[meteorite-list] Lost/stolen meteorite in transit

From: Richard Kowalski <damoclid_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:46:08 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <716076.99015.qm_at_web113609.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>

Hey Martin.

Sorry to hear of your loss. In the previous career I mentioned in my own thread a short time ago, I handled a lot of US Mail. You would be amazed at how mail is handled... Or maybe not... by contractors who do not work for the post office as a normal course of moving the mail.

I can easily imagine your package somehow became crushed and in transit the contents fell out. At some point during handling the crushed, empty box was discovery and it was placed in the plastic envelope that was finally delivered.

I don't know how you packed you item(s) but I do know that if there is any chance for a box to be crushed because of insufficient packaging, it will be. Not a comment on your packaging, just a word of advice to anyone shipping anything.

And, while it is possibly the items were stolen, I suspect that is a very small possibility. Knowing the volume and how most packages are bundled for mass shipment, I'd guess that it is rather unlikely someone was searching the mails, looking at the declared values to find something valuable.

I also know for a fact that items insured above a certain value travel in locked and sealed in large, hard-walled cases, with that receive a higher level of service and scrutiny. Not sure what the exact lowest declared value needs to be to for an item to make it into the case though.

There may be some postal employee on the list who can be more specific.

Cheers

--
Richard Kowalski
Full Moon Photography
IMCA #1081
--- On Thu, 3/17/11, martin goff <msgmeteorites at gmail.com> wrote:
> From: martin goff <msgmeteorites at gmail.com>
> Subject: [meteorite-list] Lost/stolen meteorite in transit
> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Date: Thursday, March 17, 2011, 11:01 AM
> Hi all,
> 
> I have just heard that a meteorite that i sent to a
> collector in the
> US has been lost or stolen whilst in transit. The box was
> delivered by
> the USPS flatpacked in a USPS plastic bag without any of
> the contents.
> No note or paperwork or any kind! I sent this via the
> premium
> international signed for service and was fully insured. Due
> to the
> insurance the full cost was stated on the customs
> declaration. I
> normally send things by standard airmail but in this case
> didnt as i
> wanted it insuring. It would seem that due to the value
> declared
> someone has opened it and stolen the contents. If it was
> opened by
> customs then surely there would be paperwork sent with
> whatever import
> duty was owed etc. etc.
> 
> Has anyone else experienced lost/stolen packages like this?
> Not a very
> nice experience!
> 
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Martin
> 
> -- 
> Martin Goff
> www.msg-meteorites.co.uk
> IMCA #3387
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Received on Thu 17 Mar 2011 02:46:08 PM PDT