Finally Happened to ME...card missing during USPS shipping...
 

This envelope arrived to my PO Box today from Ebay...clearly ripped up, then retaped...and ZERO contents inside. Not sure if it was stolen, dropped out somewhere...or what.

The good news it's a $4 card, and probably not even worth that. Doesn't look to be the sellers fault, I doubt he would mail a damaged envelope for $4. I literally have no idea what to do. Again, it's $4...got lucky, nothing pressing or even stress related, but annoying at the same time. I picked it up after hours here so I wasn't able to talk to anyone.

I've literally bought and had thousands and thousands of cards through USPS, this is a first.

https://i.ibb.co/Y4CzV530/Ebay-1.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/BKdjDxBT/Ebay-2.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/dSz1ZV9/Ebay-3.jpg

Finally Happened to ME...card missing during USPS shipping...
 

If you bought on eBay you can get a full refund. Just click on drop down in order details and mark “item not received” and upload all those photos.

Seller can claim this and get 100% of sale price refunded.


Geoff Bedine
Premier Card Collectors
Since 1977

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Contact seller he will probably just issue a refund. If not file an " item not as described " case. The seller can prove the item was delivered with tracking. Ebay might make you file a report with Post office saying envelope was empty. Hope this helps..But unfortunately sportscards are fair game in the postal system.
What used to stop most mail theft was the threat of losing job / Pension. Now for too many that threat means nothing. Worst is ebay makes you put a code on envelope when you send card worth over $250 to authentication. So everyone who handles it knows what it is. And theft reports are sky high.

That's what worries me, anything indicating there is value makes it a target.


Had a good result...I contacted the seller who was more than cool...I told him I would most likely take the advice Geoff reply with, he was like don't worry about it, I have another one I'll just send out. He was shocked as well to see the picture. I told him he didn't have too, but he insisted. Great seller.

This hobby gets hit with everything possible, from scammers to fraud...you name it. Not being comfortable shipping anything, regardless of value or insurance, just sucks.

I shipped a few slabs this morning and wrote “Adult Diapers” on the box. Hopefully scares off any thieves. Lol. It’s getting bad.


Geoff Bedine
Premier Card Collectors
Since 1977

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is an absolute classic right there, and honestly, a great idea I will certainly copy! Well done...

I am sure the person receiving that package really appreciates you wrote that on there. LOL;)

Had an open UPS box show up on the front steps this week. Fortunately all the Yeti accessories (no cards) were still there; looked like it was a bad job on the shipper sealing the box.

Driver just left it like that on the porch.

I had something similar happen prior to the eBay authentication days. In my case the item was marked as "delivered" as well so I could not get a refund. I appealed to eBay and ended up having to file a police report as well as a report with USPS. eBay ended up refunding the purchase price.

Kind of a pain. Best of luck John

When shipping, I've found it helpful to

1. Develop a good rapport with the clerk(s) at your local Post Office
2. Take packages to the counter and get a receipt.

This tends to lessen the chance of sh*t happening at the point where USPS receives the package. Plus, if something goes awry later, it's infinitely easier to prove it happened after USPS already had the item in their possession.

I have also found the one I made bold to be very important. The two wonderful ladies on the morning shift here are awesome.

I have noticed packages taking a very long time and taking weird routes compared to normal. I bought a 1/1 and a 9/10 Jay North modern shiny card. One was mailed on the 11th and the other on the 14th and they are both supposed to be here tomorrow.

I've had around 6-8 PWEs goes missing this year alone. So frustrating. They scan at my originating PO and then all along the way. And get lost on the last step before arriving at buyers. No scan there and no scan at delivery address. So frustrating that they're getting lost in the mail at the very end of the journey. I usually get a case opened, and I have to refund.

Happened to me
 

I had a good run I guess. I feel like it's been a little while since the USPS lost a package on me.

Shipped a Ground Advantage package with an $89.00 item in it. Very reinforced. From CT, one state over to a regular customer in NY.

20 days later. Nothing. Disappeared as soon as it left my locality.

USPS tracking #9400108106244028342246

For some reason I feel like this is a harbinger of things to come. Hope I'm wrong.

Well the good news is that you are insured and USPS will send you a check in the mail.


Geoff Bedine
Premier Card Collectors
Since 1977

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, I hate to have to go through that process though. Also, it's something pretty unique that my customer can't just replace either.

They all suck now and the theft is rampant. RFIDs have gotten so cheap now it would be nice if for $1 we could have RFID labels to track these better.


Geoff Bedine
Premier Card Collectors
Since 1977

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Happy ending on my item at least. About 12 hours or so after I filed a Tracer and a Missing Item report in tandem with an Insurance Claim, it amazingly popped back up on the radar and was delivered to my customer yesterday.

Customer said the package looked like it had been submerged in water for some reason, but the photo inside was fine.

So 3 weeks and some water damage to go about 120 miles from CT to New York. Think I'll throw a party. :D

Finally Happened to ME...card missing during USPS shipping...
 

Thankfully the package got to it’s destination, but has anyone ever seen a USPS Priority package go from NC to FL (SGC) by way of California?

Last week I sent 4 cards Priority to SGC in Boca Raton. They first showed up in City of Industry, CA, and then Ontario, CA (all greater LA…) before finally arriving in West Palm Beach, FL.

Does this make any sense to anyone? The only thing I can figure is if they had to fly priority mail and somehow thought it was more efficient to route it that way - but I can tell you I’ve never had an SGC bound order from NC first go to California before. Crazy.


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I've had that happen. Package eventually got there. The only thing I can figure happened, is that it got sorted incorrectly.

The USPS handles over 7 billion (7,000,000,000) packages a year. No matter how good their technology is, some are going to be handled incorrectly.

I sent my daughter a birthday card with a $100.00 American Express gift card. It was returned to me as "Not Deliverable As Addressed" on July 23,2025.
I mailed this card on September 3, 2023. So yes, almost 2 years to get it back.
Bob

Well, again today we received 2 letters today that we sent to my daughter in 2023 (November and December).
If they were undeliverable, then what too so long for them to be returned to us?
Wow....Unbelievable.
Bob

i once got a jerry west rookie 4 months later crazy

Well, here's a twist. 4 days after I filed an Insurance claim, 2 days after the tracking showed back up on the radar, and the exact day my item was delivered to my customer, the P.O. cut a check to me for the Insurance claim, which showed up in my Mailbox several days ago.

I feel like I'm being trolled and I'm obviously not going to cash it.

Just find it weird. :confused:

Wow sort of like a new version of Murphy's Law. Congrats though

I have been hearing about this more and more as well as experiencing it myself (as a buyer). I don't know if the shipper gave some clue that it's a sports card related shipment based on the return shipping address or not, but I wonder if it's just the post office being inept or something else going on.

Lucky
 

You are lucky that you have bought that many cards and thankfully have never had an issue till now.
My guess is that it got caught in one of the USPS letter sorting machines, and they covered it up by putting the sticker on that says it was received damaged to deflect the blame. If it really was received that way, they never would have put it in the machines and they would have returned it to sender. I know this may tick off some people, but I have never believed in shipping cards in those regular envelopes just to save a few cents. Thankfully it was only $4 and not a high end card.