Problem with lost mail, what to do?

[marisolmckee]

I had a recent problem with the delivery of one of my ACEO prints. I had mailed it out on May 25th using regular first class mail. The buyer never received it. They contacted me wanting another one. This time to make sure that it was delivered I mailed it in a bubble mailer and added delivery confirmation. This made it a lot more expensive (since the original only sold for $1.25 with free shipping). But they were a repeat customer, so I figured I would go ahead and bite the bullet on the shipping cost. My question is has anyone else had this problem? And what if this happens again, what should I do? Thanks to all for answering. Marisol

[poozybear]

When I was selling my decals, I always shipped first class with a stamp, because the item was completely replaceable and not worth the extra money for DC. I did have the occasional one go missing, and did exactly what you did - send a replacement with DC. In my case, I didn't mind so much, because I was selling enough volume to offset the loss of the occasional repeat shipment. The darned thing was, that none of the missing items were really missing, just delayed. Buyers are so impatient these days, that they assume something is lost after 3-4 days have passed. In one case (yes, there are still decent people out there), I had one buyer who was so honest that he felt guilty when the original arrived late, and sent me the money to pay for the replacement item. Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent mail delays or losses, so it could happen again, though to my experience it doesn't happen often. Delivery Confirmation may make the post office more honest, but it still doesn't guarantee delivery. DC is proof that the item was delivered, but not proof that it was delivered to the correct address. I see a LOT of complaints about this in forums, because PayPal accepts DC as proof of delivery when an "item not received" claim has been filed, even though the PO is notorious for mis-delivering items with DC on them. I've sold over 1,000 decals in the last year, shipped most with stamps, had maybe 4-5 that got "lost," and all showed up eventually. So I wouldn't change your current shipping methods. In fact, I'd bet that the original print eventually arrives safely, and your buyer feels totally stupid for not being more patient. All that said, on something that is only $1.25, I wouldn't do free shipping. You're losing money at that price. If you want to list prints inexpensively to attract the attention of buyers, I would add a little onto the shipping cost. If you add 50¢, your regular customers won't complain about it. -- Kathy

[poozybear]

One more thing . . . if you want to do free shipping for better visibility in Best Match, try raising the price of the prints. Go from $1.25 to maybe $1.75, or even $1.95. That's still dirt cheap, and extra money will cover your postage costs. -- Kathy

[mreas]

I've mailed nearly 600 aceos most in luxurious surplus sheep note cards with stamps. Two were "lost." One to Canada. Had to repaint the blasted thing--still not 100% sure it was really lost. One to UK. It showed up after a month and had tire tracks on the envelope. USPS: They're slow, but inaccurate. -- "Mick is in fact quite right..." ~drawdog5

[mreas]

On the other hand I have lost 4 different sold cards between the scanner and the studio. Only one of those ever showed up. -- "Mick is in fact quite right..." ~drawdog5

[mreas]

The studio is 8 feet away from the scanner. -- "Mick is in fact quite right..." ~drawdog5

[drawdog5]

Mick's Scanning Service: Convenient but scatterbrained. -- -Ann "Now, go away, or I shall taunt you a second time."

[poozybear]

I've mailed nearly 600 aceos most in luxurious surplus sheep note cards with stamps. Both Larry King and Clint Howard arrived in perfect condition. Durned post office. -- Kathy

[drawdog5]

Both Larry King and Clint Howard arrived in perfect condition. How could you tell? -- -Ann "Now, go away, or I shall taunt you a second time."

[poozybear]

The goat cards weren't damaged. -- Kathy

[formwithfunction]

I had a different USPS problem where a completely empty envelope was delivered. The envelope had a metal clasp, so now I tape over those. The package included about three 8x10 prints between thick cardboard. I totally trusted this repeat customer and sent another set of prints with delivery confirmation. On the other hand, I receive enough mail for other people in the neighborhood that it makes me wonder where my mail goes. One time they delivered someone else's bulky package --- not a skinny envelope. -- ~ Charlie imagesbycharlie

[elfwitchcom]

I haven't received a few of the ACEOs that I purchased - some of them I paid a pretty penny for as well. I do not blame the artists - I know it's not their fault, but it does really suck to be out a chunk of change and not even have something to look at. But all I can do is blame the postal service and hope it doesn't happen again. -- ~Faerydae Click to grow:

[suejo0101]

I mailed an ACEO from Tampa to Boca Raton on the other side of Florida. Keep in mind I could drive to Boca in about 4 hours. Anyway, the lady who purchased the ACEO had not rec'd it after about 3 weeks! She was very nice about it - I offered to refund her money but instead she just wanted to pick something out of my store. No problem! About a week later I got the ACEO back in the mail. It had gotten chopped in half (it looked like someone had used pinking shears on it) and luckily the half with my return address was left. The PO returned it to me in a plastic bag. The funny thing - when I pack my artwork I put the ACEO in a rigid plastic sleeve, sandwich it between 2 pieces of cardboard (I use the Priority Mail boxes for this!) How my ACEO got chopped in half is beyond me! Sue

[poozybear]

Oh wow, that's a freaky one. Makes me wonder if the same thing happened to you as happened with Charlie, like maybe a postal worker opened the package to "inspect" the merchandise. It would be impossible for an ACEO to slide out of a hard plastic sleeve WITH cardboard without a little assistance. -- Kathy

[poozybear]

The most recent problem I had was totally the fault of the post office. I shipped an item in an envelope between heavy cardboard. I stamped it "non machinable" and paid the non-machinable surcharge. And of course, they ran it through the machine. The envelope survived, but in running it through the machine, the address label was peeled off. All that was left was my return address, so they sent it back to me (and it took three weeks for them to return it). Now, every time I print a label with the address, (unless it's a PayPal label with bar code), I tape over it with clear packing tape. It hasn't happened since, but irks the crap out of me to know that they're charging us extra for non-machinable items, then treating them like regular mail. -- Kathy