[Mr.Sneis]

I just have to rant here, it's late, I'm upset, apologies in advance.
 
I sold my headamp ae-2 here on the forums to a buyer in Canada.  I shipped it a few hours after receiving payment via USPS first class international mail.  When you ship first class international you fill out a customs form and no tracking info is provided.  The customs number stranglely enough can be entered into the usps website and it provided me really strange tracking details, namely it was "accepted" in IN and then in transit in AZ (which is where I sent it from).
 
Around this time I had moved from one city to another, and filled out a change of address form.  Of course I don't know my new address otoh so I simply enter my old address.
 
It was the holidays so about 3 weeks go by and the buyer has not yet received the amp.  I'm out of town of course on vacation so I let him know and don't do anything for a few days.  He double checks his PO and mailbox, nothing.  From memory this was one of those packages where I printed out the buyers address and slapped it on the box rather than hand writing it so the to address should have been correct.
 
I get back to him as soon as I'm home with the customs# which I assumed was the tracking information letting him know it was still in transit.  Partly my fault here, I think I misinterpreted the tracking information/customs#.
 
Don't hear anything for a week or so.
 
I'm on vacation again (yes rediciulous) and I get another email from the buyer, still no item.  This time the minute I get home I drive to the PO I shipped it from to see if they can help.  Turns out they can't.
 
The PO simply gave me a 1-800 number to call, the 1-800 number tells me they can't tell me anything.  They can't issue a lost package form, they can't tell me if it ever left the US, they can't tell me if it was returned to sender.  I ask what the effects of my change of address are and they say it should get back to my new address if it gets RTS.  They also say sometimes first class parcels can take a very long time to get there, at this point it's like 1 month and a week since ship.
 
The next day I head over to my old post office and old apartment, which is about 50 minutes away from where I live now.  At the PO I double check to see if anything was "held"; they find nothing.  At my old apartment I ask to double check my old mailbox, they get back to me with a stack of junk mail.  Nothing.
 
Today I come home to a friendly paypal dispute freezing my account.  I promptly refund the amount thus closing the dispute.
 
So in the end, I don't have my amp back and have lost $191 (or never gained it if you see it that way!).
 
Reflection:
 
1) USPS sucks major ass
2) USPS first class mail is a crapshoot at best, it really blows that international priority is significantly more expensive; I also doubt that tracking/insurance/whatever is any more beneficial.
3) I probably won't be shipping International anymore unless it's super secure (aka expensive) shipping
4) At least it was "only" $191.
 
If responding please don't state the obvious aka "you should have used more expensive shipping" to that I would reply thank you captain hindsight!
 
/end rant

 

[Bob_McBob]

 
Quote:

Reflection:  
1) USPS sucks major ass
2) USPS first class mail is a crapshoot at best, it really blows that international priority is significantly more expensive; I also doubt that tracking/insurance/whatever is any more beneficial.
3) I probably won't be shipping International anymore unless it's super secure (aka expensive) shipping
4) At least it was "only" $191.
 
If responding please don't state the obvious aka "you should have used more expensive shipping" to that I would reply thank you captain hindsight!
 
/end rant

 
Lesson learned: don't ship anything of value by First Class Mail International.  I only have extremely minor eBay items sent this way.  It's a total crapshoot whether it arrives in a week or a month, though I've never actually had anything go missing.  Priority to Canada comes with full, detailed tracking, usually takes about a week (sometimes two), and you could have insured it for the correct value.
 
Why are sellers always so concerned about the cost of shipping?  If you're willing to ship an expensive item to Canada, it's perfectly reasonable to expect the buyer to pay for Priority.  Just tell them to get lost if they aren't happy with that.  You also have no obligation to illegally underdeclare the value and lose the benefit of insurance.

 

[julade]

I hate to have to say it but priority international is just as flaky.  I shipped 2 packages and I paid $24(each) to ship flat rate envelopes with tracking number under the assumption that it would track the package.  It has been almost 2 weeks and all my tracking numbers has shown is that it has left my local post office.  Upon contacting usps I was told basically it is not their fault and that apparently other countries are not required to scan the ticket (even though it was only scanned once by usps too)  So really paying for tracking is pointless and using international shipping is a big chance.  I am going to be out about $150 on this transaction due to the cost of the items (that is not including the cost of the items to me in the first place) and $24 for each package.  This is my first (and by far my last) international transaction!  usps just sucks in general.  And another thought is why is it that they are not required to give you your shipping cost back when they lose your packages?  How is it that you pay them for a service and when they don't provide the service they keep the money?  what kind of crap is that?

 

[Beng Yeow]

I ordered Jerry's Audio Magic Beeswax SHD Fuse on the 17th of April, it was shipped on the 20th of April via USPS International Small Packets..., the package remains untrackable until the 7th of May where it showed it was delivered... but I didn't receive the item...

Sad!