Knife lost in shipping.

[Fixall]

If you want to 100% protect yourself, video the handoff to the USPS including showing them weighing the package. If the buyer, video the clerk handing off the package, including a quick drop on the scales.

I tried this once when I was shipping a $1000 Titan X GPU cross country and the USPS clerk walked away from the counter without saying anything and came back with a supervisor who told me I needed to turn the camera off or leave. He seemed pretty pissed, lol. Maybe they thought I was casing the place?

 

[not2sharp]

Here is the devil in the details:

....You (recipient) can also meet the carrier on the porch. Because if a carrier leaves an obviously damaged package on the porch without a scanned exception - you are in for an argument.

Since Covid signature requirements are out and packages can abandoned just about anywhere. By the time the recipient notices the package has been delivered the carrier is long gone, as is any opportunity to document a delivery issue.

n2s

 

[nautiquess]

I use typically use UPS and knock on wood.... no issues as of yet. The usps has lost FOUR FREAKIN knives to be delivered to me in the last year, one of them a grail Benchmade 485gry-1801. The Richmond Virginia center is notoriously bad. Until people quit using them and use a legitimate for profit carrier company like UPS or FEDEX nothing will change. Quality is not cheap and that applies to shipping as well. The real shame is USPS catches their employees stealing on a regular basis and stealing on the first attempt simply yields a reprimand not a firing. So between the incompetency, laziness and lack of technology, that should be grounds enough to trust you pointy expensive packages to another carrier. Sorry for your loss Thomas. totally freakin sucks.

 

[JackHammer]

After USPS "lost" a $500 knife that I fully insured, my claim dragged on for 3 months. Finally they said they would not honor the claim as a delivery was made. I contacted my customer and he showed me a picture of the top of the box that his courier delivered, sealed in plastic. The courier went on record that only the box top was delivered but it didn't matter as after speaking to USPS reps locally and also in St. Louis and sending photos backing it up, I never received a dime. Since then I use UPS and have never sent anything through USPS.

 

[Thomas07]

I will say moving forward I will not ship anything with USPS. I have contacted my local office and they can not do anything until it has been atleast 15 days past the day it was supposed to be delivered. As of right now it is just a hold pattern on my end. One thing I have going for me is that there was never a delivery scan and I doubt that one will end up happening at this point.

 

[Peter Hartwig]

I will say moving forward I will not ship anything with USPS. I have contacted my local office and they can not do anything until it has been atleast 15 days past the day it was supposed to be delivered. As of right now it is just a hold pattern on my end. One thing I have going for me is that there was never a delivery scan and I doubt that one will end up happening at this point.

My experiences with USPS have been overall good-a few greatly delayed, but it is sad that your best scenario for a knife stolen in transit, is that they screwed up logging in the delivery.
I don't remember if you mentioned insurance, but in ant case best of luck. They don't give up money easily. You will likely have earned it by the time this process is over.

 

[l2lku2]

Check the weight of the parcel when it shipped (it is listed on the shipping label) and the parcel when it was delivered. Let they buyer weigh it or have it weighed at the post office if he does not have a scale.

If there is a difference in the weight, the knife went missing in transit.

 

[Peter Hartwig]

Check the weight of the parcel when it shipped (it is listed on the shipping label) and the parcel when it was delivered. Let they buyer weigh it or have it weighed at the post office if he does not have a scale

If there is a difference in the weight, the knife went missing in transit.

I believe for that to work the deliverer would have to weigh it or if picked up at he PO have it immediately weighed. Once it is out of their hands(even sealed) , they are going to say who knows what the buyer may have done
In this case I believe the package was opened

 

[l2lku2]

I believe for that to work the deliverer would have to weigh it or if picked up at he PO have it immediately weighed. Once it is out of their hands(even sealed) , they are going to say who knows what the buyer may have done
In this case I believe the package was opened

If I am not mistaken, the Post Office weighs all packages and will have a record of the weight. The weight at shipping is a way to prove that he shipped the knife in the box (that he did not ship an empty box).

 

[Peter Hartwig]

If I am not mistaken, the Post Office weighs all packages and will have a record of the weight. The weight at shipping is a way to prove that he shipped the knife in the box (that he did not ship an empty box).

Other than prepaid they do weigh packages you take to the counter. What I am saying is, they would have to weigh the package at time of delivery for your method to work. Once in the receivers hands he can't just take it to a PO. They have no control over the package once delivered. weighing it would prove the seller sent it, but not be useful in a claim against the PO, unless weighed right at the delivery
Weighing it may confirm to you that it was stolen in transit, but won't get you any money

 

[l2lku2]

Other than prepaid they do weigh packages you take to the counter. What I am saying is, they would have to weigh the package at time of delivery for your method to work. Once in the receivers hands he can't just take it to a PO. They have no control over the package once delivered. weighing it would prove the seller sent it, but not be useful in a claim against the PO, unless weighed right at the delivery
Weighing it may confirm to you that it was stolen in transit, but won't get you any money

I understand that.

I will repeat the point I am trying to make. My point is not what happened at the buyer end after delivery. It is what happened at the seller end. If I were the seller, the first thing I would do, would be to post the shipped weight of the package, to give the buyer confidence that I did not ship an empty box. And to any claims at PayPal, USPS etc. it will be a data point.

 

[Blues]

If you ever take the time to read the USPS web pages about insurance and filing claims, it will make your hair curl. I've read several horror stories of denied claims, even when the package was lost, evidence, (emails), of the agreed upon terms of the sale, and paypal receipts were presented to prove both the transaction and the amount paid for the goods.

I'll be going UPS, (or possibly FedEx), for future valuable sales and shipments, personally. Anyone can make a mistake but the number of times the USPS has reportedly found a way to not honor the insurance they sold is troubling to me.

 

[Peter Hartwig]

I understand that.

I will repeat the point I am trying to make. My point is not what happened at the buyer end after delivery. It is what happened at the seller end. If I were the seller, the first thing I would do, would be to post the shipped weight of the package, to give the buyer confidence that I did not ship an empty box. And to any claims at PayPal, USPS etc. it will be a data point.

It would confirm to the buyer that the seller sent the item, and may or may not mean something to a PP claim. However as seller I pay the buyer on this regardless of what PP thinks. When I sell a knife you get a knife or your money. Any problems I have in a transaction, I resolve without the need for PP's opinion.
Full disclosure-I haven't been using PP for awhile do to computer conflicts, but that doesn't change how I deal on transactions.
all IMO

 

[Thomas07]

If you ever take the time to read the USPS web pages about insurance and filing claims, it will make your hair curl. I've read several horror stories of denied claims, even when the package was lost, evidence, (emails), of the agreed upon terms of the sale, and paypal receipts were presented to prove both the transaction and the amount paid for the goods.

I'll be going UPS, (or possibly FedEx), for future valuable sales and shipments, personally. Anyone can make a mistake but the number of times the USPS has reportedly found a way to not honor the insurance they sold is troubling to me.

I have only recently read the information regarding an insurance claim and the process that it goes through. My head started hurting after about the first minute. It's insane and mostly BS.

 

[Bigfattyt]

Yes lots of tape. All knives ive bought from people on here have been taped up super good. One person even taped the knife box itself to the inside of the package box.

This. I wrap the knife first, then tape it inside the box....with a label wrapped and taped arround it, and one taped inside the box.


I tape my boxes like some one who is mentally insane and also a bed wetter will have the package for a week in a cell.....

And basically, in a nutshell, that is about how packages seem to be handled by many handlers...

 

[TOMBSTONE]

For the most part, the postal insurance is extra money wasted and gives everyone a false sense of security. I had one claim in the past. It was denied and had to appeal and only when the post master filled out the appeals form herself,did they finally pay. Never was a delivery scan or delivered for months and they weren't going to pay the insurance. Thankfully because of going above and beyond the call of duty and she felt sorry for me I collected in appeal

 

[sharp_edge]

I agree with several posters above. Maybe it is a better idea to invest the insurance money into tapes. Secure the items with the tape to the inside walls of the shipping box, fill extra space in the box with newspapers, and tape the outside of the box throughout. Make the thief believe that in order to retrieve the item inside, they will have to literally destroy the box. Well, they can steal the entire box but that will be a different story.

 

[knifeswapper]

If I am not mistaken, the Post Office weighs all packages and will have a record of the weight. The weight at shipping is a way to prove that he shipped the knife in the box (that he did not ship an empty box).

I would say as a whole, the USPS weighs a tiny fraction of packages sent. When I print labels I put the weight on them that will cover the weight but at the minimum required costs. For example, on first class my labels will be 4/8/12/15.99 ounces; as those are the maximum end of a range cost (1-4oz cost one amount, 5-8 another, etc.).

If a seller wants to cheat you, they'll just send a rock and swear it left their house a knife. If a buyer wants to cheat you, they'll just carefully open the box and then show an empty box being weighed - or maybe even open the newly re-closed box and find a rock in it. There is near nothing you can do to keep the other party from cheating you if they are intent on cheating you.

There are third party insurers that have a bit more relaxed rules than the USPS. The only way I have ever collected from the USPS was when the package simply went lost and was not scanned delivered. But to be fair, in 20 years of sending a fair amount of boxes each day via USPS, I have had less than 5 lost. And I specifically recall at least 3 of those being scanned delivered.

 

[jill jackson]

If you ever take the time to read the USPS web pages about insurance and filing claims, it will make your hair curl. I've read several horror stories of denied claims, even when the package was lost, evidence, (emails), of the agreed upon terms of the sale, and paypal receipts were presented to prove both the transaction and the amount paid for the goods.

I'll be going UPS, (or possibly FedEx), for future valuable sales and shipments, personally. Anyone can make a mistake but the number of times the USPS has reportedly found a way to not honor the insurance they sold is troubling to me.

One time when USPS lost an insured package of mine, I only had to file a claim with a receipt of at least as much or over of insured value. It was super easy and I received a check within a month. Not sure if Dejoy has changed anything that would change the process.

 

[Blues]

One time when USPS lost an insured package of mine, I only had to file a claim with a receipt of at least as much or over of insured value. It was super easy and I received a check within a month. Not sure if Dejoy has changed anything that would change the process.

Sometimes people sell something inherited, an heirloom, an old knife or something that is a part of something else...bicycle part, machine part etc. for which is their no original receipt available. Now, is the USPS going to demand that every item shipped must have an approved appraisal before they will believe that two parties to a transaction can decide what one is willing to pay the other for a given item?

The fact that the USPS has declined to pay insurance claims when the shipper provides documents (emails) attesting to the agreed upon transaction and proof of payment via paypal or similar, is criminal in my mind. Why sell insurance if you won't honor it?

One guy I know from another forum was selling mountain bike forks from bikes he owned and parted out. Though he provided evidence as listed above, they denied his insurance claim saying that he didn't have an original receipt for the fork. Well, the fork was from a bike he parted out...there was no receipt for the fork alone. Fell on deaf ears despite his showing proof of the agreement with the buyer and proof of payment.

Finding a way to weasel out of a claim when they lost and failed to deliver the insured package to begin with...is a bad business model in my opinion.

I've been fortunate in that any packages I have shipped or awaited have always eventually arrived...but after sending thousands of dollars worth of knives insured through the USPS over the years, I am through trusting that they will do the right thing when they drop the ball or stuff happens.

By the way, the individual who sold the mountain bike forks also did so with UPS, and when they lost a package, they paid promptly. Go figure.

Forewarned is forearmed.