I Think USPS Lost A Gun I Shipped

[SAB215]

I recently made a sale to a PAFOA member for a shotgun. We made shipping arrangements and everything got out the door on my end without a problem. USPS took the gun no questions, UPS took the ammo no questions.

I checked the tracking# and the only status on it was that it was accepted on the day I dropped it off... 2 weeks ago. I called them today to find out what's up. The woman I spoke to said it's not in their building and it might not have been scanned when it left. I called the PO of where it was being sent, the woman there called BS and that it never left my PO. She told me that I need to call an inspector, and that there is no way it would've made it out there without SOMEONE scanning it. It was somewhere with my PO and they need to find it.

At this point, I'm worried for several reasons. One, my gun is out there SOMEWHERE in who knows hands. Two, the guy I sold to is out of his cash. Luckily I have it insured and will gladly pay him back if it is missing... but who knows how long it will take for them to pay out.

I plan on going in this weekend with the local Postmasters number, the inspectors number, talk about and following through with a police report for stolen property, and a call to the ATF. The guy knew it was a gun when he took it. Maybe if some higher ups know what he lost

Has anyone had ANYTHING like this happen with USPS? How long should I expect the claims process to take?

[NathanB]

I didn't think you could ship firearms through e postal service. I might be wrong there

[SAB215]

Shotguns & Rifles, yes. Handguns, no.
Must also be interstate.
I was also shipping it to an FFL, so it wouldn't matter anyway.

I've read a few stories of talking to hire ups and involving police/ATF and somehow the package magically makes it to where it's going.
Hopefully that will be my case.

[Remington788]

Shotguns & Rifles, yes. Handguns, no.
Must also be interstate.
I was also shipping it to an FFL, so it wouldn't matter anyway.

I've read a few stories of talking to hire ups and involving police/ATF and somehow the package magically makes it to where it's going.
Hopefully that will be my case.

I've heard similar stories here too. Why would you risk using the USPS anyway?
Also if it was a POFA member, wouldn't it be an intRaState shipment?

[Emptymag]

I had a rifle mailed to me. The online status showed "delivered" when in fact it was not - I had waited at home specifically for the purpose of receiving it.
I called and asked if I could go and pick it up there. I went and they said it wasn't there. I was given some story about a shift manager having taken it out to deliver it and that it was marked "delivered", but he had gone home for the day so they couldn't ask him about it. I was not happy and told them that no package was ever delivered that day.

Three people went looking for it as I waited, fuming, in the lobby.
About 40 minutes into it I told the manager that the package was a rifle and that I wasn't leaving until it was found. I told her I was going to call the police.

Ten minutes later out she came with the package. I can't recall if it was in the bin where our regular mail carrier's mail goes for him to take out with him, or on the shift manager's desk.

I was not a happy camper.

Don't trust ANY documentation by the USPS - ever.

[bamboomaster]

Luckily I have it insured and will gladly pay him back if it is missing... but who knows how long it will take for them to pay out.

Has anyone had ANYTHING like this happen with USPS? How long should I expect the claims process to take?

The claims process will take as long as it needs to for you to forget about the claim. Remember, it is a PROCESS, and some folks take longer to forget about the claim than others. Life gets in the way too, all to the benefit of USPS. Some claimants just die - so the process with no claimant sort of goes into a kettle of sorts with all the other unresolved claims.

I'm not sure who gets what's in the kettle, but this has occurred in our experience with six boxes of collectible reference books, gold coins, and airsoft rifles. Yeah, we were dumber than most.

About all we use USPS for is for paying a credit card bill - and we've even migrated to doing that online.

Although our business with USPS has diminished, we still get all that JUNK MAIL for free!

Is this a great country or what?

[ChemicalReaper]

I read somewhere that USPS boasts if it were a private company, it would be one of the top 5 (I think) largest employers in the U.S.

They forgot to boast that if it were a private company, it would have bankrupted itself decades ago.

[Gunsnwater]

Ups is the way to ship. Sorry for your loss.

[Boondox]

tracking USPS on your home computer is a worthless event.
Regardless , half the time it does not work.
Maybe you'll get lucky ........ but 2 weeks is a long time.
As I understand it , if USPS shows it arrived .... even if it didn't ...... you loose the $$$$.
In another case my wife sent something USPS and it was tracked the entire way.
At some point the package was opened and emptied.
The package arrived with a note from the USPS saying it was opened/emptied.
With no idea where the contents went.
Everyone following me here?
Now gosh dare it.
At some point someone handed somebody an open/emptied package while scanning it and decided to leave the note.
Who was it?
Why bother even finishing the delivery?
the USPS is very large with a lot of thieves.
Way too much hassle dealing with it.
Sams Club outside of Altoona PA has an employee on tape stealing a customers sams club card.
Caught red handed.
Employee kept their job.
Why should USPS do anything?
They've admitted you can't trust them.

[SAB215]

tracking USPS on your home computer is a worthless event.
Regardless , half the time it does not work.
Maybe you'll get lucky ........ but 2 weeks is a long time.
As I understand it , if USPS shows it arrived .... even if it didn't ...... you loose the $$$$.

That's the best part, the tracking clearly shows that it hasn't left the office I dropped it off at, and they're telling me it isn't there.
The woman on the phone today tried to say that a bunch of people missed its scans and it was probably delivered.

I HIGHLY doubt that it missed an outgoing in Philly, an arrival and departure at its destination AND a delivery scan.