I just read an article in the Toronto Star about why items get lost in the mail. Actually it was enlightening. The lesson is to make sure you package and label the item very well. At the end of the story, they said that lost items are kept for 7 months and then either sold or, if it is an item like a handmade quilt -DESTROYED!! I am shocked. How sad that this happens. Now we know what happens to those quilts that never make it to their destination. I know that this is a Canadian story but the same thing probably happens in the US as well. You can find the article at www.thestar.com.

How sad. I always put my name and address inside the package in a plastic zip bag pinned to the fabric of quilts or clothing I mail.

I think it is very important to add insurance (if you are using U.S. Mail). If you are using Fedex or UPS insurance is included in the cost of shipping (up to the specified amount).

I consider quilts to be very valuable, therefore every precaution should be taken to make sure of the delivery to the intended destination. USPS does not guarantee delivery unless there is delivery confirmation or insurance.

Insurance would be good for recouping dollars, but it sure wont help recouping the time and love put into the item. For me it wouldnt even be about the money, but then again Im a sentimental fool that gets attached to my projects, so insurance wouldnt help me since my sense of loss would be from losing the intangibles :-(

I find it very odd that they would be destroyed - surely they have a value on the open market, just the same as anything else. If not, why not donate to charities, I can think of lots, i.e. homeless that would appreciate something warm. What a waste just to destroy.

I always put insurance on mine when mailing and get a notice of develiery added, that way I can track (UPS,Fedex) the package. but making use you need to add your name an address also the address you are sending it to on the inside of your package. so far thank goodness all of mine have made it to thier destantion.

I think the OP is talking about undeliverable mail, not lost mail. IOW, the quilt fell out of the box along the way and has no addresses or anything attached to it any longer. If mail is 'lost', they can't destroy it because they do not have it...it's lost in the system somewhere.

Make sure your package is secure, both sender and receiver names and addresses are clearly printed and covered with tape on the inside and the outside of the package, track and insure as you see fit, and anything you mail should eventually find it's way to either the intended party or back to you.

PO used to have auctions of lost mail, I wonder if they still do that?

So if they are sold do they advertise the sales??

The 1st baby quilt I made my sister was lost at the post office for 1 year. It pays to make phone calls and talk to the local post office where you are sending it. Even though my sister had just moved and left a forwarding address, it was the weekend carrier that didn't forward it and brought it back to the P.O. and after several phone calls someone remembered a box on a shelf etc. I was so upset because I had worked so hard on it and just kept calling and hounding them until they found it!

Yes, but only at the three mail recovery centers in Atlanta, St. Paul and San Francisco. They tried eBay for awhile in 2002 as well, and learned that some things do much better online (e.g., comic books), while others do better in person (e.g., airplane parts). They stopped with eBay, but haven't given up on the selling online idea I guess. Who knows, if they get enough quilts and such, maybe they'll open an Etsy shop! :lol:

How sad

I worked for the USPS and many undelivered packaged were not addressed correctly. Just a thought.....double check all addresses:)

At one time I mailed 3 hand-quilted projects, and had proof by signature
they were received at the buyer's place of employment. However, the box
was never found until almost a year later in their storeroom. Luckily the
buyer did pay for them and did her own investigation within the building.

Keep in mind that the rules regarding "lost mail" (both lost and undeliverable) for Canada Post and the USPS are quite different. USPS has a lot of mandates regarding lost items finding their owners, whereas Canada doesn't have nearly as many. They recover what they can (I've seen some really neat envelopes that have been recovered from mail ships sunk in the Great lakes) but it isn't as intensive as other national post services.

Make sure the item is in a sturdy box, with some waterproofing (whether it's that the quilt is in a "space bag", clear garbage bag, or what have you.) Make sure that an address is physically attached to the quilt, with safety pins or the like, in case the outer coating(s) is(are) ruined.

If sending via postal mail, no matter the country (or countries) involved, ALWAYS let the recipient know that it is coming, get a tracking number if you can (usually this won't cross borders), and request a "signature required" or an A/R (Advise of Receipt) card.

For shipping in Canada, keep in mind that Purolator is run by Canada Post, and thus items can be picked up / dropped off for them at regular mail counters, and the service is about on par. (I don't see this as a good thing, to be honest.) With Fed/Ex, the individual item is scanned. With Purolator and Canada Post, it's done on a more bulk / less specific basis, where basically entire truckloads are signed in and out of locations at once - a much greater chance for loss. It's very, very easy to end up with things lost in the shuffle (an ex worked for purolator seasonally - it was a real eye opener. Some of them literally played baseball with packages.) This is why I really prefer to send via FedEx ground in Canada. Takes longer, but less of a chance for loss.

I think it would be a good idea to put another label inside the box (showing who it is from and who it is to). Then if the outside box gets ruined, they will still have access to sender, etc.

You can add delivery confirmation to any package for around $1.80. That package gets scanned everywhere it stops according to our local office. Seems it would be easier to locate if you knew where it was last.

Delivery confirmation cannot be added to packages being sent internationally if they are sent first class. Priority and Express only. I sure wish there was a cheaper way to track packages outside the USA!

I have been told I over pack. lol But to me if I am sending something I want it to get there in one piece. If I am sending a book or a yard or so of fabric I don't "over pack" usually manila envelope with the book wrapped in plastic. However if I am sending a package the address is on or in that package at least 4 times. It is taped to the outside, taped to the inside , it is folded into what ever I am sending, it is taped on the outside of the plastic that wraps whatever is being sent. And sometimes for good measure I will slide another in the box just before I tape it shut. Then I tape the bejabbers out of the box.

it would be a shame to lose a quilt or other real valuable.

This saved a lost package -3quilts and clothing got lost -it was going to Lebanon Missouri and ended up as unclaimed in Lumberton Mississippi?? I have never used abbrevs-- my local USPS sent out a search.The box was damaged they opened it to see if it was the lost box in question -they found the addresses inside They re-boxed it and FED-EXed it to my brother.Our Post Office employees are a great bunch of people. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Seems to me that the better solution to destroying the items, would be to donate them to worthy causes. Stoopid PO policy!

True, but I think if a package is insured it might get a little better treatment.

On sept 1st I sent a parcel from the Uk to another QB member in the Usa...she wanted fabric that she could only find here...I have packaged it well...put on her address label and my return address, all taped down with clear tape. Sent it Airmail....yet a month on it still hasn't arrived. We are both so hoping it's not lost.

Oh that's a great idea! I think I will start doing that to my parcels... even the none-quilt ones. Thanks, great advice!

I would not worry about that too much yet... even postcards take a long time to get from other continents into North America. Hopefully it will show up soon :)

No, it just doesn't happen in Canada. I live in Colorado and was sending a king size quilt to Nebraska to be long armed. Several days later I got a call from Nebraska asking where the rest of the quilt was because all she received was a box with a tape and pain cream in it! Six months work down the drain. In my opinion I wonder if someone saw it was going to a quilt shop, opened the box and took everything in it and put in the two items she received. Needless to say I now use FedEx and have never had a problem.

When I mailed my two quilts last Xmas to Italy, I was able to mail them to my daughter-in-law who works at the American Embassy. I think the reason some of the quilts never make it to the destination is because on the mailing paper you have to fill out you put "QUILT". Does this make sense?

Is it true that Canadian FedEx charges a hefty tax on the recipient of the package based on the value of the contents??

That is a good idea, will do that next time. Thanks.

I would list it as 'fabric' on the form if that is what you are worried about. Other hints for pkgs within the USA: I always mail a quilt Priority or Express...they travel through less machines and get better handling. Make sure it's insured & needs a signature for delivery and keep your mailing receipt in case of loss so they can trace it. Take a picture of it before mailing & like others have said make sure you have addresses inside & out of the pkg. Contact the recipient to let them know when you send it & keep track of it online. If you think it may be lost, contact your local PO & see how soon you can put a tracer on it. Make sure your boxes are sturdy & well taped, too.
I've never had any problems, yet.

I think you'll find it is not FedEx, but the government (national and provincial) that imposes taxes and duties in Canada. FedEx (NYSE: FDX) is a publicly held corporation and has no power to tax anything but a customer's patience. :D They also own Kinko's.

They use a broker. And the broker is generally known for gouging people like crazy. And believe it or not, UPS is actually worse. That's why I very, very rarely will ship quilts cross-border, and instead maintain both US & Canadian PO boxes for that purpose. While it's true that FedEx itself doesn't charge these insane fees, from what I've heard, they charge a fee to use their broker, and then the broker works with Canada Revenue to apply the "correct" duties & taxes (in quotation marks because it's been wrong in my case so many freaking times.)

I would be very hesitant to indicate on the customs form that what was in the package is not exactly what is in the package. I have sent handbags to Germany and Poland; soon some to Denmark and Norway. The bags breezed through German customs and arrived safely in about two weeks. The bag in Poland was held up in customs for almost a month after its arrival. The lady that purchased the bag had to go to the customs office twice, and pay an additional $30 to finally be able to bring it home. I always fill out the forms honestly. The forms for Germany and Poland were basically identical, yet for some reason there was a major issue in Poland. I was in frequent contact with that customer during the ordeal. I felt so bad for her...

I feel exactly the same way. I become very attached to my quilts.

I just went over and read that article and looked at the video. That is really something...sad.

Wish we had the WAR AMP thing for keys here though!~that's kind of cool!~if you find them, drop them in a mailbox and they will scan the little bar code and get them back to you.

I can't even imagine someone throwing a quilt away that is lost at the very least they could give it to charity it's not like it's going to hurt someone. What a shame to waste something so valuable. Makes me wonder who makes that dumb rule and what a waste. Sue