Much to my dismay, this is what I found in my mailbox yesterday ... USPS at it's finest

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This was a return item that a member purchased, but didn't like, so I asked to have him return it and I'd gladly refund his money.

I do my utmost diligence when packing items to ship to my customers so they receive what they purchased in the best condition - regardless of how inept some carrier's employees treat them. It appears that this box sustained damage that ripped it open at the perforated seam on the box ... something I always tape up to prevent coming apart at the seams.

I'll be notifying the member who sent this package to me, and that the item that was in the box didn't make it to it's final destination. Him being the sender, maybe he can recover a partial cost (whatever USPS Priority Mail insurance covers) ? Posting the pix for him here because can't do it in a PM


I hate when this kind of incident happens and I consider the member a friend (914 family kind of guy that I've dealt with for years, both purchasing from and selling to) ...

... but I have to ask ... am I responsible to refund the $ he originally purchased the item for when I didn't get the item back?

NO


And you're not getting the ball joints back from me!

I'm freaking happy and you packaged them up just fine!

. “am I responsible to refund the $130. he originally purchased the item for when I didn't get the item back?” - No. It was their responsibility to get it back to you. …but it still sucks for everyone involved.

USPS priority boxes are much thinner than they used to be. You have to cover them with tape.

I feel for you. I’m missing a transmission shipped to me on a pallet. I paid for the trans, it never made it to me. Seller went dark when I requested a refund. $1,800 for a core and shipping

I believe there is $100 insurance automatically.
With heavy stuff that has value I generally add more out of caution. Never had issue so not sure if I could recover.

I didn't know how much insurance was automatic, so I just checked USPS' web site:

Priority Mail® Insurance
Priority Mail® Insurance (for merchandise) is provided automatically up to $100.
Additional coverage may be purchased at any Post Office in increments up to $5,000.

... so at least he'll get 'some' relief by filing a claim

https://faq.usps.com/s/article/What-does-in...to%20%245%2C000.

If he gets a $100. refund from USPS, I'll happily split the difference on the outstanding $30. and send him $15. to keep the peace

You're too nice!

I wouldn't ever sell to him again...

That's BS.

I'm guessing that was an original 914-4 CV?

That's NLA everywhere...

You were cheap and now you're "eating it" (or part of it) due to his negligence???

I might hire a ninja to visit...

Interested in how this works out. I’ve never had good luck collecting on insurance. Seems somehow the carrier always blames the packing. Will be interesting with USPS and their own box.

Agree fully that those boxes ought to be taped. Half the time it seems like their pressure sensitive adhesive doesn’t seal properly. Those boxes are a joke.

Agree that it is on the sender to get parts back to you safely for refund. Depending on how heavy the items are, that often entails double boxing and packing to insure there is no movement of contents.

The ability to ship parts to & fro across this country is amazing but they must be packed properly.

Hilarious (not really) that USPS bothers to deliver an empty / torn package as if they did their job properly !

Mark,
Filed claim from this end. You do not need to refund for CV. I put extra HD tape on everything I mail. First time I have ever seen box torn up like that, looks like somebody opened it.

I bought a 911 rear wing from a great seller in CA. He dropped it off at a FedEx store and I paid for packing, insurance and ship. Item arrived crushed. I filed a claim and FedEx turned it down due to “improper packaging” even though I noted and showed proof that they packaged it. They offer an appeal but only to submit additional pictures. I wrote out a full page appeal, took a picture of the letter and sent it in. They reversed their decision and paid me in full. It’s the first time I actually collected on an insurance claim after a half dozen times trying. It was an 3-4 month process but for $3,500, it was worth it. And it’s not easy to even find the page to apply on the FedEx website - by design.

Even though I haven't been able to 'hang' with you boys & girls on WORLD for going on 4 years now, a lot of you have been my 914 buds for going on almost 20 years (geeeeze, where has the time gone?)

I just don't want any issues like this to ruin the friendships that have developed here ... I may be able to re-engage the game at some point in the future (just not with a 914)

I purchased around 1100 worth of 914 documents (technical service bulletins, training manuals, parts manuals etc) during the peak of Covid-19 where people weren't going anywhere etc. I had it shipped to me. It left it's shipping point where it ended up in the SF NDC in Richmond. I then got sent a piece of mail from the USPS stating they found the shipping and return address section of the package on their distribution floor. You could tell that one of their employees used a razor to remove the top section of the cardboard to remove just the shipping and return addresses. I ended up reading that the distribution center it ended up at was known as one of the black holes of the USPS and has one of the worst ratings of a majority of the distribution centers. I ended up filing a claim with them and got a majority of the funds back after a final call to customer service and stated what the USPS cost me and my claim got expedited. Ever since then when I package items I cover all the seams with security tape that states do not except if the seal has been broken. I don't trust the USPS like I used to. It is very unfortunate to see what happened to that package.

I've purchased multiple items from you before and can attest to your packaging, and items arriving undamaged.

Same here. Mark communicates, ships and sells well. One of those unfortunate events. Shit happens unfortunately.

Mark is one of the most savvy shippers on here………and very fair.
I too am curious to see if USPS comes through.
Good luck ……as stated s happens.
Shipper answer 90% of time is inadequately package. In business, never got anything but that but you have to try.

Holy cow!! I can’t tell you how many things I’ve received from Mark and never had any issue with his packing (including heavy CV in flat rate box).

Wouldn’t put it past USPS to have had it intentionally opened and then improperly resealed by them?

The fact that they delivered an empty box without a note regarding what happened is whacko.

Keep all packing, documentation, and pictures - like Mesptein said, you may need it later to get the insurance claim settled.

Unfortunate this happened and luckily not on high dollar parts like Mepstein trans and wing. I would have a heart attack!!

I've spent more with Mark than anyone else on this forum.

Super guy who I am indebted too...

If he ever needs AC shit his ticket is punched!

Help in finding the right shop/parts or if he wants, he can drive it out to me, and he will get my "family" rate...

It's a long drive but if it's worth 1K in savings it might be worth it...

I retract my comments!

So sorry Mark!

I still don't think it's euro911s eat but WOW!

The USPS is NOT the same that it was even 2 years ago.


Just spoke with my son Austin about shipping guns.

He NEVER uses USPS, always uses FedEx.

Bunch of silly rules; has to FFL on both ends with USPS but FedEx and UPS require an FFL on at least one end. If the FFL makes the shipping label it's insured. If a non-FFL ships no insurance at all! Moral- let your gun dealer control the shipping either direction.
He said it take between 3 and 6 months to get resolution on a claim and they work HARD to deny it.
He HATES damaged or lost crap.
He ALWAYS ends up eating it if it goes completely bad...

The front page of the Atlanta newspaper on Dec 28 had a front page headline "Mail theft, delays prompt complaints" . 13 US House members from Georgia send letters to postmaster general seeking answers on service issues. One year ago I had two checks stolen from the big blue drop box. Thieves stole the whole box which has not been replaced. I have never had issues with package delivery in or out but I do pack very well.

I've been fortunate that this hasn't happened much, but I remember buying (4) seat adapter plates from an ebay vendor, allowing me to install later high-back bucket seats in an early SWB 912.

When I picked up the box, it felt really light for supposedly having (4) heavy 1/8" thick, 18" long, 2.5" wide steel plates.

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Thinking something was amiss, I took some pix before opening the box. There was only (1) plate placed catty-cornered in the box - the other (3) apparently exited through a rip in a corner of the box when some dufuss at USPS probably dropped the box. Bottom line, the vendor failed to reinforce the corners to keep the plates secured inside.

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Fortunately the vendor did refund my purchase after sending him the pix of the damaged box. He claimed he was out of town when I purchased them and that his wife packed the plates.

Is there a back story on why this had to be discussed publicly, under a thinly-veiled guise of a "PSA" to encourage folks pack things better...?

I suggest this would have been handled better privately.

GA

Did you notice that I didn't mention the member's name?

I did contact the member off-line, and apparently the he decided to post in the thread rather than reply to the PM I sent him. That was his choice ... as is your choice to express your thoughts on the matter

Also, we can't post pictures in a PM, and he might need them to validate his claim against USPS

Have a nice day ...

A little confused, what was the condition was the box in when delivered? The item WAS in the box when delivered to the buyer? Original box and packing material? I’ve had 1st class envelopes get trashed or simply not delivered but nothing like the condition of the box. Who was on the hook for shipping $ out of pocket each way? Unfortunate the deal went south. Wastes a bunch of time too.

I am on the hook. I returned the cv joint.

Unfortunately I'm not sure ANY amount of careful packaging can overcome careless delivery drivers. Recently I watched a FedEx driver literally roll / throw an adjustable bed frame off his truck onto the street and proceed to roll it across my wet lawn (it was raining hard) and throw it againt my garage door. I made a complaint to FedEx....crickets.

Good, because I think you were out of line, especially given your specious initial comment "I consider the member a friend (914 family kind of guy...)"

Seriously?

AND you contact him via PM? And then fault him for replying publicly?

This is not something I would do to a supposed "friend". I'm guessing you're either looking for attention, or you wanted to start a shitstorm. What, are you 12 years old?

You got both. Congrats. Act like an adult next time.

GA

Are you really that dense?

Of course, I sent him a PM - what would have suggested I do? forget the whole thing? Not likely.

And exactly how did I fault him for replying publicly?

Get a life. You don't know me and I don't know you - and I'm fine with that.

Post#5 revisited:

I didn't know how much insurance was automatic, so I just checked USPS' web site:

Priority Mail® Insurance
Priority Mail® Insurance (for merchandise) is provided automatically up to $100.
Additional coverage may be purchased at any Post Office in increments up to $5,000.

... so at least he'll get 'some' relief by filing a claim

https://faq.usps.com/s/article/What-does-in...to%20%245%2C000.

I hope he gets a $100. refund from USPS, I'll happily split the difference on the outstanding $30. and send him $15. to keep the peace

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That way, he'll be reimbursed for postage - both ways too

I PAID Mark for the postage (both ways) ... and Mark informed me that he copied the pix to assist in his claim.

I'll ask @Andy to delete this thread since some folks got triggered by it.

This thread has gone about how I figured it might when I first saw it.

Mark just informed me that the post office paid him the full $100. insurance claim

Time to play the lottery. When I saw this thread pop back to the top I thought - ugh!

Glads it’s good news for both of you!

"PLEASE ... PACKAGE ITEMS PROPERLY"


What is proper can depend on a lot of things, and in some cases there is just nothing you can do as far as packaging goes in order to endure the terror that is US package carriers.


A long time ago I worked for EPSON and one of the responsibilities of my team was localization testing for products in the US market. One of the tests was a shipping test that was conducted seperatly from the product development shipping tests in Japan and for good reason. We frequently uncovered issues that were literally unimaginable to the engineers in Japan due to the way US package carriers operate vs Japanese carriers. Issues that went beyond packaging redesigns and actually required PRODUCT redesigns just to deal with how packages are handled here. US package handlers give zero craps about what is in the box they are literally throwing around. Printing "this end up" or "fragile" on a box is just a waste of ink.

In some cases, no amount of careful packaging can solve the problem.

And then there are package thieves...

Always assume your package wont make it, be sure it carries adequate insurance, and document everything on both ends of the shipment.

I hear ya. I have a dilemma on my hands now - need to have an expensive electronic test instrument that needs repaired and recalibrated. The repair facility is in a mid-west state - I'm in Kalifornia. The item is about the size of a microwave oven and approx. 65 lbs with a CRT o-scope screen.

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I'm very leery of shipping it and currently trying to find a somewhat local repair facility that I can drive to

Personally - I would try to avoid shipping that at all cost.

I’m a vintage stereo guy. Shipping 55 lb amps is fraught with peril. I can’t imagine any of the common carriers handling a 165lb parcel properly and not even sure they will take it at all at that weight.

That leaves freight.

At that point I’d crate within a wood box with a TON of styrofoam packing and then the crate would need to be strapped to a pallet with metal band.

Even then, never underestimate the ability of some a-hole to put a fork lift tine through the crate. Think I’m kidding? I’m not. Saw it happen with parts crate at work. luckily the damage wasn’t on my dime but the delay due to damaged parts affected my project.

I'd buy a "Pelican" style hard case for that if I was forced to ship it.

Sometimes you can find those cases used for 30 cents on the dollar.

My son Bryan got one 4' x 4' x 4' from his work and turned it into a 3D printer enclosure to avoid UV contamination.

The good ones are freaking tough!