USPS THIEF! Heads up! Grrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JOBESSI]

Lesson learned: stick to flat rate boxes

[SPeck95512]

Back to the original topic, I once had some mercs sent to me and they were sent loose in a padded (not bubble) mailer and tore open once in my hometown PO. The package had my phone number on it and they called me up. They told me who sent it and asked what was in it for identification and they found all 37 dimes and re-packaged them and had my carrier deliver them the next day. My Post Office has been pretty good to me.

[Buffalo Head]

Lesson learned: stick to flat rate boxes

 

I wonder how often this kind of stuff happens? And, do you really think a box will help if they want to steal what they are sure to be a coin worth some serious $ inside? ? Will a box stop them? I mean if it does I will for sure go to boxes but I have never had a problem with the bubble mailer envelope.....I don't think it's a good idea to address a box or an envelope to a coin shop....But that's just me....Joe

[Kenneth F]

Bad situation overall. This package could have been pilfered or the sorting machine ate it.. either way, bad stuff. Sorry to hear about this!

 

My hometown had to deal with a thief in the Post Office. He was stealing cards at Christmas time. My mother sent Christmas cards to all the grandchildren with money. My daughters got theirs (we lived in Kentucky at the time) buy my nephews didnt get theirs (they live in the same town as my mom in PA). The mail man was stealing all cards and keeping the money. When the police started the investigation they search his vehicle and found a bunch of mail in his trunk. Its a shame when people pull stunts like that.

[messydesk]

There's a reason the insurance label is also called the "steal me" label. I haven't shipped a coin insured by the USPS in years. I've used a third-party insurance company (shipsurance.com) where you can insure one package at a time, and a general numismatic insurance policy that covers shipping. There's never an indication of value on the package, including the name of the recipient, which I will abbreviate with initials if necessary. It's even cheaper than paying for the USPS insurance.

 

The most recent casualty was an inbound package a couple years ago in a flat rate box with a "steal me" label. One end of the box had been soaked in water and was easily opened, coins removed (but not a check), and reclosed so that it sort of took the form of a partially closed box by the time I went to up. I inspected it in front of the clerk and refused delivery.

 

Paper tape on the flat rate boxes is the way to go, in my opinion. Hard to mess with. Even if you're not shipping registered, ask the clerk to put some stamps on it.

 

Another interesting bit of information is implied by my insurance policy and confirmed with a talk with my agent. The riskiest way to ship stuff is FedEx on a Friday or Saturday. They double their deductible and reduce the coverage on packages shipped over the weekend because they've racked up more payouts on those days than the rest of the week. Apparently, a lot of FedEx weekenders are temps with sticky fingers and no career aspirations getting in the way of their proclivity for purloining portions of precious packages.

[copper toning]

Its entirely possible there was no thief - the package may have gotten eaten by a machine. When the package was torn, the coin may have fallen out.

 

NO PRIORITY DOES NOT GO THROUGH MACHINES!!!!!

TRYING TO COVER YOUR TRACKS???

[J3_Dog]

I had those Nightmares, when I shipped those 5 sets of 25th Anniversary Sets.... And Yes, Machines Do Eat Boxes/Packages/Magazines

[e1cnr]

Lesson learned: stick to flat rate boxes

 

you should use more tape - over all seams and edges

 

make it a challenge to open, sissors or knife necessary

 

if those flat rate envelopes get wet, it does not take much for them to fall apart

 

 

[huey-migration]

Lesson learned: stick to flat rate boxes

 

you should use more tape - over all seams and edges

 

make it a challenge to open, sissors or knife necessary

 

if those flat rate envelopes get wet, it does not take much for them to fall apart

 

 

Amen on the flimsy envelopes. Anyone who lives in a humid, wet environment and uses these should know by now that these envelopes are marginal, at best.

[jgrinz]

I just showed the pics to my PO guy. He said if it was machine error, the corners would be more damaged. He insisted on referring it to our region's inspector.

 

He is wrong ... I have seen all sorts of messed up pieces

 

[jgrinz]

Someone already trashed the thread. In my opinion Nick's posts in both threads were nothing but insulting.

 

+1

[jgrinz]

Its entirely possible there was no thief - the package may have gotten eaten by a machine. When the package was torn, the coin may have fallen out.

 

NO PRIORITY DOES NOT GO THROUGH MACHINES!!!!!

TRYING TO COVER YOUR TRACKS???

 

I believe anything under 3/4 of an inch thick does go through machine.

 

 

 

[noow]

Its entirely possible there was no thief - the package may have gotten eaten by a machine. When the package was torn, the coin may have fallen out.

 

Physics,

 

This comment is very misleading. It is not possible for a machine to eat a package. Your comments could convince some that machines have mouths, teeth and an appetite for packages containing coins, and therefore never ship coins again. Please stick with facts.

 

Nick

 

I don't know why you have it in for me, but I'm not going to even respond to your foolishness. Your sole purpose on these boards seems to be to attack me - every recent post of your's has been negative towards me. Don't you have anything better to do? You are now on my ignore list; goodbye, and have a nice life.

 

Physicsfan, please do not condescendingly and unrespectfully attack board members like you have had me. It has already driven away several would-be members that I know. I do not see the point of ignoring him in this situation.

 

I disagree that a machine can "eat" a package in the way pictured. Not that the bubble mailer inside had a neat tear and was not "gobbled up." The coin was removed from the mailer. If it truely had been a machine, the package would have been evenly mutilated all around.

[mt-migration]

You can report this to the USPS.They will track it through their processing plants.If it was damaged by a machine and the coin came out in one of the plants they will notify all the plants to see if it has been turned in(fat chance but you never know) they will notify you if it is found

[mt-migration]

The machine would push the coin to the end and force it out of the envelope if that is what happened.

[mt-migration]

I should have asked my better half before posting.As someone else had stated priority mail does not go through a machine

[mkman123]

probably got destroyed by the machines is my guess too. I have had that happen to me on a non coin related item,

[mt-migration]

This is machine damage.

[coinman_23885]

Its entirely possible there was no thief - the package may have gotten eaten by a machine. When the package was torn, the coin may have fallen out.

 

NO PRIORITY DOES NOT GO THROUGH MACHINES!!!!!

TRYING TO COVER YOUR TRACKS???

 

I believe anything under 3/4 of an inch thick does go through machine.

 

 

 

After talking to someone close to me and someone in the know, it is my understanding that Priority envelopes like this do not go through the sorting machines. The whole thing sounds suspicious to me as well.

[Coincrazed74]

Sorry to hear your loss Job... that SUCKS!!!!! It sorta scares me as I occasionally do mail order. Glad you were insured!!!

 

CC

[CMCART]

 

Coincrazed74: Nice forum CONGRATS !!!

[Ed J]

You do know that the PO is in need of money. Just Saying. The same thing happen to me and I received a package torn up too. I recommend using the Flat Rate Small Box it is the same price for mailing and a lot stronger then the envelope type of packaging. The US Priority Flat Rate envelopes should only be use for paper docs not coins.

 

Happy Collecting

 

 

 

 

 

[Conder101]

$7.75 postage on a "$40" coin ?

That's what happens when you use priority. Started around 12 years ago when eBay really started to become popular. Suddenly everyone started thinking that everything had to be shipped by priority mail. Even things which could be quietly and safely shipped in a stamped envelope. $5 coin but it HAS to go in a Priority rate box they can get free from the post office. Of course it will cost $5 to $7 to ship that $5 coin but look at it this way, if you get really lucky it might arrive a day sooner than it would in that 39 cent envelope.

[e1cnr]

I asked my postmaster about sorting machines today

 

said that over 99% of items go through machines and showed me a plexiglass sheet around 18"x24" with a couple oblong rectangle slits.

 

They said the letters size machine is for items that can go through this slit

the flat rate envelope can go through this slit

 

even flat rate boxes go on conveyers with scanners and sort electronically

 

the only thing manually handled/sorted these days are large / unusual shaped packages

 

so in this case, being caught in a handling and/or sorting machine is not an impossability

[CoinPulsive PCM]

Its entirely possible there was no thief - the package may have gotten eaten by a machine. When the package was torn, the coin may have fallen out.

 

Physics,

 

This comment is very misleading. It is not possible for a machine to eat a package. Your comments could convince some that machines have mouths, teeth and an appetite for packages containing coins, and therefore never ship coins again. Please stick with facts.

 

Nick

 

 

Its not misleading at all. its the same thing as saying the ATM machine ate my card, or the vending machine ate my bills. I think you took it too literal, but everyone has their opinion.

 

And the USPS sorting machines occasionally screw up. From ripping an envelope, to knocking a bubble mailer off the belt. I mailed my family a Christmas card last year, they never got it. I called the USPS and told them my issue and they started tracking the envelope down. (they are very good with recovering lost mail BTW) 3 days later I was called back by the PA Postmaster (one of the distribution centers it went to) who told me that one of the rollers on the sorting maching grabbed the envelope and it ended up under the machine. Even he said the machine ATE my mail.

 

Jobessi- I hate to say it, but there are some, but very few postal workers that steal mail. I honestly think the machine did the damage. Think about it...USPS employees get great federal benefits and good pay, I don't know anyone who would think about stealing mail when they are paid $18.00/hour + health. IMO.

 

-Dave

[Crohnos01]

Just to confirm physics assertion that some postal workers steal the mail, there was a case in Oregon some years back where people were not receiving their social security checks. It took awhile , but they finally discovered the mail carrier was taking the mail home and never delivering it...not to steal the checks, but just kind of a hoarding thing....or I don't know, maybe they collected stamps? Apparently the double wide they went to to arrest the person in was pretty much full of mail.