Risky time for train (or any) deliveries

I guess we are lucky, but what we have  received so far during the Christmas season has arrived in excellent condition.

Definitely crazy time for the carriers.  I can imagine how pooped some of these folks get by the end of their shift.

 

Rusty

Many times the damage is due to poor packaging & not poor handling.

Really?  I guess we have also been lucky.  Since December 1, we have received over 30 packages, of varying sizes, from all of the shippers...including USPS.  None of them were damaged.  Although, I see Smoke Stack Lightnin's point.  It's probably not a good time of the year to receive new locomotives.  Matt

I shop online all year and especially at this time of year.  I guess I've been lucky.  The flimsiest cardboard was the Menards box holding 25 flat cars but it was delivered with plumb corners and crisp exterior.

A trip to the Post Office this time of year is always entertaining; people show up with expensive items to ship, but likely in a flimsy box and to top it off, they have no packaging materials with them. They then expect the USPS to PROVIDE the tape and materials FREE; in other words we should all pay the expenses for these dolts to ship their goods.....

It still amazes me people use Kraft paper to wrap goods and put addresses on that; did they ever stop to consider that paper and address could tear in transit and not have an address left to go to? Of course, even while the USPS has had signage up for years telling people NOT to use paper wrapping, they still accept packages to mail this way-go figure.

Gentlemen,

   I have been lucky also, although everything seem to be taking more time, especially the stuff from California to here in Pa.  However nothing has been damaged that was delivered here to the house.  I was worried about the Shay delivery from Wheeling & the CC Switches from upstate NY, but everything from Patrick's and Charlie's seems to be operating just fine.  Good jobs from both UPS & FedEx this Christmas season.

PCRR/Dave

A FedEx truck overturned on the NJ Turnpike and spilled a ton of packages earlier this week:

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/new...es-article-1.2046254

 

 

No problems here, I've seen lots o UPS. FED X, USPS deliveries here in Millersburg, Pa. Awaiting a few things from other FORMITES this week.

received my flat cars from Menards and the box was in great shape.  it was even shipped fedx and the post office.

Just after 9 am this morning I received a text message from the USPS (I had signed up for delivery status alerts) that said my Priority Mail delivery from Grzybowski's was left at my front door. I ran down to check it out and there was no package there.

 

I will wait for the daily mail delivery that usually arrives around 2 pm. If the package doesn't arrive at that time I will contact Gyzybowski's and ask them to trace the shipment. 

 

Hopefully, it is just a glitch in the tracking alerts system.

Certain areas have demons stealing delivered packages.

For the MOST part these idiot demons are not desperate for food and shelter, as there are plenty of giveaway programs.

These demon bums are just miscreants!!!!

Ralph

My local post office loves to scan packages as delivered before the trucks even leave the office.  They do the same for Priority package pickups - marking them as picked up while they still sit on the porch.  I guess the pressure of scanning en route is a little much sometimes. Good luck with your delivery from Grzybowski's - I hope it ends well.

Yay! The doorbell just rang. The shipment was delivered to my neighbor next door. I am in townhouse 77. They are in 78. An easy mistake. my neighbor just brought it over. The box is in pefect condition. Happy ending! 

Terrence L,

Great to know that there are honest people and all turned out well for you.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas,

Ralph

I watched fed ex yesterday throw a package on someones doorstep yesterday it looked like Ace Ventura ..

Having packages delivered to your place of employment is a good idea. I saw a piece on the news a few weeks ago reporting that the delivery guys often have folks who follow them and help themselves to packages left on a porch.  The signature at delivery is not foolproof either.  I have had items delivered to, and signed for at the wrong address.  The carrier showed the item had been delivered, so I had no recourse.  One item delivered to the wrong address showed up at my place a few weeks later.  Apparently the honest person who received the item contacted the carrier and made them aware of the delivery to the wrong address.

 

Jeff Davis

Remember these gems from a few years back?

 

Well, if you can afford trains, you can afford a P.O. box.  Mine holds both USPS AND!!

UPS packages until I can conveniently pick them up.  Fedex will not leave at PO, so I avoid.

Got a GG-1 shell via USPS the other day in fine nick.  Guess it all depends on who's shipping what... 

 

Mitch

Our local news has reported people stealing packages from the door step of homes. Luckily, nothing in our neighborhood so far. They showed one couple stealing packages on the news the other day, caught by a security camera, they were driving a brand new Mercedes SUV. Didn't leave me with the impression they were down, out and desperate and in need of money for food. Maybe it was for the Mercedes payment?

 

When I was in college I worked as a temp with UPS packing trailers this time of year. Had experience with packing pallets so I could almost keep up with the expected pace. Others, not so well. And things always got interesting towards the end of the shift.

Still shocked I bought a Lionel evo from trainz and it wasn't attached to the base and it made it to me unharmed ,.

It's not just delivery services that screw up sometimes it's the sellers. I've had 2 Ebay items go AWOL this week on me. Not trains but vintage plastic icicles and a Santa Claus flashlight. One was shipped to a Texas address, not sure how that happened , I live in Pa. and work in Baltimore and the other was shipped, apparently delivered and I left positive feed back, still trying to figure out where that one went.

The fact that one was $8.00 with shipping and the other was $5.00 with free shipping or I'd be massively PO'd, I was hoping to get them in time for Christmas but I think that ship has sailed.

Tis the season...

 

Jerry

I've been lucky over the years. If I order something for myself I request delivery after January 1st. I don't bother with the Post Office anymore. On eBay items the sellers are pretty good about following directions.

"Pappy"

Thats only if it makes it to the shipper...... Hope there weren't any legacy berks in that container

 

 

"Hopefully, it is just a glitch in the tracking alerts system."

 

   They are having problems with it. I recently mailed a boxcar to Oregon and USPS tracking says it's in Cincinatti :> .......DaveB

As I have stated now ad nauseam, the long and arduous journey items must make from China to this country are horrific and often items become damaged because of being mishandled.

 

Most times this does not happen, but there are individuals that do not take personal pride or ownership in their position. Thus they could care less if the package says fragile and they still "dribble" the package right to our door step. Such carelessness is precisely why so many of us in this hobby often wait with baited breath as our items arrive. Hoping that they do so unscathed. If I had a dollar for every time an item arrived damaged, I would be one very wealthy man.

 

The point is: Until companies take the great pains to secure really top notch shippers, then this sort of nonsense will happen and around this time of year......

 

......yes, it is a WAR zone......

 

 

Pete

 

 

I've sold 18 MTH and Lionel freight cars this year so far- all of them were packed to withstand a 100 lbs. of boxes sitting on them. So far none of my customers has complained about any damaged trains, so I know my packing jobs are good. Anything I've ordered from any train shop has also been packed well, so no problems so far. I typically don't charge for materials, since the mail provides a nice supply of junk mail flyers for packing, and USPS gives out free boxes- if they don't have the right size a box knife and some shipping tape makes it the right size in a few minutes.

 

Geno

I've always been told by UPS that they will not deliver to a PO box.