KNIFE Packaging....Or Lack there of !!??....And shipping the SAME WAY???

I wouldn't be so quick to scream postal thievery.
Why should someone earning as much money as they do need to steal property and risk losing a well paying, with excellent benefits job?

9 times out of 10 the problem/blame can be directly attributed to those careless and clueless individuals and their poor packaging practices.
Most mail is run thru an automated sort system with gates and paddles and such that at times can make a mess of poorly packaged items.
I would sooner think that many of these missing items are lost in the machinery and once lost it becomes almost impossible to trace them back to their packages. They then likely become "lost items" and are auctioned off in lots as such.

But yes, Keith is right on the matter of responsibility...
Package your items securely and insure them. Its the responsible thing to do.
A seller is responsible for the item until it is in the hands of the buyer. If your item is lost due to poor packaging and you haven't insured it. It is your responsibility to make things right by your buyer by refunding him out of your own pocket.
 
When I did an Opinel gaw, I'll admit I used a padded envelope (in its' box with enough tape to make it waterproof!). If it had been a valuable knife I would have boxed it and made sure it more than sufficiently padded and taped.
What surprised me is that after Kershaw stressed the importance of sending knives for warranty work in boxes, not envelopes, they returned it to me in an envelope!:rolleyes:
 
I wasnt implying US Postal Employees are thieves..
I guess I came off with the way I phrased the sentence..
I feel the point was received with ALL THE Outstanding feedback.
It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to get the item safely to the other person.
Track--Insure--I go as far as to Add SIGNATURE REQUIRED with new people
I have never dealt with..I know its a pain because 99% of us work
BUT for my piece of mind--IT gets to the party it is suppose to.

With all the folks contributing and the Mods throwing their view in..
I feel it hasnt been just me having this issue.. And I feel for me..IT has been an issue.. NOT a bunch..But damn..Its like sending cookies in the mail to Mom..in a Flat Rate
Envelope...Really..

I take pride in my packaging and I also take GREAT pride in the reputation I have built here
I am always here too help and I go out of my way to make certain folks know I am
responsible and I am easy to deal with..
The great thing..I have seen lately..I have new folks shooting me a PM to ask an opinion
ask a favor or my simple 2 cents on this place and its members..

This is an outstanding place to have fun..feed our passion and extend a hand to other
knife nutz all over...........
:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
Jens Schuetz said:
Why should a criminal be able to cut through a box but then stay away from doing so only if there's some thin tape around it?
I haven't sold anything recently and not here yet but on that auction site I always went nuts to make sure things don't wiggle or cut themselves out of their box.
But I dont see how any kind of tape I know would have stopped a criminal postal employee. Are there any preferred tapes? Maybe something that is reinforced with thin metal threads or kevlar? Or am I thinking out of the box too much?
Click to expand...

Thinking outside the box is a good thing. :thumbup:

Tape wont stop someone from stealing just as a locked door wont stop a determined burglar. If some SOB really wants to steal what's in the package, they will.

A good tape job will do two things.
1. It will seal and reinforce the box so it will travel safely to it's destination. (read Karda's post #21)
2. It may deter the casual/curious thief. I would imagine someone with ill intentions would be more likely to open a box that has no tape on the flaps than a box taped like a vault.
 
I had a trade where the other guy put a sheathed fixed blade in a priority mail envelope with no inside packaging. It was the plastic/paper flexible priority envelope not the stiff cardboard one.

All I received was the empty torn envelope with the "oh well, tough #^*!" notice from the post office. The sender is a good guy but I think he could have put more effort.
 
Just got a knife in the mail today from a member here. It was like this when it arrived in my mailbox:

Knifeenv_zpstlhe6u69.jpg


People, please use boxes. Or even a modicum of packaging material... not just a loose knife in an envelope. Common sense guys.
 
See what I mean..Outstanding example.
OF HOW NOT TOO Send a blade to someone..
REALLLLLLLY.........
 
Hi. My name is Donnie and I'm pretty much new to this awesome forum. Granted, haven't done many transactions here but after reading and rereading all the issues with packaging, I make sure that my knives are boxed, taped above and beyond, sent priority and if there's a lot of value, I make the person sign for it. I've done a lot of shipping on other sites I'm a member of and thankfully, none if my items sent have ever been lost or stolen. It doesn't take much effort to do things the right way, to ensure the package is safe....so both the buyer and seller are covered. The members I have dealt with here, thus far have been great people to do business with and take great care when shipping me an item. Didn't mean to rant but this us a great topic that if people start taking seriously, there would be less headache.
Thank you
 
I have posted this pic before. This is a razor sharp fixed blade I received. It wasn't put in the sheath for shipping!! Sure glad no one was hurt! You can see it cut through the box more than once. I work for the USPS - you wouldn't believe what I've seen come through the system. :o

coffee013.jpg


coffee014.jpg
 
Do people usually mention packaging like this when they leave feedback? Even if the transaction went okay, packaging like that should be mentioned so potential buyer/traders are aware.
 
To be honest there's really minima effort involved, and no cost at all. Like you mentioned, USPS supplies packing supplies - boxes and envelopes. I take my box I'm going to ship in, wrap the knife in some extra bubble wrap, tape it, and wrap it in a few of their envelopes they have, and then stick that whole bundle into a large envelope and seal it, so that it doesn't come undone (or get stolen), then I stick it in the box, and fill any remaining space with newspaper balls. It's not pretty, but the knife WILL NOT move around. Whether it's a $30 knife or one that's $3000, no one will appreciate an empty package or if it's all marked up.
With that being said, I have gone away from using USPS as a whole, as they never deliver packages to me safely or in a timely manner, and have to fight to get my packages. I prefer FedEx or UPS, and will use them to send to the recipient if they're okay with it.
 
Anything I ship out is packed so that it would survive an apocalypse or two... Even knives that were ones being given away. I hot glue the cardboard first to seal up the box they apply the label to and tape the whole thing so it's bomb proof as well as a pain to open so theft is less likely as it'll take time to crack open the box. ;):D:thumbup:

Direct quote from one from an email; last dude on BF I traded with:

"BTW nice box lolol. Do you think it was thick enough or did you think I live in a war zone?

thanks"

It's worth the time and effort to ensure blades arrive safely and saves potential future headache for the sender too. ;):D:thumbup:
 
GIZMOMAN said:
no other experiences too share????:thumbup::thumbdn:
Click to expand...

I received 3 separate packages today. All 3 were carefully packaged & taped. :thumbup:

The CRK 25 Sebbie I purchased from BF Member, TMCGLASSON36, literally had 100% of the entire outside of the box covered with tape. It was very apparent, that he takes extra caution/pride in the way he sends out his packages...on top of that, he is a very honest, straight shooter, that I highly recommend! :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
I wish I would have remembered to take a picture, but I just received a small forest type axe today. There was absolutely no packing material in the box. Luckily, there was a sheath on the blade, but the small squared off, slightly extended poll had punched a nice big rectangular hole from side to side on the box. This came from a dealer. Mike
 
GIZMOMAN said:
no other experiences too share????:thumbup::thumbdn:
Click to expand...

This doesn't entirely have to do with shipping. I hope I'm not hijacking.
I recently purchased a Busse Ergo Battle Mistress. It arrived and I didn't have a chance to check it out for a couple days.

Upon doing so, there were niks and a bit of rolling on the blade. I seriously have NO CLUE how this could have been overlooked. The blade was stated to be used, but not to the point of the blade not able to cut on 2"+ of a 9.5" blade. Nothing I'd be comfortable sharpening myself. Especially with a $470 blade.

Needless to say, I was disappointed. I emailed the seller, they said that if I sent them the blade they would give me a refund.

I sent out the blade and it arrived Monday. I have yet to hear back. I can't help but feel sceptical about getting my dough back. Specifically because every other portion of our dialogue was pretty snappily answered.

I even suggested that if they wanted to keep the dough, I'd suck it up and take the blade back.

I'm pretty sure this person will get a bit more time to make it right. Especially because they have %100 positive feedback on 299 transactions.

How long is long enough to expect a reply? This person has the blade and my dough.
 
wtlj said:
Great thread and I HOPE it's viewed by everyone! I take a lot of pride in my shipping and ONLY use USPS priority boxes, padded extremely well and taped on all corners and edges.
I've gotten to the point were before I purchase or trade I demand the same from the other party. What kills me is when they ship in a USPS priority envelope, it's the same damn price!! It also destroys the knife box.
Click to expand...

How about this, every once in a while a numb skull that I have politely told, BOX ONLY! will ship knives to be sharpened in an envelope and I've had them show up missing knives and having some sticking through the envelope. So far now one has been hurt that I know of?

How dense and lazy foolish can you be?
 
Karda said:
I wouldn't be so quick to scream postal thievery.
Why should someone earning as much money as they do need to steal property and risk losing a well paying, with excellent benefits job?

9 times out of 10 the problem/blame can be directly attributed to those careless and clueless individuals and their poor packaging practices.
Most mail is run thru an automated sort system with gates and paddles and such that at times can make a mess of poorly packaged items.
I would sooner think that many of these missing items are lost in the machinery and once lost it becomes almost impossible to trace them back to their packages. They then likely become "lost items" and are auctioned off in lots as such.

But yes, Keith is right on the matter of responsibility...
Package your items securely and insure them. Its the responsible thing to do.
A seller is responsible for the item until it is in the hands of the buyer. If your item is lost due to poor packaging and you haven't insured it. It is your responsibility to make things right by your buyer by refunding him out of your own pocket.
Click to expand...


Thievery doesn't always happen because of profit motivation, by and large our postal employees are honest hard working people but I have seen a lowering of the caliber of a few of them in the past 20 years. All you need to do is google it. Postal workers are found stealing and doing insurance scams. Last year some were busted for stealing Pot that was being shipped.
 
WOW is this the wrong place to post this......

tinfoil hat timmy said:
This doesn't entirely have to do with shipping. I hope I'm not hijacking.
I recently purchased a Busse Ergo Battle Mistress. It arrived and I didn't have a chance to check it out for a couple days.

Upon doing so, there were niks and a bit of rolling on the blade. I seriously have NO CLUE how this could have been overlooked. The blade was stated to be used, but not to the point of the blade not able to cut on 2"+ of a 9.5" blade. Nothing I'd be comfortable sharpening myself. Especially with a $470 blade.

Needless to say, I was disappointed. I emailed the seller, they said that if I sent them the blade they would give me a refund.

I sent out the blade and it arrived Monday. I have yet to hear back. I can't help but feel sceptical about getting my dough back. Specifically because every other portion of our dialogue was pretty snappily answered.

I even suggested that if they wanted to keep the dough, I'd suck it up and take the blade back.

I'm pretty sure this person will get a bit more time to make it right. Especially because they have %100 positive feedback on 299 transactions.

How long is long enough to expect a reply? This person has the blade and my dough.
Click to expand...
 
I'm not jumping on the bash USPS bandwagon....they've done well by me recently on both the receiving and shipping end and my postal person is just a cut above....I love her in a very happily married, non-sexual, knife-crazed sort of way!!:D However, there are times that I receive a knife and have to chuckle about the lack of time and attention paid to something as important as packaging/shipment! Poor attention to detail such as this will cause me to question whether to deal with a person in the future......I've had great luck with our friends to the north(Canada).....those canucks can sure wrap a package!! EAch one has come like it was holding a gold bar from Ft. Knox...if there's any left that is......and the attention paid was phenomenal!!
 
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