If the package was tracked and delivered, you did all you could do. It's not your fault the mail got lost, and I would try making a claim with the post office- or telling the other party to do so. I always send my packages insured for this reason, and I think if you have tracking you should have insurance, so that's always a good way to go.

I guess "always insure" is a good policy!

 

[tinkerbelle1956]

Hope it gets resolved Selen . Not like my situation where I have waited 6 weeks and still waiting .

 

[simonandwendy626]

Hope it gets resolved Selen . Not like my situation where I have waited 6 weeks and still waiting .

Good grief and I thought the post in the UK was bad!

 

[TheGrimGrinner]

If the package was tracked and delivered, you did all you could do. It's not your fault the mail got lost, and I would try making a claim with the post office- or telling the other party to do so. I always send my packages insured for this reason, and I think if you have tracking you should have insurance, so that's always a good way to go.

I guess "always insure" is a good policy!

Problem with insurance is that you need a receipt to show how much the item actually cost. They don't go by "market value." And how many of us actually have receipts for ALL of our pins?

 

[pook-a-lu-le]

Ask the buyer to check at their Post Office - sometime the mail is delivered to the wrong address. I have had this happen several times where the DC showed up as delivered but the person said the pins had not arrived. One time a new mail carrier had delivered it to another street with a similar name (ie: 205 Rose Circle instead of 205 Rose Street), and another time it went to a wrong address period...anyway, the postal carrier usually scans the pin at the time of delivery and they would be the one to ask - but they need to find out who delivered it through the post office management and get them to check. Sometimes the buyer may have to ask neighbours also. This is the first thing to do - Hope this helps and they can find the pin!

 

[pook-a-lu-le]

Problem with insurance is that you need a receipt to show how much the item actually cost. They don't go by "market value." And how many of us actually have receipts for ALL of our pins?

If you sell on eBay or any other site, you can show how much the pin sold for and they will cover the actual price you sold it for but not the shipping cost.
Unfortunately, again, it is the seller's responsibility to make sure the pin arrives and arrives as described - if you purchase anything from anyone on line - a big or small company, or an individual seller - it is the seller's responsibility to get the item to you... You can blame the post office, but utimately, it is the seller's responsibility.

If you purchased a rug from Pottery Barn and it never showed up or showed up dirty and torn - who would you contact? You would contact Pottery Barn and they would make it right...same with anything and everything else. It is the seller's responsibility from the time the item is paid for until it arrives as described to the buyer...

 

[TheGrimGrinner]

If you sell on eBay or any other site,

We're not talking about selling in this thread. We're talking about trading.

From USPS.com

Proof of Value includes any evidence of value, such as a receipt, invoice, or bill of sale.

Even if we were talking about selling, it wouldn't include items sold on this forum. That is unless you send an invoice for every pin you sell. I've always thought insurance was one of the most stupid things pin traders do, unless it's for a pin won on ebay.

 

[pook-a-lu-le]

If good ole usps can not find the package, how do you make the situation right? Return the other trader's pins, send replacement pins? Or do you sleep in peace as your pins show sent and delivered and you have done your part?

Merryweather, you are on the right track but this situation is tricky...since it was not a sale but a trade. After asking the trader to please check with everyone, then you are just going to have to let your conscience be your guide (as Jiminy Cricket always says).

 

[pook-a-lu-le]

We're not talking about selling in this thread. We're talking about trading.



Even if we were talking about selling, it wouldn't include items sold on this forum. That is unless you send an invoice for every pin you sell. I've always thought insurance was one of the most stupid things pin traders do, unless it's for a pin won on ebay.

Hi, this is from the USPS website:

Online Insurance Claims

Quick and convenient online claims process.

Filing a claim for domestic insurance? Senders or recipients can now file claims online -- providing a faster claims process and access anytime to view your claim status and history.

It’s easy! Once you register or sign-in, all you need is:

Your insurance article number.

Your transaction number (for Click-N-Ship claims) or the auction number (for eBay claims).

Proof of Value (all claims)

Claim description and details for loss or damaged claim.

Maybe you could present the paypal transaction # as proof if it were a sale from this board, but nothing on a trade.

 

[Merryweather]

In this case the DC# shows as "Delivered on 07/20"

So, if the item shows as "delivered" can you really claim insurance? I think insurance usually applies to missing or damaged items. How would you claim insurance if the item shows as "delivered"??
Sadly, this particular package was not insured anyway. I don't know how many of you really insure their trade packages unless it is a $50 or more pin? I don't because mailing is costly as it is. I have insured a trade pin only once so far. And I have never received an insured package for a trade.

On a different note, asking neighbors would be the first thing I would do, especially for people living in apts. It is very easy for the mailman to scan the package and stick it in a wrong box by mistake. Athough I live in a house, in the newer parts of Austin, mail does not come to homes. Instead we have mailboxes in the entrance of neighborhoods. It is a joy to walk to collect mail when it is 100F+ !!

 

[tiggermickey]

The package Selen is referring to is coming from me to Orlando ,Florida
They are member here and I still have not heard!!And you know a pkg from me
usually gets there .I have no idea what to do.They were online earlier and I have not heard anything
as I had Pm'ed them to check the PO in Orlando..so I will have to see what to do next
but I figured if it was delivered..it should be the PO in Orlando to find it,as I did my end of the trade Ok

Judy

 

[swim2sea]

Judy, I 110% agree with you. If the package shows delivered, the postman must scan the package in the truck BEFORE he puts it in the mailbox. This prevents (supposedly) wrong address delivery. I spoke to my mailperson today who is a 25 year veteran of the PO and delivers pins to me all the time. If the PO says it was delivered, then it was left either in his mailbox or if too large, at the front door. If you don't want the mailman to leave packages for you, you have to tell them that. Otherwise they leave it near the door and go. They consider this delivered. So as far as the sender is concerned, they mailed it with a DC# which now shows delivered. THE END.

P.S. If you want to be sure they get it, you can mark it signature required and that's better than insurance. Then they have to either be home to recieve it or go to the po and get it. I used to do this, but missed a couple and had to wait in line so now he just leaves them. It cost like 0.25 cents to do this and guarantees delivery.

P.P.S. If there is a DC#, the mailman said the PO can show a drop by drop situation each time it was scanned. So if the last scan was at their address - case closed.

 

[btowndude]

I was in this situation last year as the receiver of the missing pins. I talked to my letter carrier and the clerks at my local post office, when the pins did not arrive. But I got no satisfaction. Fortunately, the sender had emailed me the DC number. The DC number showed that the pins had arrived at my local post office two months before, but no delivery information. I printed out the tracking information and gave it to a supervisor at my local USPS branch. The pins were in my mailbox the next day with no explanation!

 

[Merryweather]

Ok, as I said before this is delicate.

I agree that the sender have done their part by sending and adding DC# to the package.

But it somehow does not seem right for the other party not to get their pins. This way, they are out of pins for something that is not their fault.

What is the fair thing to do really?

 

[Constance]

Problem with insurance is that you need a receipt to show how much the item actually cost. They don't go by "market value." And how many of us actually have receipts for ALL of our pins?

They've never once asked us for a receipt and we've filed several claims. I'm a jeweler and there's no way to "get a receipt" for my work because I'm the one that's created it and I've never had a problem with a claim, not with my jewelry and not with my pins, and we've made claims for both.

 

[Paul1823]

The package Selen is referring to is coming from me to Orlando ,Florida
They are member here and I still have not heard!!And you know a pkg from me
usually gets there .I have no idea what to do.They were online earlier and I have not heard anything
as I had Pm'ed them to check the PO in Orlando..so I will have to see what to do next
but I figured if it was delivered..it should be the PO in Orlando to find it,as I did my end of the trade Ok

Judy

I am the reciever of the said pins. The DC# says it was delivered to my address on July 21st @ 4:46pm. (I did NOT recieve the package that day.)
On July 22nd I spoke with our postman and he stated NO package was in his truck the day before, even though DC# states it was scanned and delievered.
I called the PO and spoke with them about the package, they gave me the number to the anex that sorts my mail.
Today July 23rd I called the anex many times and recieved no answer. I will have to call again on Monday, as I spoke to my postman again today about said package and he still stated that he had nothing on the day in question.
I am recieving other packages from other members, so not sure as to why Judy's package went missing, I have traded with her many times and shes just wonderful.

 

[pook-a-lu-le]

would you mind posting the tracking number?

 

[Paul1823]

would you mind posting the tracking number?

dc# 0310 0480 0001 5462 8477

 

[Merryweather]

I wonder if your package was mis-delivered? I have received a package for people in my neighborhood last year. The door number was same as mine, but the street name was different. I took their package to their home and they treated me like a solicitor when I rang their door bell. This is how much people know each other in my neighborhood

 

[swim2sea]

I called my mailman at home and he said your carrier should handle the trace on the package, well actually his supervisor should. Go back to the PO and speak with the Postmaster General and file a complaint. They know where it was last scanned and he said the are scanned immediately before delivery. So they know what happened.

 

[Paul1823]

We live in an apartment complex.
Not sure how the package could be mis-delivered, unless it was just placed in the wrong "mail box" as none of the apartment numbers are identical.

 

[swim2sea]

Ok, as I said before this is delicate.

I agree that the sender have done their part by sending and adding DC# to the package.

But it somehow does not seem right for the other party not to get their pins. This way, they are out of pins for something that is not their fault.

What is the fair thing to do really?

I'm interested to know what you think is the fair thing. Either way someone is without a pin. So is it more "fair" for the person who did everything they could to get the package delivered to be without a pin because of something out of their control? Or should the person who's mailcarrier mishandled the package be without a pin? So what do you consider fair?

 

[erudolf]

Ok, as I said before this is delicate.

I agree that the sender have done their part by sending and adding DC# to the package.

But it somehow does not seem right for the other party not to get their pins. This way, they are out of pins for something that is not their fault.

What is the fair thing to do really?

This is a very bad situation. It happened to me one with a pin I purchased off eBay. I paid $60 for this pin and the DC said delivered yet I had no pin. I filed a claim but lost because the tracking said delivered. I lost my $60 and the pin never did turn up.

If the parties know and trust each other, then they just need to come to an agreement on what to do. If the parties don't know each other....that's really difficult. How is anyone to know what really happened? The post office could have messed up, but either one of the parties could be scamming as well. I have no good answer on this one. :dunno:

 

[erudolf]

We live in an apartment complex.
Not sure how the package could be mis-delivered, unless it was just placed in the wrong "mail box" as none of the apartment numbers are identical.

That is probably exactly what happened. The unfortunate thing is that you neighbors haven't been honest enough to return it.