STOLEN Mail !

Hello to all,

I've open my Global Priority Mail envelop and there was NO BEADS !! (only the buble envelop that the sender has put in)

It's a USA/Canada shipping ... and I realize that the little green customs label says it all, it can attract people who think " That I want, and it's mine" !! Thiefs would not take the risk of opening ramdomly packages, they wait until a green label appears and they choose there gift !

I'm so upset ... who the *(_!!** can do a thing like that?

I wonder does it happen a lot? Any other bad experience like that? If so, what have you done about it?

The person who send my beads live in a rural city, she know well the postoffice people, and on my side, I received things before at my postoffice without any problem, the guy at my postoffice (who has blue, hair :-) have been working there for a long time so I don't think it's the staff at our post offices (but I'll call on Monday to talk with the manager) ... could it be Customs people?

I hate customs green labels, I hate thiefs and I hate how I feel

Thanks for listening me express all that !

Julie

I sent some samples to Northern Reflections up in Canada a few years back. After they got the package they called to ask where the samples were. Seems the descriptions, price list, etc. arrived, but the samples were no where to be found. Me thinks Canadian Customs has a leetle problem... Barbara Dream Master

If you want to make God laugh, tell him your future plans. Woody Allen

We've been having a bunch of mail stolen from our mailbox in the last few months. We're in the process of petitioning the post office to put in a locked box for four of the residents on the street. We're had bills stolen, outgoing mail with our checks in it (which were acid washed and the thieves tried to cash them, but an astute bank teller caught it and called me), and missing or destroyed items. It's gotten crazy. One thief has even had the audacity to add themselves to our electric account. We have them by the you know what's now, and the sheriff's department is investigating, and an arrest is imminent. Be persistent, do whatever you can to track it down. Sometimes, however, it's just a loss you'll have to take. It's sad that people are so icky. I'm sorry that you've become a victim to another person's greed.

Barbara, Thanks for your experience on this !

That makes me think ... when you mention Sample or Gift on the custom form, there is no duties fees to pay right? So that would means it's probably not be registred and save into files at Customs "transactions". It's like the passage of those parcel would not leave trace ...

But when there is duties to pay, they have to have it on file and it can be trace ...

My package was mentioned "gift" on it and I wonder if this may be a "cause" of stealing if the package is not tracable in Customs files.

Maybe a vengence of the staff who is sick of seeing "gift" and "sample" often written on the label ???

Julie

Oh no, I'm so sorry. That's awful. I can relate; I was sending out swap packages, and they were stolen out the open window of my car while I was inside a store for a couple of minutes. :( Sometimes people are such selfish jerks.

Yep. All the proper authorities have already been notified, of course. It's easier, i suppose, because of dh's position in the Navy...he's higher security, so they work hard to keep our info safe. We're proactive instead of reactive about it, too, so that'll help a lot in the long run.

No, unfortunately it wasn't insured ... but I have learned my lesson.

Thanks for your support,

Julie

It may not be graft or greed at all. I used to buy beads from a Canadian supplier, and there were ALWAYS beads missing - because of rough handling of the package. Some times the seeds burst loose and mingled before they got here - now that was fun! It happened several times, and although the seller would reimburse me or send more beads, it became too much of a hassle to deal with. I just stopped dealing with her.

(snip)

More likely, sticky fingers that can't resist opportunity. Like the taped images of those postal workers stuffing envelopes that looked like they contained cards into their pants. They would take them home, open them at their leisure and keep any money granny was sending to the kiddies for their birthday. Some jobs just need to be spied on to keep people honest. There was one place here is St. Louis where people went to pay parking fines. They put in a camera and caught the workers stuffing money into their bras, shorts, pants, shoes, anywhere they could. The city was losing thousands every month. Barbara Dream Master

If you want to make God laugh, tell him your future plans. Woody Allen

This is shocking, Julie! It's going to make me nervous to send items Global Priority from now on... but there's not really any choice, that's the maddening part! And then you HAVE to label it, (Yoo hoo! Here's some expensive beads, everyone!) and you can't insure it... there seems to be absolutely no recourse at all. It's a bad system.

I can't imagine how they got into it and then sealed it again, because you CANNOT open and re-close those Global Priority packages... the glue is incredible!

-Kalera

bijoulune wrote:

Huh! What a great idea..

Mavis

so there's very little incentive to open it and find out what's so special. I was thinking about getting a stamp that says "Ball Bearings" or something equally boring!>

can't remember who - but one of the lampworkers had a rubber stamp made that said "replacement stove parts" - and uses it! LOL I have considered it to -- although - if you are sending it across the border through customs - that might be considered "misleading" the customs people if they happen to open it on a spot check. Perhaps "Glass components" would be more accurate -- doesn't sound very enticing - (might be labware or something equally boring) but, technically - it's accurate.... what do you think??? Cheryl last semester of lawschool! yipee! DRAGON BEADS Flameworked beads and glass

Laurie Smith (Classi Glass) has one that says "oven parts".... Kaytee "Simplexities" on

Last year at Passover, the Lubavich Chabad sent us a box containing a very orthodox-style Matza. This looks (and tastes) like a very large, very flat, burnt cracker (if you have had the regular square matza, this is sort of like that but round, thinner, larger, and usually burnt.) It was in a box about the size and consistency of a pizza box, decorated with all kinds of funny pictures and words (the Chabad are trying to bring us less religious folks home by making religion fun). BTW this type of Matza is very expensive; it must be made from very special flour, grown in special fields, cooked under extreme supervision, and shipped from Israel without breaking.

Anyhow, someone must've thought something good was in the box. We found it bashed in and the Matza broken into pieces on the ground :(

I can't imagine what they thought was in the box.. the best it could've been was a pizza. And they COULD'VE just closed it again and left it for us when they found out they didn't want it, but I guess they were mad when they opened it and found nothing good.

marisa2

Jalynne wrote:

Ball bearings ! Hihihi ... Yesterday my boyfriend and I were joking with "nuts and bolts" :-)

but yes, like you say, customs would find it misleading (they never opened my packages for verification, exception of the stolen one, but I may have received not more than 10 yet ).

I find "Glass components" is great, (if it's glass beads) ... but for sterling silver findings or pewter beads, I would go with "Crafting supplies" as suggested by some people on another group ... "Metal components" could maybe be okay?

'cause even the word "Craft" sound too interesting ...

Julie

I love it!

-Kalera

Kaytee wrote:

"Soda-lime components" would be technically true, yet sound so boring and useless no one would be tempted.

"Pyrex End Pieces"? And stamp "For Laboratory" on the package?

-Kalera

Cheryl wrote: