Someone stole my knife blanks

TLR

TLR

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Joined
Oct 5, 1998
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I'm sick tonight guys. I had sent off 16 blanks to Peter's a few weeks ago and have been wondering when they were going to show up. So I call Peter's today and they track the package and inform me it was delivered on Saturday. I call the post office to talk with a supervisor and he checks in with the guy who delivered it who claims to remember the package and a few details which do seem to confirm that he set the package on my doorstep. By the timestamp he set it down 15 minutes before I pulled up to our house. Somewhere in that 15 minute period, in the middle of the day, it seems someone stole my knife blanks.

I'm beyond pissed. I hadn't insured it for the total value of the steel and heat treat. I'll be out several hundred dollars and I have people, including family, waiting on something I can't deliver. I don't owe any one anything so at least I'm not stuck in that situation but with the coming birth of my child and being gone to India in January I have neither the money nor time to replace this. Looks like I'm done knifemaking for the forseeable future.

Sorry guys I just needed somewhere to rant.
 
Dude ... that's really sucks. Sorry you took a blow to your passion.

This time of year brings out the thieves like crazy .. but postal packages getting lifted are usually someone in your immediate area. I would start checking the local pawn shops.
 
The police may well find them dumped behind a near-by building ( hopefully they weren't tossed in a dumpster). I would also let the teens know that there is a no-questions reward of $50 for anyone who finds them. They have no value to anyone but you, so they may come back easily. Pawn shops would not offer $1 for the batch since they are just HTed blanks, not knives.
 
I agree with Stacy.
Put out the word with local teens with a small reward.
They tend to know everything that is going on but can be tight lipped about things.
A small reward makes it worth their while to do a little investigating.
 
Just a quick update on my package. Apparently facebook really is good for something. Although the postman swore up and down he remembered delivering that specific package it had instead been delivered across town to a thankfully honest person whose street address isn't remotely like ours. She has apparently received several packages from around town that should not have landed on her doorstep. This morning she messaged me on facebook saying that through a local facebook feed had seen my post last night and wanted to reassure me that it wasn't stolen and that she had it.
 
For some reason I can't add anything larger then a few sentences or edit my post? So here's the rest-

After several conversations with the supervisor at our local annex another postal employee was sent to pick up my package and hand deliver it to me, which just occurred. Thanks for every ones encouragements and advice.

So a couple of general things I'd encourage you to consider from this mess-
 
1.) If the story doesn't sound right it may very well not be.
There was only a 15 minute window between the scanning of my package as delivered and my return home. It didn't make sense on a fairly cold and snowy day that someone between 1:40pm and 2pm snagged it, although it was possible.

2.) Regardless of how much they say it isn't their fault push back respectfully.
I never yelled or lashed out at any of the postal employees but I made it clear that I expected them to continue looking for my package and I wasn't satisfied with their answer. I believe this helped ultimately get my package back to me by developing at least a shred of relationship with the supervisor.
 
3.) If you get someone else's package be careful how you return it to the post office.
This one I learned today. Apparently how you give a package back to the post office matters. If you mark on the box that that person doesn't reside there then it gets returned to the sender. If you specifically state that it was delivered to the wrong address then it will try to be redelivered to the addressee. EITHER WAY THE TRACKING NUMBER WILL NOT GET SCANNED BACK INTO THEIR SYSTEM UNTIL IT REACHES A DESTINATION. What that means is the USPS nor you can have any idea where your package is or where it's headed. Genius. And you REALLY think it's a good idea to have the government run healthcare?

4.) Be careful how you rant on social media but it can actually serve a purpose.
The person who saw my post last night messaged me today filling in the missing pieces of the story. This allowed me to continue pushing the USPS until it got resolved. I hope they are straightening things out on their end.
 
5.) Purchase full insurance even if it isn't breakable.
Even though my package was sent 2 day priority it only carries an automatic $50 insurance with a maximum of $100. This wasn't breakable and it had a tracking number so I figured I'd save a few bucks on insurance. Big mistake. This could have potentially cost me hundreds of dollars. I was already out my time but to also be out the material costs would have meant I was stuck without a means to purchase more. Bad business decision on my part. Also make sure you keep material receipts because USPS wants proof. On hand made items like ours it is harder to prove their worth so think through those scenarios before hand.

6.) Allow people to encourage you and give you perspective.
While I was devastated, mad and even a little scared, God and his people kept my over all attitude from going dark and gave me the ability to handle myself in such a way I didn't burn bridges that would have hindered this outcome.

Thanks again everybody and Merry Christmas!
 
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Wow! So happy for you, man.

Not all Christmas miracles have to be huge...some can be small and still revive the passion in one's heart.
 
USPS is an absolute mess at this time.

Also, their tracking info isn't very accurate. I've seen "delivered" mean anything up to 3 days before or after actual delivery.

My last batch of blades to come back from HT took three weeks to arrive to me via 2nd day delivery....

My current batch is at day 10 after being sent second day delivery.

Me thinks it'd be wise to not use USPS to move batches of blades anymore.
 
Insure everything. It's no guarantee, but it's a chance at getting reimbursed if things go wrong.

Joe Watson said:
USPS is an absolute mess at this time.
Click to expand...

I just put a hiatus on shipping anything until after Christmas, regardless of carrier. Thankfully my clients understand. It's not going to get there any later if I wait a week, and there'll be less chance of it making a tour of the entire country and getting "lost" along the way.
 
Wow, what an incredible/surprise ending!!! I'm sure glad to hear it worked out!!! :cool:

It's an extra nice touch to see that this time of year, a stranger to you did the right thing, proving that there are decent folks out there. :thumbup: :)
 
Triple Wow .. I've gotten letters/pkgs addressed to neighbors on my right & left but never something like this. Glad you got it righted TLR.

Related story - last night my buddy was telling me he had work related packages sent UPS to midtown Atlanta for a trade show coming up. UPS decided it was an undeliverable address and re-routed it to an obscure residential address in rural SE Georgia (along the coast). Thousands of dollars of product and point of sale material 'left by garage door'. I thought my buddy was gonna stroke just telling me the story. UPS did go back and pick up the packages that were still sitting next to the garage door and now delivering them .. but wow ..
 
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