Banner Sponsors
For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
My Bloo Betty is lost in the mail. 
I sent her to her new owner last week (thank GAWD I insured her) and the post office cannot find her. The customer got the note that said to come to the post office and pick her up. They can't find the box. The post office said they have until May 21st to find the box. She was supposed to arrive on May 1st.
I am so saddened. My question is this (if the bear is really lost). My buyer will obviously be reimbursed for the money she paid. But I will be out all my labor and supplies. Should I have insured the bear double so I could pay back the customer and I would be reimbursed?
Should I go to MY post office and see if she came back to me? Any advice for my next shipment?
fribbles, ltd.Jennifer, you cannot insure the bear for double, it's fraud. Just like insurance is never supposed to have the shipping calculated into the value of the article, that's fraud too.
Basically, you're just out the loss of the labor and supplies. So far as I know.
I am so sorry. I hope they find the box! It might've just been shunted off into a corner somewheres!
Amelia
This is such a bummer. If it's really lost I will refund her money immediately and then wait for the insurance voucher which I hear takes 1-3 months.
I was having a major brain fart earlier. For some reason I was thinking I would be out my cost but I won't because I will be getting the insurance money to replace the money the customer paid me, duh. I was thinking I was losing the bear and the money.
sewing starswell, i have had items (small items mind you) get lost on occasion. i just sucked up the loss and reshipped the items. it sounds like the post office lost it though, and i think it will eventually show up...it may take weeks, though.
Posts: 1,836I'm confused.....
I insure everything but I've never had to use (knock wood). Why would you be out supplies and cost?? Doesn't the insurance work directly with the buyer to reimburse what they paid for the bear? You wouldn't refund her and then have the post work the insurance...then the buyer is getting a double dip (??)
I'm slow today...sinusitis and meds making me woooooozy 
..so I might be totally missing something here.
:hug:
~Chrissi
edit...ok, I get it now...we were typing at the same time jennifer. I see your edit up there! 
I'm so out of it right now I thought I was having a double dose of brain fart. 
<wooooozy>
Chrissi... if you are the sender..you are the guy that gets reimbursed the insurance amount from the post office. What happens after that is between the buyer and the sender.
oops
me typing same time too....lol
Sorry, I know I confused y'all. I even did it myself. 
I wasn't thinking straight.
I would refund her money from my paypal account then I would have to wait on the insurance from the post office. I will of course ask her if she wants me to make her another bear, give her the choice. I really hope they find it.
Posts: 280I'd give it a bit more time. About 6 months ago, I sent a pretty big box (about 35 pounds) to South Africa and it seemed to have vaporized. No one knew anything about it. Neither the post office on this end or the one in South Africa had any info on it. I tried checking on it daily through our postal system and my friend checked with her post office almost daily. Just as we were about to give up, she made one final trip to her post office, and still - no one knew anything. She had seen a box sitting in the corner everyday that she had gone in and it was still there on the last visit. She inquired about it, and it was the "missing" box. The corner of the box had been damaged, and they just hadn't gotten around to notifying her. A month of worrying on both ends came to a nice conclusion.
Best of luck!
Luann
Bearz by IlzeKeeping all fingers and paws crossed on this side that the parcel tuns up. If she got a note it must be there somewhere, maybe they're just overlooking it.....being a small little parcel and all. Don't loose hope just yet.
Penny's PenchantsJust a quick note - I had bought some fabric from Kansas - I expected it to take 3 weeks to a month to show - nothing, nothing - I contacted the seller and even though I hadn't purchased insurance she was very obliging and sent me a new batch as long as I paid the shipping charges - yipee - about 3 weeks later that box shows and no word of a lie - a "second" box showed up on my doorstep just 3 days later - it was the first shipment of fabric - 3 months after the fact! It hadn't been openend, damaged, stickered, nothing - who knows where it had been! I contacted this gal and paid her in full for the second batch of fabric and all was well.
I guess if you do refund your buyer you can just hope that she would oblige and at least let you know if your little bear shows up. I truly do believe that "what goes around, comes around".
Or maybe she will be patient and give it a little more time - especially if she got a card in the mail!
I hope you track your baby down.
Penny
I guess if you do refund your buyer you can just hope that she would oblige and at least let you know if your little bear shows up. I truly do believe that "what goes around, comes around".
I agree Penny. I would refund her money or make her another bear. I would let her be the judge if the other bear ever showed up.
I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope Betty can find her way home. I will check my post office too in case it came back here. You never know. 
Little Bear GuyI would still give it some time, it hasn't been that long actually. I would give at least a month for her to receive the bear (just based on some of the other stories I"m hearing). I'm sure your collector would not mind waiting just to see if it does show up. Sometimes they do go astray and then show up.
Keeping my fingers crossed for you.
big hugs
Shane
My advise based on a recent experience is not to refund the customer's money until the insurance claim has been settled with the PO. This can take months. I had a box go missing over a year ago now and still don't know where it is. Anyway, I filed a claim and after 3 months the PO sent a letter refusing the claim because according to their records the box was delivered on time. My customer still says she did not receive it and is demanding money back from me. She has done nothing that the letter instructs her to do in order to dispute the claim. This happened in January 2006 and continues to upset me because the bears were one of a kind and there is no way I can refund $500 plus no bears. There are issues with this customer that I won't go into that could explain the missing box. I am have learned that not only should you insure (which I always do) but also have the box signed for when it is delivered. Janet
Ugh Janet, that is disheartening to say the least.
What's weird is they sent her the claim ticket to come get it at the post office and they cannot locate the box. It was never delivered to her house.
I guess next time I will have it signed when received. I would almost rather make her another bear than to go through a whole mess of waiting for insurance money. It would stress me out. But also, my bears are nowhere close to $500. I am going on vacation shortly so I think I will go ahead and make another one to send "just in case."
I also think I will keep the communication lines open with her and have to lean on her post office a little bit.
