USPS Lost ANOTHER Pin... What to Do?

I am at my wits end.

A seller in UT recently posted what appeared to be a full set of Tangled pins, individually listed, on eBay. I'm down to my last seven, so there wasn't really much there that I needed and/or, could afford, except for 80648 - Tangled Opening Day. I had lost this pin four times prior - a few times on eBay, a few times trying to buy/win the right to buy it here. It was elusive. So I hesitantly put in my best offer, and lo and behold, the seller accepted! Hooray!!

... Here's where it gets messy.

The seller shipped my pin - I have a tracking number and apparently (s)he added signature confirmation, which for a pin of that price, I really appreciated. USPS tried delivering the package to my apartment last Friday (3/29) but because Dan and I were at work, of course no one was there to sign for it. They left a pink pick up slip, and that was that. I was finally able to make it to to the post office on Tuesday morning to go pick it up, only to learn that it wasn't at the post office. In fact, they had no idea where it was, took my information and promised to call me.

... No call came.

Finally, I called them back the next day, only to be told that this was the first my local post office had heard of the missing package. They also tried telling me that somehow, this was my fault, because my apartment is right on the NH/MA border, and my mail is sourced from multiple distribution centers. Sorry USPS. I'll remember that next time I'm looking for a place to live. :facepalm:

I keep checking my tracking number, and all it says is that it's at the post office. No delivery. The post office can't find it. I call every day for an update, and they have nothing for me. The postmaster at the distribution center (the step above the regular post office) is a nice guy and is now trying to help me out, but I haven't heard anything, and with a package that small... who knows where it could be?

How long should I wait before I consider this a lost cause? I don't want to give up, I've lost this pin four times prior. It was also a lot of money, and I know the seller isn't at fault - but neither am I. How do these things get solved? I've never ever had a problem through eBay or PayPal, so I don't really know what to do and I'm sad to admit I'm feeling very defeated and frustrated.

If nothing else, thanks for letting me vent. With so much going on in my life right now, I was so happy to have my collection to distract me, but this is the WRONG kind of distraction...

P.S. For those of you keeping track, this is the second pin of mine that USPS has lost. The first one was a very generous zap from Darris and Alex - the DSF Chair Pin. The Disty center took full accountability for that - it had been sitting on the wrong shelf for two days, and no one checked on it...

Oh my dear ... I am so sorry about this. I see how this can be discouraging, but do not despair yet.

For one thing, the seller is *responsible* for sending it with signature confirmation if an item costs over a certain limit as per Ebay rules. I do not remember the $$ amount, but it is something like $150 or $200. So, she was not being nice, she was only following rules.

I am 99% sure that your pin did not disappear into the black hole that is also called USPS If you have not contacted your seller yet, please do asap. Your seller might be able to get help from her own post office in locating that package.

Lastly, if a package goes unclaimed for a certain number of days, it gets returned to the sender. So, if your package is sitting on a shelf somewhere, there is still a chance that your seller might get it after 4-8 weeks.

It is crazy and rare, but I did get a pin 5 months after it was mailed to me. USPS works in mysterious ways :lol:

Chin up J'aimie. Here is hoping that April will bring you much better luck and some sunny days

J'aimie. DO NOT GIVE UP! keep pestering. when in doubt. PESTER THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS outta em! its THEIR fault! not YOURS! its up to THEM! you do not give up you pester and you bug! this is one of your final few.

its going to be ok i promise you!!!!

Merryweather said:

Oh my dear ... I am so sorry about this. I see how this can be discouraging, but do not despair yet.

For one thing, the seller is *responsible* for sending it with signature confirmation if an item costs over a certain limit as per Ebay rules. I do not remember the $$ amount, but it is something like $150 or $200. So, she was not being nice, she was only following rules.

I am 99% sure that your pin did not disappear into the black hole that is also called USPS If you have not contacted your seller yet, please do asap. Your seller might be able to get help from her own post office in locating that package.

Lastly, if a package goes unclaimed for a certain number of days, it gets returned to the sender. So, if your package is sitting on a shelf somewhere, there is still a chance that your seller might get it after 4-8 weeks.

It is crazy and rare, but I did get a pin 5 months after it was mailed to me. USPS works in mysterious ways :lol:

Chin up J'aimie. Here is hoping that April will bring you much better luck and some sunny days

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Thanks for the vote of confidence, Selen! I'm a stubborn optimist. I guess I just don't know what to do and I'm so emotionally fried after March I'm a bit off my game.

I haven't yet contacted the eBay seller, but I think that's a wise recommendation of a first step. I was hoping it would arrive and I didn't want to freak them out, but I think it's time to enlist their help. I've never had an eBay item NOT show up... I guess I've been really lucky.

If the item gets returned to sender, who is responsible for paying the second round of S&H? It seems trivial, and at this point, I'd pay whatever it takes to just get this stupid pin in it's shadowbox home...

fireheadfred said:

J'aimie. DO NOT GIVE UP! keep pestering. when in doubt. PESTER THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS outta em! its THEIR fault! not YOURS! its up to THEM! you do not give up you pester and you bug! this is one of your final few.

its going to be ok i promise you!!!!

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Thanks, sweetheart. I can be a real pain in the butt when I have to be. And I'm determined!! And crazy!! I've heard that all of those things work nicely together when you're trying to get something done! I guess I'm just trying to get stuff done in the proper order...

xoxoxo

Where is the seller located? If the package gets returned to the seller (hopefully the seller also insured the package), see if it can be sent UPS with signature confirmation (UPS is supposedly better than Fed-Ex for delivering packages).

As long as it says it's at the post office (and not delivered), the post office should still be able to help you. Now, showing as "delivered" without it actually being delivered, there's another problem which my sis has dealt with, with no help from the USPS.

fireheadfred said:

J'aimie. DO NOT GIVE UP! keep pestering. when in doubt. PESTER THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS outta em! its THEIR fault! not YOURS! its up to THEM! you do not give up you pester and you bug! this is one of your final few.

its going to be ok i promise you!!!!

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+1! Pester them until you get your pin or its value. The post office is saying that it's your fault that they can't find your address??...not only is that stupid, but they obviously did find it, because they left a slip at your door. At least you have the slip to prove that your local office had it, so it shouldn't be hard to get this dealt with. I assume that, since the seller paid for signature confirmation, (s)he also got insurance?

starry_solo said:

Where is the seller located? If the package gets returned to the seller (hopefully the seller also insured the package), see if it can be sent UPS with signature confirmation (UPS is supposedly better than Fed-Ex for delivering packages).

As long as it says it's at the post office (and not delivered), the post office should still be able to help you. Now, showing as "delivered" without it actually being delivered, there's another problem which my sis has dealt with, with no help from the USPS.

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The seller is located in Utah. I'd happily pay a little more to have it shipped via FedEx or UPS at this point. I'm so frustrated and disgusted with the lack of accountability on USPS's part. They keep pointing fingers at the other post offices that it *could* be at, without even checking their shelves first. It's really disheartening -- this is why we pay extra for shipping?

You are right though, I am so happy that the DC does not say "DELIVERED"... I've heard nightmarish stories of trying to track down those packages...

lost-sun-princess said:

If the item gets returned to sender, who is responsible for paying the second round of S&H? It seems trivial, and at this point, I'd pay whatever it takes to just get this stupid pin in it's shadowbox home...

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I think it is the seller's responsibility to get an item safely into their buyer's hands. But, you have to also think of the window you have to get your $$ back if indeed the pin does not show up for 45 days or so - which I believe is the time frame to file with Ebay/Paypal to get your $$ back.

I am keeping fingers, toes and even kidneys crossed for you that it won't come to that.

pargani said:

+1! Pester them until you get your pin or its value. The post office is saying that it's your fault that they can't find your address??...not only is that stupid, but they obviously did find it, because they left a slip at your door. At least you have the slip to prove that your local office had it, so it shouldn't be hard to get this dealt with. I assume that, since the seller paid for signature confirmation, (s)he also got insurance?

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Dan jokes all the time that they know exactly where we live when they have bills to deliver. :facepalm: Disney pins? Suddenly our apartment has dropped off the map.

The problem is that half our mail is sourced from a distribution center in NH, the other half comes from a distribution center in MA. It is weird, and it is frustrating, but all of my other neighbors get packages all the time! Most of the time, I get packages delivered NO problem! But man, two high ticket pins? MISSING. Ugh.

I do think it's insured, yes. I will not be going down without a fight. I just need to know the best method of attacking this to get the results I want, haha. Guh, this is so frustrating... I'm trying to laugh about how ridiculous I feel being so worked up over a pin...

Merryweather said:

I think it is the seller's responsibility to get an item safely into their buyer's hands. But, you have to also think of the window you have to get your $$ back if indeed the pin does not show up for 45 days or so - which I believe is the time frame to file with Ebay/Paypal to get your $$ back.

I am keeping fingers, toes and even kidneys crossed for you that it won't come to that.

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Thank you so much, my kidney-contortionist friend. <3 I really appreciate your information and positivity. Even talking about it with people who "get it" means a lot. Dan's still reeling over what I just paid for this pin.

xoxo

Have you thought about getting a post office box at the local post office? A larger one, especially if you're going to be getting packages. It doesn't remove the possibility of a package being lost (we know that from having one), but it might decrease those possibilities. It's only $60-100 a year.

My post office just broke a $175 golf shaft in half. Then the idiot buyer mailed the broken shaft back and wantes me to pay $32.85 for a piece of worthless graphite. Um no. I didnt' ask for it back. I'm so fed up with the USPS it's not even funny.

starry_solo said:

Have you thought about getting a post office box at the local post office? A larger one, especially if you're going to be getting packages. It doesn't remove the possibility of a package being lost (we know that from having one), but it might decrease those possibilities. It's only $60-100 a year.

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We've thought about this and seriously considered it, especially given how much we move. (Though fingers crossed, our next place is a home in FL.) After this debaucle, it might end up being more and more of a reality.

markheardjr said:

My post office just broke a $175 golf shaft in half. Then the idiot buyer mailed the broken shaft back and wantes me to pay $32.85 for a piece of worthless graphite. Um no. I didnt' ask for it back. I'm so fed up with the USPS it's not even funny.

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Um. What. :shock: I would imagine that someone has to be TRYING to break something like that in half. Holy moly, USPS, get it together...

*hugs* I am sooooo sorry dear! They've lost plenty for me too! My post lady is horrible too, if there is a car parked within 8 feet of the mail box she says "blocked" on it when =we get the mail 1 week later. UGH!

Oh J'aimie that's awful!! So sorry they lost your pin, what a bummer!! Hopefully the guy you spoke to will get to the bottom of things and it'll turn up soon. Fingers crossed!

That's horrible. And for them to even imply that you're partially at fault...that's insane. If your slip is from that particular post office...they're obviously the ones to blame. I hope the pin finds its way to you!

This is Deb's hubby. I am sorry you are going through this. She bought a Tinkerbell purse from a forum member. Dooney & Bourke so I know you know how expensive they are. The sender wrote the wrong zip code. This purse has been from Idaho to Colorado to Jersey City back to Colorado to Jersey City and now back to Colorado. She is certainly making her flights. LOL Finally Deb got in touch with someone in CO that is going to flag it as soon as it arrives and have the correct zip code placed. If the woman in Jersey City would have done that, it would be here already.
It seems like USPS has been messing up a lot. Hope you get your package.

Have you been able to talk to your mail person, directly? If a pink slip arrived on your door, but no package at the PO, the weak point seems to be the carrier. Maybe it's tucked in the truck somewhere, taken to the apartment manager or something.

Wow, thank you all for your optimism and ideas. I did just call our distribution center, and annoyingly, the woman I talked to was ALSO out of the loop and couldn't find any record of a missing package. I agree with Hope that I think the problem is the carrier - I worry that it's tucked in a corner of a mail truck or something, but because it's signature confirmation, I think they have to be checked into (and signed off on) when the undelivered mail is brought back to the distribution center.

The first post office (that attempted delivery) does not have the package. It's somewhere in the distribution building, two towns away, I believe. But no one knows where.

I was promised another phone call by 5:00p with an update. We'll see what happens there.

Thanks for all the finger crossing! <3

Ah! I hope they call you back with some good news!!

I really want you to get this pin!! xx

Ow no! So sorry to hear this J'aimie I bought 2 Paris PTNs last year and paid $200 for them, asked the seller to ship it insured and with DC and signature and it showed DELIVERD but I never got my package Have called a lot of times but they can't find it anywhere, it's over a year now and it still hurts Hope your PO will come up with your package very soon! Good luck sweetie :hug:

I know the seller you're talking about and she is absolutely wonderful, so I know she will help you out as much as possible. It is slightly out of her hands at the moment though if it has already made it to your post office.

Personally, I've had this exact same thing happen to me before, but I refused to put up with their runaround. If they scanned it into your local post office, then they obviously have possession of it SOMEWHERE. I went back the second day after them telling me they couldn't find it and refused to leave until looked through EVERYTHING. The darn thing was sitting on a shelf for an entirely different area of the city. So if they say they don't have it, they may have only checked your "section of shelf" when it could have just been placed in the wrong zone.

Needless to say, the supervisor was super apologetic with me and was extremely embarrassed.

prolif1k said:

I know the seller you're talking about and she is absolutely wonderful, so I know she will help you out as much as possible. It is slightly out of her hands at the moment though if it has already made it to your post office.

Personally, I've had this exact same thing happen to me before, but I refused to put up with their runaround. If they scanned it into your local post office, then they obviously have possession of it SOMEWHERE. I went back the second day after them telling me they couldn't find it and refused to leave until looked through EVERYTHING. The darn thing was sitting on a shelf for an entirely different area of the city. So if they say they don't have it, they may have only checked your "section of shelf" when it could have just been placed in the wrong zone.

Needless to say, the supervisor was super apologetic with me and was extremely embarrassed.

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This is really reassuring. I'm glad that the seller is awesome, I don't have the means to get in contact with them right now but my plan was to shoot a message over via eBay when I get home tonight. I don't even really hold her accountable - she did her part, which was to ship it! The USPS just has a pitiful track record of not being able to do their job, and I'm really tired of it.

Similarly, when they lost my Chair pin, it had been sitting on a shelf for days before they decided to check that area of the warehouse. They were either so done dealing with me or so apologetic that they stayed open late and let me drive over after work to sign for it. The woman who helped was very sweet, but I think she was also pretty embarassed over their really dumb mistake.

Thank you! <3