E-bay saw lost in the mail

[Ax-man]

I guess it is my turn to get stung from buying on E-bay.

I bought a parts saw off e-bay back on Feb. 22. To get another one running that was just a bad deal from the start, but we are not going to get into that story.

The seller of the saw did ship it Parcel Post on Feb. 25 this has been confirmed from the USPS website and has a conformation number. Our local post office said it should have been here on March 4th or 5th. still no saw.

Post office gave me a form 1510 to attempt to find out what happened to the saw. Form 1510 is suppose to be filled out by the shipper. I filled out the form anyway and the post office is going to notify the seller and the local post office at the seller's end to see if the saw can be located.

What bothers me is the seller has been silent, after e mailing them that we had a problem , I have a phone number, no answer of course and the last time I tried got a fax tone , not good.

The seller had been good with communicating up to this point and now nothing.

Anyone ever had this problem, and can offer a little advise.

Larry

 

[TonyM]

When I have been shipped saws through USPS, it always takes at least two weeks, unless it is shipped priority mail. Give a little more time, it may show yet.

 

[SIRCHOPALOT]

post office called me the other morning and said the saw I ordered was leaking gas from yhe package. had to drive seven hours to pick it up!

 

[Ax-man]

Well Tony M, it looks like you were right. After posting this thread, went out to drop off a bid for some tree work. I was maybe gone an hour, came home that darn saw was in the living room. I checked my e-mail, USPS sent a message saying delivery confirmed. All this waiting and silence and now all of a sudden BAMH every thing happens at once.

I selected the Parcel Post to save a few bucks on the shipping, nine days I was told. Little over due, but at least it got here.

Question, the seller packed it decent, but left the bar and chain on the saw which added to the boxing and bulk. Would this have slowed down the handling and shipping process.

Larry

 

[Lawn Masters]

Probably not.

 

[1Alpha1]

I ship and receive lots of items via USPS. Yes....they can be slow and very unpredictable at times. Frustrating as well.

But....UPS has become so friggin expensive, that I've pretty much ruled them out for shipping anything.

I did recently use UPS to ship a pair of motorcycle shocks to Granite Bay, CA. Shocks were new and valued at approx. $1000.00, and I declared that amount on the shipping from.

After the cute little UPS gal figured out the cost, she told me $9.00. I thought that was low, so I asked her if she was aware of the item value? She replied....."Oh $1000.00 declared value huh"? That will be more, she stated.

New re-calculated cost jumped up to close to $18.00. I told her that I wasn't prepared to pay that much, and the UPS on-line info. stated that it would be about $13.00 or so. She said the only way to get the cost down to that, would be to insure the shocks for $400.00

Grudingly.....I did so.

My question is this! If you insure an item for more value, does that mean UPS pays closer attention to it, to insure that their own employees don't steal it?

Yeah.....bloody right.

 

[Blowdown1]

As a former UPS employee I can say the answer is definitively "NO".

BTW, FedEx now offers ground service. I've been using them the last couple years with good results and pricing. I boycott UPS if at all possible. $hitty company to work for in many regards.

The packaging never affected the speed of shipment, though it can impact handling. And let me tell you, you'd soil yourself if you ever saw how stuff was handled at UPS (and I'm sure most other parcel services).

 

[sedanman]

United Package Smashers? One of my neighbors works there. He can't stop until the truck is empty. Gets home REAL late some nights then goes and does it again.

 

[Cut4fun]

I just had a saw take 10 days to get to me from just a 4 hour drive away, that i bought off ebay to try and save some dough. Paid for priorty shipping, but the idiot made some more money off me and shipped it parcel post through usps. Talking about slow. Then the dang saw runs like crap and now cant get started. Have any of you heard of the carbs coming lose on the poulan 3750 60cc. I will be checking the saw out later to see if thats what it was.

 

[jimbo1490]

New re-calculated cost jumped up to close to $18.00. I told her that I wasn't prepared to pay that much, and the UPS on-line info. stated that it would be about $13.00 or so. She said the only way to get the cost down to that, would be to insure the shocks for $400.00

Grudingly.....I did so.

This was a very risky move, IMHO. With over 1000 ebay transactions behind me with my two ID's, about half of them selling, I feel I have some experience with shipping items.
UPS rips off the small shipper like you and me. They only give the prices quoted on their website to bigger customers with daily pickup. No way to get those prices as a 'walk-up' customer.
But the bigger problem with UPS is their dismal package handling and atrocious compensation policies. I have lost several packages to the Brown Giant. Some have been destroyed. A couple have been just plain lost. UPS paid for NONE of them, despite following all claim proceedures, writing letters, numerous phone calls and etc. And UPS was clearly at fault in every single case.
Your best bet lately is FedEx Ground. Their rates are as inexpensive as the UPS rate to preferred customers, BUT you can get that same pricing as a 'walk-up'! You don't even need an account, let alone a daily pickup! I have yet to see a single package destroyed or lost, either. Their OTC prices always match the website quote, too. I still use USPS for Int'l shipping since all the other options are so pricey. But for domestic, it's FedEx Ground always.

Jimbo

 

[DarioMO]

I love using USPS. I never had any problems with them (knock on wood).

They've even sweeten the deal more with their flat rate boxes (sorry but chainsaw won't fit in them...but parts will ). USPS tracking is a joke though.

I had a few UPS mishaps...my lathe came in and it is "mangled." The heavy carton and molded styrofoam didn't help it any. They probably dropped that poor equipment several times from a truck or something. I still get some wood block shipped through them. I love their online tracking system...the best so far.

Dario

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

As a current UPS employee I have one thing to say. You are right, you are the customers, you are always right(now if big brown can figure that out.) The issue involving the added insurance, it should have been .35 per hundred over $100. Or $3.15. on a 1000.00 package. The insurance is a joke anyway, the only way you will collect is if it is "properly packed", so if it is something important, Pack it well, and DOUBLE BOX IT. Make darn sure all oil and gas is gone from saws or they will hold the packages as they are considered a hazmat.

 

[rb_in_va]

The Walmart across the street has a shipping center. I can package an item (they have all sizes of padded mailers and boxes), have it weighed, then they tell me the prices for FedEx, UPS, or USPS. I don't ever go to the post office anymore!

 

[TonyM]

Ax-man, I'm glad it all worked out.

I just bought a Makita DCS-9010 from Utah, and had it shipped to Michigan. There was a 20" B/C packed with it, but the bar came up missing along the way. I turned a claim into UPS. Then Sunday on eBay I saw a 20" Makita bar that fits the DCS-9010 for auction from Kansas, and the auction description says it was a lost shipping claim. Seems the seller goes to auctions where shipping companies sell items that get lost during shipping to help cover their claim costs. Funny thing is, I bet I never see a penny, because they will simply say it wasn't packed correctly. I'm pretty sure that's my bar!

I saw an episode of 20/20 or Dateline or some show like that at Christmas time one year. They sent packages all over the US marked "Fragile", and fitted them with accelerometers. After collecting the data they found most of the packages experienced the equivalent of a six foot drop onto a concrete floor!

 

[big saw]

i buy some stuff from ebay, and i ask to be ship via usps ,it cost less and with the cp72 form i dont have to pay import tax,when the gift box is check!

 

[jensen 32000]

United Parcel Smashers

My mint 038 Magnum may have took the six foot plunge. They wanted me to drive to the location I picked it up at, a 45 minute drive, not the nearest. They also wanted me to "leave it with them" while they investigate (abuse) it further. Gas tank was cracked, hard to come by and pricey, Thanks to Dearguy who helped me out.