TOPIC: Packing tokens; please be careful!

For the first time ever yesterday I received a package with every single token missing from it. I'm going to try to figure out more details on how it was packed, but it looks like possibly an un-taped USPS flat-rate box inside of a bubble mailer, or perhaps it was the other way around. Absolutely no tokens in the box, just the letter shown here.

When I ship tokens, I make sure everything is taped really well and that nothing is moving around loose inside the packaging.



The value wasn't too high by token standards, at $300. Built-in insurance is $50. So I think by default the person who shipped them to me is out $250. I'm debating whether I should help them out in some way. They are somebody who I have not met nor have dealt with before.

Or perhaps there is a path for the shipper to contact the USPS and identify the missing tokens?

I’d help them out - considering the rarity of things lost in the mail, it is better to err on the side of assuming they were honest in sending what they claimed.

If they were lost in transit, the most likely point of failure is with the local delivery person or at the initial drop off, those would be good places to check first. After that is checked, I’d recommend just making it right with the person trading (after an initial effort is made on their part to try and locate them).

Fred

PM sent.

larry

My thought was to first work with the person to get the $50 insurance and also see if we can file a lost and found with the USPS. If that doesn't work I was thinking about splitting the difference with them, since I know it isn't their fault.

But the initial reaction from the shipper has been pretty negative, accusing me of not letting them know sooner. My wife received the package yesterday but I didn't go through them (and others) until this morning. That is causing some consternation with the person from what I can tell. I'm happy to work with somebody, but if I get the impression that they are blaming me instead of the USPS then I may not make that offer.

Any idea that the fault lies with you, Kirk, is absurd.

If the person wanted, the USPS literally offers additional insurance on every single shipment. Most of the time I have to specifically decline it.

It's fine to be upset for whatever reason, but TD isnt your full time job. The idea that the sender should be upset they didnt hear about it yesterday also seems silly to me.

Being gracious when something bad happens and trying to work together to find a solution seems like the right plan. Not doing so would not get cooperative results, at least from me.

Thanks for the support Wade. I think where I'm at now is that I didn't assume (and still don't assume) that this was at all intentional. I assume it was a USPS problem, which can happen from time to time.

But it seems that the other person has assumed it is me, not the USPS. That's where I'm debating how much money I want to give to that person for goods I didn't receive.

PS, this response happened after my initial post above. When I started this thread I had already messaged the seller but hadn't heard back yet, most likely due to timezone differences. I just want to be clear that this has already evolved since my first post.

On same page as Wade.

The packaging received is when a loss of contents occurs due to what is less than adequate packaging. The packing falls apart while be processed.

In my experience the USPS has always spend time to search for contents before forwarding to the addressee.

I hope I didn't come across as assuming the sender did this on purpose. It is likely they didnt know about the frailty of the boxes, the lack of internal support, etc. I wasnt trying to blame the sender at all.

I have received small flat rate boxes that make me double tape every single edge and corner when I ship now, and those had all the tokens in them.

Regardless, once this happens, the sender would hopefully want to make it right as much as you obviously do.

I got one a few months ago where a few tokens were sent in a bubble mailer and a hole developed in the side big enough where the tokens could have easily slid out. Luckily they were all there. I will echo Kirk: use packaging tape on all the edges!

Just to be clear, I'm 99% sure this person isn't on the forums. This is probably the only time they have sold tokens to anybody at all.

I view it as the responsibility of the shipper to get their product safe and sound to the recipient.

Usually I'm the shipper, and I take that responsibility on.

It always baffles me when someone sells me something online and then asks "do you want to pay for insurance?" I always decline, but it's weird that they evidently think insurance is for the purchaser's benefit, not the shippers protection.

I would have to agree that the responsibility belongs to the shipper. I recently mailed out a supreme ring and you better believe I over packaged it and had enough insurance to cover the purchase price.