Mailing Crochet Items

[happy stitcher]

Please learn from my mistake!

I've been stressing over a package I sent on April 20. It was an afghan that took me several months to make. A gift for a friend who had a stroke. I was miserable every time I thought about re-making the gift and every time I thought about how all that work was probably lost and would never be enjoyed by my friend.

 

When I mailed it, I just mailed it. Not priority, no delivery confirmation, nothing special - just mailed it. I had great faith in the postal service, because I've mailed hundreds of things over the years - I mail something to somebody at least once a week. My family doesn't live nearby, so I have to use the postal service to send anything that won't go electronically.

 

When I called the post office, I was told that nothing could be done for 30 days because I hadn't mailed it priority. Worse, I'd lost my receipt, and they needed that.

 

Then I decided to call the post office closest to my friend. I just looked it up online and called - sure enough, the package was there! They had an old order to hold mail, and hadn't released the packages! They had about 8 packages there waiting for them. I called my friend and told her to call her post office

(I had the number handy! ) and she called to release her mail. She wasn't sure why they had held her packages, because when she released the hold a few weeks ago, they brought all the regular mail. Evidently somebody didn't release the hold on the package portion.

 

I'm SO relieved! And I've learned my lesson. All that stress isn't necessary. A few extra dollars and I could've relaxed. I'll never mail something like an afghan again without making sure I have a tracking number.

 

Even though the post office did their job and delivered my package, things could've been much worse. Please learn from my mistake - you don't want to worry about your gifts!

[nevadamama]

Thanks for the tip and sharing your experience.

[jenniferelyse74]

Definitely something to remember. I will be sure to spend extra on postage just for peace of mind. TFS.

[tnkycrochetnut]

for sharing your experience. There is a lesson in it for all of us. If we are going to mail something of value (etiher monetary or sentimental) take a little extra caution and a couple of dollars to insure it and to get a tracking number. I am glad your situation turned out okay for everyone.

[greatgrammy]

I had a similar experience when I bought a rubber stamp about a year ago. The stamp came out of the package and was missing when I got the empty box. The good part was my husband is a retired postal service employee and we were able to contact people locally and the stamp was found.

 

Anyway, the point of my story is when I mail stamps, I place them in a plastic bag with the description of the item, the name and address of the person to whom I am shipping them and my name and address. That way, if the package is damaged and the item falls out, it can be repackaged and sent along its way. Even if I ship with a delivery confirmation, I do this.

 

HTH!

[happy stitcher]

Anyway, the point of my story is when I mail stamps, I place them in a plastic bag with the description of the item, the name and address of the person to whom I am shipping them and my name and address. That way, if the package is damaged and the item falls out, it can be repackaged and sent along its way. Even if I ship with a delivery confirmation, I do this.

 

It's a good idea to put the address inside, attached to whatever you're sending - also, I try to write the address directly on the box instead of using a label that might be removed somehow.

 

I'm just relieved that the afghan was safe all along, and I worried for no reason - but I wouldn't have had to worry at all if I'd had a tracking number. That's definitely a lesson well-learned. I won't do that again. I probably sprouted a few new gray hairs over the last week!

[hayhook]

Judy, thanks for the warning! I'm so glad the package was found. I made an afghan for my brother in Dallas and packaged it up to mail, but just couldn't do it. Even if it was insured it wouldn't replace all the work I put into it. I just waited and gave it to him the next time he came up.

[losingmymind2]

Three winters ago, I sent an inflatable penguin and some Christmas ornament kits to my daughter and husband at home since I was going to be away for the holidays. The package never arrived, it wasn't worth a lot so I didn't insure it, but I'd love to see the face of whoever ended up with it. Instead of packing peanuts I used piles of clean used socks that were sitting around my Mom's house! Some were my daughters, and I told her just to toss any that weren't cause no one here claimed them.

[grannyzkraftz]

oh im so relieved everything worked thanx for the heads up on that i can imagine how worried you must have been

 

Janny

[happy stitcher]

Judy, thanks for the warning! I'm so glad the package was found. I made an afghan for my brother in Dallas and packaged it up to mail, but just couldn't do it. Even if it was insured it wouldn't replace all the work I put into it. I just waited and gave it to him the next time he came up.

 

Jean, I'm not sure you can even insure hand-made items. A postal clerk once told me that they couldn't be insured. I don't know if that's changed, but you're right - insurance isn't enough for some things!

 

I'm glad my post received some attention - worrying over mailed items is no fun!

[texasredhead]

I'm glad that it got there!!! I learned the hard way too that you should always send at least delivery confirmation. Your package will be tracked, and get better treatment than the ones that are sent just regular. The non tracked packages are not put into the trucks until space is availabe, and so your package might not get there as soon as you wanted it to especially during peak mailing times such as the holidays.

[Autumn]

Jean, I'm not sure you can even insure hand-made items. A postal clerk once told me that they couldn't be insured. I don't know if that's changed, but you're right - insurance isn't enough for some things!

 

I'm glad my post received some attention - worrying over mailed items is no fun!

 

 

I always insure my mailed crochet items. I keep the receipts from the yarn and insure it for the cost of the yarn. I know it won't 'pay' me back for the hours put in, but at least if they lose it, I can recoup the yarn costs. I put addresses both inside and outside of the box and I also always send them priority mail. So they get there in 2-3 days.

[krafty19]

You can insure it for how much you would sell the item for (which would include the hours you spent making the item)--it's up to you how much insurance you want to put on an item.

[darski]

I sent out 2 boxes of AG doll clothes months ago and to this day, I have no idea where they are. I usually got a receipt with a tracking number but this time I was not given one so i had no way of knowing what happened to them.

 

it kinda breaks my heart that all that love is lost somewhere out there.

 

I learned my lesson that time as well. I want a tracking number and I ain't leaving until I get one after this.

[Autumn]

You can insure it for how much you would sell the item for (which would include the hours you spent making the item)--it's up to you how much insurance you want to put on an item.

 

Our Post Office says that in order for the insurance to pay for the mailed/lost item, you have to produce a receipt of what the item cost you. -- hence I can recoup from the yarn cost. And, in order to recoup from a 'hand made' item - for the hours put in etc. , you have to show them a bill of sale.

They also said that you could put as much insurance on it you wanted, but if lost, you still have to produce the 'above' and they will only pay you that amount, not the over amount if you got a lot of insurance. Hence if you got 100.00 worth of insurance but can only give them the paperwork for 10.00 then they only pay you 10.00 for the loss.

[Feederofthepack]

Thanks for the reminder. I'm getting ready to mail a wedding afghan from OH to GA. I'd hate it if it didn't arrive!

[happy stitcher]

I sent out 2 boxes of AG doll clothes months ago and to this day, I have no idea where they are...

 

Oh Darski, I hope you find them!

 

Our Post Office says that in order for the insurance to pay for the mailed/lost item, you have to produce a receipt of what the item cost you. -- hence I can recoup from the yarn cost. And, in order to recoup from a 'hand made' item - for the hours put in etc. , you have to show them a bill of sale.

They also said that you could put as much insurance on it you wanted, but if lost, you still have to produce the 'above' and they will only pay you that amount, not the over amount if you got a lot of insurance. Hence if you got 100.00 worth of insurance but can only give them the paperwork for 10.00 then they only pay you 10.00 for the loss.

 

Thanks! That makes perfect sense!