Justasgood Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheaton26 Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 you're not the only one kurt. in november, my fully modded iwc bp was lost in the mail on it's way back from vac. now i have a genuine omega planet ocean that has vanished on it's way to me ... been over a month now. vac has graciously offered to do the work again for free but between these two deals, i'm out around $2,000! not a good way to end the year. i feel your pain bro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 Kurt, Spacer ring #2 just went out this morning. Sorry it's late, but let's hope that we have better luck with this one! Drop me a PM when you receive it! Cheers, R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiker01 Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 Wow! Tha's is something new! Cross mine, but so far all my USPS Priority shipment had made it domestic and Worlwide un-insured! I use the flat rate small box, though! It cost the same as the flat rate envelop on the USPS Website with an account! Sorry to hear your headache, Kurt! Hope they all turn up! Hike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 Man that sucks. I really don't like the US postal service. They offer a "form" of tracking but it's pretty useless. They won't even come around to the back side of my building to drop off mail. So if the package is bigger than the mail slot at the front of the building, they just take it back to the main branch and occasionally leave a notice saying that they attempted to make a drop off. The best part is, when you track the incoming package and it is sitting at the Burbank post office, it says "Delivered"!! How awesome is that??? Kurt, thank god your parts arrived as did my watch huh? That wouldn't have been good at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asf Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 Man that's scary! I'll make sure I never use the envelopes. I've been boxes only and now stay that way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 Sorry to hear about that Kurt.. as you mentioned over the phone.. that sucks big time.. someone must have an eye out for uninsured watch parts.. hope they catch the MOF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
numptyj Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 you're not the only one kurt. in november, my fully modded iwc bp was lost in the mail on it's way back from vac. now i have a genuine omega planet ocean that has vanished on it's way to me ... been over a month now. vac has graciously offered to do the work again for free but between these two deals, i'm out around $2,000! not a good way to end the year. i feel your pain bro. dayyumm on the PO was it not insured so you can get something back for it?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 Sorry to hear that, Kurt, but it wouldn't surprize me if some light-fingered postie was taking the uninsured stuff. I recall last year when Dani had a parcel jacked by the US post office, and they eventually contacted him to say they'd caught the thief... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest techlogik Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 I've been lucky. I always use the freebie USPS priority small flat rate box for $4.95. Get a confirmation and tracking, sometimes get insurance depending on where it is going and value. Haven't been bit yet. Would insurance have helped you out on these at all? Just got my 3 watches back from Zigmeister today. Took about 5-7 business days, but showed up safe and sound. Zig is on vacation until the 15th, so they probably won't be returning any emails soon. Plus they usually don't tell you if they got the package. Sometimes they will say they did if you bug them though. Hopefully your luck changes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmb Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 All of the Priority Mail supplies are free from the USPS website. I use the 6"x7"x7" boxes for almost everything. I think it's easy for envelopes to get lost/damaged/disposed of. I've gotten in 8 1/2" x 11" envelopes that have actually had tires-tracks on 'em so you know it layed around SOMEWHERE for a while... I am the "culprit" waiting for this stuff and have e-mailed NEO to see if replacements can be had but if anybody has an MBW compression ring I can borrow to copy it would be appreciated... :-\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 On the flip side Kurt, the hands and stems you sent to me made it safe and sound. I have two post offices equal distance from me. I tend to mix it up a bit. I also use the USPS Click-N-Ship most of the time and the self-service drop area. Maybe even adding $10 of insurance for a few cents will throw off the mail thief at the PO. Good luck! P.S. My local mail man who used to wonder about my frequent asian shipments is now totally cool. It must have been the "Target Gift Card" I gave him for Christmas. Bribes help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
username here Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 wow, Kurt- that really sucks. And- the package I sent to you should have been there by now. Keep an eye out for a postal employee sporting a new (vintage) universal chrono! I didn't insure that package . . . fyi- I hit you w/ a PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmb Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 As an aside the Turn-O-Graph I ordered from Silix wound up in a neighbors yard (about 4 house from me) and they brought it to me! Apparently it must have fallen out of his bag when he was walking his route and he never noticed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justasgood Posted January 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 I am going to compile all of the issues outlined and request a meeting with the local Postmaster General. I am sure there has to be some legal recourse for items shipped via "Priority". There must be some sort of chain of handleing. Surely there must be a way to prove the last location of these packages. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 I am going to compile all of the issues outlined and request a meeting with the local Postmaster General. I am sure there has to be some legal recourse for items shipped via "Priority". There must be some sort of chain of handleing. Surely there must be a way to prove the last location of these packages. Any suggestions? That sounds like a good idea I would suggest asking precisely what procedure occurs, as you say, find out the chain of handling, and then find out where the weak link is and what they propose to do about it to compensate you for the losses Best of luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheaton26 Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 dayyumm on the PO was it not insured so you can get something back for it?? the seller and i agreed on fed-ex or dhl only. and to my disgust, he sent it regular mail. i feel i could have been scammed, but cannot say for sure just yet. on the bright side ... i got some great news today! after posting yesterday about this and my missing iwc big pilot from vac. unbelievably it arrived today! it was shipped on november 7th and arrived today ... exactly two months later. wow. this now gives me some hope about the planet ocean. i guess only time will tell. all the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 That really is strange that you have had that many problems. Leads you to believe that someone at your local PO may be pilfering your packages. if that is the case, i would have a talk with your local Postmaster, possibly others using your PO are losing stuff as well. If you look at the sales pages for most of the respected sellers of watches on the other forums and on Ebay, they NEVER ship to Italy except by FedEX or DSL. obviously theft is endemic within Italian Customs and PO system.Personally, I wouldn't ship to Italy, as the shipping to Italy by FedEx would be cost prohibitive. Another thing, I totally agree with some of the other members, only ship in boxes. Envelopes are much to easy to conceal under a jacket otr coat, also to slip into someones locker until quitting time. I also believe that buying insurance, at least enough to have the insurance sticker on your box, along with delivery conformation, is a deterent to theft. USPS has a terrible tracking system. i had a local PO employee tell me that the weak link is the lack of importance they place on scanning packages. Scanning is mandatory at UPS and FdEx, and should be with the USPS, but it is often overlooked. When a scan is missed, the chain of custody is broken. The only really secure method , and it certainly isn't foolproof, is Registered, where everyone who touches the package has to sign for it. all of this is certainly more expensive, but only one 500-600 dollar watch lost will pay for a lot of insurance ,boxes and priority shipping. Just my dos centavos Arthur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 P.S. My local mail man who used to wonder about my frequent asian shipments is now totally cool. It must have been the "Target Gift Card" I gave him for Christmas. Bribes help. I gift my mail carrier $20 every Christmas, and I've always had great service. I don't think it's really the amount that matters, but just the thought that people remember such things that counts. Even the smallest of efforts goes a long ways, methinks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justasgood Posted January 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 Well now I am sick to my stomach.....I stopped in the P.O. and spoke with the postmaster general, she ran the tracking # for the Tudor Chrono I sent to The Zigmeister(Genuine) and guess what.......It shows scanned as received then.....nothing. no entry into custums nada. WTF!!!!!! Now I am out $300 on the dial to italy, $2000.00 on the Tudor to The Zigmeister, $180.00 on the parts to Texas and the missing packages sent to me as I now learn was a gesture by username for some work we did together( he sent me a Gen Universal 2 register chrono) now gone as well as the first movement ring from Ubi. I am so [censored] I can't see straight. If I had a gun they wouldn't want to know my idea of going postal...These F'ers are the lowest of the low I was given a 1-800 number to call and I spoke with a Gov't employee named Dan. Nice enough and he even sounded concerned. Gave me a case number and said I would be contacted in the next few days then said "Good Luck".......Good Luck? Serious? I mean, It's the God damn post office. I paid for priority and I get "Good Luck"? The way my luck has been going with my business and crap too deep to even dump on my family here, I am going to need more than Good Luck. Sorry for the venting but I am so beat-up as it is. I sold all my watches to pay bills and through the generosity of a few I had a nice Tudor and would have had a nice Universal......now all I have is a bare wrist and a really bad attitude. Happy 2010 everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 Damn, that's sickening to hear, I really hope you can get this taken care of. For what it's worth, if this stuff is all being taken by an employee (and probably the same employee), chances are they are pilfering other people's mail as well, so if they get caught, that's going to be meaning some serious time in a federal prison (messing with the mail is still a federal crime, isn't it?) I really hope you get it resolved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justasgood Posted January 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 Damn, that's sickening to hear, I really hope you can get this taken care of. For what it's worth, if this stuff is all being taken by an employee (and probably the same employee), chances are they are pilfering other people's mail as well, so if they get caught, that's going to be meaning some serious time in a federal prison (messing with the mail is still a federal crime, isn't it?) I really hope you get it resolved I just want my [censored] back. I am like a Junkie expected to go cold turkey. I got no watches ,,,,,,I feel cold.....momma....is that you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 I just want my shit back. I am like a Junkie expected to go cold turkey. I got no watches ,,,,,,I feel cold.....momma....is that you I wouldn't like to say if you'll definitely get the stuff back if it's definite theft (incompetence and loss, yes, but it's definitely sounding like employee theft) I guess all one can hope for is a satisfactory resolution, and a harsh sentence for a federal crime... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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