I once sold an early Garand Bayonet on Ebay to a guy here in the US. When it did not arrive at his address, I wanted to put in a claim with UPS, since the item was insured, but the buyer told me to hold on and to keep insisting the item be found instead of putting in a claim. Several weeks later he wrote to tell me that he finally had the bayonet.
As a seasoned purchaser, this guy told me that UPS and similar company's employees often conceal packages in their respective warehouses when they suspect, or actually know through an X-ray, that the package contains something of interest to them. They wait until the inevitable claim is filed and paid, which wipes the item from the company's books. At this time the employee is free to walk out of the warehouse with the item. By refusing a claim and putting serious pressure on the shipper for the item to be found, it often turns up as if by majic.
|