IMPROVING THE ODDS OF DELIVERY

[N9LCD]

This might seem elementary but:

When shipping something by mail, spend about a buck and get a "Proof of Mailing". There's no insurance involved. It just says that, on the day stamped on the receipt, you deposited in the mail a piece of mail addressed to your recipient.

Use waterproof ink for ALL addresses and other markings on your package. I had a tube get lost in the mail because the eBay seller used a water-soluble ink for my address. It became illegible when the package got wet. Luckily, she used a permanent ink for the return address and, after three months and two tries, I got my tube.

JERRY

N9LCD

[Odd I/O (ksym SanAntonio)]

This might seem elementary but:

When shipping something by mail, spend about a buck and get a "Proof of Mailing". There's no insurance involved. It just says that, on the day stamped on the receipt, you deposited in the mail a piece of mail addressed to your recipient.

Use waterproof ink for ALL addresses and other markings on your package. I had a tube get lost in the mail because the eBay seller used a water-soluble ink for my address. It became illegible when the package got wet. Luckily, she used a permanent ink for the return address and, after three months and two tries, I got my tube.

JERRY

N9LCD

Excellent advice! ...And remember to use transparant packing tape over the permanent ink.
It is also a good idea to place a sheet of paper INSIDE of the box that is being mailed that includes the Ship to:~~~ and From:~~~~ Informaton. That way, if the outside label is accidently torn off or scuffed or contaminated by chemical leakage from another package in the carrier's system, the transit company will still have yet another backup. Another good thing to do is to NEVER place the outside address labels over the seam of the box; always place it one solid flap above or below the seam joint. Delivery confirmation is a great way to go when using non-trackable modes of service. It not only verifies Drop-Off at the facility; It also verifies Delivery to the destination address. It does not contain detailed transit info like a tracked package does; but it only costs 60 cents. Also include a pair of sealed complete packing lists both inside and outside of the box. This helps in the event of a box burst or seam failure in which merchandise fallout has occurred.