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TamiL Dec 11, 2008

I was thinking as I was filling out this customs paper....toward the bottom where it says..........

Treat as Abandoned
Return to Sender
Redirect to Address below

I always pick Return to Sender........................Anyways the story starts...........I shipped out a bear back in July to London, the customer emailed be and told me she missed the bear or something, was not home,  and they took it back???
Anyways I tracked the package and it showed it was still there in customs in London, so I told her it showed the bear was there, that she needed to contact them or go get the bear or whatever you do with customs, being from the us, I didnt really know what to tell her.........she never emailed me back......................today 6 MONTHS later the bear package arrives on my door step
     

The box and bear inside looked wonderful, the box had very little wear on it.............LOL
The box had a label on it that said Return to Sender................ This item was returned from the foreign country for the reason listed below.  Postal charges of $22.65 due...........

I found her email address and emailed her and she said.........
she never received a letter from customs asking for payment  - and without this with their own internal reference number etc. I cannot pay and collect.
So she is having to pay me for shipping again and I'm shipping this lost little bear out again tomorrow...

NOW back to my question......
is that the best thing to check on the customs papers....Return to Sender isnt that the right option to check???

Thanks!!!!

Plum Cottage Bears Cute Animal AmbassadorDec 11, 2008

Of course lost Teddy Bears must be Returned to Sender!  Teddy Bears must come home to their bear maker if they cannot find their new mother.   Of course a Teddy Bear must never be abandoned!  You did the right thing, Tami.   :clap:

TamiL Dec 11, 2008

Thanks, well I thought I was doing the right thing, I didnt want him in never never land, can't believe it took 6 months to come back.

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner SponsorDec 11, 2008

The exact thing happened to me after mailing a bear to France.  When the customer emailed that she hadn't received the package weeks after I sent it, I asked the USPS to track it.  6 months later it came back to me.  Labels on the box indicated that French customs wouldn't let the package enter the country.  The box had been opened, but the bear was in good shape.  So glad it was returned.

All Bear Dec 11, 2008

This happened to me too!  I purchased a vintage bear from Australia ... he didn't arrive.  Eventually, months later, he turned up back in Australia, back at his original owner's address.  I can only assume that when he made his way across the world to the UK, postie tried to deliver when I was out shopping and forgot to put a card through my door to say he'd called!  Simple as that!  Fortunately the seller of my bear was a very kind lady and re-sent him straightaway ... this time he reached me!