Shipping Problems - What Do You Do?

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Rainmaker870

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Greetings -
Anyone ever strike a deal, get or pay the money, and then have an uninsured package get lost in the mail? What do you do when that happens - is there an accepted or unofficial policy that most folks stick to?

Hasn't happened to me yet, but I'm new to all this knife stuff and it occurs to me that sooner or later it's bound to.

Thanks for the help and advice.
 
This has happened to me a few times, but not with knives. So, I send everything with some sorts of delivery confirmation.

Then, if anything happens, the sender has to file the paperwork to make a claim. Even the US Postal Service is cooperative with filing a claim.

However, don't be lulled into a false sense of security. A claim with any of the big carriers - FedEx, UPS, USPS - takes a minimum of 30 days to process...ouch! :eek: :(


Let's say you paid for the knife and asked for delivery/signature confirmation and insurance. It ships, but is lost (almost never actually happens within the US). Then, the person you bought the knife from has to file a claim. They still have your money, though. They also no longer have a knife. However, if they do indeed file a claim, then they should refund your money because they will get the claim money.

It's backwards, I know. But that's how it happens.

Anyway, consider these nightmares:

1. A few years back I had a $600 camera lens shipped to my apartment. I wasn't home so the carrier left it with my downstairs neighbor's sister (a black woman! - "yeah I'm Daniel Koster - that big white guy with a beard" !!! :(:mad::mad: ) She ran off with it. I had UPS on the phone and the police at my door when she finally conceeded and presented the "lost" package. What was she thinking?

2. Then, (same apartment:() one day I ordered a 20 pack of high-end SDRAM from a computer wholesaler...valued at the time at $2500. I come home wondering why it hadn't been delivered. UPS said "We delivered it to your back door". Sure enough, I go out back and there is my $2500 box of SDRAM sitting on my step just waiting to be snagged by anyone who happened to walk by! Talk about a heart-attack when I heard them tell me "oh yeah. we already delivered it" !!!

3. I had a small computer retail business (if you couldn't tell already:)) and over the years probably had to go through the pain of recovering "lost" equipment that was sent through the mail. It's a real pain in the neck. That was the #1 reason I shut that business down. Shipping costs became to exorbitant to justify having "lower priced equipment".


Not sure if this helps or hurts your thread.

Best wishes,

Dan
 
I've always believed that the shipper takes ultimate responsibility regardless. We are not talking businesses here, but transfers between individuals. If the shipper does not want to send an item insured with some sort of confirmation, then they bear the responsibility if something happens.

Recently I did a deal with a forumite here, totalling about $130 in trade/cash. He was nice enough to ship his part of the trade before my end had been worked out because we knew we were trading, it was just a matter of what on my end. The next day, after we agreed, I ran to a postal extension next door to ship the items via Priority. They were out of Delivery Confirmation reciepts, and I opted not to insure. I made it clear to the recipient that I'd shipped them blind, and if anything happened I would eat the cost and replace the knives and cash I had sent. The package arrived no problem, and we were both happy.

I only did this because I trusted the character of the fellow, I'm not suggesting this as a normal course of business.

Put confirmation on it at least. Put insurance on it to cover your butt. But make the deal right for the other party, as it's not their fault what happens with the item you shipped!

Off the soapbox

Brandon
 
I have had a few packages that didn't get delivered on time or lost (for a short time). But, when it came down to it, the PO was able to trace it down and find out who forgot to scan it or..... The fact is, the best thing you can do, if you are using USPS, find out who your local Customer Service troubleshooter is. You will usually find one in each branch. Get to know them and their number.. You never know when you will need them. And never, I mean never ship without delivery confirmation and insurance. I have found DC to be iffy when there are scanning problems, or the clerk doesn't press enter after the scan. But, insurance will always be trackable. Even if the value is 10.00 or 20.00. Insure it for tracking purposes.

Just my $.02..

:)
 
I agree with Brandon. I always ship insured. Too much invested to risk getting lost in the mail. I once sent a knife in a swap with a forumite but wrote the zip code wrong. I was worried but it got there a few days late. Thought I would have to bite the bullet on that one:D
 
Well,
I always ship with a delivery confirmation, but I just had a Cabelas package get lost... and it showed as having been delivered to me. Now Cabelas, of course, will make good on the missing stuff and that will be the end of that.

But what do we do when we don't HAVE a replacement knife to ship someone?
 
Have yet to be on either end of this kind of problem, but...
The shipper is responsible for insuring the knife/item/whatever.
The buyer gets his money back, while the seller eats the cost, and hopefully learns a lesson.
I've insured packages from 50 to 1000 dollars. It's insane not to. I always use priority, insurance and delivery confirmation unless it's something I'm giving away.
 
I agree with everyone that has stated that it is the responsibility of the shipper to refund immediately the money paid by the person that did not receive the knife. If it is a trade, the knife must be returned. I have seen people that think it is all right to wait until they receive their insurance payment before sending the refund. This is something I do not agree with. Anyone ever does that to me and we will never do business again.
 
So am I understanding the concensus correctly as follows?

That in the case of a knife shipped with delivery confirmation, which the post office SAYS was delivered, the shipper should refund the price of the knife if the purchaser says it wasn't received?
 
I am not saying that at all. If you have proof of delivery (always send the knife or payment by registered mail) then that is a whole other kettle of fish. If I have confirmation of delivery, the person at the other end is going to have to prove to me that they never received what I sent. I may believe in doing things the honorable way, but I am not an easy mark. Once I have what I consider to be proof that the delivery was made, I then believe it is up to the other person to show me that he was not the one that recieved it.
 
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