Lost Shig. HELP!!!

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brainsausage

brainsausage

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So, I’ve mailed a lot of stuff over the years package wise between here and eBay, and I’ve never had a package go missing. I’ve also never lost the damn tracking info...

I sent out a Shig Mukimono last Wednesday. Shipped it priority to Cali. So far there’s no sign of it anywhere. I asked my local post office where I shipped it out of if they could offer any help, and received an unusually brusque brush off. I put in a ticket for a missing mail item through USPS.com with no joy as of this post. The only idea I have left is if there’s someway to find out the tracking number based on the transaction info?

Any info or ideas would be greatly appreciated, I’d rather not be out a chunk of cash if possible. I took the money from the sale, plus a grip more, to help my mom get into a new car. In the future I’ll leave that cash in my PayPal until the transaction is fully completed. Hard lessons are the longest lasting I suppose...
 
Sounds like my worst nightmare. If you shipped priority, the tracking number will be on your receipt. (I always take a picture of it with my phone when I get it, because I tend to lose receipts.) If you printed it out online, there might be an email record of it, if you a USPS account online. Otherwise, I do not believe USPS keeps a record of tracking numbers and transactions, so I doubt anyone in the post office could offer you any help.
 
If it went out last Wednesday it not even lost in the Eyes of USPS. I would not start to worry just yet, I recently had my Masamoto Honyaki take just over 12 days to show up (sent 2 day priority). Did you physically take it in to the USPS branch or did you hand it off to a mail carrier?
 
For USPS the usual advise is you NEED the tracking number. If you just go ask them to use your credit card, they will not usually be able (or even attempt) to help you. SO just to sanity check things, keep this in mind.

Even if you have the tracking number, its not unheard of for packages to disappear (on the tracking sheet) within transit routes. Its is sort of unbelievable but I have seen it. When I googled the location, there were like 100 complaints of missing parcels there...***

That was handled by the third party that sent it, so I cannot detail if the USPS insurance covered it or if it was paypal or something. But again, you need the tracking information to deal with this situation, and without the USPS receipt (which does have it) you are in trouble.

Lastly, if you call your CC company and ask for proof of authorization, they usually can check to see if the signed signature page/receipt is in the system. If you do this and get the CC signature block, you can have a chance of getting the whole USPS receipt with the package tracking details on it.

Hopefully this is helpful in some way.

Cheers.

Lastly, USPS sometimes losses things or sends them to the wrong place by mistake (like a typo in the zip coder or something). This can usually be dealt with via the tracking process, but its not pleasant and may take 30-days for them to stop and figure out what is going on. Have had this happen once too

None of those were huge dollar amounts, but both of them were parcels that I did really want to have show up in the right place at the time.
 
bkultra said:
If it went out last Wednesday it not even lost in the Eyes of USPS. I would not start to worry just yet, I recently had my Masamoto Honyaki take just over 12 days to show up (sent 2 day priority). Did you physically take it in to the USPS branch or did you hand it off to a mail carrier?
Click to expand...

Brought in by hand. I’ve never had any package take this long to get cross country, and the buyer is understandably nervous due to my losing the receipt with the tracking. It’s what I get for trying to rush things while on break from the bbq😖
 
Step one, ALWAYS keep your tracking info when you ship.

Step two, STOP using USPS. They don’t care. They lie. Did I mention they lie?

I can’t tell how many times I’m expecting a package and tracking says unable to deliver, couldn’t get access.
This happens when I know for a fact someone is home, plus my house is such that there’s no gate, no access problems whatsoever.

Did I mention that USPS lies?
 
So I was sent a package, knife, from NY to Philly overnight, usps. It showed up 12 days later with the box all distorted dropped in front of my garage so that I would have the opportunity to run over it. The knife was fine.....it might show up sooner or later and in the meantime usps will misinform you.
 
I had a package sit in the main hub (I’m sure LA has a pretty big hub, no excuse though) for 5 days before it moved on its way to NH. And it was 3 day priority. No idea why. None. While the other ones sent the same day, same package size, different state, made it w/o a hinge. I no longer use USPS, and I ship at least 10 a week atm. Done stressing out. Good luck, I really wish the best for you. You might be surprised!!
 
5698k said:
Step one, ALWAYS keep your tracking info when you ship.

Step two, STOP using USPS. They don’t care. They lie. Did I mention they lie?

I can’t tell how many times I’m expecting a package and tracking says unable to deliver, couldn’t get access.
This happens when I know for a fact someone is home, plus my house is such that there’s no gate, no access problems whatsoever.

Did I mention that USPS lies?
Click to expand...

As mentioned in my original post I’ve been shipping high value items for years. 10 years to be exact. Between selling collectible comics on eBay, knives through this forum, and expensive clothing through another forum, I’ve shipped 20-30k worth of goods. All through USPS. Never had an issue. Items arrived fairly expeditiously, unharmed, and cheaper/faster than the other guys. Until I lost the tracking receipt for the first time. I realize that an operation as large as any of these parcel couriers isn’t going to get it right every time. Looking for helpful info as opposed to 20/20 vision/future shipping options, thanks.
 
Gregmega said:
I had a package sit in the main hub (I’m sure LA has a pretty big hub, no excuse though) for 5 days before it moved on its way to NH. And it was 3 day priority. No idea why. None. While the other ones sent the same day, same package size, different state, made it w/o a hinge. I no longer use USPS, and I ship at least 10 a week atm. Done stressing out. Good luck, I really wish the best for you. You might be surprised!!
Click to expand...

Thank you sir. The buyer is gracious enough to give this some more time to see if things pan out.
 
HRC_64 said:
For USPS the usual advise is you NEED the tracking number. If you just go ask them to use your credit card, they will not usually be able (or even attempt) to help you. SO just to sanity check things, keep this in mind.

Even if you have the tracking number, its not unheard of for packages to disappear (on the tracking sheet) within transit routes. Its is sort of unbelievable but I have seen it. When I googled the location, there were like 100 complaints of missing parcels there...***

That was handled by the third party that sent it, so I cannot detail if the USPS insurance covered it or if it was paypal or something. But again, you need the tracking information to deal with this situation, and without the USPS receipt (which does have it) you are in trouble.

Lastly, if you call your CC company and ask for proof of authorization, they usually can check to see if the signed signature page/receipt is in the system. If you do this and get the CC signature block, you can have a chance of getting the whole USPS receipt with the package tracking details on it.

Hopefully this is helpful in some way.

Cheers.

Lastly, USPS sometimes losses things or sends them to the wrong place by mistake (like a typo in the zip coder or something). This can usually be dealt with via the tracking process, but its not pleasant and may take 30-days for them to stop and figure out what is going on. Have had this happen once too

None of those were huge dollar amounts, but both of them were parcels that I did really want to have show up in the right place at the time.
Click to expand...

That credit card tip may be worth looking into, hadn’t considered that. Thanks for the info!
 
post office sends packages to wrong areas by mistake sometimes, it will eventually find its way, you just gotta keep annoying the heck out of your branch manager about it.
 
brainsausage said:
As mentioned in my original post I’ve been shipping high value items for years. 10 years to be exact. Between selling collectible comics on eBay, knives through this forum, and expensive clothing through another forum, I’ve shipped 20-30k worth of goods. All through USPS. Never had an issue. Items arrived fairly expeditiously, unharmed, and cheaper/faster than the other guys. Until I lost the tracking receipt for the first time. I realize that an operation as large as any of these parcel couriers isn’t going to get it right every time. Looking for helpful info as opposed to 20/20 vision/future shipping options, thanks.
Click to expand...

Have you considered using "Click and Ship" at the USPS website?
Advantages:
- you get a tracking number immediately;
- the address is validated when you enter it;
- a receipt with your tracking number is emailed to you;
- there's an option to send the recipient the tracking information;
- it's slightly (very slightly) less expensive than mailing it from a post office;
- you can arrange for USPS to pick up the package during your regular mail delivery for no extra charge;

Disadvantages:
- you need a scale to weigh the packages.
 
Hey Rick, thanks for the recommendation. Yeah I’ve gone that route before, but due to lack of flat rate packaging on hand and being pressed/stressed for time I thought it’d be more expeditious to get it all sorted at my local station. Thought wrong!
 
Might I suggest:
I started an account with a shipping vendor, it’s a great idea for anyone shipping as much as it sounds you do... for me it’s worth the piece of mind. Print my own labels, tracking, insurance, better rates, and on the minute pricing. Just something to consider, it really changed my game on such a big scale. So much less time walking things in to the PO or shipping stores, even arrange pickups from the casa. Also have options to have alerts sent when anything is amiss, like delays, and instant notification when packages are dropped. But as I said before, I’d bet this one is en route, may just have hit a speed bump.
 
I have had two online stores since 2006, ship 1,000’s of products a year. The stores are subject to a ton of fraud and damage. I have dealt with USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, foriegn posts, LTL, couriers, and more. I now only ship USPS whenever physically possible. Besides being the fastest and easiest for paying out claims (last 5 years, over $25,000 in total shipping claims across carriers). I’ve never had a USPS claim denied. Most claims with other carriers are denied first, even a second time and takes a ton of fighting & paperwork...also, when dealing with fraud, USPS is a government agency and “mail fraud” is a federal crime.

With that said, hindsight is 20/20. In thd future, install USPS App. Print labels at home. Request free shipping boxes and envelopes direct from app/website. Free at home scheduled pickups. If paying at counter use CC and keep receipt. Always buy insurance for anything over $50 ($50 coverage included automatically).

For now, you can ask to speak to local postmaster. Tell him your issue, ask to file a claim. He should be able to look it up for you. Once tracking # is found, if past delivery timeline a trace can be placed on it.

If no luck there, dispute transaction with your CC. They will have to produce your counter receipt with signature (if under $25, it was captured digitally on cc machine). That receipt print should give your a full receipt copy with tracking #. Your cc dispute department can help you with this process.

Good luck!
 
Btw, one thing to check, USPS restricts shipment of certain knives. Make sure your postmaster knows it was a knife as package may have been pulled due to safety issue!
 
tgfencer said:
Sounds like my worst nightmare. If you shipped priority, the tracking number will be on your receipt. (I always take a picture of it with my phone when I get it, because I tend to lose receipts.) If you printed it out online, there might be an email record of it, if you a USPS account online. Otherwise, I do not believe USPS keeps a record of tracking numbers and transactions, so I doubt anyone in the post office could offer you any help.
Click to expand...
I do the same, and a picture of the label on the package, and a video of the contents before I close box.
 
brainsausage said:
Thank you sir. The buyer is gracious enough to give this some more time to see if things pan out.
Click to expand...

That's your only option there and it's very likely, I think, that it shows up.
I sent a handle to a member here in California ( I was in California as well). it took 2 months! the package had postmarks from two different locations across the States.
 
I would recommend giving it at least another week. I was shipped a passaround knife recently. The package was more than a week late and when we tried to track it, the USPS had no tracking information. All it showed was "label created" or some such thing. The package eventually arrived but still showed no further tracking info. This is the biggest problem I've had with them, this and when they delivered my Ikeda honyaki to a lady across town. Their explanation was the house number was the same and she gets a lot of international packages. They retrieved the package and delivered it to me that evening.
 
5698k said:
Step one, ALWAYS keep your tracking info when you ship.

Step two, STOP using USPS. They don’t care. They lie. Did I mention they lie?

I can’t tell how many times I’m expecting a package and tracking says unable to deliver, couldn’t get access.
This happens when I know for a fact someone is home, plus my house is such that there’s no gate, no access problems whatsoever.

Did I mention that USPS lies?
Click to expand...

They use a scanner to report activities, (such as pickup or delivery), and at the end of the day every package must have an entry. If they miss a package they have to make an entry. BUT there is no "Oops - I missed it" entry. So they use an entry that they have and it's usually the one you got.
 
Brainsausage,
That sucks. Chances are good that the package is just temporarily misplaced, and will show up. My biggest complain with USPS shipping is that sometimes tracking updates don't show up. It appears like a package is not moving, and then suddenly it goes from sitting in NYC to being delivered in California. I'm surprised how often that happens.
Mille above sounds like an expert, so following that advice you should be able to come up with a tracking number.
I now pretty much exclusively use Click and Ship and print labels at home. I hate the lines at the post office, and there's often one employee who only deals with drop offs and pick ups (neither of these require a register). The bonus is that the shipping info and label are stored in your account (and mine get emailed to me). I always like to send buyers the tracking number so they can keep track as well.
Last fall I had a package from Watanabe in Japan go missing after USPS took possession of it. After several visits and them telling me it was lost and to give up, it was delivered the next day. I don't really understand how packages get totally lost, but hopefully it helps to know that often packages that appear to be lost actually show up. Good luck
 
Have the buyer sign up for a Informed Delivery account on the USPS website. It is free (you just provide an email address and confirm your street address).

They should then be able to see images of all letter-sized mail coming their way, as well as tracking information on any packages coming to their address.
 
brainsausage said:
So, I’ve mailed a lot of stuff over the years package wise between here and eBay, and I’ve never had a package go missing. I’ve also never lost the damn tracking info...

I sent out a Shig Mukimono last Wednesday. Shipped it priority to Cali. So far there’s no sign of it anywhere. I asked my local post office where I shipped it out of if they could offer any help, and received an unusually brusque brush off. I put in a ticket for a missing mail item through USPS.com with no joy as of this post. The only idea I have left is if there’s someway to find out the tracking number based on the transaction info?

Any info or ideas would be greatly appreciated, I’d rather not be out a chunk of cash if possible. I took the money from the sale, plus a grip more, to help my mom get into a new car. In the future I’ll leave that cash in my PayPal until the transaction is fully completed. Hard lessons are the longest lasting I suppose...
Click to expand...
Sounds to me like you are DOOMED 🤣 USPS is cheap for a reason and everyone I have talked to regarding their standard insurance policy has informed me that the process is similar to pushing a boulder up a steep hill. Should have went with FedEx or DHL.

But hey, based on the common purchases on this forum, $1000 shouldn't be too much of a horse pill to swallow.
 
Sounds more like ShigeFUBAR... and I thought the Dutch postal companies were bad. :(
 
I sent a piece of wood to Robin in Sweden in early March via USPS. On March 8th, it left the international facility in Rochester NY, and then nothing.... After a month I sent the tracking number to Robin and he could not get any info either. He checked again recently and it was at customs waiting for him to come and pay a small customs fee, but neither he nor I ever received any notification that it had arrived on his end.

The wood has no great monetary value, but has great personal value to me.

Bottom line is that the knife may still show up.
 
Sorry to hear. I always suck up the cost of tracking and insurance.

Once ordered some parts for a guitar amp build from Michigan in the month of December. Around August of that year I moved to a new house, still in NJ, and the parts magically showed up at the new house the following December. One year.
 
I ordered some items off of a seller in the UK via ebay. Items were shipped same day I payed but without tracking because the contents were inexpensive. Usually a package from the UK to Denmark is 3-7 days.

Package didn't arrive until 2 months later and with no explanation at all. I could see on the shipping label that it was indeed posted the same day I payed, but it spent two months in transit for no reason. So in with optimism in mind, it might show up as long as the details on the exterior are readable.
 
Am I the only one who keeps checking this thread hoping the shig is found? Good luck to the op.
 
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