14 days ago, I sent a USPS MO and FFL copy to an individual in MT (from TX) to purchase a handgun.

the letter has not made it. I have the MO reciept and called the post office who gave the 800 number which I called and the MO has not been cashed.

I assume its lost or in the bottom of a postal bag somewhere.

any experiences on filing claims or other info. the back of the MO receipt says 60 days for a refund on a lost or stolen claim.

I have been buying guns this way for a long time and this is the first time a letter has not made it.

thanks in advance

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if you're gonna be a bear...

Thats he downside of USPS MOs.

I have had mail show up 8 weeks late. My brother had mail (returned to him 1 year later) that was recovered around Lockerbie from Pan Am Flight 103.

Mail can get lost, misdirected, and stolen. Yours may show up yet.

I won an auction on gunbroker...
Sent a USPS MO...
9+ weeks later it showed up.
Guy relisted the gun, but understood and didnt leave me bad feedback.
I go priority mail now... they are more careful with those.


Jim

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Big bullets leave big holes

They're great for sellers, not so great for buyers sometimes.

If it doesn't show up sooner than later, you'll have to wait 60 days for a refund. That is, you can't even report it 'missing' for 60 days. Add another few weeks for the actual refund, after filling out Form 6401 at a Post office and paying a fee of $5.00.

I recently waited 4 full months for a $650.00 refund. As Evil said, I learned to go Priority with payments.

I always use Priority now as well. If you use the online USPS Click-n-Ship, not only will you get a slightly lower rate, but free delivery confirmation as well.

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Certified AR-15 / SIG Armorer.

thanks for the info

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if you're gonna be a bear...

Forget the Priority Mail, use UPS or Fedex. Sent seller a USPS money order in a Priority Mail envelope and it took six weeks to get there. Northeast PA to Maine. Could have driven there in six hours.

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Lost in Penn's Woods

Even Priority is not a guarantee. I sent a mo by Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation to a seller in Feb. I had receipts for the mo and tracking. Long story short, he never received it. It was tracked to his post office and they
could not find it. 3 months and $5.00 later, I got my money back ( after the P.O. sent my refund to the wrong address ! ) and of course,the gun was already sold.( By the way, if you made a deposit at your bank and they lost it, would you pay them $5.00 to track it and wait 90 days on your money ? )The same rules apply to certified mail.

Since then, I do 1 of 2 things:

1. If seller will accept,send a cashiers or a bank check. It can be replaced within 24 hrs if lost.

2. Send payment in small box by UPS ground. It usually gets there just as quick. They are much more reliable, only costs a few dollars more than priority and you can track every move whereas P.O. will only allow you to track origin and delivery point. AND, they are much more customer oriented. I had a P.O. employee at the post office it was tracked to tell me " He didn't know where it was, and didn't care " and hung up.



Have A Blessed Day !

FedEx and UPS deliveries can also be a problem.

I have never had a payment get lost- going or coming, in the mail.
I have had a gun stolen by UPS and FedEx.

The payment deliveries can be a problem via UPS and FedEx if the seller is using a PO Box. Obviously, that won't work.
If you require a signature, someone has to be there to get it. If you don't require a sig, I have had them left stuck in a crack between sections of the garage door! Twice, the wind blew the envelopes into the driveway.

I recommend Priority Mail, in the large cardboard envelope. Never had one lost, going or coming, and I bet I have done more transactions than most here.
Sure, anything can happen, but I don't make the rules for my life based on rare exceptions. Kinda like saying I won't go outside because I might get struck by lightning.

Another note on bank checks and Cashier's checks- payment CAN be stopped on them just like any other check. They can be faked as easily as any other check.
Bottom Line- those checks are hardly any safer than taking a personal check from someone........

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

June 26, 2009 USPS MO sent.

Never received.

Still shows "no activity" as of last friday.

Aug 28, 2009, replacement check received from the USPS.

roughly 2 months. luckily I had coverage.

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if you're gonna be a bear...

I have had to exchange important documents with a CPA who handles a lot of such matters. His advice for what its worth, FedEx overnight, (expensive), USPS Registered Mail, (evidently PO employees are held responsible for Reg. Mail) He says USPS Express Mail is not a bad alternative and slightly faster sometimes than First Class Registered.

I have lost two letters w/personal checks for small purchases. They seem never to have turned up.

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Ipsis Rebus Dictantitbus

I have had a USPS money order lost in the mail. Also a couple of first class items that took 11 days to show up.

Myron

I had 2 problems with Fed Ex..... 1 item from by bank HSBC was lost 2 weeks before they would even check on it...10 business days..... and the second I found lying in the road in front of my mail box the same day it was delived...... Both required no signature and the web site said left at front door... I called Fed Ex and to say I was a little Pissed would be an undertsatemet..... Fed Ex said the driver left it at the door...

Bob

+1 I have had much more trouble with shipments sent via UPS than with USPS including the handgun returned from the factory that was left sitting on my doorstep for any neighborhood kid to carry off!

If you want to be sure the money makes it to the seller, use bank to bank wire transfer.

I don't trust Priority mail any longer either. At last Christmas I mailed some Christmas presents to my Son in WA State from IL. Sent out on the 10th of Dec. by Priority 3 day. It finally arrived Dec. 24th at 6PM. When I "discussed" it with the postal people, they stated "We don't guarantee 3 days, but it usually makes it". To top it all off, I mailed two packages at the same time, and one made it in about 4 days.

I now ship FedX or UPS.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Several years ago while in MT I bought a box of close out grips from a defunct CT gun store. I sent a USPS MO and it never arrived. Seller started to post nasty comments about me so I sent another $850. First one never materialized. Recovery fee at that time was $3.00. Took me two months to get a refund. And the USPS wonders why they are $7 Billion short.
Still will not use Pay Pal, and most guys on the East coast will not take a MO unless it is USPS. So, you are kind of stuck between a rock and a slab of granite.
Thom Braxton
SWCA #1474

That just happened to me about a week ago, for the second time! The first was returning from the factory via usps and was shipped "signature required", this last one was sent UPS and was a C&R gun that actually had "Smith & Wesson" on the outside of the package. Also had UPS deliver another C&R gun, a rifle, to my neighbor's house! I was home waiting for it. He never even knocked. I guess he got the wrong address.

Paul