how often does theft occur at the USPS

[bigyellowdog2012]

is it frequent that a package is intercepted by someone at the post office

and its contents are stolen?

[fern*wood]

You shipped an expensive handbag in a plastic bag?

[bigyellowdog2012]

fernwood

I am not sure where you got that but no, I did not ship an expensive handbag 

in a plastic bag.

[bigyellowdog2012]

I did indeed ask for pictures I am waiting.

I could see a box being a little manhandled but to replace the contents 

that were in it with a cheaper handbag?

This buyer has been very nice during the whole 25 days the package went missing

of course since eBay doesn't allow any negative feedback for a buyer 

or even factual feedback I have no idea who I am selling too and maybe it was done before?

[2015lipk]

With USPS I would think it's internal problems rather than theft. A quick Google search turns up all kinds of things from Christmas cards mailed before Thanksgiving being delivered in January to mail trucks lined up outside of post offices because those offices are too full to accept the mail off of the trucks. USPS is currently a mess and anything mailed through it has a high chance of arriving late, arriving damaged or not arriving at all.

[terrycece62]

I tend to agree with the posters who stated that more like dishonest  buyer  then mail theft

Sure occasionally there is a postal worker who think they can get away with mail tampering  

I am sure most are too well supervised and camera surveillance and too busy doing their job to accomplish  the switch

[southern*sweet*tea]

If you suspect internal theft from the PO, you need to inform your buyer that you are IMMEDIATELY filing a mail theft report, and I mean IMMEDIATELY. Theft of mail is no joke, it is a Federal crime. Let the buyer know that you will need her phone number for the report and you need it within 24 hours. Also, she needs to hold on to all the packaging and the bag itself as they will need to be seen by a Postal Inspector. 

The 24 hours is to give your buyer a way to get out.  You can easily get her phone number from your sales records.  If you do not hear from her within a day's time, FILE THE REPORT if you seriously think the item was stolen in transit.  This isn't a bluff.

If your buyer is legit, she will have no problem giving you the info you need. If your buyer is trying to steal from you,  you'll get the "whoops, wrong seller!" excuse, or you may  not hear from her again.  Only a hardcore thief will continue with the scam, because they know that most sellers don't have the cajones to file the reports, which is why I said FILE IT, because it isn't a bluff or a joke, especially since you think it's internal theft.

[*smedley*]

dang... SST don't play...

[bigyellowdog2012]

thank you SST

something is not right here....

this bag was delivered on Saturday the 23rd ( around noon)

and she doesn't reach out to me until Sunday

I asked her to immediately sent me pictures...

no reply---crickets.

and its Monday 5:20 pm Eastern time

[terrycece62]

Follow SST advice letting buyer know are planning to file a report with UPS   

[bigyellowdog2012]

I absolutely did.....

dear buyer: (that is not what I wrote)

I am going to my post office tomorrow and file an internal mail theft report.
This is a federal crime which normally carries a mandatory jail sentence

I need some help from you.

I need photo's
as many as you can give me of the tampered package and the bag that was
replaced in the box.

I will also need your phone number.

Please help me file criminal charges against this federal crime ASAP

[stephenmorgan]

I have been ripped off 4 times thru mail order.  I filed a Report with the Post Master on three of them.

First one the Post Master determined that the company had filed for Bankruptcy but continued to collect money from sales while waiting on the Bankruptcy Hearing.  Once the Bankruptcy was approved no crime was considered to have happened and all the money they collected was an attempt to save the company.

Second on I paid for something and it never showed up.  After I inquired about it the seller said not to worry because it was Insured for loss.  I asked for copy of Insurance so I could make a claim.  Never heard from them.  Filed compliant with Postmaster and after their investigation the report stated that it was a Bad Business Practice and not Mail Fraud because there had been no other complaints against the person.

Third time I received a phone call from the seller (I had a advertisement in a national publication).  They supposedly had what I advertised for and were able to describe unique proprieties of the item that would not have been known without knowing about the item.  After not receiving the items I called the person and they would never answer the phone.

I filed a Mail Fraud report and did not hear anything.  Three years latter I received a phone call from  someone in the USPS Fraud Department Inspector General or something like that and they want me to fly from New Mexico to New York City in two weeks to Testify what had happened.  Said they would pay all expenses and set me up in a Motel for a few nights.

Three days before I was suppose go to the Trial I received a call that the person made a plead deal for 6 Years so no testimony was needed.

The agent did tell me that he had done this to many people.  He would read Magazine Want Ads, research what you wanted so when he called you he could describe the item and be able to answer specific questions you may ask.  Also he had recently just got out of jail for doing the same exact thing.

These all happened pre eBay.

Anyway if you have been ripped off, make the report, you never know what will happen if they continue the behavior.

[no_zero369]

@bigyellowdog2012 

File a case with the Postal Inspector General and let the buyer know that they need to hang on to the item so the inspector can look at it.  Sometimes the threat of such will stop a fraud in its tracks.

[greatmidwestcoin]

I'm a retired Postmaster of 33 years.  Mail theft within the USPS is very low to zero. Of all the years there I can only recall once may twice an internal theft occurred in which it turned out to be a contract truck driver each time at my PO's. They were fired and prosecuted. Theft out of mailboxes is another thing. It would also greatly depend on which part of the country you are in and also if you were rural or city. It happens in any business. In most businesses theft is not taken as seriously as the USPS I can tell you. When the Inspection Service gets involved they tend to work toward their gold stars and make examples of people, including Postal Employees no matter what the circumstances are. If you are on their radar, you are toast. They show no mercy. If they get you on Workman's Comp fraud, you might as well go out back and waterboard yourself.

[bigyellowdog2012]

thank you!

[okjpn]

yes - i have had 4 transaction canceled recently due to "lost " or "prohibited items" - all by USPS. I buy internationally in japan products from very reputable US sellers - and none of these "lost" items were fault of these sellers.  Ebay does nothing but take it on the chin and refund the buyer. So i am not out any money. However i need these items and it has caused me harm to construction scheduling.

I can only believe it is theft in the USPS system.