USPS Lost my knife. Help!

Always seemed to me that the time to ask what is in the package and ? any value was before they took the money. Once it is lost, who can say what was in the box.
Part of ther game seems to be to make you jump through so many hoops, that you will quit.
They certainly have to prevent being scammed themselves, but it should not be this hard to get a claim, you paid extra for.
If they don't want to pay claims, all they have to do is not loose or damage the package.
 
has anyone ever known someone who got usps insurance to pay for a lost package? I've never heard of it yet. I've been playing in forums since late 90s early 2000s in different hobbies. lots of lost package stories and never i got paid story to follow.

good luck op, maybe you'll be the first I've heard of who got what they were owed from usps......
 
Anomaly: In TWENTY years of shipping THOUSANDS of knives, I have never once lost a knife through USPS. (Fedex once.)

I use Priority Mail (NOT Ground Advantage or 1st class lesser. Always 'Signature Required'. Always. ). I click the basic included insurance ($100) Never claimed.

Because I ship so much I use a dealer policy through www.collectinsure.com

This hurts to hear. I have no advice for the OP.
 
Although I've never had a bad experience with the USPS (I'm probably long overdue), I stopped buying extra insurance a long time ago, after I read numerous experiences of people who described trying to collect without success. The USPS follows two common practices when it comes to insurance claims- 1. Make it as difficult as possible so you will give up. 2. They simply refuse to pay. After all, what are you going to do, sue the Post Office (Federal Government)?

I have seen very rare instances where people said they did get higher than the minimum payout from USPS, but the item was pretty expensive (more than a few hundred, like a grand or more), they had solid documentation (receipt, prior appraisal, photos, etc), they stuck with it jumping through all the hoops, and they threatened to go to court.

Whenever I ship something using USPS I prepare myself for the possibility that it will be lost and the USPS will only pay me the minimum, if that. The bottom line for me- never ship anything I can't afford to lose. This is just one reason why I really dislike selling/shipping expensive/hard to replace knives.



.
 
I’ve had two lost packages and two paid claims. Some hoops to jump through but I dotted my Is and crossed my Ts. On one I did use a Friend who was a dealer send in a statement about valuation. Don’t let them deny the claim. If they do, file an appeal. The post office accepts the money for insurance and that forms a contract to cover the shipment. Don’t allow them to break the contract. Also claim the initial shipping costs too. They failed to complete the service too. I won both my claims plus shipping costs. Insurance cost was not reimbursed because that actually was used.
 
I had a USPS package I shipped show up to the recipient, and the contents were missing. Same thing on a package that was shipped to me. Boxes were damaged and delivered empty on one, and a partial contents on the other.

On 2 different claims we had to fight them tooth and nail. Their first action is to deny the claim, always it seems. They continued to deny the claims and continued to appeal and not take no. Mine took almost 4 months to get the money back and a couple months for the other guy that sent a package to me. I never thought about asking for the shipping costs back, but that makes sense Bill.

The stupid thing is one claim was like $250 and the other was only $50. I mean I guarantee it cost more in employee wages to fight them, then to just pay the claims.

I’ll go for the shipping cost on the next lost or damaged package. At the rate they’re going, it may be sooner than later.
 
Steven65 said:
In my 18 years on the forum I can't recall anyone loosing a USPS package and being made whole by the insurance. Not even close.

It appears to me that the whole insurance element on USPS packages is just some sort of a scam. Like asking for a 15% tip on a restaurant bill that has already added a service charge. :rolleyes:
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This. If I ship with USPS I simply accept that it might get lost. Over the long run taking the occasional loss is more cost effective than paying for the insurance.
 
There is a HUGE difference in shipping internationally with UPS or in the US. I know many stories from people, including dealers who lost multiple knives while shipping internationally. They basically don't have customer service like FedEx or UPS, whom you can contact by phone. Their shipping updates are basically nonexistent and are sometimes weeks off, literally. My record is waiting three weeks for a knife to get to me in the Netherlands. Oh man, what a nightmare company to do business with from a foreigner's perspective! Then you have UPS on the other hand. The record to get a knife from Idaho to my house was within 36 hours. I think I would stop importing knives at all if USPS was my only option.
 
I have had this happen before. Long story short unless you are the dealer they do not care about the value period. As far as they are concerned once something is on the secondary market insurance does not cover it.
 
I work for USPS. You need 3 things to file a successful claim..

1- proof that you mailed it

2- proof of value

3- proof it wasn’t received

You can also file out an online form for missing mail. That a lot of times gets stuck packages moving again.

Missing Mail and Lost Packages | USPS

If you're dealing with a lost package or mailpiece, USPS can help with a Missing Mail Search. Learn how to find lost mail, file claims, and request refunds.
www.usps.com
 
Super2910 said:
Hello, weird one here. USPS Lost my knife. Had it sent out for dlc and was sending it back to be re lasered. Secondary market value is higher than it sold for from the original vendor. Now I need a statement of value on my blade from a “reputable dealer.” Does anyone know a “reputable dealer,” who would be able to do an appraisal and give a fair valuation?
Click to expand...

This might help too…


IMG_9982.jpeg
 
Monofletch said:
I work for USPS. You need 3 things to file a successful claim..

1- proof that you mailed it

2- proof of value

3- proof it wasn’t received

You can also file out an online form for missing mail. That a lot of times gets stuck packages moving again.

Missing Mail and Lost Packages | USPS

If you're dealing with a lost package or mailpiece, USPS can help with a Missing Mail Search. Learn how to find lost mail, file claims, and request refunds.
www.usps.com
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Hey! I recognize you and I think we’ve done some trades in the past. Thanks for the info!

I’m not sure how to provide proof I mailed it.

I was able to get a formal appraisal and invoice for replacement, so hopefully that’ll work for value. This was the stated reason that they denied my initial claim, so with any luck that’ll be enough to have them pay out.

As for proof it wasn’t received, usps tracking still shows that it’s in limbo in a processing facility, and has been since 7/15/25.
 
Super2910 said:
Hey! I recognize you and I think we’ve done some trades in the past. Thanks for the info!

I’m not sure how to provide proof I mailed it.

I was able to get a formal appraisal and invoice for replacement, so hopefully that’ll work for value. This was the stated reason that they denied my initial claim, so with any luck that’ll be enough to have them pay out.

As for proof it wasn’t received, usps tracking still shows that it’s in limbo in a processing facility, and has been since 7/15/25.
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Proof of mailing… the receipt when you mailed it… paper or electronic. A pic of the box with the label on it…
 
usps tracking still shows that it’s in limbo in a processing facility, and has been since 7/15/25.

It’s probably going to start moving again….. watch and see!!! 😊😊
 
Monofletch said:
Proof of mailing… the receipt when you mailed it… paper or electronic. A pic of the box with the label on it…
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Oh yeah. I’ve got that. Luckily it was emailed.

It was my edc knife, so I’d be ecstatic if I got her back.
 
Super2910 said:
Aaaand it was denied. They’re mailing me the reason so I’ll let you know in a week or so.
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Hopefully the "reason" they are mailing you is your knife, and that does not get lost again. Rooting for a good outcome for you.
 
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