I was waiting for a razor to come in from Belgium. I received it today but the package was empty. Im guessing it didn't pass customs.. they literally just took out the razor and left the packaging in there.. what @$$ holes.. what should I do?
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I was waiting for a razor to come in from Belgium. I received it today but the package was empty. Im guessing it didn't pass customs.. they literally just took out the razor and left the packaging in there.. what @$$ holes.. what should I do?
If it didn't pass customs inspection they would have held it and/or sent notification. Unfortunately it is more likely that it was either stolen or not shipped.
FWIW, was it insured?
IDK if it was insured, it was a trade.. a slit was cut in the envelope the size of the razor also on top there was an opening that was taped again.. what do you think? Also no form telling me why it was gone.. where do you think it was stolen.. here or back in Europe?
It sounds very strange.
I have a hard time understanding a practice of removing the object and shipping the empty package to you.
No, to me it sounds as you where either taken for a ride, or someone, somewhere stole it while in transit.
I don't think he was trying to jipp me..It is our fellow member Dimitry i have been in constant contact with him.. here was the blade BTW..RIP.. =[
http://straightrazorpalace.com/show-...t-chopper.html
I think it was stolen because if the CBP would have confiscated it they would have sent a note right?
That's not what I was referring to. I was thinking more of the possiblity that the shipper sealed the package but forgot to put the razor inside. A long shot yes, but just working through the possibilities.
Sorry to say, but the slit in the envelope points to theft. From some stories I've heard I wouldn't discount customs officials either :(
Where the scales Bone by any chance?
I had received a package from the USPS earlier this year, the package had been torn open, emptied and yet still delivered. I have another package I have sent 2 months back and it still hasnt gotten there. Theft may be running rampant. Looks like I will have to pony up to replace it. His package had a customs note that more than likely said razor on it, it was being imported so it was easily known to have value, a nice little slit and the razor is gone.
This is the little slit that im guessing the razor was removed from:
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...13/image36.jpg
This is the tare i made when i was panicing from it being empty to see if there was a note left in:
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...13/image35.jpg
This is the taped back:
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...13/image34.jpg
This is the sticker on the invelope while being shipped.. any of yall know what it means?
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...13/photo26.jpg
Personally I think he should have packaged it better but i knew he ment well and didn't know that this would happen.. but like a said.. IT WAS SUCH A BADASS RAZOR.
If customs pulled it, you should have had a slip in there or on there explaining why.
If the Package was damaged in transit they (USPS) notes that too, with a slip.
What I have seen is an ill packed razor pop loose of the package, where I received a "Damaged Package Slip" and the package taped closed again but no razor...
Now being as I live in such a small town, and the PO folks know me I got the razor two days later when it was found... "Shear Freaking Luck" :)
As to what other countries do I am not sure other than Canada which has done the same as the USPS in the one instance I had with them...
On another forum I belong to a member ordered several boxes of Godrej shave cream from India. He got the boxes but the tubes were removed, I told him that one of the custom agents like Godrej cream too. I'm guessing they like straight razors as well.
My little tale of woe began on September 27 of this year when I shipped my Dovo Pearlex INOX back to their factory for refurbishing. Shipped it Priority Mail International; no one has seen it on their end. The last place it was tracked was out of the Chicago Sorting Facility. My guess is that it was lifted there. I'm told by my letter carrier that the US Postal Inspectors are hauling workers out of there every other day for theft. Hell, it's getting as bad here as it is in Italy. Just try to find an eBay seller who'll ship there.
that was straight up stolen.........
i work with the tsa and customs on a daily basis.... they take the whole package.... not just the contents...
sorry... you got jacked...
keep a eye on ebay for the razor......
:shrug: There really isn't anything to do about it. On my end, I can file a report with the local postmaster; if it was stolen, there's a slim to none chance they could find it. Internationally speaking, insurance and additional tracking on this package would've cost more than the razor was worth. There's always the possibility that it's held up in German Customs but Dovo can't get anymore information than I can. I'm open to suggestions.
Ahh don't say stolen from Chicago depot... I'm waiting for an overdue package that was last tracked through there!! Worried now...
I packed the razor with bubbly foam inside the envelop (closed on each side, it was like a little sack).
So if the package would have been 'damaged' by accident, then the foam inside would have prevent it from slipping out of the envelop.
It looks to me like that is cut open (through the foam and all) and stolen.
As I'm the sender of that package, I feel really bad...
I'm gonna check ebay also on regular basis
+1. If the razor was removed 'officially', you would have been notified. The government may be many things, but even they would not remove the object and send you the empty package without telling you why.
It may have been stolen or -looking at the packaging- simply fallen out of a torn envelope.
And again we see that every time you send something, you need to agree explicitly upfront about the insurance and shipping to avoid awkwardness and bad feelings in case something should go wrong.
To prevent theft I always pay a couple dollars more for 'signed for' delivery. That type of mail is transported in locked bags, and stored in locked locations. Much less chance of theft. If you send a 200+ $ razors, the 5 dollar price difference is negligible.
No, not really. A 9/8 spanish point is around 200$, depending on condition of course.
Insurance is simply not an option, as the Belgian post does not insure shipping to the US.
But a simple 'signed for' delivery costs only a couple euros extra, and would have caused the razor to be in a locked bag and stored in locked rooms. The chances of theft would decrease dramatically.
That type of mail travels separately from regular mail, precisely to avoid this kind of thing.
It is also a legal thing. If you ship something without this option, from a legal pov, non delivery is the fault of the sender.
If signed for delivery was used, the sender is in the clear if the item is not delivered.
Damage etc is a different matter of course, but when it comes to delivery of legal documents, this distinction is very important, and the post is required to take measures that guarantees the delivery. That is why signed for delivery is much safer than regular. It has very little to do with the signing, and very much with how it travels.
I thought that signed or unsigned were both the same when it comes to how it travels.
Otherwise I would have send it signed.
Damnit, this ruins my vacation.
I've got another strange thing.
Elton shipped his package 2 days earlier than me and I've still haven't got it.
Strange things are happening here...
Today is the 10th working day, normally I get it before even the 8th working day.
It would be coincidence I think if we would both have the razor stolen or not arriving.
Here are another two examples. Mikael shipped me a Filly, in a similar pouch from Sweden which arrived in 5 days. I shipped several hats to Grant in Australia on 10/7/2011, and they have yet to arrive. Go figure.
I've been having AWFUL issues with my mail. I have had a total of 6 bills un-received in the past calendar year, which has (due partly to my own fault in not being proactive about it) resulted in hefty late fees. One was a local borough tax bill that I wasn't even aware I had to pay that accrued for 3 years because I never received the bills!! The tax is $9 annually, but because I never received the bills they charged me $250. I never even received the collection notices despite the fact that they have my proper address. My past three credit card bills specifically have simply not arrived at my house...I know I have another one due soon but I'll be damned if I know how much to pay, and good luck getting those people on the phone to tell you. Packages that should arrive in 2 or 3 days take a week or more. I live around Philadelphia, so it's not like I'm in the boonies or anything.
Over the summer my wife ordered some paper and cardboard items for our daughter's first birthday. The box came looking like it was run over...it was a heavy cardboard box that was crushed and punctured, with no notice as to why or anything. It takes a lot of force to damage a box like that! Luckily the stuff inside was ok, somehow. Magazines we get are often creased and smashed. I have complained to the local post office but they don't seem to care. It's really bad...to the point that when I order things I get worried about whether or not I'll get them. I just bought some stuff from The Superior Shave, and it should be here soon, but I have a feeling I'm going to be waiting for a while...and I'll probably have a damaged box when it arrives.
Yeah Bruno, hindsight is always damn near 20/20 isn't it? :rolleyes:
In Belgium it may cost "only a couple of euros extra" with "signed for" delivery, but it was a bit more than that on my end. I'm not making excuses; I'm not screaming, yelling, or flailing my arms around. If I wanted it to get there, I should have simply paid the extra cash to do so.
I have seen this happen before and it happened to me. It doesn't help to have that customs label on there that clearly indicates the contents of the package. I usually try to keep the description to a minimum, maybe put "personal effects."
Dovo has what they call a Pro Forma Invoice which they had filled out, that was attached to the email they sent with instructions on returns. And it specifically mentions the contents of the package as a razor. This is to get it through their customs. Again, my feeling is that it never made it out of Chicago. :(
Btw, shipping time can vary wildly for some reason.
I've had it where 2 similar packages were sent to me from within the US. One arrived in 7 to 8 days, and the other took 3 weeks.
These days, when I mail something to the US, I tell the recipient that it will take between 1 and 2 weeks, with 3 weeks being the worst case scenario.
The mail in my area has been great. But if you're having trouble where you live try UPS or Fedex. I'm pretty sure UPS ships internationally. When I lived in Germany, UPS had a big operation there.
You never know with the post office,The only way to ship anything of value with them is registerd mail,Thats what I use for watches.
Express,Priority, is a crap shoot sometimes,I sent some tungsol vac tubes to a guy in L.A.,overnight express,Took two weeks to go 500 miles from me.
Sent a french marble clock to Alaska,snail mail, they said 3 weeks,guy calls me the next day and says,Dude,great clock, thx,took less than 24 hrs.
Actually the Pro Forma invoice is for both customs agencies. The US to help make sure you aren't sending anything out of the country that you shouldn't and Germany to make sure nothing is coming in that shouldn't, Plus taxes fees etc.
As for the US mail delivering Damaged/opened packages. They have to. (this is a really LOOSE quote) "as long as the package (no mention of contents) is still in a deliverable state (technically you could end up with nothing more than an address label) then the USPS is obligated to deliver said parcel".
I know a little about the proforma stuff and the US mail workings as I run the shipping office (FedEx/UPS) at the med school here in PDX and also assist with the Central Mail service on campus as well since my supervisor is in charge of both.
Michael
Crossing my fingers - I won two Ebay bids for razors coming to the US from England - hope they don't arrive empty!
I have worked for the post office in the past in the Philadelphia area and still have some friends working in it and the have been telling me that they recently changed over to a new sorting system for magazines/ anything this size and small parcels. Essential it has taking sorting any mail out of the hands of carries and some other people. From what they have told me this has been causing mail to go to the wrong locations a lot. Meaning it then has to be shipped back to the sort facility and reshipped to the right location. Also the sort machines are not always gentle with packages.
When I was working for them they had this same system from just letters and there would be days where large section of routes I was delivering wouldn't get any letter mail do to a miss sort.
Also what was said about if a piece of mail is damaged and the address is still legible the post office does have to deliver the piece. A lot of times they will put it in a special envelope for that. Last week I got a Woodstock catalog front page and back page that way.
What I don't get is anyone using those flimsy paper or bubble/polly mailers for shipping out razors. That's just plain looking for trouble. Use a carton or corrugated box/mailer and that's one problem less. I just received one of those paper mailers a few days ago and the scales of the razor were broken. I've had instances where I received those shipments where the paper mailer was teared and taped back by the PO. Even received them teared with the razor coffin nearly sticking out. For years I have used carton boxes and never had one issue. Shipping out or coming my way.
When it comes to shipping always expect the worst so insurance and overpacking is always important.
Every business has it's thieves and crooks and if you're the unlucky one, well...
My great example is when Fedex delivered my son's high end computer to the wrong house and accepted the improper signature for it's delivery. Luckily the person was honest. If they went back hours later to reclaim it the resident could have said computer? What computer are you talking about?