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Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorOct 1, 2006

I've just been told by the collector who bought SPRITE that her parcel never arrived. :(

When I enter the tracking number on the receipt at the US Postal Service website, I'm getting a message saying that there is NO RECORD of this parcel.

That tells me the package likely never made it into the system and has been lost or stolen outright.  AARGH!  First time for me with this; my packages have always shipped and arrived as expected.

Has anyone who uses USPS Priority Mail, INSURED, ever had this happen to them?  And, if so... what is my next step?

I plan to visit the post office tomorrow to ask this in person but in the meantime I'd love any background information you can provide.  Such as, just how long does this process take?  What's involved?  And so on.

I'm frustrated and sad for my customer and also afraid of leaving a bad taste in her mouth -- she's a new collector for me -- even though this shipping error is/was entirely out of my hands.  Thank goodness for insurance and receipts!

Thanks for anything you can offer on this.

Tami E Oct 1, 2006

That's scary! UPS is my favorite way to ship because they track every package, but it is outragiously expensive for overseas, so then I use USPS.
I have no advice but wish you luck with this! :pray:

chrissibrinkley Oct 1, 2006

Oh my gosh that STINKS!!!   
I have no answers to your question, as I've never had a package go missing...BUT it does make me think about how we label packages.  I know the jewelry company I was a rep for never used the company name on packaging for fear of theft.  If you had "Potbelly Bears" on the address label maybe it sparked some turdball to swipe your box       I'm sure your new collector will be sad about not getting lil Sprite, but I can't imagine her being turned off to Potbellies over a shipping error that was totally out of your hands.  Nah, no way.

:hug:
~Chrissi

KJ Lyons Oct 1, 2006

Shelli,
FIrst don't panic, how long has it been and where was the package going? Packages going to Canada or Europe can take as long as two weeks! Even if you ship Global Priority. I also find that packages going to West Virginia and some other parts of the South can take a long time, who know why?! If I remember right they can't track until it reaches a destination or there is a time span where they call it lost and that's a long time, I forget how long. The message may have simply meant the package was still in transit. I have to say it is very rare for USPS to actually lose a package. In 17 years I only had one package lost and that was because it was placed in a shed and the garbage truck picked it up 
Karen

sarahjane Oct 1, 2006

Sometimes they can take even longer...we had a package coming from England once that took 13 weeks to get here because they had accidently sent it surface mail!!!!  So don't panic yet

Marion Oct 1, 2006

If it can warm you a little, a little bear that dear Dilu sent me took 2 months to arrive. So there is really a hope that marvelous little Sprite can finish his travel safe and sound some day  :hug:  :hug:.

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner SponsorOct 1, 2006

OOOOOOH - so sorry, Shelli.  My only mishap with the USPS was when I shipped a bear to France shortly after 9/11.  The package got tangled up in French customs and wasn't allowed into the country.  The buyer in France and I tried to find the bear, but with no luck.  I dogged the US system about it, and it finally showed up on my doorstep 5 months later.  The box had messages written on it (in French) that customs denied entrance of the package into the country.  Probably the steel shot, but I was stupid not to put the 'ingredients' on the paperwork.  At that particular time in history though, maybe nothing would've gotten through.  So the lovely French lady got her money returned as we didn't want to go through the red tape again.  Where was your package headed?  You may already do this, but I always have delivery confirmation and insurance stickers on my boxes and watch the postal worker scan in both code numbers.  I do hope you find Sprite!  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

Dilu Oct 1, 2006

A gollikid trying to go to Kimmy in PA took 3 months!  She already had the replacements when the naughty thing showed up! 

Personally, i think this particular golly took a side trip with her bear friend to Hersey PA....and we all know what Hersey PA is all about!

So first you need to take a really deep breath, and know that as much as we all use USPS, each of us is bound to have some delivery problems, once in a while.  Starting your search by taking your recepts to your postmistress is a great idea.

and Marion is right! 2 months!  i was a wreck- and imagine it taking longer to go to Pa than France?!

Karen, our postmistress, may be slow in delivering the fun magazines, but she is a holy terror if something insured goes astray.  She takes it quite personally.

I am sorry sprites new mom isn't one of your regulars....then you wouldn't be quite so uptight. 

So Great Big Golly Hugs to you my friend, and here's hoping Sprite shows up!  Of course, anyone named Sprite is very apt to take the long route, just to be whimsical.

hugsnlove

dilu

bearlyart Oct 1, 2006

That's a shame about the lost bear, but as others have said, the bear may yet make an appearance!  I almost always use priority mail with delivery confirmation (for bears and a few thousand other things), so here's what I've learned about it, which may or may not apply to you.

If you printed the label and DC online from the USPS web site (and get it for free that way, like I do), double-check this against your actual receipt from when you took it to the post office.  Sometimes the postal receipt adds extra numbers to the DC #.  I've never known that to make a difference, but one never knows.

Look on your receipt from the post office and make sure that they scanned in the DC when you shipped it.  If it was not scanned on departure, and not yet scanned on arrival... it will show up as "not found" in the system.

Try the USPS tracking system again later just in case it's a glitch.  Computers being computers, can go down at any time.

Occasionally DC will say something clever like "delivered" when the item has NOT been received by the buyer.  Every once in a while their post office will be holding onto the box for a personal pick-up... and forget to tell the buyer that they're supposed to be picking it up.   I find this particular trick is more common in rural locations.  In that case, someone will need to contact their post office so they can manually search for the box.   "Delivered" can also mean "we dropped it off with your neighbor and decided not to tell you".

As a last resort, go the USPS web site and click on "find a zip code".  Punch in the buyer's mailing address, without filling in the zip code.  Click to see what USPS-recommended address appears on the screen for the information you provided.  I have been surprised many times by people giving me the WRONG address, zip code, or format for their location.  If you find that something is different (like the zip code), you can making some calls and try try to locate the post office at the zip code you shipped it to... they may have the box sitting somewhere marked as undeliverable.

Oh, one other thing I just thought of.  If this sale was not recent, the delivery confirmation data is ERASED from the USPS system after a certain amount of time, which results in a number being "not found" in the system.  I don't know how much time that is, though.  It is possible that the USPS itself may keep longer records than what they allow you to search online though, so it may be worth a call.

Good luck!
Kelly

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorOct 1, 2006

You guys are awesome and present me with so many great ideas and options... if I had different circumstances.  But the reality is:

-- This parcel is domestic and in fact only crosses ONE state line, from CA to NV

--  USPS Priority Mail usually takes 2 days, 3 tops, for that distance, in my experience.  I mailed the parcel Friday, Sept. 22.  So it's been 7 days of potential travel time and still... no bear. :(

--  In my experience, a period of seven days is not enough to empty the USPS database of tracking information.  The parcel went out fairly recently.

--  The parcel is showing up as "we have no record" and not as "delivered" or "en route."

So, I think I'm ge-dorked on this one.  I'm not panicked... just totally bummed.  I'll go to the post office tomorrow and check things out. 

Thanks for all your tips and pointers, and mainly, for just being there.  This is a new one for me as a seller.  It happens... I know... but I just didn't want it to happen to ME.  And if I have to reimburse my buyer out of pocket and then wait to be reimbursed while my claim form runs through eight thousand bureaucratic channels at the post office... well, let me just say it's NOT a good time for that, financially.

You're all so appreciated; thank you!

:hug:

Daphne Oct 2, 2006

Shel,
I placed an order for Tissavel fur from PreFurs in NY (on the east coast as I am...2 days via priority mail, 3 tops) and it took 9 days via Priority mail for it to arrive. The box had obviously gotten squashed between something somewhere in transit and sat that way a while. It resembled an accordian. Fur was fine though.

I've often shipped via Priority to the coast of Maine, next state over, and it's taken 4-5 days. Yet if I ship to an inland location in Maine like way up north in the mountains in the midst of absolutely no where it gets there the very next day without fail. I don't get it!

So... like others, I'm tryiing to say that it could very well still show up.

The PO won't file a claim for a lost parcel for possibly months. Seriously. And the whol claim process can take forever. Been there.

As for the message you are getting online..... I think your theories are right on target. I have no experience there.

Hang in there, check with the PO so you have it right from the 'horses mouth' then contact your collector and ask her to be patient, explaining what the PO says. Perhaps set a time limit... "If it doesn't turn up by Oct. 22, 2006  I will refund your money."

Good luck and do let us know WHEN Sprite appears!

thumperantiques Oct 2, 2006

Hi Shelli,
     I'm sorry that you have had this happen - it's always heartbreaking when a bear doesn't arrive. I've had a few that have taken up to 3 weeks,  and even stranger,  they were all to locations in NY state, which is right next to Ontario, Canada.  New York City is the absolute worst.  They all eventually turned up, but I've never had one that said "no record".  That is a little ominous.

     I know we deal with Canada Post, but their policy is they won't even consider it lost until it's over 30 days, and I believe USPS is similar. Once they officially designate it missing, they will have to try and trace it, but that's difficult if it was never entered into the system.  I wonder if it could be sitting on a shelf in your local post office, maybe pushed behind something or misplaced.  I came to the conclusion that it happened with one of my parcels.  It was registered, and had to be signed for at every stop.  It just went missing for 10 days and just as suddenly showed up.  It's the only explanation the post office could come up with.

     I know when I send a bear, I never put "artist bear"  or  "hand made" etc.  I always list if as stuffed toy or soft toy.  We have a standard $100.00 insurance for our packages, and most of mine sell in the $200.00 range.  Rather than have the value on the package, I bite the bullet and just take the standard insurance, and (I'm touching all the wood I have near me LOL) so far I've been okay.  I also know when I've bought antique books or toys, I've asked the sellers to put "used" instead of vintage or antique in the discription and not to put a commercial return address.  I ask them to hand write it. It's just too tempting for people, if they know what's in the parcel and think it has a huge value.   I am happy for you that the package was fully insured.    I remember Deborah Burnham had express posted a $600.00 bear to a lady a few years ago and it went missing.  She had put that it was a hand made artist bear and it's full value and even the post office said that made it very tempting for workers.  She had it fully insured, and it eventually showed up so she was lucky.   
     
     I wish you luck in tracking your teddy - Sprite was really special.  Keep us posted and I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

                                              hugs,

                                               Brenda

Carolyn Green Oct 2, 2006

Best of luck with Sprite turning up Shelli.
So sorry that this has happened.

I have only had one bear go astray and that was with NZ Post and I ended up getting the Insurance for it.

Fingers crossed that your Bear will be found and make it to the new owner.

Hugs
Carolyn
:hug:    :hug:

jenny Oct 2, 2006

I had a parcel of fabric go missing. It was being shipped via USPS and Royal Mail. It's been 5 weeks now and still no parcel...and the Royal mail say it has never reached our shores yet the website says 'En Route'...

I think it's been stolen or just lost because if customs are holding it then it's registered as that. I think though 7 days is not that long to wait. I sent a parcel to a UK address once and the irate lady phoned to say it hadn't arrived the next day as it was supposed to. Turns out the postcode was wrong and the parcel then goes to a holding centre to establish the correct post code. It took 10 days (HA!! that's the Royal Mail for you!!) but till then the website said 'We have no record of ths parcel'

Could you have inadvertantly written the wrong zip-code on the parcel? That may be an explanation.

Jellybelly Bears Oct 2, 2006

Geez Shelli I'm sorry...think this is one of the worst things that I can imagining happening     I hope it shows up!!!  Wish I had some helpful advice  :hug:

gotobedbears Oct 2, 2006

DON'T LEAVE US IN THE DARK SHELLI - YOU KNOW HOW NOSY I AM..................WHAT HAPPENED????????????

I hope that you get everything sorted out satisfactorily but it's such a bummer to think that some dirty rotten stinker   :twisted:  has got one of your bears for nothing and the poor buyer has been let down.

Good Luck 

Penny

Jodi Falk Oct 2, 2006

Oh my Shelly,

I am so sorry. I haven't had trouble YET!! Yipes ! I like the others hate to think that some stinker is enjoying your bear.

                                         Jodi Falk

All Bear Oct 2, 2006

How horrible Shelli!  I do hope your parcel turns up.  The only times I have ever had a bear 'mislaid' (twice in twelve years) have been when the package attempted delivery, for some reason no one accepted the parcel and it was then returned to me ... verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyy slowly!  So, with luck, Sprite will be on his way home to mom and will need (dare I say it?!) resending to his new owner! 

If you have proof of postage, there might be a number you can call for help ... it's unlikely you'll have much joy at the post office.  Usually delivery enquiries are dealt with by phone line or website link.

Good luck Shelli!

Chowlea Bears Oct 2, 2006

What a dreadful thing to happen -  so very disappointing for your buyer and hair pulling for you. I'm sure she realises its beyond your control.

What about poor Sprite - stuck in a dark hole somewhere waiting for a cuddle...................... :pray:

Don't you find the postal service sooooooooo helpful at times like these - couldn't you just throttle them.  They have no sense of urgency at all but then they have your money regardless - what do they care!!!!!!!!!!

Judi Oct 2, 2006

Shelli, I am so late reading this post.  Like the others have said, I would not panic just yet.  You do have the insurance slip and receipt so you do have proof that you sent a package.

Was it sold through ebay?  If you so you will need a copy of the auction page.  You will also have to file a claim with the post office if the package does not show up in 30 days.  They won't  process a claim until 30 days have passed. 

I have only had ONE package get "lost" since I have been making bears.  This was to the next state down, Illinois, and the person who did not recieve the fur cat I sent , also had to fill out a form.  The post office was fairly quick about sending me the money, less than two weeks.  HOWEVER, now they are much more bogged down with claims...and unfortunately fraudulent ebay sale claims.

I am sure it will all work out for you.  I am just sorry your dear little wee one is lost in a dark box somewhere...and just wants a hug.

Daphne Oct 2, 2006

Shelli...... like Pen, I'm nosey..... what did the PO say? Anything we don't already know?

I too have been thinking of Poor Sprite. She must be hungry and lonely!

knuffelbear Oct 2, 2006

Sometimes they can take even longer...we had a package coming from England once that took 13 weeks to get here because they had accidently sent it surface mail!!!!  So don't panic yet

That's what I can say too ......... it's so different........ but I also can feel with you! Last year I had two such problems, where the bears have been very long on their way, but finally they arrived!

So I cross my fingers he will arrive soon!  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

WildThyme Oct 2, 2006

Awwww... Shelli.... I've got my fingers crossed for you... for real.   

In my experience, when they are insured, the P.O. will do everything they can to locate the package.... obviously, the local post office doesn't pay for it out of pocket or anything, but they don't like to have the big guys breathing down their necks either.  Sounds like it never officially left your local post office to me, since it wasn't ever checked into the system. 

Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Marie_ Oct 3, 2006

Shelli....I'm late and I'm so sorry,
I haven't got any good advice for UPSP
but I hope SPRITE is ok and she will turn out in
somewhere soon !!  :hug:

hugs
Marie

Bonnie Oct 3, 2006

Hi Shelli,
I'm so sorry this has happened to you and poor Sprite, and your new collector. It's worrisome when all you can do is wait.. and wait..

Did you get delivery confirmation as well as insurance? I ask because the number on the insurance receipt does NOT show up in the tracking system. I was told by the PO that there is no way to track a package without delivery confirmation even if it is insured. You'd think delivery confirmation or a tracking number would come with the insurance but it doesn't.
You probably know this but I thought I would mention it just in case. Maybe it will help someone else from  learning it the hard way like I did.

I hope Sprite shows up soon. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

hugs,