topic Re: Missing Parcel Mystery in Buying

Missing Parcel Mystery

zanadoo_56 — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 00:14:22 GMT

Honestly - where do they go...and why?

It seems a recent purchase has apparently been lost in the mail. Impeccable seller (and not from a country with a dodgy postal system), item would have no customs issues either, parcel is correctly addressed, letterbox big enough to take it (or a good safe drop place if it isn't)....but among all the stuff purchased lately it goes missing....and it's not rare or expensive either so I can't imagine who would want to steal it.

I wonder what happened to my purchase. It's a mystery.

(Seller has promised to send a replacement - fingers crossed it turns up!)

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

foxette-in-sox — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 00:27:04 GMT

LOL-this could turn into a very long thread if everyone jumps in with their own personal experiences re missing items.There is no one definitive answer IMHO.

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

cq_tech — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 00:28:01 GMT

Your missing parcel may still ultimately turn up, albeit some months down the track. I've often wondered how many dyslexic postal workers have inadvertently sent parcels destined for Australia to Austria instead. It happened to one of my items once and I'm convinced it wasn't an isolated incident, either. Needless to say I did eventually receive it some 3 months later, long after the seller had refunded me the small amount involved (which I immediately repaid, much to his delight).

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

zanadoo_56 — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 00:39:25 GMT

Austria - Australia. I hadn't thought of that! Maybe it will turn up eventually. (Naturally if it does the seller will be paid for the replacement)

I had one purchase take just over two months (from the US) a couple of years ago. The seller had refunded my money....then of course it arrived. And yes, I repaid her. It was a collectable item in good condition - we were both relieved that I finally got it!

But then again, not all purchases that go missing turn up. I guess because I haven't lost a purchase for quite a while, I can't help wondering, "Why THIS one?"

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

Anonymous — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 00:52:48 GMT

I work at a parcel sorting facility and it happens a lot with Austria aswell as New Zealand... not because of dislexic posties but because of the use of modern technology... machines are now replacing people therefore a machine sends items according to post codes... whereas a person sends items according to location...

Austria and New Zealand have similar post codes as Australia... thank goodness I work in a mail facility were we have limited use of machines and more of a manual work force... there we are each day sorting all of the missorts which machines are not capable of reading corectly...

Hopefully your parcel will come very soon

with kind regards from Stella 🙂

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

goldeagle1970 — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 06:15:18 GMT

Posties can't read either, one to my daughter, right house no and st, but wrong city and state. She gave it back so that person would have got it aventually.

Another 2 registered parcles just dropped off at another house right house no, wrong st, if that lady hadn't been honest she would have not gotten those ones, she dropped them off to my daughter who was just in the next st. This postie got told off for leaving registered parcels without signing.

And of course there was the Gin Gin postie who took most of his delieveries home. He did get caught and went to court, so lots of reasons why parcels go missing,

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

michellebartley — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 06:17:02 GMT

It might still be delivered. I get really impatient as well. If it turns up after 2nd item has been posted you will have to pay for both or return one. I think its better just to be a bit patient and correspond with your seller.

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

Anonymous — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 10:32:27 GMT

It isn't very nice to imply that every postal worker cannot read .... or that they steal parcels, misplace letters and don't do anything right.. I take pride in my work and so do my workmates... we are there when its freezing cold, steaming hot, or pouring rain, to do our job.

There are many times when we have to correct the postcodes, look up street addresses to make sure the mail goes to the right location or repackage parcels that havent been packaged properly... we make sure that if something is fragile that we place it in the special sections alocated for them... we do our best each afternoon to sort the parcels and letters quickly and accurately so they can be on their way to reach their destination safely...

I am not suggesting that we are perfect, nobody is, all I am saying is please think it over carefully the next time you decide to write something that can insult people who do their work right...

With kind regards

from Stella 🙂

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

chezzy — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 10:34:54 GMT

You know - if it is from overseas it could be as simple as not having an AIRMAIL sticker stuck on. This happened to me earlier this year - asked and paid for a package to be sent by USPS First Class International (from the USA). Weeks went by and I was convinced it was lost or stolen. Turns up VERY late (took 6 weeks) and what do you know - no indication of AIRMAIL or FIRST CLASS on the package even though the sender had paid for that and that was the amount on the package.

Such a simple thing too.....

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

zanadoo_56 — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 11:00:36 GMT

More than a few years ago an ebay purchase arrived later than I expected from overseas. It had no air mail sticker, no customs form, just my name and address and the sender's details. The sender's name was quite foreign to the country it was posted from. Clearly, coupled with the lack of correct paperwork Aust Customs probably thought it looked suss. When I finally received it well over a month after it had been posted, it had extra tape around it which said it had been opened by Aust Customs.

After that I half expected to see it featured on an episode of Border Security. But of course that didn't happen - I guess it would have been a downer for the camera to focus on it as it was opened....only to find the contents were entirely legal and rather ordinary.

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

lyndal1838 — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 11:19:32 GMT

A package does not need to look suspicious to be opened by Customs. They have always opened parcels randomly.

I used to get an average of 6 parcels a year opened and it always added about a week to the delivery time. It is a few years now since it has happened. I guess they decided after all those parcels with nothing untoward in them that they may as well try someone else.

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

lalala-au — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 12:02:06 GMT

I waited for a parcel from the UK for 2 and half months before it turned up. I did lodge a missing parcel form with Australia Post even though the item had no tracking number. The seller refunded me my money but I was so happy and excited when it finally turned up the first thing I did was get in touch with the seller and paid them, otherwise I would of felt guitly. They too were very happy! I didn't receive any explanation from Australia Post about where it had been there was no extra postage stamps on the item except what you would expect from the UK to Australia. So who knows what happens?!?!?

I am again waiting for another parcel from the UK which I am about to lodge a missing parcel form with Australia Post. There is only another 13 days before I do a paypal refund for not receiving the item, however I am going to tell the seller to not send a replacement or not to worry, as if it turns up in another month or 2 I will pay them, or re-order another one after that amount of time. Although I do want it now!!! Patience is a virtue.

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

goldeagle1970 — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 04:17:14 GMT

I mentioned 3 posties, NOT everyone. I know you do good work otherwise we would not receive any mail.

I myself have been a postie on a rural run, so I know where you are coming from.

The op wanted to know why they went missing, this was just 3 reasons that I know of.

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 22:32:53 GMT

You did begin your sentence with... "Posties can't read either..." , so I felt that you were talking about everyone... however as I mentioned in my previous reply, nobody is perfect so I do forgive you for your earlier remarks... all I wanted to express in my previous reply was that in life not everything and everyone is bad... there is good too, we just need to focus on it more often.

Everyday we read the newspaper and watch the news on television, or listen to them on the radio. Most of the time its all bad, sad, tragic or heartbreaking... we hear of health care workers abusing patients in nursing homes but rarely hear of the ones who devote their lives to providing them with compassionate and comforting care... we hear of men who are selfish and unfaithful to their wives, but very rarely do we hear about those men who work hard each day to provide the best they can for their wife and children. These men may not have much free time in their day but they still do what they can to be available to their families.

I know that I have ventured away from the original subject here, but all I would like to emphasize is that it is much nicer to look for and to appreciate the good in people and situations, rather than the bad...

Thanks for your reply

with kind regards

from Stella 🙂

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

zanadoo_56 — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 08:58:11 GMT

I'll wade in and say:

One 'postie' (or rather an AP contractor who delivers parcels) has the most atrocious handwriting. Trying to decipher what a tracking or 'signed for' number is can be quite a headache (I get my parcels transferred to a different post office for collection so I need to be able to correctly interpret what on earth he's written).

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

gregd61 — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 21:45:15 GMT

IF the items was won on an auction and the winning price was low you may find they are more often 'lost in the post' (i.e. never sent).

Another scam allows the seller to take the money, consolidate it with other ill gotten gain, and put it in a short term account. When you eventually complain that you didn't receive it they refund the money, keep the interest, and no one is wiser.

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

zanadoo_56 — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 02:17:34 GMT

The winning price wasn't that low. My original purchase still hasn't turned up (and I think it s probably safe to say it isn't going to).

The seller has sent a replacement. After a week the seller e-mailed me to ask if I had received it yet. I replied that it was a bit too soon (knowing how long stuff from overseas can take). Now it's been 2 weeks and no sign of it yet. If it doesn't trun up after three weeks I wonder if this is one purchase that may be jinxed. Once again - fingers crossed!

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 23:31:07 GMT

Good morning,

I've just been reading your new post here about your missing parcel and it brings back some memories of a parcel that I never received early this year... The country of purchase was the U.K. which in past years had been wonderful... usually I would order something from the U.K. items ranging from books, magazines or promo dvds... and they would arrive within a week and definitely no later than 10 working days... this was back during 2008 till 2012... and then all of a sudden I found that it would take longer to receive anything from there...

Early this year I placed an order for a book from a respectable bookseller in the U.K. through Ebay of course... it wasn't expensive but after 3 weeks it hadn't arrived... I contacted the seller and he sent me a replacement book... after 4 weeks the replacement book arrived but the other one did not.... since then I avoid as much as possible buying anything from the U.K.

However the U.S. Postal Service has definitely improved over the years... with items that I order taking approximately 10 working days to arrive which I find pretty good...

Now back to your concern about the missing parcel/parcels.... if the second one doesn't appear there is definitely a problem somewhere... no jinx involved... but something not been done the right way, or someone not doing their job properly... human error is possible in the event that the parcel has been sent to a different country due to incorect address labelling by the seller.... or because the address or post code was not read correctly...

If I was placed in this position, I would contact the seller again and try to find a way to solve this.... after all you did pay for goods and a service and so far you haven't received your goods.... therefore it is time to receive some service....

A seller that cares for their customer, will give a refund without being asked and ultimately this is what the seller should do if none of the parcels arrive soon.

Hoping something good will come from this for you

with kind regards

from Stella 🙂

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

zanadoo_56 — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 06:50:25 GMT

The seller and I have been in communication, and once I let her know there was a problem in the beginning she sent a replacement. I confirmed the address is correct, but the original item never came and it's now 3 weeks since the replacement was posted. Too late for a claim but I am not concerned about that. I'd rather have got what I paid for, the money was not as important. I still think the problem is with the postal service but what tracking there was, apparently does not extend to tracking the parcel in Oz. Ah well. There's another week or so of hoping I guess.

If it doesn't turn up I will let the seller know but I will just write off this purchase and not bother with feedback. It's a pity if it doesn't turn up - for both of us really as I hoped to buy more items. These things happen. I am satisfied with what the seller has done to date but if the problem is beyond her control (and mine) then sometimes you just have to give up and let it go.

Re: Missing Parcel Mystery

Anonymous — Sat, 23 Aug 2014 10:48:04 GMT

I do ,agree with you on what you wrote... and sometimes we can only do our best, and when we know we did our best, then that is all that matters in the end. There isn't much anyone can do when something is out of their control. .. but if it was sent and addressed correctly then it has to go somewhere. You mention that the seller has treated you with respect and that is very good... also it is excellent that you value what she did for you... most people would feel very bitter at this point but you have an understanding heart which is rare to find in people nowdays...

Just like you wrote... these things happen... personally I believe things happen for a reason and you never know, your parcel might just arrive soon... I pray that it does for you.

with kind regards

from Stella 🙂