MISSING: Iron Man #55 CGC 9.0 OW pages - Certification number 4076324006 1 1

[Inhuman Fiend]

Hello all...asking for the comic collecting community to be on the lookout for a missing Iron Man #55, graded CGC 9.0 with OW pages, Cert #4076324006. I sold this on eBay back in August, dropped it off at the Post Office (in a drop box) and then...nothing. It was sold to a buyer in California who never received it. Unfortunately the USPS never scanned the item (it was sent insured USPS Priority) so they denied my insurance claim. I refunded the buyer as it was the right thing to do, but dang this one hurt. I've been selling on eBay for 20 years and always use USPS Priority Mail. In all that time (thousands of books), they have lost only 2 packages, and one of them was eventually returned to me...battered but intact. Only one was truly lost and never showed up. Until now! I've exhausted all options with the Post Office, and long story short: basically I'm screwed because it was never scanned so they accept no responsibility because I can't prove I put it in the drop box. Obviously in hindsight I should have given it directly to a PO employee to scan and acknowledge acceptance, but again in over a thousand transactions (almost all put in their large collection bin) it was never an issue. But live and learn. Anyway...back then it was a $2K+ book and I just had to eat it. The book is somewhere, certainly it's possible the buyer did actually receive it...but I do believe him that they never got it. Maybe it's truly lost under the seat of a Post Office truck or something, or maybe a greedy PO worker snagged it. I just wanted to put out an alert in case it does resurface for sale somewhere, somehow. Obviously it's a longshot but you never know.

Pictures below, thanks in advance!

Greg

[joeypost]

Sorry to hear Greg. I always have things scanned now. It’s a pain but I have had zero issues since I started doing it about 7 years ago. 

[Poekaymon]

Especially during the holidays, our post office really wants you to just drop things off rather than wait to have them scan stuff, but I always wait in line anyway for anything over, say, $100.  I've never had them lose anything that I just dropped off without scan, but several times it has gone unscanned for a week or two, or just suddenly shows up at its destination.  Just not worth the worry for anything expensive.

[Tnexus]

Stupid question, but did you talk to the PO that you dropped it off at? It's possible the address label got ripped off and it's still there in holding. I'd try the same at your local PO distribution hub.

[Dr. Balls]

I use a very small Post Office to drop my packages off, and I hand them over without scanning. I don't think I'll be doing that anymore.

[Inhuman Fiend]

On 12/29/2022 at 1:31 PM, Tnexus said:

Stupid question, but did you talk to the PO that you dropped it off at? It's possible the address label got ripped off and it's still there in holding. I'd try the same at your local PO distribution hub.

NOT a stupid question at all! I did speak to a supervisor about 2 weeks after mailing, he said don't worry it will show up but just in case, file a missing mail search request (I did).

I've gone back a few times with the intention of having another conversation, but he's either unavailable or they are overwhelmed and I can't even get up to the counter. I need to try again, block off half a day to wait and be persistent...make them really look for it locally. Appreciate the reply!

[lizards2]

On 12/29/2022 at 10:42 AM, Dr. Balls said:

I use a very small Post Office to drop my packages off, and I hand them over without scanning. I don't think I'll be doing that anymore.

Yeah - it is definitely worth your time in a small town. I was doing the ordered pick-up on packages, and sometimes just shoving packages in unattended package slot at the P.O., then discovered some were not getting scanned.

So, I just make the time to take them to the P.O. now, and get a receipt - that way I know they are scanned in.

[justadude]

For what it's worth, I had a similar experience with a much less expensive item and went back and had them do a missing mail search. Once they couldn't locate it, they offered to pay for the eBay value of the item which they did. I hear this is rare, but it happened for me.

[lostboys]

Im not accusing anyone of anything in this case but Ive had packages delivered to me that were never scanned as delivered. Sometimes the post office just doesnt scan packages at all. I could have easily lied and said they never came. Id never do that but there are all types out there.

 

 

 

 

[bluehorseshoe]

What did you offer up as proof when USPS asked if you are sure you dropped it off in the Dropbox?

[Cat]

Not to be rude, but if this happened in August why are we just now hearing about it? Odds are by now it's already long gone. 

[Inhuman Fiend]

On 12/30/2022 at 8:00 PM, bluehorseshoe said:

What did you offer up as proof when USPS asked if you are sure you dropped it off in the Dropbox?

Didn't have any of course...I did have my son write a letter stating he witnessed me dropping it in (he was with me) but they didn't care 

[Inhuman Fiend]

On 12/30/2022 at 8:03 PM, Cat said:

Not to be rude, but if this happened in August why are we just now hearing about it? Odds are by now it's already long gone. 

Fair enough question, guess I foolishly had faith it would either get there or come back to me. The insurance claim (and appeals) took 3 months for all the rejections.

But yeah, definitely should have posted this a long time ago