By wrap 'em well, I'm not referring to wrapping with quilts, I am referring to your packages you send out. Like many others on the board, I buy and sell things in the classifieds. Or, should I say "overbuy"!
Recently I bought a book from Barb (frugalfabrics) and was so happy I bought from her! She placed the book in a plastic bag (I really appreciate this as my mailbox tends to get snow in it)! She then put the book into a manila envelpe and taped it shut, very well. She put tape over my address and her label and every crack and crevice. Thank goodness that she did because the following pictures are what I received a few days after she sent it out! The bag over the book kept it from getting damaged, not even a bent page! The tape over my addy was the ONLY way they said that they were able to deliver it to me, if there would not have been tape over it, it would have been destroyed!

My post man was so embarrassed! It looks like the post office decided that they should send it from MI to MT by using it as a frisbee!

Just something to think about~package them well and cross your fingers-they do stand a better chance at arriving safely!

Well they didn't bend it :wink: LOL

Glad it was packaged so well :thumbup:

Holy moly! What a mess. You are lucky the book made it through all that!

Holy cow. I always use a plastic bag and tape over the name. (At least I try to remember to do the tape over the name.) I will keep this picture in mind when I send things and I'll never miss taping a package.

If it was mailed during the Christmas rush, the post office seems to just throw packages around.

I can't believe it made it unharmed after that treatment!

Looks like they should have hand cancelled it. Shippers can request that option.

Wow... a picture says a thousand words...

I get quite a few packages like that every month- I host monthly swaps.. I suggest to all to place their swaps in ziploc baggies with their return addy on it. that way should the envelope get torn to shreds it can still be sent back to them..

Maybe I should have put - DO NOT MUTILATE - on it.

I remember when I mailed that one...I wanted to mail it media rate, and the postal lady at the counter told me, it would be safer at 1st class/parcel, so I decided to go that route and add the delivery confirmation to it, just in case.

WOW! I think I'm gonna have to show that picture to the postal carrier and "thank" her for her advise...NOT!

So glad, that after all that frisbee throwing, that it still made it there safely.

I am a tape freak, and always tape every edge - I guess this proves to me that all the extra tape I add, has finally paid off.

DH helped me mail 8 packages out yesterday. Took them before I had the return address on them. Here's hoping they make it!!!!

I thank you for wrapping it like you did-at least that way it wasn't damaged!

That kind of looks like it got caught up in some piece of sorting machinery. Good thing you wrapped it up so well Frugalfabrics.

Wow that was a determined magazine, Glad you got it:)

What's the motto nor rain, sleet, snow, snow plow, shredder/sorting machine, person who missed catching the frisbee toss etc.
Great reminder, time to mail out one of the RR soon. :)

I think that is the right saying!!!

:-D :-D :-D

I went through this about 2 yrs. ago with even Priority Mail being delivered with tire tracks & the packaging torn. I not only complained to my local post office, but had them trace where the packages had been as it was not a one time problem. After all my complaining even to the USPS 800 no. the problem seems to have pretty much gone away. I try to avoid Media Mail as that type of service is brutal on books.

Years ago when I worked at Traveler's Insurance, we used to get mail all the time that was near death!! It came in every type of condition you can possibly think of -- my favorites were always the ones with the tire treads on them!!! :roll: It look as if they drove over them several times before picking them up!!! :x

Years ago when I worked at Traveler's Insurance, we used to get mail all the time that was near death!! It came in every type of condition you can possibly think of -- my favorites were always the ones with the tire treads on them!!! :roll: It look as if they drove over them several times before picking them up!!! :x

Natalie, glad you posted the pic of the other package. Tape is the best stuff!! And plastic bags :)

Ran it through the package smasher didn't they? Makes me wonder how my Christmas packages arrived!

Wow! My mail comes bent and messed up too! Glad she wrapped it!

No telling what happens behind the scenes. I ordered fabric from ebay on Dec 10 and she sent it out on the 11th. Still hasn't shown up! She's going to refund the money and I told her if it ever shows up, I will repay her. Ugh...I really wanted that fabric too!

Friends - I mail a lot of packages ---- you will save yourselves a lot of grief if you don't use paper envelopes like in this post -- they just aren't sturdy enough especially if they get a little damp. Get yourselves some poly (like plastic) mailers - they don't rip and nothing can get wet inside them. Happy mailing!

I have gotten a few packages like that. The only thing the post office did is stamp damaged on it and put it in my mailbox. Oh I have that box and just love it. Enjoy

I seriously think that they have gorillas in the mail room. I have sent pkgs like the one you receieved and they too either didn't make it to their destinations or they were somewhat destroyed like yours. But Hey, let's keep raising the price of postage.

he,he. i have a friend in England and she always sends my xmas gift throughly taped! it takes me forever to get it open, but it gets here in one piece!

i agree - I buy poly mailers by the 1000, but you can get them in smaller quantities. I pay about 7 cents each for them on ebay, you can also get them on Amazon. THey are also self-sealing so you save on tape. I would be afraid to ship a book in a plain kraft envelope.

And BTW, they ALWAYS throw the mail - that is what they call sorting, "Throwing the mail".

Good lesson in putting things in the mail. I always put the name and address of recipient and sender inside the package, just in case. Glad it came through to you.

Barb sent me some material and when the package arrived, (It was a postal envelope)the mail carrier hand delivered it and apologized. One corner was very wet. Thank goodness Barb had the material in plastic. I am going to be more careful when I mail out my Paperback Swap books now because of this.

Thanks for the visual. I'll remember this when mailing packages.

Looks like it cam by messenger pigeon through a blizzard!

Good grief!

My goodness i will remember this before i send out a package

Are you sure they didn't just tow it behind the truck? LOL Glad that you got it safe and in good shape.

WOW!

Ok, this is all very good information. I think I better go find some "poly bags". I didn't know they made them, until just recently when *kriscraft99* sent me a package last week.

I've looked at my local Meijer Store and they don't carry them...so I think I better take a trip to Staples ... I'm sure they will carry them, right!

Here's to safer deliveries for all.

I once got a sewing machine that was shipped in a much too large box with about a grocery sack full of those packing peanuts. Needless to say the box was all bent up and the machine had several broken parts. Looked like it had been dropped or thrown. So now if I bid on a sewing machine I ask how it will be shipped!

And this is why the Postal service wants an increase in price...So they can have more mail to do more damage...Glad your book survived!

I have that book and I love it. Glad it arrived safe so you can use it.