BEWARE!CAREFUL SHIPPING KNIVES THROUGH THE MAIL!!

[cattaraugus57]

This may or may not be the place to post this,if it's not..sorry.
But I wanted to make all of you aware so this doesn't happen to you.

I traded a Knife to a fellow member several weeks ago.
He sent his package out to me first,I sent mine to him about 3 days later.
Well he got the one I sent in 2 days,no problem.
However I didn't receive mine...
I waited a couple more days and then asked him for the delivery conformation number.
When I tracked it,the Postal site told me it went thorough a sorting center in NY,had left and was being delivered...New York!??
I live in PA! and it never even came to this state!

The sender went to his Post offce to inquirer and I sent several complaints and called,Texas,NY,over the next couple weeks...nothing.
I also filed a theft report just for good measure.
Several days later the local local post office called me to ask for a description of the knives which I provided.

A week later the local post office showed me a scanned picture of the package as it went thorough the NY sorting center and it was INTACT but they told me( to cover their a**) it "probably" got ripped open and the knives fell out..ok I can see how that could happen but what exactly happened to them after they "fell out"?
Did someone throw them in the trash or did they put them in their POCKET and STEAL them!(would YOU throw a nice old pocket knife out?)

I remember years ago many times getting something in the mail that had been ripped and had been Taped up BY the Postal system.
I guess now a days they just KEEP YOUR STUFF..
So it was never found,never delivered and never returned...is it any wonder the postal system lost 1.2 BILLION in the 2nd quarter of this year?

The fellow I traded with had to send my knife back and I doubt he will EVER get his back.
And this time it took 8 days to get to me!
So for one thing..NEVER use anything but a BOX.not a jiffy bag to send..ANYTHING!

Oh one more thing..I have sold and bought on ebay for over 10 years,in that time the Postal System "lost" 79 Money Orders I sent and not ONE was ever returned!
For you Postal workers out there if this offends you I'm sorry,not my intention,just telling the truth.

[FRJ]

I had a problem as well.

In June, I purchased a kitchen spoon. It never arrived. I went back and forth with the seller, who, I believe, was on the up and up, and with the Post Office. It was scanned out of Tampa, Fl. It just dissapeared. I didn't pay a lot for it, but it could have easily been a costly knife.

[chautauqua]

ive been selling and buying on ebay for 12 years,never had a problem with postal service.any time a problem poped up it was found to be people on other end lying.my suggestion is insure pkg and when handing to postal worker make sure he scans it when he accepts it that way its instanly in system,i also use the little yellow stickers on pkg that say scan me now i have had several problems with fedxgnd and ups but never postal svc ,and i assume his pkg was sent priority thats why it was in ny, rochester ill bet because thats one of there main hubson east coast

[jerryd6818]

I had some stuff I bought from Woot.com that was logged into the local post office sorting facility but never made it across town to me. Woot.com replaced it but the original order never showed up.

My problem with the postal system is the carriers that service my neighborhood must be constantly stoned. (Anyone remember the postal carrier in the 1985 movie 'Better Off Dead'?) Stuff is frequently delivered to the wrong address.

[woseyjales]

I agree that knives should be shipped in a box always, never an envelope.
Also on Priority boxes tape over the long flap, don't assume their
strip of glue will hold.
Likewise, the end flap tabs can be pulled out and end flap
opened w/o damaging box so better tape over the end tabs as well.
Even with only a delivery confirmation # you should have some recourse
IF package never scanned as received at destination.
USPS is a paid agent to deliver your goods and if they can't show it as
delivered then they owe you for contents as well as a refund on your original postage.
Lost shipment claim probably takes just as long as an insured claim but that is
apparently just them stalling hoping the package will turn up or you will forget about it.
Often when package goes astray it turns out zip code numerals were transposed or partially destroyed.
Good reason to put strip of tape over the label addresses as well.
So pack it as if Ace Ventura UPS driver will be handling it, label it as if USPS jeep is going thru a car wash
with it, and keep receipts & proof of delivery as if you were entrusting people you don't know to do an
important errand for you, like deliver your package across 6 states.

[PigSticker]

I've got a package i've been waiting on that is missing Tracking #'s show it was delivered on 8-6-11 to an address with 48519 zip my address is a 48529 zip just found out today still waiting to hear back from the seller somebody screwed up and it weren't me.

[allmightyoz]

i dont trust flat rate "sealing tape" that is on it. all of my packages look like some paranoid, OCD person taped them. Three rings of tape around the length, two rings of tape around the width, extra tape over the provided "usps seals", labels completely taped over so they dont get ripped, and stuff to the brim with newspaper / packing material so nothing rattles.

i bet it was a case of improper packaging more so than getting "ripped open' (as they say). With all that tape, no one wants to waste the time (or likely cant do it discreetly enough)

p.s. - yes i think the economy will collapse and am a conspiracy theorist. hence my crazy packaging.

[JEARL]

I learned my lesson on shipping knives thru the mail. I sent a case 6265 in a bubble lined envelope to Case for repair. The repair center called and said they received my envelope and no knife. I describe my knife and what was wrong with it, and luckly they found it in the bottom of the mail tub. She said that people lose their knives thru the mail all the time. She also told me how to properly ship a knife. Use a cardboard box and fill it with newspaper and have the knife in the middle were it can't move, and you shouldn't have any problems. Also the post office has lost a book that I had ordered. The tracking # said they delievered it to my mailbox at 1:30 she usually stops at mailbox around 2:30. I believe the mail carrier put it in the wrong mailbox, they will not amit fault. I am going to start using UPS they will deliever the package to my house.

Jeff

[allmightyoz]

She also told me how to properly ship a knife. Use a cardboard box and fill it with newspaper and have the knife in the middle were it can't move, and you shouldn't have any problems.

thats why people on ebay use flat rate boxes... its common sense i thought i have no faith in any aspect of our government

[Owd Wullie]

I got one the other day that was shipped in an envelope. The envelope was torn and I dumped the knife out into my hand. I figure I got REAL lucky with that one. Or whoever saw the knife thought it so ugly they didn't want anything to do with it.

[RobesonsRme.com]

In the past, I've used the Priority Mail video boxes, but I go them one better. I have twenty or thirty plastic VHS tape containers that we bought at Best Buy or Sam's or somewhere some time ago.

I pack the knife with padding in the plastic VHS box, put that in the Priority Mail video box, address it, then cover the entire thing with clear packing tape.

Never lost a knife.

However, people that send me knives do not go those extremes. Mostly, they use bubble wrap envelopes.

Charlie Noyes

[biglmbass]

i dont trust flat rate "sealing tape" that is on it. all of my packages look like some paranoid, OCD person taped them. Three rings of tape around the length, two rings of tape around the width, extra tape over the provided "usps seals", labels completely taped over so they dont get ripped, .

I'm of the same mindset when I ship one out. I try to leave nothing to chance & only use a cardboard box (typically USPS flat rate boxes) taped to the max with label taped over. Tape is cheap insurance and I use the heck out of it. Knock on wood, I've never had a problem with sending or receiving anything in the flat rate boxes. Have have a few close calls with receiving knives in the cheap bubble wrap manilla mailer envelopes. They tear without much effort and I've received several with holes in them big enough for the knife to fall through. Sorry to hear of the troubles some of you have faced.

[johnnierotten]

I have had the same problem only a Month ago.....lost a knife from ebay and 2 from a fellow member. ...I contacted the P.O. and was told there was nothing that I could do if it was not insured....so from now on I pay the extra for insurance and if I ship something out that is valued over $100...I insure it myself.

[oldblinddog]

I have used bubble wrap envelopes from the post office many times without a problem but I wrap the knife, even the ones in boxes, in bubble wrap and tape it with packing tape before I put it in the envelope. You guys are causing me to be concerned!

[HiPower]

i usually ship by priority mail but use much larger containers than needed . this would'nt be economical for people shipping lots of knives but putting a knife in a box bigger than a book does'nt tip theives off.---HiPower

[tjmurphy]

I have had the same problem only a Month ago.....lost a knife from ebay and 2 from a fellow member. ...I contacted the P.O. and was told there was nothing that I could do if it was not insured....so from now on I pay the extra for insurance and if I ship something out that is valued over $100...I insure it myself.

Hey Johnnie - It's the responsibility of the shipper to see that the purchased item is delivered. In the case of Ebay items, Ebay has mandated that the shipper CANNOT require the purchaser to pay for insurance unless he hides it in the shipping costs. If you purchase an item on Ebay and you do not receive it, you have a buyer protection program that will cover the item plus the initial shipping costs and Ebay will collect from the seller.

[johnnierotten]

Yes...this is true..but if they have a confirmation slip that says it was delivered.......YOUR SCREWED!!
I contacted the seller and they said it was delivered....I checked the conf. number..and sure enough it says delivered. That was when I called my P.O. and they said that a different carrier (not mine) marked it as delivered... and they said if I didn't have any insurance that they couldn't or wouldn't do anything about it.

[tjmurphy]

OK. I remember now. This is when the mail carrier was ripping off the packages and got fired.

[johnnierotten]

Exactly.... ....and I got screwed!!

[cattaraugus57]

UPDATE!!!!!...unbelievable! I heard the rural mail delivery truck today and had a feeling for some reason.
I went out and there in the box was the package of knives!
And except for a foot print on the back and one small piece of one handle being broken,they were intact...26 days later.
The postal goons had finally come through..
THIS time it worked out.

But still guys,wrap your stuff carefully and use a BOX not a bag and insure it.

[johnnierotten]

Catt....I agree.

[TripleF]

i dont trust flat rate "sealing tape" that is on it. all of my packages look like some paranoid, OCD person taped them. Three rings of tape around the length, two rings of tape around the width, extra tape over the provided "usps seals", labels completely taped over so they dont get ripped, and stuff to the brim with newspaper / packing material so nothing rattles.

i bet it was a case of improper packaging more so than getting "ripped open' (as they say). With all that tape, no one wants to waste the time (or likely cant do it discreetly enough)

p.s. - yes i think the economy will collapse and am a conspiracy theorist. hence my crazy packaging.

[PigSticker]

That's great they finnally came trough i have also recieved my package that was missing--i really think the USPS has gotten better in the last few years--far as insurance goes it takes forever to get a claim i bought a set big bore cylinders & pistons off a guy a few years back the package showed up and looked like it had been run over by a truck one of the sleeves was broken and had bent finns on it i'm still waiting on my $$--that was shipped from Canada so both Postal Services were pointing fingures at each other and i'm runnin a front jug with a bent finn on it so it wasn't a total loss

[Jacknifeben]

I sent a bayonet to France last week with Prioity Mail and every thing went great.

[cattaraugus57]

" i have no faith in any aspect of our government"
I'm with you on that!

I once sent a set of Buick Turbo cyl heads to puerto rico and the guy kept saying he didn't get them,but he was so cool about it it made me nervous and I thought he was lying..
It took me a month to get the P O there to find the box,but it delivered the next day,
I figured since it weighed like 50 lbs the postman didn't want to carry it and that's why it sat.


I was a shipper/receiver for many years and I know how to pack things,so I never had a package come open,but man some people have no idea how to do it! it's not rocket science..