westform Posted December 31, 2023 Share Posted December 31, 2023 I purchased this Peanuts strip from a fellow collector. USPS said it went missing and they have been searching. Was stuck in NY. Now it shows up in FL on ebay. Any suggestions? I contacted the seller just now but haven’t heard back yet. https://www.ebay.com/itm/335182735285 tth2, Mmehdy, The Voord and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Readcomix Posted December 31, 2023 Share Posted December 31, 2023 Have you contacted eBay directly as well? We need s9me boardies who are eBay experts to weigh in; taking guesses here: @Buzzetta @fastballspecial @1Cool Please tag anyone whose expertise might help that I may have missed. Awful to see this happening! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnkurJ Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 Did you contact the original seller? Not sure how long ago it went missing, but I would absolutely let the seller know, as well as USPS (when they open on 1/2 I guess). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastballspecial Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 (edited) Contact ebay asap I would think tell them this is stolen merchandise. That seller has a ton of Peanuts art. I would imagine this was either a consignment or someone sold it to them. Edited January 1 by fastballspecial Readcomix 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westform Posted January 1 Author Share Posted January 1 On 12/31/2023 at 5:16 PM, AnkurJ said: Did you contact the original seller? Not sure how long ago it went missing, but I would absolutely let the seller know, as well as USPS (when they open on 1/2 I guess). Yes. Contacted sellers. Ebay and the friend who sold it to me. Its been missing for almost three months but they keep sending messages that they are still looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westform Posted January 1 Author Share Posted January 1 On 12/31/2023 at 5:19 PM, fastballspecial said: Contact ebay asap I would think tell them this is stolen merchandise. That seller has a ton of Peanuts art. I would imagine this was either a consignment or someone sold it to them. He says he boight it legally from usps as unclaimed lost mail. ThothAmon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westform Posted January 1 Author Share Posted January 1 Ebay is very hard to contact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill the Governor Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 (edited) On 12/31/2023 at 7:33 PM, westform said: He says he boight it legally from usps as unclaimed lost mail. You likely have a receipt of sale via e-mail or elsewhere, as well as the open case with USPS, etc. in order to file a police report. You know where it is, that's usually the hardest part to find out. Could be wrong, but I think that's gotta be done (and asap) before they're legally required to give it up. edit: I sent the seller a polite message indicating the piece is owned legally by someone else with a prior bill of sale and got this response: Hi, I legally purchased all my items from USPS themselves. I presume the item was insured by the seller when it was originally sold and shipped. There is usually 1 option with these types of scenarios...The buyer or seller contacts the postal service and they get in communication with someone higher up who handles lost and unclaimed cases. USPS can usually make a deal with me. I've dealt with situations like this before, and the outcome is always the same... I legally purchased my items from USPS. Meaning I legally own each of my purchases. I have the right to sell my items. How did you hear about this? Edited January 1 by Phill the Governor Twanj and tth2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzetta Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 On 12/31/2023 at 6:18 PM, westform said: I purchased this Peanuts strip from a fellow collector. USPS said it went missing and they have been searching. Was stuck in NY. Now it shows up in FL on ebay. Any suggestions? I contacted the seller just now but haven’t heard back yet. https://www.ebay.com/itm/335182735285 I’m waiting for a show to start and saw I was tagged in this. I’ll do the best I can from my phone. USPS does sell / auction off unclaimed, misdirected, or “lost” mail. This actually happens more frequently than people think. There is the very real possibility that the seller bought it or outbid others for that unopened package. As the buyer, if you were reimbursed already I do not see you laying much of a claim. If you have not been reimbursed then that is a problem especially after three months. To be fair, the Post Office is really on the hook here for such a big screw up. They “lost it” and are paying someone out. The seller may feign interest but he is probably going to made whole either way if he already hasn’t. The guy currently selling it, didn’t “steal” it if he did indeed purchase the unclaimed package. it’s really not an eBay issue. It’s a post office issue. As long as everyone is made whole, I don’t see a viable path of getting this artwork to you unless you want to reach out to the seller and buy it directly from him. Offer the price you paid to the original seller and use the money that should have been refunded to you. I’ll take a look a little more tomorrow. Literally out now… try to have a Happy New Year and will write more tomorrow. AJD, John E. and Readcomix 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westform Posted January 1 Author Share Posted January 1 On 12/31/2023 at 6:57 PM, Buzzetta said: I’m waiting for a show to start and saw I was tagged in this. I’ll do the best I can from my phone. USPS does sell / auction off unclaimed, misdirected, or “lost” mail. This actually happens more frequently than people think. There is the very real possibility that the seller bought it or outbid others for that unopened package. As the buyer, if you were reimbursed already I do not see you laying much of a claim. If you have not been reimbursed then that is a problem especially after three months. To be fair, the Post Office is really on the hook here for such a big screw up. They “lost it” and are paying someone out. The seller may feign interest but he is probably going to made whole either way if he already hasn’t. The guy currently selling it, didn’t “steal” it if he did indeed purchase the unclaimed package. it’s really not an eBay issue. It’s a post office issue. As long as everyone is made whole, I don’t see a viable path of getting this artwork to you unless you want to reach out to the seller and buy it directly from him. Offer the price you paid to the original seller and use the money that should have been refunded to you. I’ll take a look a little more tomorrow. Literally out now… try to have a Happy New Year and will write more tomorrow. Should I change the title to missing art alert? I dont want to misrepresent. It seems very shady that the package would be sold by usps while they have an open search for it. I got an email yesterday frm them saying they are still looking for the package, please be patient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JollyComics Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 On 12/31/2023 at 6:33 PM, westform said: He says he boight it legally from usps as unclaimed lost mail. Does he have a proof? This is unheard of. ThothAmon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Readcomix Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 On 12/31/2023 at 8:57 PM, Buzzetta said: I’m waiting for a show to start and saw I was tagged in this. I’ll do the best I can from my phone. USPS does sell / auction off unclaimed, misdirected, or “lost” mail. This actually happens more frequently than people think. There is the very real possibility that the seller bought it or outbid others for that unopened package. As the buyer, if you were reimbursed already I do not see you laying much of a claim. If you have not been reimbursed then that is a problem especially after three months. To be fair, the Post Office is really on the hook here for such a big screw up. They “lost it” and are paying someone out. The seller may feign interest but he is probably going to made whole either way if he already hasn’t. The guy currently selling it, didn’t “steal” it if he did indeed purchase the unclaimed package. it’s really not an eBay issue. It’s a post office issue. As long as everyone is made whole, I don’t see a viable path of getting this artwork to you unless you want to reach out to the seller and buy it directly from him. Offer the price you paid to the original seller and use the money that should have been refunded to you. I’ll take a look a little more tomorrow. Literally out now… try to have a Happy New Year and will write more tomorrow. Sorry about the timing of my tag, Buzz. I saw the post and racked my brain for eBay vets. Who did you see? Happy New Year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzetta Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 On 1/1/2024 at 1:59 AM, Readcomix said: Sorry about the timing of my tag, Buzz. I saw the post and racked my brain for eBay vets. Who did you see? Happy New Year! Billy Joel at UBS Arena where they run the Belmont Stakes. Fun times. Readcomix and onlyweaknesskryptonite 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzetta Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 On 12/31/2023 at 11:12 PM, westform said: Should I change the title to missing art alert? I dont want to misrepresent. It seems very shady that the package would be sold by usps while they have an open search for it. I got an email yesterday frm them saying they are still looking for the package, please be patient. Not always. I actually had this happen to me... sorta... It was an eBay Global Shipping Issue where the package went missing at customs as Australia would not allow the item into the country. It was never returned to me as after it was denied entry, it kind of went "missing". The buyer was made whole. The seller, myself, was made whole because the package could not be located to be returned to me. Apparently "lost" packages are sold to recoup some of the money lost in paying out buyers and sellers under their agreements. I know that the post office as well as the airlines do the same. If this guy legally purchased the unopened package from the USPS then it is most likely his to do with as he pleases. Now if this was stolen off your porch it would be a different matter. However, the question all comes down to, were you the buyer made whole? If so then it really is a closed matter unless you want to purchase the item directly from that seller for what you paid be it more or less. The seller should have insured a package of that high a value. We all know what a Schultz Peanuts Daily goes for. So if he was made whole as well, he received his money. Again, if the guy currently holding the piece did nothing wrong, this is just an epic screw up on USPS and not the seller, you, the new seller or even eBay. It sucks all around but no one really "lost" in this case except the USPS because I can guarantee you that they did not sell that unopened "lost" package for what they paid out to the seller. John E. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E. Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 Looks like the seller took down the listing. It’s not in his sales history either. As Buzzetta says, if you’ve already taken the insurance money there’s not much you can do. But the fact that you are receiving missing mail updates probably means you haven’t? I would also ask usps if they have a record of selling this package in their auction. You can’t take this guy’s word for it either. And think you should also make an inquiry with the Postal Inspector. I think they deal with crimes like mail fraud. The Voord 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E. Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 On 12/31/2023 at 6:47 PM, Phill the Governor said: I have the right to sell my items. How did you hear about this? So this guy pays $100 for a mystery package at a USPS lost mail auction, finds a “$22,000” Charles Schulz Peanuts strip, and says, “Woohoo! I’m going to sell this on eBay! For sure no one’s looking for this!” The Voord 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzetta Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 On 1/1/2024 at 11:10 AM, John E. said: Looks like the seller took down the listing. It’s not in his sales history either. As Buzzetta says, if you’ve already taken the insurance money there’s not much you can do. But the fact that you are receiving missing mail updates probably means you haven’t? I would also ask usps if they have a record of selling this package in their auction. You can’t take this guy’s word for it either. And think you should also make an inquiry with the Postal Inspector. I think they deal with crimes like mail fraud. They wouldn’t have a record though if it was missing. The label could have been scratched off, the box could have been torn open with contents placed in an unmarked box. But I think that the point of theft is directed at the seller not the buyer as it never reached the buyer the OP. Nothing was really stolen from him. Like I said it sucks because these things are one of a kind. John E. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzetta Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 On 1/1/2024 at 11:16 AM, John E. said: So this guy pays $100 for a mystery package at a USPS lost mail auction, finds a “$22,000” Charles Schulz Peanuts strip, and says, “Woohoo! I’m going to sell this on eBay! For sure no one’s looking for this!” Pretty much. Crazy isn’t it? Again, if this how he procured the package then there is no way he is seeking to find out who the original owner or intended buyer was. This is a business for these people and they are willing to risk losing on so many other mystery boxes that they will happily celebrate the few strikes of gold they find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzetta Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 side note - @John E. thanks for kind words on my Joe pages 😂 Happy New Year John E. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batman_fan Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 Really hope you get it back John E. and Twanj 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
