USPS Issue

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Have any of the knife makers here (@KAMON Knives, @DevinT , @HSC /// Knives @Troopah_Knives, @Andrei , and others) thought about including Air Tags or similar mini-gps/trackers with their knife packages given the frequency of mis-delivery? They aren't that expensive relative to a custom knife and there could be some sort of system where they get sent back to the maker after delivery.

I didn't even know this was a thing. Thought about it now for a few minutes and I can't see a case where it would actually help.

If a package legitimately falls off a truck, yeah I know... Not happening, but for the sake of the argument of a genuinely lost package without bad intent, then fedex won't go to the coordinates I'm giving them to search for the package.
And if it's stolen or delivered to the wrong address, the same will be the case.
Wrongful or no deliveries, thankfully, are a rare thing and if they happen, you have to duke it out with the shipping company. Even when insured, they won't just pay easy, but they will if you force them.

On that topic, as a little semi off topic side note, I've been recommended to directly sue. No warning shots, no arguing. And it makes sense. Last time this happened to me, UPS eventually paid, but that was after half a year of waiting time and 60+ Mails back and forth with them and my lawyers. The time spent with that, I could've made another knife... No kidding... Sadly.

Generally though - loosing shipments is always a pain in the ass. For us knife makers but for the customer especially. Because most of the time, they waited for a longer period of time to finally get their custom and they won't, but they'll also miss their money for a certain time. The reason for that is that I as the maker and shipper of the goods, have to wait for the carrier (fedex, UPS,...) to confirm that the shipment is actually lost. As long as they don't confirm, I can't pay the customer back. For one it could be a fraudulent customer, which hasn't happened to me, but what has happened to me is that the package is delayed. In my case it was over a month. Now if I'll pay the customer back, and my carrier never confirms the package lost but delivers it (very) late, then I lose the knife and the money.
I'm just saying all that so all of you as potential customers understand what's going on. I've read that quite often where the customers loose their nerves and demand the payment to be sent back immediately, contacting PayPal, giving out bad reviews and all that, but it's not that easy for us. We can't just hand the money out and taking the word of a person we don't know.
So long story short - if it happens with one of my knives, you'll get your money back 100%, but you need a little patience.
 
As long as the frequency of things going really wrong (as in package actually lost and not delayed) is low and the value of the shipment relatively low the insurance is typically not worth it since it takes ages and a load of hassle to get paid, problem is that for each shipment and each shipper that equation has a different outcome.

Not sure if the couriers handle insured goods differently in transit, from how I see them handle expensive stuff I do not think so but if so that might be a reason to buy insurance.
 
As long as the frequency of things going really wrong (as in package actually lost and not delayed) is low and the value of the shipment relatively low the insurance is typically not worth it since it takes ages and a load of hassle to get paid, problem is that for each shipment and each shipper that equation has a different outcome.

Not sure if the couriers handle insured goods differently in transit, from how I see them handle expensive stuff I do not think so but if so that might be a reason to buy insurance.

The alternative is to ship without insurance and eat all the costs once something gets lost 🤔. If you're talking a +-800€ knife (or even some more expensive ones), to me that's not an option.
I personally have a legal expense insurance for my company. So to me it's no question really. I'll just let them sue with less communication next time, as everything is easily provable on my end when a customer doesn't get their package, and the carrier not being able to prove anything contrary to that.
 
As long as the frequency of things going really wrong (as in package actually lost and not delayed) is low and the value of the shipment relatively low the insurance is typically not worth it since it takes ages and a load of hassle to get paid, problem is that for each shipment and each shipper that equation has a different outcome.

Not sure if the couriers handle insured goods differently in transit, from how I see them handle expensive stuff I do not think so but if so that might be a reason to buy insurance.
I don't know if this is still the care, applicable to USPS, or where the declared value breakpoint is today. 12 years ago I was helping my parents with shipping goods via UPS at a local store. They told me (and showed me) a special sticker they applied to the box if the value was at/over $1000. Sometime after that, I shipped some goodies to myself through that store, all with declared value $1000, and was quite surprised at the pristine condition of the boxes (they were moderately heavy too).
 
I have already went to the post office and asked about it unfortunately they have no idea where it is.

I once had to go to the Post Office and insist they check the back 3 GD times in one day,

FINALLY they found it. But only because I would not accept their responses (after 1-2 minutes in the back) of "I cant find it" as an answer.

Sounds ridiculous, but gov't workers don't tend to take ownership of their roles and do their duties WELL, unfortunately :(
 
DHL is the only carrier to not fail me yet. In fact 20 minutes ago I had a fedex delivery for a new laptop. Do these drivers not know everyone has cameras on their door now? He parked at my house for a minute and just drove off with the package marked as no one there to sign for it. Thought Fedex would be better but guess not
Worth noting that Fedex express and fedex ground (including home delivery) are completely different
 
Now it is considered lost now by USPS.

That’s a step in the right direction at least.

My wife once sent a package to South Korea, and it ended up going on a 50-states tour for about a year. We could see it via tracking going to NY, NC, GA, etc over the course of a year. My wife pleaded with USPS multiple times to declare it lost but they always refused and pointed out - “see, we know exactly where it is!”. Too bad they couldn’t actually deliver it. After about a year it showed up back on our doorstep as undeliverable.
 
If the knife is expensive enough ship with no indications what’s in the package via express signature confirmation and full insurance

I don’t mess around anymore, spend the time and money to package correctly
 
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