posted on January 16, 2001 02:12:52 AM new
Wow, this tops all. I've had eight or ten packages turn up missing that were sent around Christmas, totalling several hundred dollars worth of product. One of packages was a $150 copy of Adobe Photoshop. (I have the P.O. insurance slip for that one.) I just can't believe the post office lost that many packages. Hopefully now that they're charging so much, they'll keep a better eye on the goods.
posted on January 16, 2001 03:52:20 AM new
I ordered two items as gifts for a friends child. Both of them went out on the 11th of Dec. One went UPS the other priority mail. The UPS package arrived Dec. 16th. The priority package got there last week.
posted on January 16, 2001 03:57:30 AM new
I sent out 4 checks the other day to the bidders who never received their packages. So, I am sure these packages will arrive right after they cash their checks!!!!!
Oh.......and the one package that I did insure, I cannot find the little green insurance slip....Figures. Those things are all over the house! Glad I dont use the PO to insure anymore, sick of looking at those things.
posted on January 16, 2001 06:51:28 AM new
The only time I've ever lost packages are around the holidays--in the week of Christmas. Definately a bad time to be sending packages...for sure at least get delivery confirmation around that time.
posted on January 16, 2001 10:42:01 AM new
Sheesh! What POs do you guys use so I can stay clear??
I've had ONE package lost out of 4,000 or so over 2+ years.
BTW, are you requiring the buyers to fill out the USPS form for misdirected parcels (don't have the form # handy) *before* you refund? I can't help but wonder if any of these packages are "lost" in the buyers' own closets.
posted on January 16, 2001 11:30:19 AM new
2 things I have learned from this season.
1) People that have mailboxs that you put mail in at the top (as opposed to the rural ones) grab their mail from the top. A few times the notice that the PO tried to deliver a package is so small, it falls to the bottom of their mailbox. So they never know the package is at their PO.
2) In many post offices in NY they have a seperate place for their patrons to pick up their packages, not their regular PO. I had a package insured and the tracking number kept showing up as the package delivery was attemped and could be picked up at the PO.
He would go there and they would say "Nope, no package here. "
Why they never told him about the other place I don't know, but when my postmaster called there he found that out for me.
And of course I have my infamous package that showed up almost exactly one year after I mailed it.
posted on January 16, 2001 11:41:08 AM new
Well, the kicker is that the packages never come back to the sender either. Undeliverable mail should be returned to sender, not wind up for sale by the USPS on eBay.
I checked the feedback ratings of a couple of customers who notified me, and both were fairly high, impeccable ratings. I believe, especially after reading these posts, that the packages in fact did not arrive.
If I mail out 75 packages, and 10 turn up missing, I think that rate of loss is totally unacceptable. I don't care if it's Christmas time, or an alien invasion, but 15% lost is way too many.
posted on January 17, 2001 03:19:36 AM new
We shipped TONS and TONS of packages over the holidays. Very very few were lost. A few were slowed and barely reached the buyers in time but for the most part, smoothest holiday season we have had in 4 years.
The new postal rates will not make a difference in service quality. Several things are important if your using the postal service. We use them, UPS & FedEx.
A. With the postal service make absolutely certain that ALL sides of your boxes are taped up WITH priority mail tape. Often the weight of other parcels atop yours whether its in the APC carts or while they route things at the hub will "pop" and thus the consumer recieves an empty box.
B. Make ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN your return address does NOT specify your business name. When we had ours atop our shipments we got looted.
C. Realize that ANYTHING other than a SIGNATURE from the consumer when they are in reciept of the item is your ONLY legal proof.
Confirmation etc. are NOT considered PROOF of delivery, thats signature only. If you have a merchant account the first time you get a chargeback and say BUT I have confirmation reciept you will realize it means NOTHING. Where-as FedEx or UPS tracking they WILL accept as legal proof. Weird huh?
But all and all the postal service did wonderful for us this year, no real hassles and we ship a tremendous amount.
With Photoshop at $150 my guess is your parcel did arrive. More than likely the buyer called Adobe to register or upgrade. If the title was used Adobe last I knew did not allow for any transfer of license. If it was new but not a current version the first thing Adobe will ask is where did you get it. Adobe, like Microsoft does not liquidate titles at all. They destroy the stuff so that prior versions do not end up impacting latest release sales. In other words, they dont liquidate that stuff as it devalues the frontline title.
Adobe, Microsoft, Network Associates and the latest Symantec are all very aggressive now in dealing with resellers selling product that should never have went into resale be it oem, prior versions or duplicates. If you read the industry journals like Smart Partner, Inter@active week, CRN News there have been numerous articles on the software resale industry this past year. Its also why just this past month TONS of various suppliers have been offering oem symantec related items. They are trying to dump the stuff off to resellers before they get caught with it. Nice.
With Adobe simply steer clear unless its current title and supplied by Adobe's distributor. Anything else and you literally guarentee they will look into it. They are being smacked BIGTIME down in Mexico. You can go to street vendors in Mexico and buy $3000 worth of software for $25, also subscribe with Ziff Davis for the industry journals as this is where all the REAL info comes from related to the computer sector of sales. Subscription is free if your a business. I hope your a business.
Ever since some character at I believe it was Onsale decided to dump a TON of adobe stuff adobe has got aggressive if your not a licensed/approved dealer. I know that the incident at Onsale (many years back) had the gentlemens state attorney general eat their *uts for lunch.
posted on January 17, 2001 05:40:50 AM new
It was an older version of Photoshop, but I don't understand how that would cause it to get lost in the mail. Maybe I'm just not following because it's 5:30 a.m.
"... are all very aggressive now in dealing with resellers selling product that should never have went into resale ..."
I don't see how they can stop a user from selling a software, just because it's an older version. Sure they'd like everyone to buy a new one. I've got another copy (of 4.0) that's an educational version with 20 licenses, but I can't sell it at eBay because they don't allow educational-licensed software.
If Adobe wanted to find bootleggers, they only need go to Yahoo. There are PLENTY of $20 copies of PS 6.0 sold as "backups," and every other title you can imagine. Yahoo is totally out of control.
Even discounting that one piece, what about the other 10 or so packages that got lost? I'm going through my emails tonight and it's one email after another saying the software didn't arrive. The guy who purchased Photoshop has a feedback rating of over 100 with no negatives or neutrals and I believe what he says, the software did not arrive.
posted on January 17, 2001 06:32:02 AM new
Mail Recovery Center on Ebay? Could someone post the link? I have a buyer who says a priority shipment that I sent December 14th never arrived. Even given the comments here about slow delivery, we are talking a month, and I imagine even slow service USPS wouldn't be that bad (but hey maybe I am giving them too much credit). Thanks!
posted on January 17, 2001 07:01:22 PM new
I've been waiting for an item to get to Canada from Atlanta, mailed 3 1/2 weeks ago. I've had about 100 ebay transactions both as a buyer and occasional seller and have never had a package lost or taken this long. I'm starting to get nervous. If this wasn't insured, what options are available to help find my package?
posted on January 17, 2001 08:35:22 PM new
Worst Christmas postal service ever.
I've been shipping the same packages all year long w/the same products. Prior to Christmas, all made it safely w/o a scratch. This Christmas, however, several were smashed beyond recognition.
Terrible problems with SLOW delivery, even for priority.
And the situation has continued to be even worse AFTER the holidays. Mail delivery is stunningly slow.
Interestingly, the packages which shipped w/o insurance had much slower delivery times & several were destroyed. Virtually the same package, shipped WITH insurance, made it quicker & w/o a scratch.
posted on January 17, 2001 08:55:59 PM new
LOL...eventer
Sorry to laugh, but when I read the first line of your post, I IMMEDIATELY thought of the "Comics Guy" from the Simpsons....
On topic...we have had a few calls in the last week from "creditors" who have not recieved our payments....3 so far out of 5...either someone is messing with our "rural" type mailbox, or we are being ripped off at the curb!
Keith
I assume full responsibility for my actions, except
the ones that are someone else's fault.
