All About Pocket Knives

bestgear wrote: ↑Sat Jul 12, 2025 2:17 am

QTCut5 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 12, 2025 2:06 am…..a whopping 3.713 million pieces of mail are lost or misdelivered EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!

If they asked my opinion I’d say drop Marketing Mail and Periodicals, change all First-Class delivery to every other day and outsource Package Services under a performance based service contract to the best value vendor.

Railsplitter wrote: ↑Sat Jul 12, 2025 2:28 am I know that they do in fact work hard and these shortcomings are not their fault.

QTCut5 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 12, 2025 4:02 pm

Railsplitter wrote: ↑Sat Jul 12, 2025 2:28 am I know that they do in fact work hard and these shortcomings are not their fault.

Rick, I agree that the individuals who handle the mail work very hard and deserve much respect But, technically, it usually is their fault when mail is lost or misdelivered. They are tasked with an impossible job that demands high volume, fast paced, detail work done with absolute perfection. Regardless of the industry, these are humanly impossible requirements and consequently there will be human error; it would be unrealistic to believe or expect otherwise. This is the reality that anyone who uses the USPS must be willing to acknowledge and accept; which I emphatically do.

Since human error is inevitable, it is pointless to get too upset or angry with the USPS or individual postal workers when a package is lost. Personally, I don't get angry, but I do feel frustrated and unhappy when one of my packages is lost (as anyone would and obviously the reason for this thread) and I will try to do as much as I possibly can to remedy the situation so that I don't end up having to pay for someone else's mistake. I think everyone can agree that's not fair.

My purpose in sharing my experience in this thread is not to nitpick or denigrate the USPS for its statistically minor poor performance so much as to vent my frustration, commiserate with others who may have had similar experiences and possibly find a measure of comfort in knowing I am not alone---because it's true that misery loves company. Also, and more importantly, I find it beneficial to get the views and advice of others to help me maintain a sense of perspective. I've found that very often just by expressing and discussing frustrations openly, honestly and dispassionately, previously unconsidered solutions can be discovered. Hopefully others find this to be true for them as well.

Swedgehead, I second the motion to appoint Tom as Postmaster General

QTCut5 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 12, 2025 4:02 pm Swedgehead, I second the motion to appoint Tom as Postmaster General

PringleTree wrote: ↑Mon Jul 14, 2025 9:44 pm I mailed a Priority Mail small flat-rate box at the post office today and noticed that the price has increased overnight $1.05 from $10.65 to $11.70. When I asked him, the clerk said there are price increases effective today, although he didn't elaborate if they are across-the-board or only on certain services.

Even at $11.70 it's still a pretty good bargain.

Chris J.

Reverand wrote: ↑Wed Aug 06, 2025 7:08 pm This may be a slight change of topic, but I would like feedback on preparing a knife for shipping. Granted, I am not shipping high-end museum-quality knives, but I do want them to arrive undamaged, and shipping them in a box increases the cost, sometimes doubling it.

I wrap a knife burrito-style in tissue paper:
IMG_7865.jpeg

Then wrap that in foam packing strips:
IMG_7866.jpeg

Then I place the knife in a zip-lock bag and tape that to a piece of cardboard. This is to keep the knife dry, and centered within the bag.
IMG_7867.jpeg

Lastly it goes in a 9x6 plastic bubble mailer. I tape the flap securely (see the red arrows) so that it doesn't get caught in the sorting equipment and get torn open.
I buy the postage and print the label through Pirate Ship, and most knives cost me less than $5 in postage.
IMG_7869.jpeg

I am just seeing if anyone has an improvement on this system, while at the same time keeping it affordable. I buy my mailers and packing material in bulk, so that helps keep my costs low, too.

Railsplitter wrote: ↑Mon Mar 03, 2025 1:26 pm I see those triple scans at Distribution Centers pretty often. For us it’s usually 3 scans in St. Louis but this recent package had 4 scans in Evansville.

I have often wondered if there is more than one facility in those cities and maybe the package is actually moving.

jerryd6818 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 08, 2025 1:50 pm

Railsplitter wrote: ↑Mon Mar 03, 2025 1:26 pm I see those triple scans at Distribution Centers pretty often. For us it’s usually 3 scans in St. Louis but this recent package had 4 scans in Evansville.

I have often wondered if there is more than one facility in those cities and maybe the package is actually moving.

Do you live in the Evansville area. That's my place of birth.

QTCut5 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 08, 2025 3:30 pm UPDATE on my misdelivered package claim from 5/31/2025:

Yesterday I received a letter from USPS informing me that my second appeal had been denied due to "insufficient evidence of value". I found this strange because I had submitted my dated sales receipt three times showing all the information required per Domestic Mail Manual section 609.3.2 (purchaser, seller price, paid price, date of transaction, description of item purchased, assurance that the transaction was completed) with my original claim as well as with both appeals.

In a final last ditch effort, I sent an email to USPS (using the "Support" link) restating the issue and requesting a call back.

A customer service rep called me less than an hour later and reviewed my claim with me step by step, every detail, in its entirety, from the date of misdelivery, my initial claim, supporting documents, both appeals, and the reasons given by USPS for the claim denials. It was determined that my claim was indeed valid (i.e., USPS was at fault) and I had done everything correctly within the proper time frame to warrant reimbursement. I was then given the number for the USPS Consumer Advocate in St. Louis, MO, and told to contact them for further assistance with my valid claim.

I called the Consumer Advocate and had to leave a message with my name, phone number, and the tracking number of the lost package in order to receive a callback within 24 hours. Within ten minutes I received a callback from the Consumer Advocate and we reviewed my claim once again The advocate lady was very nice and calmly explained how the automated process works and why it denied my claim and two appeals--apparently it was because my receipt only showed the seller's name, city and state but not the full address (which, BTW, was not stated as a requirement in the claims instructions!). She then approved my claim on the spot right then and there and told me I would receive a reimbursement check in 7-10 days.

Took a lot of time, patience and persistence with meticulous attention to detail, but it looks like I will be reimbursed for the lost package It was a hard won victory and is the most time and energy I've ever invested to earn $62.09 in my life! Of course, I would rather have the knife, but the refund does take a bit of sting out of the loss.

QTCut5 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 08, 2025 3:30 pm UPDATE on my misdelivered package claim from 5/31/2025:

Yesterday I received a letter from USPS informing me that my second appeal had been denied due to "insufficient evidence of value". I found this strange because I had submitted my dated sales receipt three times showing all the information required per Domestic Mail Manual section 609.3.2 (purchaser, seller price, paid price, date of transaction, description of item purchased, assurance that the transaction was completed) with my original claim as well as with both appeals.

In a final last ditch effort, I sent an email to USPS (using the "Support" link) restating the issue and requesting a call back.

A customer service rep called me less than an hour later and reviewed my claim with me step by step, every detail, in its entirety, from the date of misdelivery, my initial claim, supporting documents, both appeals, and the reasons given by USPS for the claim denials. It was determined that my claim was indeed valid (i.e., USPS was at fault) and I had done everything correctly within the proper time frame to warrant reimbursement. I was then given the number for the USPS Consumer Advocate in St. Louis, MO, and told to contact them for further assistance with my valid claim.

I called the Consumer Advocate and had to leave a message with my name, phone number, and the tracking number of the lost package in order to receive a callback within 24 hours. Within ten minutes I received a callback from the Consumer Advocate and we reviewed my claim once again The advocate lady was very nice and calmly explained how the automated process works and why it denied my claim and two appeals--apparently it was because my receipt only showed the seller's name, city and state but not the full address (which, BTW, was not stated as a requirement in the claims instructions!). She then approved my claim on the spot right then and there and told me I would receive a reimbursement check in 7-10 days.

Took a lot of time, patience and persistence with meticulous attention to detail, but it looks like I will be reimbursed for the lost package It was a hard won victory and is the most time and energy I've ever invested to earn $62.09 in my life! Of course, I would rather have the knife, but the refund does take a bit of sting out of the loss.