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Careful with your holiday packages or you'll get $%&! like me by the Post Office

Started by Baron,

29 posts in this topic

Baron

Baron

Posted
Posted

Well I used to be a staunch defender of using the post office for art delivery (I do use them shipping art and getting it as well with no big issues), but after getting an original cover sent to me via USPS Priority Mail just one state over (arrived in 2 days) I am thoroughly bummed out.

 

The package had what looked like a 2" puncture going through 3 layers of the flat priority mail box packaging (it didn't completely go out the other end), but it did ruin the art...right straight through the cross on the cover! It looks like the edge of another box just slammed right perfectly onto it.

 

This is the worst damage I've ever had for art (no issues from Canada and overseas shipping prior besides some bending). Ruined a perfectly awesome, one-of-a-kind cover. The art was shipped just in the same way I've gotten from other dealers and the way I ship out mine too, just seemingly brutal handling by the post office this holiday season, so watch out!

 

p.s. Any suggestions from you forumites on any type of restoration possible? Aint' going to use tape!

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the blob

the blob

Posted
Posted

I am certain that can be restored/fixed, though I don't know anyone in California. Was it insured? (Which I guess doesn't help because you want the OA, not to send it in to the post office.)

 

Honestly, if we're talking about $500, $1000, $1500++ OA, one might consider masonite boards. Of course, you need a saw and such to cut them nice. In looking at that I wish I had sent my last slab out in masonite rather than a cardboard sandwhich and bubble wrap.

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DailySuperpower

DailySuperpower

Posted
Posted
I am certain that can be restored/fixed, though I don't know anyone in California. Was it insured? (Which I guess doesn't help because you want the OA, not to send it in to the post office.)

 

Honestly, if we're talking about $500, $1000, $1500++ OA, one might consider masonite boards. Of course, you need a saw and such to cut them nice. In looking at that I wish I had sent my last slab out in masonite rather than a cardboard sandwhich and bubble wrap.

 

Home Depot and Lowes type stores will cut down sheets of masonite for a small fee, something like $.25 per cut.

 

As for restoration you can probably press out most of that damage so the art is at least presentable.

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Baron

Baron

Posted
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No insurance on this piece unfortunately. Plus it was a sweet, sweet cover...oh the humanity.

 

The only dealer I've ever that I know of that ever shipped art via masonite was Catskill Comics (i think), which I very highly recommend. Heck, I got a OA piece shipped from Canada inbetween a thick plastic sheets and even it got cracked causing a section bent/crinkled...but that was the worst damage prior to this. I just can't believe that a prioity mail shipment from one state over would have caused this, but as someone pointed out, USPS holiday shipping is just the workers chucking packages left and right.

 

I guess I'm going to try and just flatten out the page as best I could and store it away.

 

And thus ends my 2011 OA art purchase fever...not with a bang, but with a whimper. =-\

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Dr. Balls

Dr. Balls

Posted
Posted

Oh man, that is just sad. Not that I am a staunch defender of the USPS - but I've probably sent upwards of 1,000 art prints via USPS over the past decade (flats), and it's not often that they damage stuff. But man, when they do it to original art - it's heartbreaking.

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DiceX

DiceX

Posted
Posted
I am certain that can be restored/fixed, though I don't know anyone in California. Was it insured? (Which I guess doesn't help because you want the OA, not to send it in to the post office.)

 

Honestly, if we're talking about $500, $1000, $1500++ OA, one might consider masonite boards. Of course, you need a saw and such to cut them nice. In looking at that I wish I had sent my last slab out in masonite rather than a cardboard sandwhich and bubble wrap.

 

That's such a clean punch that you can have it fixed and you'd never know it was damaged.

 

 

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nocutename

nocutename

Posted
Posted

That stinks. I hate Priority boxes and envelopes. Every single package I received in a PM mailer was mangled in some fashion. Luckily, most of the content has survived but I try to avoid sellers that use PM packing supplies. Regular brown box packages seem to arrive unharmed. It makes me wonder if the post office workers hate priority mail.

 

Well I used to be a staunch defender of using the post office for art delivery (I do use them shipping art and getting it as well with no big issues), but after getting an original cover sent to me via USPS Priority Mail just one state over (arrived in 2 days) I am thoroughly bummed out.

 

The package had what looked like a 2" puncture going through 3 layers of the flat priority mail box packaging (it didn't completely go out the other end), but it did ruin the art...right straight through the cross on the cover! It looks like the edge of another box just slammed right perfectly onto it.

 

This is the worst damage I've ever had for art (no issues from Canada and overseas shipping prior besides some bending). Ruined a perfectly awesome, one-of-a-kind cover. The art was shipped just in the same way I've gotten from other dealers and the way I ship out mine too, just seemingly brutal handling by the post office this holiday season, so watch out!

 

p.s. Any suggestions from you forumites on any type of restoration possible? Aint' going to use tape!

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brendanb438

brendanb438

Posted
Posted

Just had a piece of OA in the same type of box with a similar hole in the box. I was lucky that the OA was pushed all the way against the other side of the box and didn't get damaged.

 

December just isn't a good time of the year to get stuff that is at all fragile sent to you. Too much stuff going through the mail and the USPS seems to just not give a damn about keeping heavier packages from being tossed onto other boxes. They are just processing packages as quickly as possible with no concern for damage.

 

I actually shipped out a really really heavy flat rate box the first week of this month and watched the counter rep toss it on top of a few other boxes in a bin and heard a loud crunch and pop. This was a 30 + pound box and the person didn't give a damn.

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VintageComics

VintageComics

Posted
Posted
I am certain that can be restored/fixed, though I don't know anyone in California. Was it insured? (Which I guess doesn't help because you want the OA, not to send it in to the post office.)

 

Honestly, if we're talking about $500, $1000, $1500++ OA, one might consider masonite boards. Of course, you need a saw and such to cut them nice. In looking at that I wish I had sent my last slab out in masonite rather than a cardboard sandwhich and bubble wrap.

 

That's such a clean punch that you can have it fixed and you'd never know it was damaged.

 

 

Yup.

 

Also, the nice thing about Original Art is that resto is not frowned upon like it is in regular comics. Art gets restored all the time and it's acceptable because it's a one of a kind.

 

You can probably have anyone that handles paper restoration press that hole flat and bind it with some archival glue and it would probably be near invisible.

 

Sucks that it happened but it's probably not as bad as it initially seemed.

 

 

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Mark 1

Mark 1

Posted
Posted

I had the same thing happen a few months ago with 2 CGC books I bought from a forum member. Was in 2 priority boxes and the hole went through both boxes. Thankfully only the tops of the slabs were cracked and the books were fine.

 

I got them reholdered (thanks to the forum member) and all is fine but some times these workers clearly don't care how they treat a package.

 

Sorry to hear about the damage. :(

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