In well over 10 years of selling and buying watches, I have never had a problem with shipping either domestic or international.
But in the last couple of months these things have occurred:
I sold a Gen Dial(5513) to a member in Italy.....never got there. Tracking shows it made it to customs then "poof" gone....I refunded the $300.00 and licked my wounds.
Next, I shipped a crystal retention ring and bezel(For a 5513 project of donated parts) to Texas as a fine member here offered to machine a new ring....Guess what? "poof" gone.
I shudder to think of the Genuine Tudor Tiger Chrono I shipped to The Zigmeister that hasn't made it there yet(Shipped Priority before Christmas).
All Items were shipped USPS Priority from the same location. All were shipped in the Flat Rate envelopes(Yeah, I am cheap and can't afford the Boxes and insurance)......but as I mentioned, I have never had an issue in the past. Now for people who send me thei watches for modding and such, I always ship Priority insured and have never had a package go missing.
So, what have I learned.......Use the boxes even if the package would fit into a flat rate envelope as the Post Office won't insure the envelopes for international shipping (See the Italy and The Zigmeister items).
And second, I am convinced that someone is stealing the [censored] I don't insure.
As a side note, Ubi had send a movement ring to me and it never showed up.....then said he would send another and it hasn't showed up either(My apologies to Ubi for having you send your stuff to the black hole of my life).
Anywho, Happy New Year and BTW, If anyone has a crystal ring that they can send to a member in Texas to use as a guide to machine a few rings for my projects, I would gladly pay all the shipping and insurance costs if you could help out.
Thanks,
Kurt.