Most nerve-wracking post office trip ever

[MartinP]

It would be a good idea to always double box, as well as the tracking and insurance. Pack indestructibly in a strong box. Then pack that box in another one, with something shock-absorbing between the two.

 

[RayPA]

There's a theory about dressing safely for motorcycling that says: wear what you would want to wear if you were required to roll out of the back of a pickup truck going 60 MPH (ignore the fellow in my avatar). A similar theory could be applied to shipping camera gear via USPS 😛.




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[hteasley]

I got the invoices from Leica, so everything arrived safely. Now I only hope I get them back before my vacation in mid-July....

more beer....

 

[peter_n]

Insure them to full value, buy tracking, use Priority Mail, and pack them encased in bubble wrap and there's no need to worry - not lost one yet

I've had the same experience and would add to this list Signature Confirmation. However I had an interesting experience yesterday: A valuable package with an eBay printed USPS shipping label with Signature Confirmation was left on my doorstep yesterday morning. When all of the tracking cleared I got a PDF copy of the signed receipt that the USPS driver had obviously signed.

Given the eBay/PayPal rules about receipt signatures this incident did make me wonder. My advice to shippers here is to use the USPS pink Signature Confirmation form and take the package to the Post Office yourself. OTOH the local driver went beyond not realizing the package should have been signed for; he forged my signature. I'll continue to use USPS as I'm very careful, but I'm pretty sure that the package that arrived yesterday was not insured and could easily have been "lost". When it comes to any of these shippers it's a case of caveat venditor.

 

[hteasley]

I finally got all the lenses back... wow, the CLA each of them received was incredible. Focus is spot on, glass is immaculate, coded lenses are a nice convenience.

The one scary thing, though, is the avoided stupid disaster. I sent three boxes of four lenses. I got back two boxes: one lens in one, two in the other. The box of two lenses, I found the two summicrons in there, the two that had gone off together, and stopped rifling through the box. Fortunately, my laziness that is peculiar to the state of my home office took over, and the box of peanuts sat there for a week.

I finally inquired to Leica about the last lens that I hadn't received, only to be told that one box had three lenses in it. Sure enough, down in the bottom of the peanuts in that box was my black 50mm Summilux II. So glad I didn't just toss the box in the trash...

An invoice of the box contents, on top of the peanuts, would have been helpful. As it is, each lens came with a single invoice wrapped around it, saying what work had been done. There was no overall invoice for the box contents. Not in this one, at least.

So, nearly screwed this up completely. But all's good in the end, and the lenses are performing wonderfully.

 

[JayM]

Lately every time someone has sent me something USPS with signature required my postman has left it on my door step behind a pot.

One day that thing(s) was: RD1, CV 15, CV 35.

Another time that thing was: Leica M8

And yet another time that thing was: CV 50 1.1

They're always nice to me when I ship boxes though 😱

 

[efix]

"As your attorney, I'd advise you to start drinking heavily." - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Which reminds me, I really need to watch that again some time!

 

[ChrisN]

I'm glad to hear the lenses are safely home again. I'm nervously waiting on confirmation that my M4 has arrived with Sherry - probably another week before it clears customs.