[meteorite-list] RE: Escoria / boxes

From: Michael L Blood <mlblood_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:31:15 2004
Message-ID: <BCAAD6FE.874E%mlblood_at_cox.net>

on 4/20/04 11:16 AM, tracy latimer at daistiho_at_hotmail.com wrote:
> despite several layers of bubble wrap
> and a padded envelope, the U.S. Snail still managed to fracture the piece I
> ordered into 5 fragments and some dust.
-----------
Hi Tracy, Norm & All,
        I managed to refrain from comment re your web site comment,
Norm & the MUCH LONGER post ranting and raving against it, then
posts in favor, etc, seeing all that as far more negative than the brief
paragraph on your site. I do think your recent comment on it was
very interesting and provided thorough clarification.
                                            ----------------
        Now, on to the point of THIS post: It is most unfortunate a
very nice specimen (I checked all your photos - VERY nice material
at very affordable prices, by the way) was destroyed in mail. This
is a significant tragedy, to my way of thinking. Even if replaced by
the seller, the specimen is lost.
        This is one of the primary reasons I send EVERYTHING Priority
Mail. It is very safely boxed. (exceptions are use of Registered Mail,
in boxes, for overseas and material over $1,000 in value)
        This post is NOT meant to be a MICHAEL BLOOD justification:
It IS meant to point out the virtues of priority mail. It's the BOX,
folks, it's the box!
        Some buyers protest and want air mail, which I provide when
asked. However, a padded envelope that costs .80c is NOT going to
provide the safety of a Priority Mail box. In addition - the air mail
generally runs around $2, depending on weight, anyway. Priority
Mial is 3.85 - making it sometimes cheaper - and ALWAYS SAFER.
The cost of a box runs $2.95 to $3.95 AND, if used, adds significantly
to the air mail postage rate via the added weight. NO MATTER WHAT
ANY DEALER TELLS YOU, YOU WILL PAY FOR ANY AND ALL EXPENSES
INVOLVED IN GETTING A SPECIMEN TO YOU. This is a fact of life in
terms of commercial reality. Priority Mail is an obvious choice for the
safety of the specimen(s) - and it keeps delivery at a minimum cost.
        Now, I have been selling for many years and MAYBE someone has
gotten a broken specimen from me and not reported it. However, in
all the years I have been selling, only one person has ever reported a
broken specimen. (of course, I replaced it immediately. I also change
my packing of macromount specimens to include a thin foam sheet
between the specimen and the face of the macromount box, even
though it is plastic - I have always done this with reiker boxes, which
have glass faces, but now, unless I know the specimen is a very hard
AND TOUGH material, I do it with the plastic macromount boxes, as well).
        When I pack a box, I do so with the determination that if I throw
it across the room and bounce it off a wall, the contents will be perfectly
safe - because you can bet your bippy some 19 year old jerk in some
outback postal routing center is going to give that puppy a bank shot
to a bin across the room. If I can't bounce it off a wall with total
confidence, it is not ready to be mailed. Period.
        I note of caution, dealers: NEVER, ever mark a package, "Fragile."
I promise you there are postal workers out there that see such a
sign as a challenge to their ego to make SURE the sucker is broken.
(I have talked to several postal workers who assure me this is the
case - not to mention the track record reported by postal users).
        So, unless you want your dealer tacking on $3 to $4 for "packaging"
(almost always imbedded in the pricing - not "charged" to you honestly
and openly - that would discourage sales) AND you want your
first class mail cost raised to about $3 on top of THAT, you are better
off with the Priority Mail. Even if your dealer only mails 2 X week,
you are getting SAFETY with the cost of the mailing. And that safety
is the point - not the speed of delivery.
        Lastly: I have NEVER had a single priority mail piece lost. I am
going to encourage buyers to consider whether postal insurance is
worth it. On purchases over $1,000, I pay postage and send them
registered mail, anyway, and the cost of insurance on Registered
mail is minimal - and paid by me.
        As a last consideration, is the time priority mail takes. It is most
common to be overnight in the West (where I live) and up to 3 days
in the East. However, I actually had one package take 16 days! (that
is the record, to the best of my knowledge, and elongated delivery
time is very, very rare). In any event, it is supposed to be faster than
first class - but that is NOT the best reason to use it - the best reason is
SAFETY OF THE SPECIMEN(S) (at the most affordable cost).
        Best wishes, Michael
Received on Tue 20 Apr 2004 04:32:46 PM PDT