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MKTuba wrote: ↑Fri Jan 07, 2022 2:14 am Interested in the Odd meter etudes (12) Flow studies for CC tuba (13) and Arbans by Jacobs. Is the arbans spiral bound or regular? Also, would you take 40 for all the 3, shipped?

• The seller used old (outdated) USPS 93090040 brown paper-padded envelopes made of paper that are easily prone to ripping and has very old adhesive closures which were unable to withstand the pressures and weight of the tuba books shipped..

• The compromised paper and adhesive both failed in transit on two of the three packages (the third package is still lost in the USPS abyss, and may have also succumbed to weight and handling with a demise similar to the other two).

• The seller packed too much weight into these expired envelopes which exasperated the compromised shipping materials.

• The seller stuffed each of the three padded envelopes to weights between 8 and 12 pounds of the tuba books... books that I bought from him and him paid for in advance. I was to be guaranteed unfettered conveyance and delivery of the goods.

• The USPS mail handlers and sorters threw the packages, ripping them open and leaving the contents to spill out with no way to identify the shipping or recieving addresses.

• The seller is responsible for his choice of the shipping materials, and the manner in which he packed the compromised supplies.

• The seller refuses to accept responsibility for his shipping failure and my financial loss.

• The seller could have used new shipping boxes, free from the USPS, which are stronger with new adhesive to securely keep intact during n transit and handling.

• The seller could have insured the packages against USPS damage in transit. (But he did not buy insurance, which makes him solely liable for the loss)

Ibrahim Ross wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 3:07 pm Great books, some are very hard to find.

bort wrote: ↑Fri Feb 11, 2022 12:37 pm I'm sorry this happened to you, George, and I understand the frustration.

I'm not blaming anyone here (you, the seller, or USPS), but I've got some questions about what happened... really just want to know how to avoid this myself, or what to do in case it happens to me. I'll say a few things here and share my own experiences.

1) What shipping method was used? What shipping method was promised? Did the seller explicitly say it would be shipped and insured for the full value?

If it was shipped priority mail, then it carries a default $50 insurance protection. You can buy additional insurance for full coverage. But you can at least file a claim for the default $50... not much, but it's something.

If it was shipped media mail -- which is MUCH less expensive than priority, and because of the weight of books, it's greatly preferred -- there is NO insurance included and it's not even available.


2) Related to above, how much did you pay for shipping? The listing above says "5 for the books". I'd guess to stick them all in a priority mail large flat rate box, plus full insurance would be in the $30 range, likely more $ if not a flat rate box. If I paid less than that for a heavy shipment (30 lbs?) of insured valuable ($300?) items, I'd really question what I was paying for.

I'm a member of message board for pocket knives... knives are pretty small, but can be pretty expensive (several hundred dollars, easily more), and they are easy to ship. But they are also easy to buy and sell, because they are more at a hobby-level of cost than tubas... so that means lots of shipping back and forth. Shipping is always discussed and agreed up-front, but the assumed standard -- which is always discussed -- is fully insured USPS Priority Mail. It's like $10-12 to ship a knife.


3) The details you have about the packaging used, what caused the failure, "expired packaging", and that the packages are in the Damaged/Unclaimed Package warehouse... how did you learn those as facts? Did USPS tell you this information? What happens when you try to track the packages? Just curious what THEY tell you and how you learned so much information about the undelivered packages.

A few years ago, I had a package get damaged in transit, and after about a month or two, it ended up being redelivered to my house by USPS in a seriously busted up box. I didn't bother filing an insurance claim, because it was basically junk electronics anyway that were being sold for parts, and didn't work or have any value anyway. But the box spent a long time circling around between USPS hubs... so I wonder if your books may eventually show up anyway. Christmas 2020, I got a gift in the mail 6 weeks after it was shipped. And even this year, I got a Christmas card from my uncle about 1 month after it was mailed.


4) You listed a few things that the seller could have done differently. What could the buyer have done differently? The buyer should have a clear understanding of the shipping method, insurance, and know exactly what they are paying for with shipping. The buyer could also request FedEx, UPS, DHL, bike messenger, etc... instead of USPS. Know what you're getting before you pay for it. (And I realize that yes, maybe YOU did. I'm trying to generalize this beyond YOU.) But these are things that COULD be done, and not SHOULD be done.


5) There is inherent risk in a private sale transaction, and there are no guaranteed protections. If the loss of this is unbearable and you feel completely wronged, defrauded, or damaged, then that's what small claims court is for. But filing a claim takes time and effort, and across state lines... I'm sure that's a little more complicated. As much as we all hate paying eBay and PayPal fees, those fees are for the level of protection involved in those transactions. But even with eBay and PayPal, you'll end up in an endless circle of blame between eBay, PayPal, and USPS all blaming each other for a lost package.


Again, sorry this happened to you. Sounds like all sides could have done some things differently. The word "different" doesn't necessarily mean that anyone did anything intentionally wrong or neglectful, there could have all been an honest attempt by all parties to make it happen. With a gazillion packages out there, things WILL get damaged and people WILL be unlucky. Hell, how about those freight trains looted in LA? That's a lot of packages that didn't get delivered either.

Cw2020 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 07, 2022 8:45 am Never mind I misread this.