Posted By:
Colt McClellandI don't have my package yet, but I am pretty sure it's not lost and am hoping to get it soon.
The first thing I did was call the local post office where the item was originally logged in at Newport Beach. Talked to a guy named Glenn who apparently handles all of the registered mail there (phone number is 949-640-4663). He said he handles about 300 items per day from Collectors Universe. Anyway, he was very helpful and told me that the item was shipped from Newport to LA, then LA to Kansas City (where I live). He gave me the phone number and name of the guy to call at the Kansas City post office, and also a "lock number" for the pouch the item was sent to Kansas City in.
I talked to the guy in Kansas City who told me that the pouch was never opened in Kansas City and mistakenly sent back to LA. He said this was probably because the pouch had two "lock number" labels on it - i.e. the current one for my shipment and the old one from a previous shipment of the same pouch that was probably never removed. As a result, someone failed to figure out the discrepency and just shipped it back to LA.
He then gave me the number of the woman in LA who handles the registered mail. I just spoke to her, and she said that they have figured out the problem, the pouch has been opened and resealed under a new lock number and should be going back out to Kansas City sometime soon.
So, it sounds like my cards are not lost after all and hopefully I will have them soon.
Hope this story helps provide some insight into the registered mail system. The bottom line is this - if you have a package that is lost, get on the phone with the local post offices involved in the shipment. They are very helpful, and they keep very detailed records of where the package is. They even had info on the Southwest flight number that the pouch went out on, the weight of the pouch, etc.