USPS horror stories needed

GrandMasterB

I had my worst experience with shipping yet. Bought a few cards including, a 52B Musial and 54B Berra both 6-7 range, from a pawn shop. They were shipped in individual plastic bags between thin sheets of cardboard. Well as you can guess, three arrived with identical side dings and three had identical 1/2 creases. The Berra, being larger, had the small crease plus a one inch crease. Two were returned today so I'm not out real money, just want to hear other stories.

JoeBanzai

Sounds to me like the cards were POORLY packaged.

In over 23 years of card collecting, starting with ordering from sellers in SCD and now with ebay, I have NEVER had a problem with USPS. They aren't in business to handle each item with extreme care.

The only damaged items I have ever received were because of lazy or careless packaging.

Sorry,

Joe

mcolney1

PWE

Cards dropped into a shipping box loose

Tape on top of toploader that sticks to the cards

Too much tape

JoeBanzai

<< <i>I had my worst experience with shipping yet. Bought a few cards including, a 52B Musial and 54B Berra both 6-7 range, from a pawn shop. They were shipped in individual plastic bags between thin sheets of cardboard. Well as you can guess, three arrived with identical side dings and three had identical 1/2 creases. The Berra, being larger, had the small crease plus a one inch crease. Two were returned today so I'm not out real money, just want to hear other stories. >>



Please clarify, are you complaining about the Post Office or the people who package the items???

Joe

jmmiller777

Back in the 80's, I had purchased several Mickey Mantle menus from his restaurant. They were over sized menus and I had a small mailbox. That set up a scenario of folding the menus almost in half despite the fragile stamps all over the packaging. I also had some movie posters ruined when the packages were literary shoved in the mailbox with the door left open. I don't think that is policy; just had a lazy mail carrier back then. I have gone to a larger mailbox since then. My neighbor had a book shipped to them and it was so tight inside the mailbox, he could barely get it out. It's funny because my sister still works with the USPS in OR and she tells a similar story of a guy taking his box off of the pole and inside the local Post Office to have an item removed from the box. I have purchased a lot during my time and these were the only two items damaged. They do a pretty good job, but if you have to make a claim, your screwed. You'll never get to talk with anyone, very frustrating dealing with the automated system that goes around in circles.

CollectorAtWork

I've had a few instances of packages being delivered to neighbors even with delivery confirmation, so that's my biggest complaint with the USPS. Most expensive one was a new iphone that was sent to a neighbor, where the ebay seller only used delivery confirmation and not signature. Talked to a local post office, and it happened that a contractor was working that day, so they didn't know where it went. A couple of weeks later, one of our neighbors knocked on our door, and said that this was delivered to his house.

CharleyBrown

Recently bought two cards off ebay... the package was damaged in shipment - some kind of liquid (iodine I think?) drenched the package. The post office put it in a bag, and then the bag soaked in iodine, and then placed it in a priority mail box. When the package arrived, I had to pay postage due on the priority box because of their mistake.

GrandMasterB

In this case, the packing, only because of how it was packed.

zep33

<< <i>Recently bought two cards off ebay... the package was damaged in shipment - some kind of liquid (iodine I think?) drenched the package. The post office put it in a bag, and then the bag soaked in iodine, and then placed it in a priority mail box. When the package arrived, I had to pay postage due on the priority box because of their mistake. >>



That's classic right there

AkbarClone

My horror story is from the last 6 months. I have been buying many, many packages each month off eBay and other online sites since the late 1990's. Up until this December, I had only had a few items not arrive from sellers, and all made good on the missing items. This Christmas a package I bought did not show up, even though the tracking number said it was delivered. I had multiple phone calls with a worker at the local Post Office, and she said it was probably mis-delivered due to the huge volume of Christmas packages in the mail. After several follow-ups, it was never found. I was upset because I could not even file a postal claim because tracking said it was delivered. I played the nice guy and let it slide because it was the first tracked package that ever been mis-delivered in over 10 years of receiving thousands of shipped items that I could not get a refund or replacement--and I only paid $22 for the item and was hoping the person who got it would be a nice person and send it to me or back to the seller eventually (it never happened).

Fast forward to February, and early in the month ANOTHER package that tracking says is delivered is not in my mailbox (which are locked mail boxes that require a key to open). This time after a few calls, I speak with the local Post Master--who seems very annoyed that a customer who paid for a package does not have it was upset, and basically blows me off with the excuse they will look for it and let me know. That time was an auto card that I paid less than $9 for, so again, I play chump and let it slide, hoping the card will eventually show up (It also still has never surfaced).

Finally, later that month, a slack seller on eBay who I was getting really anxious about because another Auto card I bought still had not arrived after over 3 weeks, finally posts the tracking information on eBay--and that tracking info also says it was delivered--several weeks ago--the SAME WEEK that the second missing package had been marked as Delivered.

I was livid, totally p*ssed off. 3 Packages witrh tracking, all marked as deliverred--all never in my Mail Box. All 3 have still never been found--and I did not even have the option of filing a claim with Postal Service because all tracking information said "delivered", and I was basically robbed of items I bought because someone else received my property (and not 1 of the 3 were ever forwarded to me after the mis-deliveries).

Needless to say--the US Postal Service lost a long-time regular customer who brought them thousands of dollars of business each year. I no longer even use them to send packages (UPS and FedEx for me)--and also stopped buying about 95% of the volume of items I was buying online that only have USPS as the shipping choice. There are still a few items I buy off ebay each month that are shipped using USPS, but I have completely lost my faith in the local USPS and don't even send bill payments in the mail anymore--online payments for everything now.

For many years I was a big advocate and supporter of the USPS, especially in the last few years when they were having major budget issues--now I will no longer support USPS until I move to a new location with a different home post office.

handyman

Man ruff story on those 3 DC not showing up. Have you talked with your regular delivery post man about this at all?

calaban7

About 4 years ago , I made a large purchase from a fellow collector . With all the bells and whistles the postage was something like $ 87 . It was sent registered , fully insured and signature confirmation .

The package took about 10 days to get here , and finally did . It was signed for at around 6:20 in the morning . When my carrier showed up at my door at 1:40 in the afternoon , he didn't have the package . I didn't go berserk , but my blood was HOT .

I went to the post office , showed them that the package was signed for , hours before our carrier even left the PO . She said she would check into it . It was about 10 minutes before closing , so I told I would wait . She told me to leave . I told her I wanted my package . She then told me that she was going to call the police if I didn't leave now . I responded " Good it will speed up the process ".

40 minutes later , they found my package upstairs , on top of a file cabinet , under a blanket .

Being from Baltimore , I'm sure it was simply a cultural misunderstanding , as in some cultures , this is normal and accepted behavior , of which even some here will defend . Oh well , up is down and down is up , to some . Theft is theft , regardless of culture .

I got my cards ----- Sonny

hammered

I had a seller ship a PSA-graded card to me in a small PWE that barely covered the card.
It was cracked to sh*t and underinsured.
It was a $120 JD Drew Leaf R&S rookie PSA 9, so that tells you how long ago it's been.

qualitycards

3 years ago my parents in Fla sent my wife a Mothers Day gift (to PA.)
It arrived several months later after being sent to Zurich, Switzerland.
I've never been to Europe, nice to know Carole's gift was.

elsnorto

Just going by the feedback numbers on my eBay accounts, I have sent or received almost 10,000 packages through the years.

I would guess I've had maybe 20 issues with the PO where they lost or damaged something, and only one time that shipping took excessively long. That's a pretty amazing batting average.

The vast majority of the problems I've had with damaged items are from the seller not packing things well.

The most egregious has been a few times I've bought boxes of cards that were thrown into a large envelope and sent on their way.

Snorto~

sayheykid54

I once had USPS deliver a Ty Cobb Hassan Triple Folder Psa 7 to my neighbors house. They had to actually sign for the package, not sure what the postal carrier was thinking.

Maurice

<< <i>In this case, the packing, only because of how it was packed. >>


If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be.

MooseDog

Yes, that IS a tire tread across the package.

JoeBanzai

<< <i>

Yes, that IS a tire tread across the package. >>



Standard for media mail.

Joe

Baez578

Mine involves two Roberto Clemente cards (62 & 69). Long story short, the package arrived to my door step in Puerto Rico and I wasn't here so a slip was left to pick it up at Post Office. I went to pick up and no sign of it.... a 2nd trip 3 days later (by their request so they can speak to mail carrier) and still nothing. Post Master started ignorning my phone calls once I became persistent hoping I'd go away.

End result -- a file claimed to the postal inspectors, a hotline sticker placed on the mailboxes in my community, and a Puerto Rican postal employee from my town who is now the proud owner of two free Roberto Clemente PSA graded cards.

Still upsets me to this day (as you can tell).

giantsfan20

Getting a set of Topps cards with a small ding in the corner of each card it was one of the 792 sets because it was not double boxed or anything just shipped in cardboard box,

Guess the best way to package is put it in a bigger box and use newspaper or such so it does not move in shipment?

JMDVM

I use a PO box in a small town (Fulton) next door to the town I live in (Columbia,MD). My postal supervisor is the best. If everyone in the PO had her work ethic, we wouldn't be swapping these stories. She looks out for me, has gone to bat for me when the insurance division started playing games by telling me paper work wasn't in order (it was) to try and string me out past critical deadlines. She lets me pick up packages after hours. She has gotten on the sorting centers when they placed padded envelopes through the first class letter sorters (results: crushed PSA holders). I guess it doesn't hurt that I serve as her veterinarian, but I am damn lucky to be on her beat. Worst experience I've had was a 52 Bowman Large Landry that was shipped and insured, completely disappeared off the grid, never to be heard from again. I 've had empty padded envelopes arrive minus cards after the envelopes were torn in the first class sorters. Had a 54 Williams PSA 7 arrived cracked because the bonehead seller couldn't bother to box this $750 item, and was then placed in the infamous first class sorter.

calaban7

<< <i>I use a PO box in a small town (Fulton) next door to the town I live in (Columbia,MD). My postal supervisor is the best. If everyone in the PO had her work ethic, we wouldn't be swapping these stories. She looks out for me, has gone to bat for me when the insurance division started playing games by telling me paper work wasn't in order (it was) to try and string me out past critical deadlines. She lets me pick up packages after hours. She has gotten on the sorting centers when they placed padded envelopes through the first class letter sorters (results: crushed PSA holders). I guess it doesn't hurt that I serve as her veterinarian, but I am damn lucky to be on her beat. Worst experience I've had was a 52 Bowman Large Landry that was shipped and insured, completely disappeared off the grid, never to be heard from again. I 've had empty padded envelopes arrive minus cards after the envelopes were torn in the first class sorters. Had a 54 Williams PSA 7 arrived cracked because the bonehead seller couldn't bother to box this $750 item, and was then placed in the infamous first class sorter. >>



I've been to that Post Office before . Its tiny but great .---- Sonny

bobbyw8469

<< <i>About 4 years ago , I made a large purchase from a fellow collector . With all the bells and whistles the postage was something like $ 87 . It was sent registered , fully insured and signature confirmation .

The package took about 10 days to get here , and finally did . It was signed for at around 6:20 in the morning . When my carrier showed up at my door at 1:40 in the afternoon , he didn't have the package . I didn't go berserk , but my blood was HOT .

I went to the post office , showed them that the package was signed for , hours before our carrier even left the PO . She said she would check into it . It was about 10 minutes before closing , so I told I would wait . She told me to leave . I told her I wanted my package . She then told me that she was going to call the police if I didn't leave now . I responded " Good it will speed up the process ".

40 minutes later , they found my package upstairs , on top of a file cabinet , under a blanket .

Being from Baltimore , I'm sure it was simply a cultural misunderstanding , as in some cultures , this is normal and accepted behavior , of which even some here will defend . Oh well , up is down and down is up , to some . Theft is theft , regardless of culture .

I got my cards ----- Sonny >>



Sonny...I am just now reading this due to the recent postal theft of my package. Your story is unbelievable!!! Under a freaking blanket!!

BLUEJAYWAY

<< <i>

Yes, that IS a tire tread across the package. >>

Wow. That could almost be an insert in a NASCAR pack if was cut up, like the insert that has a piece of the tire.