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The Case of the Kidnapped Heidi

Started by LesterSD,

16 posts in this topic

LesterSD

LesterSD

Posted
Posted

Be on the lookout for a high quality ungraded copy of the Warren "Heidi Saha" mag. I purchased one earlier this month and it was apparently stolen from the mail en route. The priority mail package arrived over two weeks after it was shipped. The contents did not, except for the bubble wrap. The box was stamped "RECEIVED WITHOUT CONTENT - LOUISVILLE POST OFFICE". Of course it was insured and claims are being filed, so I'm not so much concerned about losing my money. What does concern me is the thought of "comic book criminals" infiltrating our Postal System. (and I say that with tongue only half way in cheek)

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Batko-migration

Batko-migration

Posted
Posted

That will teach you to use "Priority Mail!"

 

I have been using "Media Mail" to send my recently ended auction mags out. The packages sent across country have been arriving in 4 days. One sent Medial Mail" yesterday from Eden Prairie, MN to Lakeville, MN arrived TODAY!

 

I say the above only half-jokingly. There doesn't seem to be much of a difference in the delivery time for first class and media mail. I'm sure the gorillas in the USPS handle the packages with the same lack of care for either mail class.

 

I may be totally wrong here, but I think that sending something "Priority Mail" and insuring it up the kazoo simply alerts the sc_umbags in the USPS that there is something worth stealing inside.

 

Unless the item is really expensive, media mail and tracking are all you really need.

 

Just my two kopecks!

 

- Mike

 

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Doohickamabob

Doohickamabob

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Posted
Be on the lookout for a high quality ungraded copy of the Warren "Heidi Saha" mag.

That is terrible! It is the one recently auctioned on eBay, right? (See attached image.) I was watching that auction and noting what a nice copy of the mag it was. I hope you will pursue this as thoroughly as possible and the USPS catches the responsible party/parties.

 

I just noticed the seller is in Louisville, KY. But the Louisville post office had written "received without content." What does that mean? Was the box mailed from a post office, or did the seller ( mikehoodprp ) put stamps on the box and mail it some other way? (I thought all packages now have to be mailed in person?) Was the box received with one end opened up? I'd be curious to know the seller's take on this.

 

Just off the top of my head, you might consider contacting all comics shops, dealers etc. in the city where it is suspected of having been stolen (Louisville and thereabouts), as well as sending out emails containing basic info about the theft to all national comics and magazine dealers.

 

Do you have a personal web page (such as on Google or Yahoo)? If so, consider adding this link to your RSS feeds -- or just this direct link . Every time you click it, it will find any hits on a search for the word "heidi" on Craiglist in the Louisville area. That is, if you want to try to catch the thief, and the thief is dumb enough to try to sell the mag on Craiglist.

134842.jpg.329ee7edb3651238cc6552c9c4142ed1.jpg

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Batko-migration

Batko-migration

Posted
Posted
Be on the lookout for a high quality ungraded copy of the Warren "Heidi Saha" mag.

That is terrible! It is the one recently auctioned on eBay, right? (See attached image.) I was watching that auction and noting what a nice copy of the mag it was. I hope you will pursue this as thoroughly as possible and the USPS catches the responsible party/parties.

 

I just noticed the seller is in Louisville, KY. But the Louisville post office had written "received without content." What does that mean? Was the box mailed from a post office, or did the seller ( mikehoodprp ) put stamps on the box and mail it some other way? (I thought all packages now have to be mailed in person?) Was the box received with one end opened up? I'd be curious to know the seller's take on this.

 

Just off the top of my head, you might consider contacting all comics shops, dealers etc. in the city where it is suspected of having been stolen (Louisville and thereabouts), as well as sending out emails containing basic info about the theft to all national comics and magazine dealers.

 

Do you have a personal web page (such as on Google or Yahoo)? If so, consider adding this link to your RSS feeds -- or just this direct link . Every time you click it, it will find any hits on a search for the word "heidi" on Craiglist in the Louisville area. That is, if you want to try to catch the thief, and the thief is dumb enough to try to sell the mag on Craiglist.

 

That is a nice looking copy! If the word is put out quickly enough I think it would be pretty difficult for the thief to sell this mag. There were only 500 printed back in the day and it only comes up for sale once in a blue moon.

 

This is kind of like stealing the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in Paris. What do you do with it after you steal it? You can't sell it.

 

However, based on what Doohickamabob is saying, this theft might not have occurred during the mags journey through the postal system. It sounds like the box was mailed empty. The seller should be questioned.

 

- Mike

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Doohickamabob

Doohickamabob

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However, based on what Doohickamabob is saying, this theft might not have occurred during the mags journey through the postal system. It sounds like the box was mailed empty. The seller should be questioned.

It is hard to tell from the description of what unfolded whether the seller mailed it empty, somebody at the Louisville post office opened it before it went to the sorting area (or receiving/shipping area?), or what. The weird part is, if the Louisville post office knew that the box was messed with internally (such as, if it had a side opened), then why would they send it on through the postal system to its destination? Is that standard operating procedure?

 

Another poster in another forum here (in comics general -- a thread titled "a comics bidder to block" or something) reported a very similar incident in which a buyer received a package that had its contents missing. In this case, though, the seller was writing the original post, and he strongly suspected the buyer, not the post office, of being the culprit.

 

If it was stolen internally at the P.O., I'd love to have seen the look on the thief's face when he saw the mag.

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Makmorn

Makmorn

Posted
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Did you comapare the shipped weight (on the usps label) to the current weight with no book? That might at least give an idea if there was a book in there from the start. (shrug)

You may have to contact the post office for the shipped weight if it is not on the label. Just a thought, may not be possible, but I think with insurance and all, they should be able to look it up.

 

 

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dupont2005

dupont2005

Posted
Posted
Be on the lookout for a high quality ungraded copy of the Warren "Heidi Saha" mag. I purchased one earlier this month and it was apparently stolen from the mail en route. The priority mail package arrived over two weeks after it was shipped. The contents did not, except for the bubble wrap. The box was stamped "RECEIVED WITHOUT CONTENT - LOUISVILLE POST OFFICE". Of course it was insured and claims are being filed, so I'm not so much concerned about losing my money. What does concern me is the thought of "comic book criminals" infiltrating our Postal System. (and I say that with tongue only half way in cheek)
That's strange. I once sold some coins on eBay and mailed them in a $5 flat rate box. Along the way (they made it all the way from California to New Jersey) the box had been torn open, like it had been slammed in a car door and busted open. The roll of Franklin halves disappeared of course :eyeroll:

 

Instead of delivering the package to the buyer, they sent it back to me with a stamp that said pretty much the same thing on it.

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LesterSD

LesterSD

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Long story short. After much communication between buyer and seller and the earning of each other's trust... I got my money refunded. The seller is collecting on the insurance claim. Ms. Heidi proves once again that she is still the master when it comes to playing "hard to get".

 

It would take an awful lot of evidence to convince me that this was not an outright theft by a postal employee.

 

Sad, frustrating business, to say the least.

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That Ron Dude

That Ron Dude

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That is a strange one. There must be no more than a couple of thousand people who recognize the value of that magazine and would be able to resell it. Why would someone steal an insured copy, when it could be tracked and there would be some sort of investigation?

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50 Cent #II (1st)

50 Cent #II (1st)

Posted
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Hi

I just found this listing on the net. Not saying it's the same but it looks like there's 2 light stress line on the spine at the same places. What do you think? http://bid.ableauctions.ca/HEIDI-NN-HIGH-GRADE-RARE-1973-WARREN_i15745044

 

Holy makeral that book sold for $750! :o is that a new high?

 

Actually 862.50, but it's only Canadian. Just kidding...

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