Warning re: Mailing Parts

sheepherder · 07-09-2018, 01:01 PM

A member kindly sent me a barrel blank I needed; the parcel arrived today. The box was empty, with a rip in the corner.

It was sent flat rate/insured, so the sender should be able to get the insurance plus postage. I've sent him pics of the box plus I notified my local post office supervisor.

This is the second time this has happened to me; I had an M16 barrel sent UPS from California to me a few years back; the box arrived empty with a nice round hole in the end.

Postal and airport machinery for loading/sorting parcels is to blame, not human error. Conveyors, paddles, steep drops to wheeled hampers all contribute to boxes breaking down. Trying to find the lost part is near hopeless, as the post office and the airlines don't have an interface for identifying and listing lost items. It goes through too many stops, and their is no way to notify all of them.

Reinforcing the packing, not using plastic packing peanuts; wedging the part in the box securely are good, but most important, anything put in the box should have a label taped to the part, with the sender's name, address, and phone number. That's the only chance that the part will be recovered and returned. This applies to USPS, FedEx, UPS, whatever. If they can forward it, they will.

I worked for the post office for 29 years, with six months of that in an airport mail facility, and the equipment (both postal and airline) used for parcel shipment is almost all automated. The scanners and paddles used to whack a parcel off the conveyers are not gentle. There are postal mechanics who sweep the equipment at the end of the day, but there's no way to know where a loose item belongs. The box it was shipped in is long gone.

I'll scream at my mailgirl next time I see her, but she retires next month so she won't be too upset.

Mister Sunshine · 07-09-2018, 06:08 PM

When I prepare one of those FR Boxes I never have a problem. I rap the box so many times with clear tape you could throw it off the roof and it wouldn't break. If it carries much weight I reinforce the sides.

Edward Tinker · 07-09-2018, 07:15 PM

I have always double and triple packed stuff, however, I had a luger take down lever going about 20 miles away and stupidly put it into an envelope with a thicker plastic baggie - got stripped out and he received an empty envelope - $85 down the drain, they now always get put into a hard shipping boxes and taped well (which I usually do).

4 or 5 yrs ago, I bought a Jan Still book once, guy sent it priority - came right to me, then he offered 3 more, I bought them and he saved money by sending media. Although he sent them tracked. I watched them go from Illinois or wherever to Philly, then it sat and sat. I called and they said they couldn't find them. Gave them tracking numbers, and slowly watched them advance to the dead letter place in Atlanta (?) and never saw the tracking move again...

lugerholsterrepair · 07-09-2018, 09:18 PM

I tell all of my clients to enclose contact information with their holsters. Many do and some do not. You never know when a box is going to come apart. IF it does it's best to have contact information ATTACHED to the item being shipped. I get boxes all the time where one end is busted open..not all people are diligent about taping the ends and rely on the PO box sticky goo..mistake. It seems like it sticks then just pops loose! Gotta be careful in shipping yessirry.

sheepherder · 07-10-2018, 04:22 PM

I mailed a holster today, in a Flat Rate box, w/insurance for $50. I sealed it in a Zip-Loc bag, with a cardboard tag tied in the holster with my name/address/phone on it. The bag was wedged in with newspaper so it wouldn't move around. Sealed with fiber-impregnated tape. Hopefully it will get to its destination intact.

But I got to thinking about that box that was sent to me with the barrel blank in it. That box went through, at a minimum, six Postal facilities and two airline freight terminals. Most likely more as it crossed the country and probably went through more than one airline/flight. It had the opportunity to be whacked around at all those stops. By clerks, carriers, mail handlers, airport cargo handlers, and possibly others I don't even know about (airport security personnel). Automated postal machinery and human sorters; they all have the chance of accidentally damaging a parcel. Airport cargo handlers are a different proposition; they're tasked to move that cargo. If a 747 freighter comes in with three slots open and they have four pods to go out, they don't put one aside for a later flight. They split one pod up and stuff the cargo into the other three pods and send it on its way. Contractually, they're not allowed to delay mail unless it's an actual emergency/act of nature. And they're not gentle about cramming those pods full.

I'm as guilty as anyone about not tagging the items for identification & return if separated from their box. But from now on I will. Some of what I mail out is valued close to a thousand dollars. I'm sure that the stuff you guys send out is worth more.

I've learned my lesson. I'll gladly pay 'postage due' to get a machined carbine barrel back. I'm lucky this time that I had not done any work on the barrel blank being sent to me. And I hope the sender gets his money back. Flat Rate parcels are insured for $50 for free and for more if you pay extra. Well worth it, considering the alternative.

/rant

lugerholsterrepair · 07-10-2018, 04:54 PM

I've learned my lesson. I'll gladly pay 'postage due' to get a machined carbine barrel back. I'm lucky this time that I had not done any work on the barrel blank being sent to me. And I hope the sender gets his money back. Flat Rate parcels are insured for $50 for free and for more if you pay extra. Well worth it, considering the alternative.

I have never had much luck collecting on postal ins. It is extremely time consuming and they like to argue. They want to keep ALL the money paid in for insurance. So they do their best to do just that.

Another little known aspect of this circus..lets say you have a claim as I did once..they broke the top of an antique tea pot that was insured for $350. They finally agreed to pay..but guess what they wanted to do with the teapot itself? DESTROY IT. I couldn't buy it..
So lets say you filed a claim on a broken rifle stock. Yup..they want to destroy the WHOLE item.

Major Tom · 07-13-2018, 04:56 PM

I sell pistol display boxes. I always use a heavy box much bigger than really needed and use bubble wrap and crinkeled up newspaper to pack the item very securely. Then use heavy duty clear plastic tape (3 inches wide) and wrap the whole package with it.

Zorba · 07-14-2018, 08:28 PM

I make and sell sistra (Sistrums). I pack them suitable for a parachute drop from 50K feet - sans parachute. Haven't had one lost or broken yet. I pack them firmly into glued-in-place foam packing material on all six sides.

sheepherder · 07-14-2018, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zorba

I make and sell sistra (Sistrums).

You just crashed Google.

Seriously, that is cool.

Zorba · 07-14-2018, 08:57 PM

Thanx. Wiki has a good page on the Sistrum.

DonVoigt · 07-14-2018, 09:02 PM

Wow, that was the only thing they let me play in the "rhythm band"; but we called it a rattle.
I didn't have a sistrum only a brotherurm.

Zorba · 07-15-2018, 02:26 AM

The sistrum is indeed considered a member of the "rattle family".

'Brotherum' - I like it!

07-09-2018, 01:01 PM	#1
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,182 Thanks: 1,398 Thanked 4,440 Times in 2,328 Posts	Warning re: Mailing Parts A member kindly sent me a barrel blank I needed; the parcel arrived today. The box was empty, with a rip in the corner. It was sent flat rate/insured, so the sender should be able to get the insurance plus postage. I've sent him pics of the box plus I notified my local post office supervisor. This is the second time this has happened to me; I had an M16 barrel sent UPS from California to me a few years back; the box arrived empty with a nice round hole in the end. Postal and airport machinery for loading/sorting parcels is to blame, not human error. Conveyors, paddles, steep drops to wheeled hampers all contribute to boxes breaking down. Trying to find the lost part is near hopeless, as the post office and the airlines don't have an interface for identifying and listing lost items. It goes through too many stops, and their is no way to notify all of them. Reinforcing the packing, not using plastic packing peanuts; wedging the part in the box securely are good, but most important, anything put in the box should have a label taped to the part, with the sender's name, address, and phone number. That's the only chance that the part will be recovered and returned. This applies to USPS, FedEx, UPS, whatever. If they can forward it, they will. I worked for the post office for 29 years, with six months of that in an airport mail facility, and the equipment (both postal and airline) used for parcel shipment is almost all automated. The scanners and paddles used to whack a parcel off the conveyers are not gentle. There are postal mechanics who sweep the equipment at the end of the day, but there's no way to know where a loose item belongs. The box it was shipped in is long gone. I'll scream at my mailgirl next time I see her, but she retires next month so she won't be too upset. Attached Thumbnails __________________ I like my coffee the way I like my women... ...Cold and bitter...

07-09-2018, 09:18 PM	#4
lugerholsterrepair Moderator Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Arizona/Colorado Posts: 7,763 Thanks: 4,865 Thanked 3,105 Times in 1,429 Posts	I tell all of my clients to enclose contact information with their holsters. Many do and some do not. You never know when a box is going to come apart. IF it does it's best to have contact information ATTACHED to the item being shipped. I get boxes all the time where one end is busted open..not all people are diligent about taping the ends and rely on the PO box sticky goo..mistake. It seems like it sticks then just pops loose! Gotta be careful in shipping yessirry. __________________ Jerry Burney 11491 S. Guadalupe Drive Yuma AZ 85367-6182 lugerholsterrepair@earthlink.net 928 342-7583 (CO & AZ) Year Round 719 207-3331 (cell) "For those who Fight For It, Life has a flavor the protected will never know."

07-10-2018, 04:22 PM	#5
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,182 Thanks: 1,398 Thanked 4,440 Times in 2,328 Posts	I mailed a holster today, in a Flat Rate box, w/insurance for $50. I sealed it in a Zip-Loc bag, with a cardboard tag tied in the holster with my name/address/phone on it. The bag was wedged in with newspaper so it wouldn't move around. Sealed with fiber-impregnated tape. Hopefully it will get to its destination intact. But I got to thinking about that box that was sent to me with the barrel blank in it. That box went through, at a minimum, six Postal facilities and two airline freight terminals. Most likely more as it crossed the country and probably went through more than one airline/flight. It had the opportunity to be whacked around at all those stops. By clerks, carriers, mail handlers, airport cargo handlers, and possibly others I don't even know about (airport security personnel). Automated postal machinery and human sorters; they all have the chance of accidentally damaging a parcel. Airport cargo handlers are a different proposition; they're tasked to move that cargo. If a 747 freighter comes in with three slots open and they have four pods to go out, they don't put one aside for a later flight. They split one pod up and stuff the cargo into the other three pods and send it on its way. Contractually, they're not allowed to delay mail unless it's an actual emergency/act of nature. And they're not gentle about cramming those pods full. I'm as guilty as anyone about not tagging the items for identification & return if separated from their box. But from now on I will. Some of what I mail out is valued close to a thousand dollars. I'm sure that the stuff you guys send out is worth more. I've learned my lesson. I'll gladly pay 'postage due' to get a machined carbine barrel back. I'm lucky this time that I had not done any work on the barrel blank being sent to me. And I hope the sender gets his money back. Flat Rate parcels are insured for $50 for free and for more if you pay extra. Well worth it, considering the alternative. /rant __________________ I like my coffee the way I like my women... ...Cold and bitter...

07-10-2018, 04:54 PM	#6
lugerholsterrepair Moderator Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Arizona/Colorado Posts: 7,763 Thanks: 4,865 Thanked 3,105 Times in 1,429 Posts	I've learned my lesson. I'll gladly pay 'postage due' to get a machined carbine barrel back. I'm lucky this time that I had not done any work on the barrel blank being sent to me. And I hope the sender gets his money back. Flat Rate parcels are insured for $50 for free and for more if you pay extra. Well worth it, considering the alternative. I have never had much luck collecting on postal ins. It is extremely time consuming and they like to argue. They want to keep ALL the money paid in for insurance. So they do their best to do just that. Another little known aspect of this circus..lets say you have a claim as I did once..they broke the top of an antique tea pot that was insured for $350. They finally agreed to pay..but guess what they wanted to do with the teapot itself? DESTROY IT. I couldn't buy it.. So lets say you filed a claim on a broken rifle stock. Yup..they want to destroy the WHOLE item. __________________ Jerry Burney 11491 S. Guadalupe Drive Yuma AZ 85367-6182 lugerholsterrepair@earthlink.net 928 342-7583 (CO & AZ) Year Round 719 207-3331 (cell) "For those who Fight For It, Life has a flavor the protected will never know."

07-13-2018, 04:56 PM	#7
Major Tom User Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: S.E. Iowa Posts: 483 Thanks: 532 Thanked 226 Times in 123 Posts	I sell pistol display boxes. I always use a heavy box much bigger than really needed and use bubble wrap and crinkeled up newspaper to pack the item very securely. Then use heavy duty clear plastic tape (3 inches wide) and wrap the whole package with it. __________________ I Build Custom Pistol Boxes

07-09-2018, 06:08 PM	#2
Mister Sunshine User Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Cherry Valley, Ca. Posts: 94 Thanks: 0 Thanked 29 Times in 20 Posts	When I prepare one of those FR Boxes I never have a problem. I rap the box so many times with clear tape you could throw it off the roof and it wouldn't break. If it carries much weight I reinforce the sides.

07-09-2018, 07:15 PM	#3
Edward Tinker Super Moderator Eternal Lifer LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North of Spokane, WA Posts: 15,916 Thanks: 1,992 Thanked 4,506 Times in 2,080 Posts	I have always double and triple packed stuff, however, I had a luger take down lever going about 20 miles away and stupidly put it into an envelope with a thicker plastic baggie - got stripped out and he received an empty envelope - $85 down the drain, they now always get put into a hard shipping boxes and taped well (which I usually do). 4 or 5 yrs ago, I bought a Jan Still book once, guy sent it priority - came right to me, then he offered 3 more, I bought them and he saved money by sending media. Although he sent them tracked. I watched them go from Illinois or wherever to Philly, then it sat and sat. I called and they said they couldn't find them. Gave them tracking numbers, and slowly watched them advance to the dead letter place in Atlanta (?) and never saw the tracking move again...

07-14-2018, 08:28 PM	#8
Zorba User Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Merritt Island, Fl Posts: 951 Thanks: 776 Thanked 526 Times in 289 Posts	I make and sell sistra (Sistrums). I pack them suitable for a parachute drop from 50K feet - sans parachute. Haven't had one lost or broken yet. I pack them firmly into glued-in-place foam packing material on all six sides.

07-14-2018, 08:57 PM	#10
Zorba User Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Merritt Island, Fl Posts: 951 Thanks: 776 Thanked 526 Times in 289 Posts	Thanx. Wiki has a good page on the Sistrum.

07-14-2018, 09:02 PM	#11
DonVoigt User Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: near Charlotte NC Posts: 4,678 Thanks: 1,441 Thanked 4,348 Times in 2,038 Posts	Wow, that was the only thing they let me play in the "rhythm band"; but we called it a rattle. I didn't have a sistrum only a brotherurm. __________________ 03man(Don Voigt); Luger student and collector. Looking for DWM side plate: 69 ; Dreyse 1907 pistol K.S. Gendarmerie

07-15-2018, 02:26 AM	#12
Zorba User Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Merritt Island, Fl Posts: 951 Thanks: 776 Thanked 526 Times in 289 Posts	The sistrum is indeed considered a member of the "rattle family". 'Brotherum' - I like it!