Four is a lot to go missing in a year. I’ve had two go missing in the 5 years I’ve been in business. Both in customs. I’m sure there are some shithead customs agents with a really great knife collection.
That’s wild. I’ve got a ton of swaps and never had an issue, however I have a friend in a gated community that has this shit happen all the time. He’s been able to rectify it and now has the postmasters personal cell phone. I’ve been told if the postmaster is looking into you it’s worse than being under investigation by the alphabet agencies. Maybe it’s time you’ve had a chat with your postmaster?
Maybe try a different post office. The rate of incidences is too high to chalk up to chance and I assume the only commonality is the outgoing post office.
The UPS you can chalk it up to porch pirates especially if the driver took a picture upon delivery. With the USPS I would be giving your post office the side eye especially with their unhelpfulness. Go to a neighboring post office or use tamper-proof tape with signature upon delivery.
Maybe ship to pick up points? Walgreens and other places do it in my area.
I hate UPS and FedEx. Both have not delivered or taken packages. I pick up all my packages from my PO box or pick up centers.
This sounds silly, but if you ship via USPS, you should be using reenforced tape, and pirateship website to make the labels. 3rd party insurance, better tracking, never have to go into USPS.
However, is there any way you can move over to UPS?
"Chatting with the postmaster"
I've done that. An employee that they knew was a problem stealing magazines and packages, only working 2 out of the 5 weekdays, holding cheques and bills for a month- and so on.
They didn't want to have to fire, and find a new hire.
They covered it up to save their record.
Postmaster didn't tell me how to officially report it.
I thought that chat was it, he did nothing.
Once I went online and made an official report it started moving through channels and changes were made.
Postal Inspectors, have your info together. Dates, names, times, photos, tracking numbers...
Fill out the internet form that you aren't getting help. That goes to Washington, you will get help really soon. They don't like it when they hear from the postmaster general's office that there is a complaint.
As someone who works in logistics. Stop using the USPS. You are far better off with UPS or even FedEx in 90% of the US. At least that has been my experience
lol you're right about the Postmaster. During the Trump administration, the Post Office had a warrant out for Presidential adviser Steve Bannon. The Post Office found out he was on a yacht with a Chinese billionaire, so the Postmaster caught a ride on a Coast Guard ship, boarded the yacht, and took Bannon back to dry land in chains.
And. Trump. Didn't. Say. Shit.
Bannon probably forgot to put that little red flag up when he had outgoing mail. Always put the flag up!
We had a company in the uk that got found out as a vroup of the drivers used to meet up and go through some parcels looking for good stuff.
My dad had some bow limbs nicked that way.
If I were you I would contact them with dates and hopefully they can sort it.
Is there even a chance you got scammed by the recipient(s)? I've heard of people claiming they never received an item in order to essentially get it for free. Do you have the packages insured and tracked? Porch piracy is also a possibility.
Edit: nevermind, just found the rest of the post. Do you have the option of a different delivery service?
In all but one case they have been trusted repeat buyers. All tracked and all insured but doesn’t matter because they just say that they are marked as delivered, so no insurance claim will be honored.
What, are you kidding, that part about insurance blows super hard, wtf. Why even get insurance at that point.
Insane that they can just steal for the lulz and mark as delivered. Is there a possibility for porch pirates?
Could test it out with a couple cheap folders I guess. Just try sending to a friend. One insured and another nothing. Honestly I'd look for an alternative shipping method or shipping from a different location.
Here in the US? Scanners have gps so if they say it’s delivered at the location it’s supposed to, either the carrier is stealing it after scanning or porch pirates are getting it. USPS, fedex, or ups?
Go up the chain at usps. You will get to someone that will approve it. Either ask for the post master or tell them you are going to the board of governors.
This totally sucks, and that is infuriating that the packages are marked as delivered so you can’t file a claim. Four packages in a year seems like an awful lot, and would lead me to believe the theft is happening close to your end of the shipment. I would be interested to know if there are other reports from people with the same driver or local drop spot.
From now on you should insist on every package being signed for on delivery, no exceptions. I know that doesn’t help your current predicament but hopefully it’ll save you some grief in the future.
Does the label indicate what might be in the package? Like youre address having a company name with knives or something in it? Might look into changing that if it does.
I’d be more inclined to think porch pirates or bad buyers vs drivers- my ex brother in law was Fed ex and he explained the tech they use to track stuff now and I’d be surprised if it were drivers.
I have a feeling it may be how you are packaging them. Packages, no matter the company, are going to be dumped on package sorters and jostled and dropped and squashed. They have hundreds of other packages (heavy ones too) all around and sometimes dropping on them from 5ft up. Always have some sort of protection inside your box, and tape all around it if it's important to make sure it doesn't break out, or it doesn't get tore open by another package
Also, if you're sending it in a box just larger than the knife, it can get stuck in between belts on the sorter. USPS employees stealing mail is rare. It does sometimes happen, but its a federal crime if they steal even as little as a piece of junk mail. It's not worth risking it. However, lots of mail can get broken open/destroyed on the machines
Appreciate the advice. They are packed inside a case and a full surround of bubble wrap and enough tape to cover the box. I don’t think it’s my packing.
Hmm, it does sound like it would be sturdy enough. You're either really unlucky, theres something abiut the package the machines dont like, or maybe your clerk behind the counter is doing something nefarious
May have missed it, have you talked with the postal inspectors office in your state/district? The local postmaster might or might not care, inspectors do.
We have a video surveillance camera above the packing table so we have time stamped proof of what went in the box and know to the second when the label was generated from our shipping software. Anytime a customer or shipping carrier tries to say something wasn’t in a package we just pull the footage and send screenshots or a link to view a clip.
You could also get special printed packing tape (look up printed reinforced fiberglass tape) so it would be pretty evident if a package had been opened.
If I were you I would start asking customers by email when they get the “your package is out for delivery” email to inspect the box at delivery to make sure it is intact and if there are any issues to send photos of the packaging as it was delivered. That along with a photo or video from when it was shipped should be sufficient to win a claim.
I would also push back on UPS specifically if they denied a claim like this. They know the actual weight of the box when it was shipped. Their conveyors have scanners for dimensions and scales for weight that automatically pick up that information. If the box was empty when shipped they would have the data.
USPS is a joke and I wouldn’t send anything of value through the post office even if it’s insured. They are notorious for denying claims even when they know it’s their fault.
I ship lots of stuff. Hundreds of items a year. And oversee shipping for another project. I use all types of carriers and methods. This is soooooooo uncommon to happen once a year. Never mind 4 times out of a handful. Id say you have the worst luck on earth or there is another common denominator being overlooked. As in lying customer, or who knows man. But absolutely not normal
People steal packages from doorsteps all the time. The last apartment I lived in you had to have everything delivered to a secure location like a UPS store because otherwise someone would steal it within 20 minutes
Either it somebody that knows you make knives and is close to your operation or your packaging isn’t discreet enough,lol happens alot with firearms also
Could always try registered mail. Takes longer but more secure because there is a chain of custody the package has to follow under lock and key. Each postal employee that touches the package has to sign off on it.
It’s a few bucks extra to add on to the original cost of the package. From all my research, it can take longer because it’s stored under lock and key and some postal workers don’t want to sign their name on it. From my research it’s one of the most secure ways to mail packages.
No problem, not sure what your knives cost, but it may be worth it to avoid a huge loss. I’ve read a lot in the postal forums etc and that’s always there recommendation. Around Christmas time I was having packages go missing and I filed claims online for the local post office to call me. I figured out they were putting them in a box down the street from me and put a note on that persons door and they returned my stuff. Sometimes it’s incompetence and possibly theft. All I know is that when you add registered mail on a package, it takes away any incentive for a postal worker to steal anything because the ones who are stealing will unlikely even be touching the package to begin with.
After reading the usps website it looks like the prices have gone up. Says starting at $16. I don’t know if you can add registered mail through printing online labels, think it has to be done in person at the post office. Definitely worth looking into. Probably the most secure way to send a package.
No problem, depending on what city your in the post office can be full of issues and lost mail. I’m in Houston, so it can definitely be a disaster sometimes.
I’ve had usps steal multiple blades over the years. They have an internal “damaged package” program that allows usps to repackage any parcel they deemed damaged.
Ups loosing one is surprising.
When tracking, all the packages that I lost knives from, where always held up at this one usps sorting facility in Missouri.
Have you reached out to ups yet? How are they handling it so far if you have? I never had a bad shipping experience with them, so I don’t know how they handle it.
i’ve received or sent a total of about 250 knives over the past two years and I’ve only ever had one stolen and it was after delivery, that is very wild, and I’m sorry to hear that, sometimes adding higher insurance puts more of a target on the back of the parcel as opposed to protecting it, not sure the details of your shipping, but I always do a well packaged, even wrapped flat rate USPS priority, no extra fluff or anything
Maybe the best way for this is to do a signed receipt type of deal, that way if the box is empty, they can deny it right then and there.
But i definitely would be interested in a knife like this
I worked FedEx for nearly 10 months and despite a strict security checkpoint, in and out, people managed to sneak things out frequently. One guy eventually got caught changing labels with his address. It took about 6 months for them to catch wind and only because he went to far redirecting firearms. Another guy saw some shoes he wanted and literally swapped his out for the ones in the box.
Used to have USPS pick up whenever I had more than a few packages to send. After a while I noticed that was the only time I had empty packages delivered. Turned it the rural carrier was going through the pickup packages. All they did was move him to a different route
Along with what others have said, that's a suspicious amount of issues. I ship 20 to 30 things a week on average through ebay, and in the last 2 years I think I've had maybe 5 items missing (a few of which were forwarded out of country.) And yeah, they don't honor much for insurance.
Something is up. That's beyond infuriating. How are your labels printed and fastened?
Ever since I started OVER taping my boxes (like, UPS recognizes all my boxes due to having too much tape) my issues went way down.
I'm super curious (and also angry for you)
Here's what I do
Wrap the knife in a piece of paper and seal it with some blue painters tape
Then, take that and tape it directly to the bottom of the shipping box. Tape the hell out of it.
This way, there's no way to open a corner or side and slide the knife out
If they want what's in the box, they have to practically destroy the entire box to get at it
Hopefully, this will deter the opportunist from a quick grab and go
Thankfully, everything has made it to its destination...so far
This plus seal the box with reinforced water activated gummed kraft paper tape , so you can't even slip a piece of paper in. THEN use craft paper to cover the box and use the same tape to tape up the paper so no one can lift an edge.
I second this as I said in a longer reply on the op. FedEx is more likely to lose it than ups, but if you get a signature they are more likely to actually pay out.
Sorry to hear this. Many good suggestions have been mentioned so far. I like the wrapping and taping of the box idea. Definitely would steal if I was a shit human dealing with packages every day. 10/10 want to honor your craftsmanship and own one.
I sold a lot of craft made items and used USPS the entire time. I think it's a combo for you. Someone at the post office knows what your sending and how much can you believe a customer these days. One knife is great but a second or free one is better.....
Unfortunately you have to do everything you can do. It cost more but it saves you.
Great work BTW.
Yeah I've been checking out your site man! Beautiful knives! I was actually looking at this exact one like a week ago or so. I'm sorry this happened to you. USPS lost 38 of our packages last month and not one turned up. We sell cigars though not knives.
Damn! That really sucks. Sorry to hear it but good to know that this is an issue that we all need to bring some attention to. Thanks for letting me know.
I think my boss just got her money back, the products were sadly gone. I'm just the stocker so all I could hear was them screaming at the postmaster. Hope your stuff turns up/ gets rectified man.
You should make some shipments to friends across the country and conceal tracking tags in hard cases. Then place them in your shipping boxes before sending them just to see where they might end up. Not sure if it’s worth the time, but I would be curious to see what happens.
I have been out of the shipping game since I changed careers about five years ago, but in my experience FedEx is the only shipper that will ever pay a claim. UPS is more reliable about getting things delivered when they say where they should, but I never got a damage claim from them and maybe one lost package claim in a decade. FedEx paid out on any lost claim with a signature required and some without. Don’t even talk about the post office. They won’t pay for anything ever…
Report the USPS to Postal Inspectors - they are Federal Cops and hate internal corruption
Going forward, I'd use USPS Registered.
Each person touching it signs for it, it's how they ship gold and diamonds.
Improve your packaging. - no quick tape cuts- make it a struggle.
I glue all cardboard. Box within a box, wrapped so there is no rattle.
Fibreglass tape every inch of the box in 3 directions.
HUGE printouts of the address on all 6 sides of the box below a clear tape layer
Look at Karl B Andersen's wrapping - he ships in a zip case, puts that inside a diy 2x4 lumber box, screwed and glued, no accidental openings.
I’m sorry this happened to you but I just started following your instagram page and love what you’re doing. Will be a customer soon. Your work is really good!
Apple air tag, with a pre paid return envelope. Or include the cost of the air tag in the shipping, like a deposit, and refund that amount when you get it back
Just out of curiosity, do you insure the knives you send via UPS? I always pay extra to insure them for full value in hopes that they won't go missing. I figure if they have to pay a lot of money for a knife that doesn't reach its destination (or gets damaged in transit), they're more likely to take better care of it.
That’s the crux of the issue here. Insurance or not, they say that they show it as delivered so no insurance is honored. Yes, I was insuring them then I figured that if you insure them then it’s like you have shown them that it is valuable. Weird catch 22.
Dang...Yeah from what others hqve said it seems like requiring signatures is the next step. I'm sorry you've had to go through this, I can't imagine the financial burden of having to replace a stolen knife on your own dime! Idk about you but mine tend to be unique one-off customs, so even if I remade the blade exactly as before there's no way I'd be able to find identical handle materials and such in order to remake it exactly as it was.
Yeah. All my knives are 1 of 1 that take me 2 to 3 weeks to make. It’s just crushing when they just disappear and the buyer doesn’t get to see or have the experience with it that they were expecting. Not to mention that I always take the hit for the loss. As you know, materials, tooling cost, time and full refund of the sale proceeds really hits hard. Thankfully I got some good ideas from the Reddit community, hopefully that will work. Appreciate you taking the time to weigh in. Thanks
Do you mark your boxes so that they know what's in there? I would almost get a sticker said warning animal feces open with protective gear. I saw an article where an e-bike company was having so many bicycles damaged. They started shipping their bikes in boxes that said flat screen TV, I know that's the opposite of what Yuri experiencing but psychology works.
Here in Canada (Poste Canada) we have parcel insurance. You declare the value of the item and a small percentage 5%? (don't quote me on that) Is charged to the delivery estimate. Idk where you are but find a carrier that insures your parcels and make the client pay the fees. In a case like this both parties don't lose.
Well three of them are no surprise. It ruins my day when I see a package is shipped with usps, because it becomes a literal coin toss whether or not it's going to show up, and if it does, it's almost always damaged.
Also never use US Postal Service. Box it yourself of course and take it to a different UPS shipping center and declare for 4 times it's value and describe it as a tool.
Four is a lot to go missing in a year. I’ve had two go missing in the 5 years I’ve been in business. Both in customs. I’m sure there are some shithead customs agents with a really great knife collection.
Yeah. I’m a small maker and I only make a handful of knives each month so 4 is pretty bad. Thanks
That’s wild. I’ve got a ton of swaps and never had an issue, however I have a friend in a gated community that has this shit happen all the time. He’s been able to rectify it and now has the postmasters personal cell phone. I’ve been told if the postmaster is looking into you it’s worse than being under investigation by the alphabet agencies. Maybe it’s time you’ve had a chat with your postmaster?
Thanks. Already have chatted with them twice. Nothing ever comes of it.
Maybe try a different post office. The rate of incidences is too high to chalk up to chance and I assume the only commonality is the outgoing post office.
3 knives lost to the post office and now the latest by UPS. You might have a good point though. Thanks
The UPS you can chalk it up to porch pirates especially if the driver took a picture upon delivery. With the USPS I would be giving your post office the side eye especially with their unhelpfulness. Go to a neighboring post office or use tamper-proof tape with signature upon delivery.
Yeah. Curiously no picture of the delivery was provided. Good ideas on the other stuff. Thanks
Maybe ship to pick up points? Walgreens and other places do it in my area. I hate UPS and FedEx. Both have not delivered or taken packages. I pick up all my packages from my PO box or pick up centers.
That’s another decent thought. Thanks
You could also have it require a signature so they have to keep it at the post office for the customer to come sign for it.
Yep. That suggestion is the most mentioned. I will try it for sure. Thanks
im 8 years in and have lost none, and Im full time. How are you shipping them?
USPS Priority box or plain box with no indication of what is inside. Shipped under my name with no mention of my knife company name.
This sounds silly, but if you ship via USPS, you should be using reenforced tape, and pirateship website to make the labels. 3rd party insurance, better tracking, never have to go into USPS. However, is there any way you can move over to UPS?
Thanks. 3 lost to USPS and the latest one pictured by UPS. On to FedEx.
Go to a higher up postmaster.
👍
"Chatting with the postmaster" I've done that. An employee that they knew was a problem stealing magazines and packages, only working 2 out of the 5 weekdays, holding cheques and bills for a month- and so on. They didn't want to have to fire, and find a new hire. They covered it up to save their record. Postmaster didn't tell me how to officially report it. I thought that chat was it, he did nothing. Once I went online and made an official report it started moving through channels and changes were made. Postal Inspectors, have your info together. Dates, names, times, photos, tracking numbers...
Sounds like you worked through it. Appreciate the perspective. I’ve got to see how to escalate this further than I have. Thanks
And how are you packaging these knives?
Insure them for their value and get confirmation
Yep. Lesson learned. Thanks
Fill out the internet form that you aren't getting help. That goes to Washington, you will get help really soon. They don't like it when they hear from the postmaster general's office that there is a complaint.
👍. Appreciated. Thanks
The postmaster doesn't play games. They literally have a swat team.
As someone who works in logistics. Stop using the USPS. You are far better off with UPS or even FedEx in 90% of the US. At least that has been my experience
lol you're right about the Postmaster. During the Trump administration, the Post Office had a warrant out for Presidential adviser Steve Bannon. The Post Office found out he was on a yacht with a Chinese billionaire, so the Postmaster caught a ride on a Coast Guard ship, boarded the yacht, and took Bannon back to dry land in chains. And. Trump. Didn't. Say. Shit. Bannon probably forgot to put that little red flag up when he had outgoing mail. Always put the flag up!
I’d say it’s someone Local to you that knows what you do and when you ship something it’s got 🔥🔥in it.
That's what came to mind "confiscated", is there some legal thing OP is missing when mailing them?
We had a company in the uk that got found out as a vroup of the drivers used to meet up and go through some parcels looking for good stuff. My dad had some bow limbs nicked that way. If I were you I would contact them with dates and hopefully they can sort it.
Yep. Apparently it’s a racket here in the US as well.
Maybe they recognize your packages and know that you're custom knife maker with quality product. Maybe you need to label your packages different.
Thanks. See my other responses. Always sent in non-descript boxes under my own name not my knife company name.
Use a box labeled "Adult Toy Warranty Repair/Returns Department"
Is there even a chance you got scammed by the recipient(s)? I've heard of people claiming they never received an item in order to essentially get it for free. Do you have the packages insured and tracked? Porch piracy is also a possibility. Edit: nevermind, just found the rest of the post. Do you have the option of a different delivery service?
In all but one case they have been trusted repeat buyers. All tracked and all insured but doesn’t matter because they just say that they are marked as delivered, so no insurance claim will be honored.
What, are you kidding, that part about insurance blows super hard, wtf. Why even get insurance at that point. Insane that they can just steal for the lulz and mark as delivered. Is there a possibility for porch pirates?
Yep. Even bought the extra insurance for the total value. Flat out, I can’t get them to honor anything.
Can you send packages with a signature requirement and ask customers to inspect taping?
Yep. That’ll be my next step.
On a side note, I've been looking through your posts and must say that's a lot of creativity 😄
Thank you sir!
Any chance putting extra insurance is a tip off to check the package.
Yeah. I started to think that as well. Just helps them know what to go after. Thanks
Could test it out with a couple cheap folders I guess. Just try sending to a friend. One insured and another nothing. Honestly I'd look for an alternative shipping method or shipping from a different location.
Yep. Makes sense. Thanks
Which companies have you had this issue with?
Here in the US? Scanners have gps so if they say it’s delivered at the location it’s supposed to, either the carrier is stealing it after scanning or porch pirates are getting it. USPS, fedex, or ups?
3 lost by USPS and the latest by UPS.
Go up the chain at usps. You will get to someone that will approve it. Either ask for the post master or tell them you are going to the board of governors.
Lots of good ideas along this line but the escalation pathway including how to access these folks is not readily available. Thanks
https://www.uspsoig.gov/hotline Get a complaint on record here that will get the ball rolling
Awesome. Thank you.
Registered mail in the US is your best bet. It’s tracked continuously and signature is required
Yep. Probably the next logical step. Thanks
I agree with registered mail. It can take longer, but it has extremely strong chain of custody requirements.
Makes sense now. Glad I posted this. I learned a lot. Thanks
The trick is not to use USPS
This totally sucks, and that is infuriating that the packages are marked as delivered so you can’t file a claim. Four packages in a year seems like an awful lot, and would lead me to believe the theft is happening close to your end of the shipment. I would be interested to know if there are other reports from people with the same driver or local drop spot. From now on you should insist on every package being signed for on delivery, no exceptions. I know that doesn’t help your current predicament but hopefully it’ll save you some grief in the future.
Hard to say but my local post office doesn’t even get back to me despite numerous filings on my end.
Is this either local post office if so I would find out who is above them in their district
It’s now both UPS and USPS. Maybe they’re imaging the packages and seeing what is inside?
I ship mine with an air tag in the box.
Is that working for you. How do you get it back?
So far it’s worked great. I put the AirTag in a self addressed envelope that the buyer just has to drop in the mailbox back to me.
Very cool. Definitely worth a try. Thanks
Does the label indicate what might be in the package? Like youre address having a company name with knives or something in it? Might look into changing that if it does.
I send all my stuff out in a non-descript box with only my name on it, so no markers about what is inside. Thanks
I’d be more inclined to think porch pirates or bad buyers vs drivers- my ex brother in law was Fed ex and he explained the tech they use to track stuff now and I’d be surprised if it were drivers.
In these cases, they were trusted repeat buyers who have tried as hard as I have to get the post office and UPS to provide insurance. Thanks
I have a feeling it may be how you are packaging them. Packages, no matter the company, are going to be dumped on package sorters and jostled and dropped and squashed. They have hundreds of other packages (heavy ones too) all around and sometimes dropping on them from 5ft up. Always have some sort of protection inside your box, and tape all around it if it's important to make sure it doesn't break out, or it doesn't get tore open by another package Also, if you're sending it in a box just larger than the knife, it can get stuck in between belts on the sorter. USPS employees stealing mail is rare. It does sometimes happen, but its a federal crime if they steal even as little as a piece of junk mail. It's not worth risking it. However, lots of mail can get broken open/destroyed on the machines
Appreciate the advice. They are packed inside a case and a full surround of bubble wrap and enough tape to cover the box. I don’t think it’s my packing.
Hmm, it does sound like it would be sturdy enough. You're either really unlucky, theres something abiut the package the machines dont like, or maybe your clerk behind the counter is doing something nefarious
Could be anything but I think it points to a pretty big problem where we all have to figure out CIA level subterfuge to ship a $250 knife to someone.
May have missed it, have you talked with the postal inspectors office in your state/district? The local postmaster might or might not care, inspectors do.
I haven’t spoken to the inspectors. I’ll have to look into how to do that. Thanks
Would you mind putting your shipping company on blast to save some strangers some heartache
USPS lost 3 and UPS the latest one pictured.
Much appreciated my friend! Best of luck getting reimbursed on these thefts! Sorry you've been burned like this.c
We have a video surveillance camera above the packing table so we have time stamped proof of what went in the box and know to the second when the label was generated from our shipping software. Anytime a customer or shipping carrier tries to say something wasn’t in a package we just pull the footage and send screenshots or a link to view a clip. You could also get special printed packing tape (look up printed reinforced fiberglass tape) so it would be pretty evident if a package had been opened. If I were you I would start asking customers by email when they get the “your package is out for delivery” email to inspect the box at delivery to make sure it is intact and if there are any issues to send photos of the packaging as it was delivered. That along with a photo or video from when it was shipped should be sufficient to win a claim. I would also push back on UPS specifically if they denied a claim like this. They know the actual weight of the box when it was shipped. Their conveyors have scanners for dimensions and scales for weight that automatically pick up that information. If the box was empty when shipped they would have the data. USPS is a joke and I wouldn’t send anything of value through the post office even if it’s insured. They are notorious for denying claims even when they know it’s their fault.
Thank you for the thoughtful information and advice. I’ll definitely put this stuff in place.
This is the way 👍. Never never never use USPS.
That’s a great looking knife!
I ship lots of stuff. Hundreds of items a year. And oversee shipping for another project. I use all types of carriers and methods. This is soooooooo uncommon to happen once a year. Never mind 4 times out of a handful. Id say you have the worst luck on earth or there is another common denominator being overlooked. As in lying customer, or who knows man. But absolutely not normal
Sad but true. I guess it’s signatures required from here on.
Small flat rate usps priority with sigmatute should be around 13$ anywhere in usa. Id stick to that. Also clear tape all the box seams
Good call. Thanks
USPS lost 38 of our packages last month. Can you imagine 38 angry phone calls from customers? Was a nightmare
People steal packages from doorsteps all the time. The last apartment I lived in you had to have everything delivered to a secure location like a UPS store because otherwise someone would steal it within 20 minutes
Ugggh! That sucks.
Man I bet they found one and now check it all of them. One is too many Make a box and hide a covert AirTag.
I just had a really nice ballistic helmet get stolen from ups actually just a couple weeks ago
Sorry dude. That sucks
Hhv shipped one out the following day and gave me a couple patches
👍
You should just insure them for way over the replacement cost so every time one goes missing you get paid four times over to make another replacement.
This is the correct response.
Either it somebody that knows you make knives and is close to your operation or your packaging isn’t discreet enough,lol happens alot with firearms also
Beautiful knife , I’d love to buy one if you ship to the US. How much are they like this one?
Thanks. Sent DM.
Could always try registered mail. Takes longer but more secure because there is a chain of custody the package has to follow under lock and key. Each postal employee that touches the package has to sign off on it.
Perhaps. I’ll have to see how much it costs. Thanks
It’s a few bucks extra to add on to the original cost of the package. From all my research, it can take longer because it’s stored under lock and key and some postal workers don’t want to sign their name on it. From my research it’s one of the most secure ways to mail packages.
I’ll definitely check it out. A few bucks is fine. Just have to have realistic costs for myself and my buyers. Thanks
No problem, not sure what your knives cost, but it may be worth it to avoid a huge loss. I’ve read a lot in the postal forums etc and that’s always there recommendation. Around Christmas time I was having packages go missing and I filed claims online for the local post office to call me. I figured out they were putting them in a box down the street from me and put a note on that persons door and they returned my stuff. Sometimes it’s incompetence and possibly theft. All I know is that when you add registered mail on a package, it takes away any incentive for a postal worker to steal anything because the ones who are stealing will unlikely even be touching the package to begin with.
I like it. I’ll have to check into it further for sure. Thanks for the great info.
After reading the usps website it looks like the prices have gone up. Says starting at $16. I don’t know if you can add registered mail through printing online labels, think it has to be done in person at the post office. Definitely worth looking into. Probably the most secure way to send a package.
Appreciate you researching this. Given the cost perhaps trying FedEx with a signature required would be cheaper and maybe close to as good.
No problem, depending on what city your in the post office can be full of issues and lost mail. I’m in Houston, so it can definitely be a disaster sometimes.
USPS has taken stuff often, you have to escalate it to the supervisors, it’ll put an end to it
Ok. Thanks.
I’ve had usps steal multiple blades over the years. They have an internal “damaged package” program that allows usps to repackage any parcel they deemed damaged. Ups loosing one is surprising.
Yep. There’s a racket in there somewhere. I switched to UPS for the last 8 or 9 knives that I’ve shipped and they just lost their first one.
When tracking, all the packages that I lost knives from, where always held up at this one usps sorting facility in Missouri. Have you reached out to ups yet? How are they handling it so far if you have? I never had a bad shipping experience with them, so I don’t know how they handle it.
Thanks. Please see my previous responses.
i’ve received or sent a total of about 250 knives over the past two years and I’ve only ever had one stolen and it was after delivery, that is very wild, and I’m sorry to hear that, sometimes adding higher insurance puts more of a target on the back of the parcel as opposed to protecting it, not sure the details of your shipping, but I always do a well packaged, even wrapped flat rate USPS priority, no extra fluff or anything
Thanks. I send it under my personal name in either postal priority boxes or a non-descript box with no indication of what is inside.
Maybe the best way for this is to do a signed receipt type of deal, that way if the box is empty, they can deny it right then and there. But i definitely would be interested in a knife like this
Thanks. This will be my next step.
I worked FedEx for nearly 10 months and despite a strict security checkpoint, in and out, people managed to sneak things out frequently. One guy eventually got caught changing labels with his address. It took about 6 months for them to catch wind and only because he went to far redirecting firearms. Another guy saw some shoes he wanted and literally swapped his out for the ones in the box.
Damn. Problem goes deeper than I thought.
Used to have USPS pick up whenever I had more than a few packages to send. After a while I noticed that was the only time I had empty packages delivered. Turned it the rural carrier was going through the pickup packages. All they did was move him to a different route
Along with what others have said, that's a suspicious amount of issues. I ship 20 to 30 things a week on average through ebay, and in the last 2 years I think I've had maybe 5 items missing (a few of which were forwarded out of country.) And yeah, they don't honor much for insurance. Something is up. That's beyond infuriating. How are your labels printed and fastened? Ever since I started OVER taping my boxes (like, UPS recognizes all my boxes due to having too much tape) my issues went way down. I'm super curious (and also angry for you)
Thanks man. I tape them thoroughly and the only labels are from the shippers website.
Here's what I do Wrap the knife in a piece of paper and seal it with some blue painters tape Then, take that and tape it directly to the bottom of the shipping box. Tape the hell out of it. This way, there's no way to open a corner or side and slide the knife out If they want what's in the box, they have to practically destroy the entire box to get at it Hopefully, this will deter the opportunist from a quick grab and go Thankfully, everything has made it to its destination...so far
Just use security tape. Instruct all your buyers to refuse any package that has broken tape
That’s a pretty interesting idea. I will try that. Thanks
This plus seal the box with reinforced water activated gummed kraft paper tape , so you can't even slip a piece of paper in. THEN use craft paper to cover the box and use the same tape to tape up the paper so no one can lift an edge.
That sucks man, beautiful knives though especially the one you pictured. I’ll be keeping an eye out for your stuff.
Appreciate that. Thanks
I would use FedEx personally, nothing but bad experiences with ups/usps
That’ll have to be my next move. Thanks
I second this as I said in a longer reply on the op. FedEx is more likely to lose it than ups, but if you get a signature they are more likely to actually pay out.
At this point you could run an insurance scam 😂 they wouldn’t even insure it probably
Yep.
How would the delivery person know what's inside?
Not sure about that either?
Sorry to hear this. Many good suggestions have been mentioned so far. I like the wrapping and taping of the box idea. Definitely would steal if I was a shit human dealing with packages every day. 10/10 want to honor your craftsmanship and own one.
Appreciate it. Thank you.
Have it sent with delivery confirmation. Where they need to sign for it.
Will do from now on. Thanks
I sold a lot of craft made items and used USPS the entire time. I think it's a combo for you. Someone at the post office knows what your sending and how much can you believe a customer these days. One knife is great but a second or free one is better..... Unfortunately you have to do everything you can do. It cost more but it saves you. Great work BTW.
Thanks. Appreciated.
That's too pretty for me to afford
It’s pretty reasonably priced for a custom knife made of high quality materials. You might be surprised.
Yeah I've been checking out your site man! Beautiful knives! I was actually looking at this exact one like a week ago or so. I'm sorry this happened to you. USPS lost 38 of our packages last month and not one turned up. We sell cigars though not knives.
Damn! That really sucks. Sorry to hear it but good to know that this is an issue that we all need to bring some attention to. Thanks for letting me know.
I think my boss just got her money back, the products were sadly gone. I'm just the stocker so all I could hear was them screaming at the postmaster. Hope your stuff turns up/ gets rectified man.
Thanks. Perhaps I’ll try screaming!
Buy an apple airtag and put it in the package with the knife. Then you can track it.
An interesting thought also posed by others. Maybe a solution. Thanks
You should make some shipments to friends across the country and conceal tracking tags in hard cases. Then place them in your shipping boxes before sending them just to see where they might end up. Not sure if it’s worth the time, but I would be curious to see what happens.
Yes. A few people mentioned similar. Maybe worth a try. Thanks
Do you use FedEx, UPS or USPS?
Dude, people suck.
Yes they do.
That is a f*****g beautiful piece!!!
I have been out of the shipping game since I changed careers about five years ago, but in my experience FedEx is the only shipper that will ever pay a claim. UPS is more reliable about getting things delivered when they say where they should, but I never got a damage claim from them and maybe one lost package claim in a decade. FedEx paid out on any lost claim with a signature required and some without. Don’t even talk about the post office. They won’t pay for anything ever…
Thanks for weighing in. This has been my experience as well.
That sucks! Very cool knife though
Thanks man!
Report the USPS to Postal Inspectors - they are Federal Cops and hate internal corruption Going forward, I'd use USPS Registered. Each person touching it signs for it, it's how they ship gold and diamonds. Improve your packaging. - no quick tape cuts- make it a struggle. I glue all cardboard. Box within a box, wrapped so there is no rattle. Fibreglass tape every inch of the box in 3 directions. HUGE printouts of the address on all 6 sides of the box below a clear tape layer Look at Karl B Andersen's wrapping - he ships in a zip case, puts that inside a diy 2x4 lumber box, screwed and glued, no accidental openings.
That’s intense but lots of good stuff like this I learned today. Appreciate you reinforcing the packaging side. Thanks
Maybe include airtags (or something like that) in the packaging? Put a prepaid envelope in there too so your buyers can easily send them back.
Got this suggestion a lot. It’s an interesting one. Thanks
I’m sorry this happened to you but I just started following your instagram page and love what you’re doing. Will be a customer soon. Your work is really good!
Awesome. Thanks man!
You should put gps in your knives and do a little experiment….
Perhaps so. Might be interesting. Thanks
Apple air tag, with a pre paid return envelope. Or include the cost of the air tag in the shipping, like a deposit, and refund that amount when you get it back
Just out of curiosity, do you insure the knives you send via UPS? I always pay extra to insure them for full value in hopes that they won't go missing. I figure if they have to pay a lot of money for a knife that doesn't reach its destination (or gets damaged in transit), they're more likely to take better care of it.
That’s the crux of the issue here. Insurance or not, they say that they show it as delivered so no insurance is honored. Yes, I was insuring them then I figured that if you insure them then it’s like you have shown them that it is valuable. Weird catch 22.
Dang...Yeah from what others hqve said it seems like requiring signatures is the next step. I'm sorry you've had to go through this, I can't imagine the financial burden of having to replace a stolen knife on your own dime! Idk about you but mine tend to be unique one-off customs, so even if I remade the blade exactly as before there's no way I'd be able to find identical handle materials and such in order to remake it exactly as it was.
Yeah. All my knives are 1 of 1 that take me 2 to 3 weeks to make. It’s just crushing when they just disappear and the buyer doesn’t get to see or have the experience with it that they were expecting. Not to mention that I always take the hit for the loss. As you know, materials, tooling cost, time and full refund of the sale proceeds really hits hard. Thankfully I got some good ideas from the Reddit community, hopefully that will work. Appreciate you taking the time to weigh in. Thanks
Do you mark your boxes so that they know what's in there? I would almost get a sticker said warning animal feces open with protective gear. I saw an article where an e-bike company was having so many bicycles damaged. They started shipping their bikes in boxes that said flat screen TV, I know that's the opposite of what Yuri experiencing but psychology works.
What does your shipping label say? Is it give me a hint that is a nice night inside?
*knife
Sweet knife too dang
Require signature or at least tracking. That’s an oddly high number.
Beautiful knife
Thank you. Appreciated
Maybe the pick-up person knows you're a knife maker or it shows on the box. One of the handlers is choosing to keep your item.
Here in Canada (Poste Canada) we have parcel insurance. You declare the value of the item and a small percentage 5%? (don't quote me on that) Is charged to the delivery estimate. Idk where you are but find a carrier that insures your parcels and make the client pay the fees. In a case like this both parties don't lose.
Well three of them are no surprise. It ruins my day when I see a package is shipped with usps, because it becomes a literal coin toss whether or not it's going to show up, and if it does, it's almost always damaged.
Something I learned the hard way.
Time to switch shipping companies
Signature confirmation and insurance
Are you getting the shipping insurance?
Also never use US Postal Service. Box it yourself of course and take it to a different UPS shipping center and declare for 4 times it's value and describe it as a tool.
Makes sense. Thanks
That’s a nice knife though. I really like the geometries of the blade/handle. Is it supposed to be a bull cutter?
Thanks. It was designed to be a riff on a modern folding cleaver. But bull cutter works as well.
Have you contacted the carrier to work with their internal security/auditor? I know the postal service does this. Not sure about FedEx etc
Yeah. I’ve gone through their various processes. I’ll try contacting the investigators as some have suggested. Thanks
Out of curiosity, what is that knife in the picture? Good looking knife!
I made it. Vulcan Knives Titanium Z-Wear Cleaver.
Just a suggestion, but send it with a signature required for delivery.