USPS Lost 60lbs of Lead - Suggestions?

[rototerrier]

So I ordered 4 boxes of lead from a fellow member here, 60lbs each. 3 medium flat rate boxes showed up, the 4th is MIA. I've never had a lead shipment go missing and am curious if anyone has any suggestions on how to go about handling this, and what to declare was in the package so it doesn't get flagged as prohibited. It wasn't insured, but flat rate priority appears to have a default $50 coverage for things not considered prohibited. That would cover it close enough.

It's been 5 days and it could still show up, eventually. I'm not giving up total hope, but just wanting to get my ducks in a row for the possibility that it never arrives. Tracking shows it left the distribution hub along with the other 3 packages and that was the end of the line. No other updates, just that it's in transit to the next facility.

I've already opened an inquiry and received an auto response with a case number. But that was over 24 hours ago and I've not gotten any further response.

Suggestions?

(Edit: Lead finally arrived but tracking never showed delivered. It's still lost in their system but safely at my residence.)

[Smoke4320]

Unless something has changed recently they will not even look at a claim till after 30 days.
Good luck to you

[rancher1913]

with the tracking number at least you will be compensated for the loss, as far as I know lead is not a prohibited item.

[dg31872]

Last week, I ordered two 25 pound bags of lead shot from Rotometals. When it (or some of it) arrived, one bag was missing, and the other bag ripped and contents had spilled out. Only had 23 pounds of shot.
I called Rotometals promptly, and they filed a claim with the shipper and shipped out the lost shot to me.
Really good folks at Rotometals. Thank you Kim!

[cwlongshot]

I have had repeated problems with “heavy” boxes. (Yes lead) I found that just changing where I shop from solved almost all. SOMEONE was perturbed about seeing my name and a heavy box.

I have had seen one take 6 weeks to be delivered. Complaints and searches did little even tho it should have been tagged with my inquiry. Always found someone or something partially obliterated the zip code.

I print labels bold large txt and I seal that in clear tape many layers. Also address on INSIDE ITEMS ASLO TIGHTLY TAPED UP.

I was quite bothered and annoyed when I thought to just ship from my work usps. Problem solved for me!

It’s very aggravating. Good luck!

CW

[Moleman-]

Last year I had two barrel blanks go "missing" for 4 months. After a couple weeks I figured that it would eventually end in a USPS claim so I ordered two more and had USP deliver them. Got them in a few days as expected. That online system USPS has to report stuff missing is a joke. Got the same "your package is important to us, we haven't found it yet, blah blah blah" message until the barrels just showed up on the door step one day with some other packages. Tracking never updated, and for about 3-4 months after the barrels showed up we kept getting a monthly message from USPS saying how important our package was to them and they were still looking for it.

If it is under insured I'd give it time, it could be they're ticked that the box is heavy and are using it for a door stop somewhere. If you make a claim you don't get back the shipping or insurance charge, so they still get paid to lose your stuff.

[DougGuy]

One of my customers dropped a 1911 barrel into a padded 6" x 8" mailer, it got scanned and ripped open, claims were filed, yada yada, it showed up 3 weeks later in a plastic bag with what was left of the envelope.

Another one dropped a Blackhawk cylinder in one of those cardboard flat rate envelopes and sent it with no tape, no packing, just a cylinder bouncing around in a 9" x 11" paper envelope. His arrived in a plastic bag with an apology letter from usps.

I SPECIFICALLY ask ppl to use a SFRB box, packed snugly, and taped up like a Gorilla will use it in a soccer match. So far NONE of these boxes has failed in any way to arrive when it was supposed to.

It's not always the carrier's fault..

[FISH4BUGS]

lead is not prohibited.
Typically you need to wait 30 days to file a claim.
If it was tracked they should be able to tell you where it is....or at least where they THINK it is.
I have had stuff go to the wrong City and State because the zip code was not clear...it eventually showed up though.
Good luck.

[Froogal]

I have purchased from Roto-Metals several times. USPS priority flat rate. It always gets here, although I do have sympathy for my rural mail carrier.

[Freightman]

Had a package (not lead) disappear shipper replaced it about a year latter it showed up, called shipper they said they didn't file a clam and they didn't want it back. Go figure.

[mozeppa]

had 1200 bullets shipped in a wood crate (12 boxes of hornady bullets)....when i got it 45 days later it had been opened, rummaged thru then taped up and delivered.

[Ateam]

If you have to list something on your claim, and you are worried about harassment because it is a shooting related, just list it as shop consumables- tin. That shouldn't throw any flags and is close enough to true.

[bedbugbilly]

I ordered a 60# of lead last year and was watching the tracking - the tracking showed that it had been delivered to my residence but I sure couldn't find it. I called the local PO twice and gee . . . "oh yea . . . we found it. It's here at the PO if you'd like to come get it." Huh? "No I wouldn't and the last time I checked postal regulations, the carrier is supposed to be able to leave it at my house."

Twice twos year (since last October) we have had two items with tracking that have just "disappeared" in the U.S. Postal system - never have seen them. Not long ago, I had some papers that had to get back to Michigan from where we are in AZ - 4 pages in a business size envelope. I needed to get them there quickly for a sale of real estate so went to the local PO with the intent of mailing them overnight express. This was on a Thursday - right after lunch. "Can you advise me how much it will be to send these overnight express?" Clerk: "$26". Me: O.K. I'll go that route. Can you guarantee it will be there overnight? Clerk: "Well . . no It might get there Saturday and if not, it will most likely be Tuesday because Monday is MLK Day and we don't work that day". I ended up having to just send them Priority Mail as it wold take the same length of time and a heck of a lot cheaper at $7.80. I wanted to ask if there were any days that they did work. Their Priority ail, which used to be 2 day delivery is no longer 2 days based on a lot of items I have shipped.

There are a lot of good people who work hard at the USPS . . . and then there is a lot of 'dead wood" who don't want to work. Makes you wonder how they can loose a 60# box of lead but it's probably sitting somewhere because someone is too lazy to pick it up because it's "heavy".

At any rate - there is a waiting period for filing claims and IIRC, the shipper should be the one to make the claim? Not sure because when I had things not show up, i got a different answer every time I asked.

On a lighter note - maybe your box of lead is with the heavy duty 8 foot workbench that weighs something like 300 pounds that I ordered from Home Depot a few years ago - I ordered it to be delivered to my house and it didn't show up. I called HD and they tracked it and gee - "it got lost in transit". O.K. - send me another one. The second one never made it either as it too, "got lost in transit". I cancelled the order, got a refund and talked with a guy who worked for HD at a claim center that told me this kind of stuff happens all the time. Really? How do you lose a 300 + pound box that is 10" X 32" X 8' plus? Hmmmm . . maybe it fell off the truck when the driver drove past his house?

[Outer Rondacker]

I did a Leo ar 500 order a few years back. Four separate boxes at 68 pounds. All where said to be lost. Well one day the mailman (Scott) knocks on the door and tells me he is sure it is sitting on a pallet in sorting and none of the girls want to lift them. He told me if he could he would just grab them but his boss said NO since we already started a claim. So I drove to sort facilities and said I got a call to pick up my package. I got my boxes and then think I got someone fired.

I wish you the best of luck and feel your pain.

[rototerrier]

It literally just showed up. It appears they just lost it in their tracking system at the same time as actually losing it! I just checked tracking and it doesn't show delivered and is still in transit from the original source distribution center. Not going to complain, but it is definitely very strange.

[FISH4BUGS]

I LOVE stories with happy endings!

[pcolapaddler]

It is not unusual for USPS tracking to not be entirely up to date.

I've seen materials arrive an show nothing except an acknowledgement of receipt by USPS. It is getting better, but isn't UPS or FedEx yet.

Sent from my SM-G935U using Tapatalk

[Outer Rondacker]

Happy to hear it ended well.

[Winger Ed.]

Years ago I learned not to send any package over about 10 pounds through the Post Office.

The folks in the little brown truck are better and faster at getting it to ya.

[CLAYPOOL]

I didn't read the above posts. I DID HAVE A MAG 10 SHOTGUN set in the lost package facility in Atlanta , Ga. for 9 months though...might check with the Postal helpers. I can't think of her title, BUT SHE did find it for me...