You cant get an even break from Paypal or Ebay Compensation.

L

Larry303

Joined
Jul 28, 2005
Messages
2,168
Since the changes to USPS in May we have had havoc with delayed International deliveries particularly to Australia.Dont know if its the same for your internal mail deliveries.After a trouble free 5 years... in the last 3 months since the changes I still await some 18 parcels of knives.2 from May 07 and numerous from June 07.I just submitted claim to Paypal after waiting for 47 days of no delivery as its hard to know how long is long enough when they will tell me nothing.Paypal response "we are sorry will not consider claim submitted over 45 days"..even though I am receiving some mail after 55 days and longer.
As I have never made a claim before I submit to Ebay. 2 parcels with 4 knives each since mid May still missing approx $400.Response"since you have made 6 claims in the last 6 months we will not even consider the last 2 claims <the dearest knives of course> They count each knife in the same package as individual claims!! Australia Post dont want to know because even though I paid approx US$55 for both parcels they were not insured to keep them honest. Both parcels were from different sellers with impeccable records so I know they were sent.No tracking number and they do not consider they have a Duty of Care as Carrier even though I have paid very substantail postage costs.Who else but postal morons could ever get away with this in any other business.
The garbage I now have to submit to Ebay for them to entertain partial claim is horrendous..by design of course.
I still await 16 parcels so I will lodge claims immediately to Paypal and beat them at their own game.
I finally just got another one delivered or they tried to hand it to me at the post office. 14Oz when sent & empty on delivery with sticker "opened by Customs for inspection". They did more than inspect 51OT mint and Folding Hunter they pilfered them and sent parcel on. I get letter of apology from Aust Post and HALF what I paid.What do they open parcels with? ..knives... and what do we have to declare on parcel it contains... knives..so makes it no contest really.
Finally I just get US$150 mint 41OT delivered and the complete handle and pommel have been slashed.Photo by seller shows Mint.Customs have slashed when opening the parcel for "inspection" and then sent it on. I complain to Australia Post..they tell me submit a claim and if it was successful they would pay maximum AU$50 =US$40 to the SENDER not the receiver..me! He's already been paid of course.
I believe USPS is making more distinction between the classes of mail since May and unless you now pay the absolute top extortion fee approx 4 times more than I have ever paid you now purposely wait 7/8 weeks for delivery or not at all even though sayUS$28 has been paid.
You blokes will be glad to know my knife buying days from US are now over due to the postal morons and compensation schemes set up to make you think you are covered until you actually claim.
The only silver lining is the knives already in Australia will appreciate considerably now when purchasers realize the USPS extortion postage costs and systems now implementedand get burned as I am.What security systems are in place if any?
USPS state the new fees are to cover additional fuel costs.....I dont believe they are even sending First Class Air Mail by plane rather cubing them and sending by boat via the Cape how else could it take 50 days by air.
The above can and will happen to you now as I never had a problem for 5 years. The growing success of Ebay is undoubtedly causing the huge backlogs at Australia Customs Inspections where they rip into most boxes and when they made those laws they never contemplated Ebay and the number of knives in the postal system.Hoo Roo
 
Larry that does sound bad, I am a little concerned now as I have a few things on the way from USA also.

I doupt the new first class international mail goes on a boat as the last time I used the boat service from the USA it took nearly 5 months for it to arrive.

47 days is ridiculous for Airmail of any kind, twice now I have had to re-order items that did not turn up, gloves from England and dvds from Canada. Both times when the second order arrived so did the first order together on same day, weird !!

Are all those orders first class mail or are some Global Priority Mail?
Regards Tim
 
Larry, that is terrible and so frustrating as there is basically f.all you can do about it. i live in B.C., Canada,and my experience with about 100 ebay purchases from U.S. is that First Class is better than Priority. both take about the same time (around 4 weeks), but Canada Customs always opens Priority, but only opens First Class if value is listed as over $30 - $40. their handling of knives is sometimes rough and packages are either poorly re-sealed or occ. not at all, but not as bad as in your situation. however our Customs does not even allow you to register a complaint. they are above the law in preforming their "duties". so far only 2 knives have failed to appear. i sympathize with you. it is not only the loss of money, but the disappointment of not receiving a knife you had so carefully chosen and were so looking forward to. i find most ebay sellers to be very conscientious so they too are hurt by failed deliveries. non U.S. buyers are at the mercy of postal and customs policies and employees and i see nothing one can do about it. good luck with the outstanding deliveries. roland
 
G'Day Tim,Mixture of Global Priority and First Class.Forget Global Express as its cheaper to get return airline ticket and go and collect.Doesnt make a lot of difference if they 'lose' them.Most frustrating waiting for something that may never arrive..and of course many are irreplacable unless I buy them again when the postal morons put my items up on Ebay again!
There has been a distinct change since May and when you have been buying as many as I have I was always going to be the first burnt or be more aware of changes to their system.
You know what hurts the most the knives I regard as common knives for possible resale are making it through the "system" with no problem so there is selectivity in the Bermuda Triangle of postal pirates.
Why arent they are required at customs to certify on outside of box if they find it empty when inspecting.I have emailed them,and written to them requesting why this is not done. All I got was letter of apology and Au$50 cheque,covering nothing of my cost,but no reply to my question.
I have requested the phone number from Australia Post of the Customs section to find out the backlog inspection time since Australia Post cant/wont tell me.
Today I receive this doozie email from Complaints section" The number of Customs Inspections is 1300363263 BUT THEY DO NOT RESPOND TO PHONE ENQUIRIES"and being a Government Arm Australia Post has no jurisdiction or control over them. So whos watching whom when they rip into all the boxes and do whatever and whos responsible to whom. I'm going to write off at least US$500 as its all too hard... on purpose. Hoo Roo
 
Don't wait 45 days to file with paypal. I ordered at an online store, (not the auction place) and the dealer kept putting me off saying he was waiting on an order. Finally he did not even reply to emails, then I tried to file a claim, but you can't after 45 days..... then the web site closed.
 
I just emailed the last seller I purchased from yesterday on ebay and told them I would pay extra to have it sent Global Express EMS. Sadly I will also have to give serious thought to whether I purchase from USA again.
Tim
 
Sorry to here that, they must be shipping that stuff over there on blow boats to save money on fuel.
The USPS has been on the ball here lately, my last two buys made it from California to Maryland in just two days. I was impressed.
 
i think USPS is doing it's job. i believe the problems i have had (similar, but nowhere near as bad as Larry's) are due to Canada Customs, or, less likely, the Canadian postal service. sounds the same for Australia. roland
 
Rp I think your right its likely Australian Customs problems as Codger told me it is regarded as a felony in US to tamper with US mail unlike Australia where its part of their superannuation fund contributions.In customs I think there is a sign that says "Fine for tampering with mail"....so they do!!
My last buy likely ever was that 2OT Sears Craftsman so I'm sending that Express with Insurance...trouble is they know which ones to get their hands on by the value put on the declaration so Catch22 situation.
I will post photo of the Walden 2OT with the 3OT together with the Craftsman 2OT if I ever receive it. I have one of those old timber Walden boxes now to put them in. Hoo Roo
 
Larry, you might be right about higher value on customs slip encourages stealing. i have noticed that knives with a low value (<$20) almost never get opened by customs, whereas higher values (~>$35) always do. there is 1 ebay seller who so far has always labelled package as "used cutlery" and value as either $3 or $4. he does this entirely of his own accord. his parcels always get through to me unopened. it is dishonest and may save me $10 to $35 in duties, but it does ensure i get the knife and in the condition it was sent. i think this seller is well informed and does this for his non US customers, not so much as to save them money, but to ensure as best as possible that the knife is received. roland
 
I/ve got a seller as well that calls it "refurbished knife return to owner" and miraculously they get through untouched...is it because I would know and have photos of my own knife?? Hoo Roo.
 
I feel bad for you guys who live outside of the US and like to buy collectibles, but I am beginning to understand why sellers often specify they only sell domestically. I have bought knives from Canada and from Australia, and neither time were the shipments delayed much, or too costly. The purchase from Australia was an 895 open stock. The shipping was less than $10.00 and it took about 10 days. Is it different coming into the US? Are we as lenient on goods coming across the border as we are with unsavory characters?
 
I think the difference is acceptance of responsibility and penalties for theft.I've never had problem sending to US because our Postal Pirates dont get to open the boxes..yours do.
Our Customs do not respond by phone or letter and are accountable to noone even the Carrier which must present them for ther""inspection"".
Love to look in their lunch boxes as they leave work! If they touch my 2OT Craftsman I'm going down there personally to rip their bloody arms off. It shouldnt be a lottery as to which knives you receive. Hoo Roo
 
The reason Australian Customs routinely open knives coming into this country is because certain types of knives are banned unlike the USA which allows them all.

The best example of a breach would be the attempted importing into Australia of a double edged knife (a sharpened blade edge on both sides) these are banned from being imported into Australia and although items coming in are X-rayed I suspect that this does not help customs determine if the knife is double edged due to the sheath and all the packaging. They must then unrap every knife to ensure it is not of the incorrect type.

With all the knives coming into the country daily this must create a huge amount of down time for Customs and is a stupid waste of the tax payers money as It is very easy make a peice of metal razor sharp on both sides in half an hour from a peice of bar stock and it would serve exactly the same purpose as a double edge knife.

They would be much better employing Customs to prevent, pests, diseases and drugs, not blades as they are too easily re-produced. I feel sorry for Customs Officers who are probably just as frustrated trying to make a living enforcing a policy that has been made by someone more senior who really had no idea what they were doing (Polititions??) Persons who probably did not give serious thought first to its necessity? and secondly to the practical implications of what it would take to enforce it at the "coal face" and the subsequent result on us the consumer.

Regards Tim
 
Couldnt agree more.Daggers ,flick knives, and throwing knives are banned yet they allow the largest bayonets of all sorts,huge machetes..no worries,bowies as large as you like if you promise not to throw them...Puma White Hunter knives with sharpest blade imaginable with reverse shaped to break bone of large animals...no worries...sheer hypocrisy or more to the point no bloody idea by the lawmakers.I can go into Target or Kmart and get the largest carving knives which could be turned into double sided within minutes but try and import a 6" dagger and you're for the high jump....anyway they manage to lose the majority of them all anyway or slash them ripping into the boxes........ Hoo Roo
 
You guys don't need to feel to bad...... when we get the right people in office here, we will also lose our right to own guns and knives.
 
We may loose the right to own them, but there are 10s of millions of guns in the USA & even more knives...........they won't get them all.
 
Voila! Following emails and letters of complaint to Australia Post and in the process of filing "Missing Items" reports what just turns up at my Post Office today? Go figure...2 parcels sent on different days by different trusted sellers in mid May 07, one from In. 47129 and other WV. 24740..well 10 WEEKS LATER BOTH parcels arrive on the SAME day covered with the green tape declaring "Opened by Australia Post for Inspection by Customs" together with some of the June 07 parcels as well.All parcels marked "FIRST CLASS International,Air Mail Par Avion! It gets better or worse depending on my view at least I have got them.In May I ordered 2 DVD's from Hong Kong in May 07 and ithat parcel appearantly went to the same Postal Bermuda Triangle so I advised Trusted Seller who sent replacement parcel early July 07 this time Registered to be signed for....weeell BOTH original and replacement parcels have just arrived on The SAME day even though sent many weeks apart!
Both Paypal and Ebay should be congratulated on their professionalism as I had never made a claim before and both told me I am a most valued client however on these occasions they could not help me for various technicalities. Paypal because I left it over 45 days to claim even though this is now a most unrealistic time frame because mail is taking far longer..they dont want to know and send automated responses only.Ebay would at least have considered partial contents of the shipments as you can make 3 claims only in 6 months and although I have never made a claim they count each knife within the one parcel as a claim total 7 knives in 2 parcels and I would have been covered for 3 and they picked out the cheapest knives for the acceptable claims and the horrendous doumentation and hoops you have to jump through just for the 3 claims meant I was going to write off US$400.
Question: If you bought pack of 100 blank DVD's would they reimburse for the first 3 in the pack only?....they wont tell you if you ask...automated responses.....you know "my name is Jeremy and I am here to write heaps of words that make it sound like we care however we dont actually give a piece of nanny goats poo about your problem however we will keep your problem on file..now could you please complete our customer service survey which will follow this termination..and please tell us how we went cos you're really special to us."
All this could and likely will happen to you.
Moral: Insure everything..pay the TOP extortion postal rate if you really want the item and yell like mad when the postal cretins are holding on to your parcels for 10 weeks crawling inside every corner of the package to inspect even though they also Xray.But dont expect a response as to why....cos as Australia Post says.. here is Australia Customs phone number ..."however they dont respond to phone enquiries".....well why have a bloody phone then they obviously dont have any friends to call!!!
I am finally happy until the next round..............Still waiting another 10 packages.
 
Larry Im pleased to hear you have some, let us know what happens with the other 10 your still waiting on.
Kind Regards Tim
 
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