General Forum

If someone  sends you cards and they are lost by post office or lost in the mail who should get the insurance ?  I have a trade that was sent to me reportedly a month ago and the other end claims the mail said it is still enroute?  If the package never shows can the mailer collect on insurance? If so shouldn't I get the money considering  I got stiffed?  I sent cards paid postage and insurance on my end with a successful result got nothing in return....

For lost mail, the sender has to submit the claim and gets the money. You in turn get a refund from the seller.

If a package arrives damaged, then you (the receiver) would submit a claim and get the insurance money.

First off, did your trader give you a tracking number? You can both call the last stop it was registered at and get them to try to track it down inside that facility. C2C is right about the rest. I had an incoming package disappear several years ago and it was last scanned at a sort facility near my house. After both of us contacted local PO's and later called the sort facility, USPS finally found the package. It had been knocked off of a conveyor belt and sat on the floor of the sort facility for over a month before being found. It could have been found sooner if either of us had called the sort facility earlier. I finally got my cards without any damage, but it was a lesson for both of us on how to handle such a thing. We had traded several times before though, so that helped us track it down b/c we knew each other and also knew that neither of us was trying to screw over the other person. After over a decade in time and over 600 trades/sells/purchases online, that is the only time that has ever happened.

I know that everytime that I have sent a package i have received a tracking number. This would have been a good sized package and received a tracking number in fact I actually put some insurance on the item i sent this time in the other direction because it was pretty inexpensive and considering the massive number of cards I had sent.   I have asked about the tracking number a few times but it hasn't been shared with me. They said they keep asking the post office so I wonder if they are tracking it, but it has been a month plus?

I'd be suspicous if they won't provide you a tracking number. Do you have an USPS.com account?  All tracking numbers with your address are automatically uploaded to your "My USPS".

Didn't know that cool! I don't think I do but I will check.

If you don't have an account, you can easily create one.  Any packages that are being tracked will 'magically' show up on your screen.

I know even with a tracking number things can get lost and turn up much later. I made an amazon purchase a couple years ago where it got lost in the mail. I got a full refund. The package ended up showing up almost a year later. Was a bit dusty but otherwise in fine condition. I had to contact the seller and go through the process of paying again.

Very useful information about the My USPS account. I didn't know that.

Yup. Tracking can still be thwarted by human error. I had a tracked package that USPS claimed had been delivered to my doorstep. I didn't believe them, but at their suggestion I filed a stolen package claim, knowing it would turn up. Two days later the neighbor to whom the package had been delivered brought it over....

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I'd say that sender is responsible for insuring cards reach receiver, regardless if it's the post office's fault or not.  It's still the sender's responsibility to make it right with the receiver.