how often has this happened to you-buyers or sellers?

[asiasdad]

My theory is to use NEXT DAY AIR regardless of the carrier chosen.
It may cost slightly more, however the risks involved are greatly diminished
as those packages are pushed through the system on a high priority basis.

The less time it has sitting around, the less chance of carrier employee theft.
my .02

Danny

 

[kobyp]

I haven't had any problems with packages. I've received from UPS and USPS, only had to sign 1 time, and it was from Seyberts.

I think it was Priority Mail, left my OB1 shaft on my porch, and it was raining that day. Luckily, they propped it up inside the door jams so it didn't get wet.

Other than that, no problems. Just that sometimes it takes a long time.

Hope you get everything worked out.

EDIT: Spelling

 

[JB Cases]

When I ship cues, I wrap the crap out of them. Aside from a lot of bubble wrap and a ton of tape, I usually either put a box in a box or a tube in a box (or use those indestructable tubes that seyberts uses). I've never had anything lost or damaged in transit but I do get the odd complaint from the buyer that it took them 10 minutes to get to the cue

This is what I do. I figure the harder I make it to get out of the package then the harder it is for thieves. I think that many stories can be found online detailing the theft that occurs inside the shipping companies.

As much as we want to blame FedEx, UPS, POst Office and so on they can't control all of their employees all the time.

I once had a UPS Driver who left an insured package with $25,000 in Blue Book cues, Padgett, Shuler, Bender, etc... sitting at the gate on a dusty Florida road in the hot sand. The package was taped all over it "Adult Signature Required".

The thing to remember is INSURE. I have had a few claims and every time the package is insured there has never been a problem. IF you claim a large amount then be prepared to prove it though.

 

[cuesblues]

I had to file an insurance claim for a damaged It's George case at it took for ever. After 3-months of getting nowhere with my local post office branch, I finally called the main office complaining about this one "person" at the branch office, and they took care of it in a couple of weeks. How can I get an original invoice for a 15-year old case, that is no longer made? I had someone from AZB send me an email stating the value of it. You're right, what a pain

 

[154375]

Use a box

I used to work for a UPS Store (not ups, but the retail store where people shipped stuff UPS) and we'd get claims of tubes that were stolen/emptied on occasion. They're easy targets b/c they're so much easier to access than a box. When people would want to ship in one of those tubes we'd always recommend shippers to use a box over a tube. Usually UPS has FREE long triangular boxes to ship stuff in, and they're not as easy to enter as a tube.

Like many others said in previous posts...be sure to insure what you're shipping...it only costs a few bucks and you're always insured against loss/theft.

 

[cornerstone]

a few years back i sennt a person on the board(charlie) a blugrass and it arrived one shaft shy and missing a jp!!

 

[JFORNEY36]

.

Here's one for ya.. We use to race go karts and I sold one of our new chassis's and shipped it to Mississippi on a pallet via fed ex freight. It got there minus the steering wheel ...

 

[breakin8]

Hey guys I was the shipper of Nate's cue. I packaged the cue very well insured it with delivery confirmation. I have shipped many cues with no problems. It is a pain but we will resolve it. Thank god it was a less expensive cue. The tube looked like they crushed the end the cue was wrapped in bubble wrapp very snuggly placed in the tube I dont no how they got it out with out opening the other end.
This cue was 120.00 shipped a muec. sneaky pete
Toby Clemens

 

[powerlineman80]

I talked to the Post master and it seems that this package was lost in shipment for awhile thats why it took 19 days to get here. The end that was opened didn't look like that in the photo when I received it. It was closed and that peice of tape was holding it shut. The other problem is when the gentlemen shipped it to me the PO he shipped it from didn't scan the delivery receipt so over the last 19 days we could not track the where abouts of the package. the only time it was scanned was when it arrived at my PO. At this point the shipper dont know any of this. I have PM'd him and he hasn't got back to me. He still thinks the package is still lost.

They are BAD about not scanning it then 'forgetting' about it.

 

[powerlineman80]

It looks like the tube wasn't even taped up....just tucked the side in...

Thats what it looks like to me too, but of course the picture might not do it justice also. No offense but it looks like a poor job on the shipper.

 

[p1noy]

Man this is Funny.. I just received a cue that was shipped to me from Boise, ID on Jan. 23, 2008 Priority Mail should of been 2-3 day delivery. I received it on Feb. 11, 2008 thats 19 days to delivery it. When I received it the one end of the tube was ripped open. The gentlemen that shipped it used duct tape on the one end. The only thing in the tube was the cue shaft NO BUTT. Here's the bad part... He didn't insurance the package.. This cue was a trade deal so the shipper will be out a butt. Is there anything that can be done about this. I didn't notice it was ripped open until I was home and went to open the package and noticed it was ripped open and retaped with a peice on masking tape.

These pics are scaring the hell out of me.. I got an R12 from ebay and it is still in transit.. I know where the package is thru the tracking # but what is the use of a tracking# if you are trying to trace and waiting on an empty tube?

 

[forty6and2]

Yea, i the one who shipped the cue w/ the butt missing. It was a 600 dollar cue and all that made it was the shaft!... sucks a lot.

 

[Fatboy]

I had a friend lose a $65,000 Rolex when he shipped it UPS, He had $25,000 insurance on it. OUCH!!!!, It was taken out of the hight security cage at UPS in Louisville KY, They told us it was in Phoenix the day itt was suppost to be delivered, They have 2 systems a physical scan(they actually touched it) and a logical scan, The physical scan is when they actually have the package and scanned it the logical scan is where the computer thinks it is, we waited 3 days for it I was buting it for $43,000 cash and had it sold for about $53,000 which was $12,000 back of retail, it was a limited edition watch. UPS kept telling us it was in Phoenix, it never made it there the logical system is a fvck-up, on the 3rd day we got a call from the FBI, I never talked to them before and expected the police or something to call us, I didnt think the FBI moved do fast it was just before Christmas in 99, I was just brokering the watch as I couldnt afford to keep it. the watch ws never recovered, my friend died 4 years later. the logical/physical scan system sucks and thye know it, keep reading...

moving foward, I have a very close friend who is a very good friend of a big shot at UPS and by his own admission he says their tracking system is a disaster, I couldnt agree more, they have major software issues, I was told thid in 04 by my friend after I told him about the watch thing. So I stick to Fed-X . when Fed-x gearedd up and started kicking ass UPS tried to keep up and just couldnt so they rolled out with the best tracking system they could, greanted its better now than it was years ago, i remember in telemarketing we had the customers send the $$ in overnight and UPS never got it right Fed-x is much better and reliable, I did over 1000 shipments with them and with out a dowubt Fed-x is the best, I wont mention air-borne, they are the worst. USPS over nght is good. Brinks is by far the best but WOW is it expensive, In the watch biz on $500,000 deals and up we use them, An $80,000 watch from LA ot Vegas costs over $500 as I remember, thus useless for pool.

One more thing some cues have more valeu to a person thn the replacment value, sure insure a Szam for $20,000, lose it and get a check? for what? the $$$ is nice but you cant buy what was lost. I hate shipping cues that cant be replaced, if its a currently made cue then yeah it still sucks but atleast you can get another one,,,,,but will it feel as good, the long and short of it shipping cues sucks. period.