USPS woes :(

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wottagunn
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Fri Jul 07, 2017 12:56 am

Hey all, looking for some advice here.
I sent a fat bird packaged flat to America, via Australia Post which changes hand to USPS. It was damaged in transit resulting in a horizontal crease across the entirety of the print.
I thought I packaged it pretty damn well (a foam core and cardboard sandwich, wrapped in bubble wrap, and then inside a bubble wrap padded bag), but obviously not well enough. Have sent several flat packages like this without issue but unfortunately not this time.

Anyway, what is the correct course of action I should take? A partial refund to the buyer? A full refund? Obviously I don't want to be out the entire cost of the print but of course my buyer did not pay for a damaged print.
Any advice would be great, cheers
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alittle
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Fri Jul 07, 2017 3:07 am

Did you insure the print?
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wottagunn
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Fri Jul 07, 2017 4:04 am

No. It wasn't requested, but I did not offer/suggest it.
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crkohler
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Fri Jul 07, 2017 9:03 am

Always insure, makes life easier. I would work with the buyer and see if they still want the print in its current condition. If they do, see if you to can agree on how much the damage is worth and issue a partial refund. If the buyer doesn't want it give a full refund and ask to have the print sent back.
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davemfan
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Fri Jul 07, 2017 9:14 am

wottagunn wrote:No. It wasn't requested, but I did not offer/suggest it.
As a seller you should always insure unless you want to deal with situations like this. Insurance is for you, the seller, not the buyer. The seller is responsible for getting the buyer an undamaged print. All the buyer has to do is file a paypal claim (item not as described) and they get their money back and you are left with a damaged print with no other recourse.

You can try and work with the buyer to see if they will accept a partial or whatever but keep the above in mind when messaging them.
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halftonegraphics
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Thu Jul 20, 2017 11:41 am

for those that use click n ship
Your Click-N-Ship® Upcoming Postage Adjustment Updates

The US Postal Service started a new postage adjustment process for identifying label discrepancies on Click-N-Ship® accounts. If the information entered during label creation did not match the information captured by USPS during the shipping process, customers have been notified via email for each identified label.

USPS will continue to monitor these inconsistencies, and in addition to notifications, will require additional payment if the item is found to have insufficient postage. If you receive this notification, you can log in to your Click-N-Ship® account to review and pay the postage due. Customers can prevent these discrepancies by avoiding common shipping mistakes and entering package characteristics as accurately as possible. Some common shipping mistakes may include:
Labels and Packaging

It is important to use the correct box associated with the package and service type selected. For example, if a Click-N-Ship® label for a Priority Mail® Medium Flat Rate Box is printed, but a Priority Mail® Large Flat Rate Box is used instead, this will be identified as discrepancy.
Package Weight and Dimensions

When shipping using your own packaging, accurately entering weight and dimensions is essential to ensure the correct postage cost is paid.
Ship From Zip Code

In order to be sure that postage for Priority Mail® and Priority Mail Express® is correctly calculated, it is important to accurately enter the correct Zip Code™ from which the package will be shipped to avoid the possibility of additional postage being required. Please note that the Zip Code™ from which the package will be shipped may differ from the return address Zip Code™; in this case, please be sure to enter both a Return Address and a Ship From Zip Code™ when creating labels.
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chevyav53
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Thu Jul 20, 2017 12:00 pm

USPS is not great, my mail lady is awesome and I talk to her about all the shipments. However some idiots don't care. I had a small Wes21 print shipped from CH and they folded it and put it in my mailbox. The gallery quickly sent me another in a more sturdy package. Had a damaged DHL as well also sent a new print. All were insured by the shipper, though always ask as a buyer.
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ccsmd598
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Sat Sep 23, 2017 8:04 pm

Super annoyed with USPS the last two days. Had a print coming from BNG yesterday that was out for delivery and eventually updated as 'undeliverable as addressed'. Same thing happened today with another print I was getting from Static Medium. Literally nothing has changed with my shipping address, status, etc. I went to USPS today in person to see if they could figure it out and nothing so waiting to hear back from a manager...hmmm
Ya'll see the leprechaun say yaaaaaa!
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halftonegraphics
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Sat Sep 23, 2017 8:05 pm

new (lazy) mail carrier?
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ccsmd598
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Sun Sep 24, 2017 7:47 am

halftonegraphics wrote:new (lazy) mail carrier?
No and that's the best part. fudge is frustrating as hell. I took a half day on Fri to go to a doctor's appt. stopped home to let my dogs out and when I was driving down the street I saw my same mail carrier delivering a few houses down. The tracking clearly said out for delivery so it was definitely on her truck. Same thing Saturday.
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ricv64
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Thu Sep 28, 2017 4:37 pm

I shipped a buncha prints to Argentina in March . Customs held on to them untill 4 days ago
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Fri Sep 29, 2017 10:09 am

^Geez!
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lujborg
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Wed Dec 20, 2017 5:53 pm

Wahhh. A hand full of items just refuse to track. Of course it's the whiniest customers.
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halftonegraphics
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Wed Dec 20, 2017 8:47 pm

#tisTHEseason
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IWish
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Sun Dec 31, 2017 9:11 am

More price increases in effect Jan 21, 2018.
Will increase Priority Mail 3.9 percent


https://about.usps.com/news/national-re ... 17_062.htm

It's crazy to think that when I bought my first prints back in 2010, one could pickup decent 2-3 color posters for $25 with a $8-$9 shipping charge. These days...the cost of shipping a 30" tube, (considering tube cost, printing, packaging supplies costs), estimated shipping alone is close to $25.
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