mel jacobson on mon 15 mar 10
in most cases, your pots make the destination
as well as you pack.
double box, new boxes, bubble wrap and good tape.
so much of the complaints have to do with `pilot error`.
those that pack well, with professional integrity
make the journey.
mel
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
new book: http://www.21stcenturykilns.com
Fred Parker on tue 16 mar 10
I certainly agree with most of what David and Mel said here. In fact, I =
=3D
do
print my labels online, use new boxes, double-box and use either tightly
packed peanuts or bubble in the voids. Breakage has not been a major
problem, although there have been a few (out of a couple hundred or so.)
My latest problem was caused by a postal employee attaching a random barc=
=3D
ode
to the properly packed-and-addressed package going to Asia. Apparently s=
=3D
he
had never seen the label the USPS website generates for international
shipping and, because its barcode is smaller than that of a domestic U.S.=
=3D
label barcode, decided to cut the barcode from a blank label she had on
hand, Scotch-tape it to my package, then scan that barcode. When I
questioned her about it she assured me she knew what she was doing.=3D20
However, apparently nobody else in the system saw it that way. Most of t=
=3D
he
other points scanned the "real" barcode. Consequently the package came i=
=3D
nto
and out of visibility, finally arriving in ten days instead of the
guaranteed Express Mail time of five days.
My customer paid more than the cost of the item to have it shipped to him=
=3D
in
five days. I have spent hours searching, tracing and begging for assista=
=3D
nce
from those rocket scientists at my post office. I refunded my customer's=
=3D
shipping costs. Now Von Braun and company have me filling out forms for
submittal to the really smart guys at the regional post office "for
approval" so I can get my postage back. It is runaround city from a bunc=
=3D
h
of idiots who could not care less whether I remain a USPS customer or not=
=3D
.=3D20
Their jobs are secure no matter how incompetent their performance, so I a=
=3D
m
sitting here trying to cool down and figure out what to do in the future.=
=3D
Anyone who wonders why USPS is always in financial difficulty needs to us=
=3D
e
their services for awhile...
Fred
David Hendley on wed 17 mar 10
Well Fred, if you were thinking of international shipping with your
original question, that is a whole 'nother can of worms. Unless
you want to pay big bucks, USPS is the only game in town.
With UPS, you are required to hire an 'agent' to get your
package across the border - - A $15 shipment suddenly
becomes a $75 shipment.
Some time ago I responded to an offer on the woodifred oven
listserv for free pieces of ceramic fiber blanket. The owner
was in Canada and would only ship via FedEx or UPS, I forget
which. Anyway, my 2 cubic foot box of 'free' Kaowool would
have cost about a hundred dollars to cross the border and come
to Texas, so I had to decline the offer.
If you are shipping high dollar items, and cost is not a concern but
time is, then I suppose UPS would be a good choice. For my
reasonably priced pottery it is not even an option.
My local Post Office is as tiny as they come. (I expect it to be shut
down during the next round of Postal Service belt tightening). If
I need an unusual service, such as shipping pottery to Asia, I call
ahead of time to let the Postmaster know what I am doing. This
allows her to research the procedures for that service and be ready
when I arrive. You can always pose the call as a 'question', so it
doesn't sound like you are challenging their knowledge.
David Hendley
david@farmpots.com
http://www.farmpots.com
----- Original Message -----
I certainly agree with most of what David and Mel said here. In fact, I do
print my labels online, use new boxes, double-box and use either tightly
packed peanuts or bubble in the voids. Breakage has not been a major
problem, although there have been a few (out of a couple hundred or so.)
My latest problem was caused by a postal employee attaching a random barcod=
e
to the properly packed-and-addressed package going to Asia. Apparently she
had never seen the label the USPS website generates for international
shipping and, because its barcode is smaller than that of a domestic U.S.
label barcode, decided to cut the barcode from a blank label she had on
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