Urgent Help/Advice required from US members

ppw3o6r

I have put this in Collecting because it is about collectibles:

On 16th March I purchased from a business seller in the US a collection of replica movie props totalling over $2000. Despite numerous requests the items were not sent until 17th May and by this time the package was already lost. I have asked the seller three times to send out a duplicate order because his company made the pieces but he has stated he cannot afford to do so. I have even offered him an additional $500 in the hope he would change his mind but he has not. I will not name the seller or his products but he is I believe a respected seller.

If you put the tracking number he supplied into the Royalmail.com website it states that the package has not yet arrived in the United Kingdom however if you put the number into the USPS website it states that the package was last tracked on the 12th May and is shown as "in transit" although they have no idea where it is. I have contacted HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) at Heathrow, a package's first port of call when it arrives in the UK who have confirmed that a package with the stated tracking number has NOT touched down on UK soil. If it had they would have a record of it because duty charges would have been raised on it before they release it to The Royal Mail International Parcels Hub in Coventry.

I have passed all correspondence from HMRC and the Royal Mail to the sender so he can instigate a claim for loss with the USPS because the Royal Mail have stated that any claim must be launched by the sender which is part of the International Partner's Lost Mail agreement they have with USPS however the sender has informed me that USPS have stated the exact opposite & that it is the recipient who has to make the claim for the loss for compensation. I have done everything possible to try and resolve this amicably with the sender.

DOES ANYONE OUT THERE KNOW 100% IF IT IS THE ROYAL MAIL OR USPS WHO ARE IN ERROR?

Thank you.
Donk -{

Fred007

Technically, if the package never landed the UK, it is USPS which is in charge....the seller/shipper should open a claim on his side.

Arbogast777

I agree with Fred. If you can track it with the USPS and it still shows "in transit," it's their responsibility.

A few weeks ago I had a package mailed within the US not show up to its intended address and after speaking to an agent on the phone they were able to find the package (although it took a few days). It turns out the address had been partially torn off and I got it back. They are very good at tracking these things.

If you can't find it that way, can you just dispute the charge with your credit card, assuming you paid that way? The seller is in line for the loss here, not you.

MFisher

As a for what it's worth.. I have been making detailed 1/6 and 1/4 scale Indiana Jones gear for collectors worldwide for well over a decade now.. Only once have I had an order go missing and it was a very similar issue. US to the UK... USPS showed shipped - but as it was shipped USPS it stopped tracking once it left and just showed "in transit". Huge flaw in the tracking system. (Why when you ship a high value item overseas always use a FedEx / DHL type shipper with tracking start to finish). In the end, it eventually showed up like 6 weeks AFTER I shipped.... Although in the meantime I ended up building an entirely new second set for the customer...

ppw3o6r

Thank you for your replies. The issue is USPS do not appear to want to abide by an internationally agreed policy and the Royal Mail state because of that agreement they can do nothing until USPS contact them or when HMRC at Heathrow release a package to them after charges have been raised & yes I always use Fedex unfortunately the sender chose to use USPS but not to inform me he had shipped it! The purchase was funded with PayPal hence my not revealing what the items are or the name of the sender.

The Domino Effect

I have had items from the US take inordinately long times to reach me (3-4 months!) and when I once enquired I was told that everything that leaves the US is now checked by Homeland Security (or another US department) and that things sometimes fall off the conveyor belt and get 'lost' in the warehouse until someone stumbles across them and sticks them back into the process. The responsibility 100% lies with the original carrier regardless of by whom or when it is lost, ie USPS, FedEx etc. Even if ultimately it was a local carrier (ie Royal Mail etc) that lost it, the responsibility remains with the original carrier for the refund.

MikeG77

ppw3o6r wrote:

Thank you for your replies. The issue is USPS do not appear to want to abide by an internationally agreed policy and the Royal Mail state because of that agreement they can do nothing until USPS contact them or when HMRC at Heathrow release a package to them after charges have been raised & yes I always use Fedex unfortunately the sender chose to use USPS but not to inform me he had shipped it! The purchase was funded with PayPal hence my not revealing what the items are or the name of the sender.

Is there a way to contact PayPal and file a claim to get your funds back as the seller is either unwilling or unable to assist you?

ppw3o6r

Dear all,
Thank you for your replies. This is off the USPS website for anyone in a similar situation to myself. Is is 100% the responsibility of the sender to file a claim/commence an investigation. My thanks to Ed of thespyboys.com for unearthing this important snippet of information:

thespyboys11

The jpg is too small to be read even when you try to click on it to see a larger image.

It is a screencapture of the USPS page under Lost packages – International claims.
It reads:

“The process for filing an International claim begins with an inquiry that ONLY the U.S. sender can initiate”

Below is the link to that site to begin the International claim process:
https://www.usps.com/help/claims.htm

I am very good friends with both “Donk” and the seller and know them both to be very honest and trustworthy individuals. This is not a matter of someone trying to cheat the other but an unfortunate event that resulted in a, hopefully temporary, misplacement of a package.

The seller had been informed, several times but what is obviously untrained workers at the local USPS office, that “Donk” needed to initiate the claim. On the other hand,”Donk” was told it is the seller who must initiate the claim. This resulted in a lot of back and forth between them.

I placed myself in the middle of this situation as I am friends with both and hoped I could assist with a resolution.

I found the above page on the USPS website and forwarded it to the seller so he can proceed with the proper initiation of filing the claim. With proof in hand he can show the local USPS workers that they need to start the claim, contact Royal Mail to liason and locate the package.

Hopefully, this will get the matter resolved and both parties can be satisfied.
Ed

bonspy

thespyboys11-

Well done, Sir.
I think everyone appreciates a mediator to help solve problems and you seem to be the right person for the job.
Please let us know the outcome, I am hopeful for a happy ending.

Best regards-

kia

thespyboys11 wrote:

The jpg is too small to be read even when you try to click on it to see a larger image.

It is a screencapture of the USPS page under Lost packages – International claims.
It reads:

“The process for filing an International claim begins with an inquiry that ONLY the U.S. sender can initiate”

Below is the link to that site to begin the International claim process:
https://www.usps.com/help/claims.htm

I am very good friends with both “Donk” and the seller and know them both to be very honest and trustworthy individuals. This is not a matter of someone trying to cheat the other but an unfortunate event that resulted in a, hopefully temporary, misplacement of a package.

The seller had been informed, several times but what is obviously untrained workers at the local USPS office, that “Donk” needed to initiate the claim. On the other hand,”Donk” was told it is the seller who must initiate the claim. This resulted in a lot of back and forth between them.

I placed myself in the middle of this situation as I am friends with both and hoped I could assist with a resolution.

I found the above page on the USPS website and forwarded it to the seller so he can proceed with the proper initiation of filing the claim. With proof in hand he can show the local USPS workers that they need to start the claim, contact Royal Mail to liason and locate the package.

Hopefully, this will get the matter resolved and both parties can be satisfied.
Ed

thespyboys11

Thank you, Bonspy.
Hopefully, it turns out satisfactory for both parties.

PS: "Donk" I lost your new email. --Ed