Received Damaged Mail Today

Hi-- thought I'd share the envelope and note attached to it that I received in the mail today-- a couple of stamps from an ebay dealer.

Envelope torn all over, insides completely exposed, rubber band holding everything together, AND...the mint Wash/Franks inside were 100% completely OK!

I've taken off the addresses, and this doesn't show how bad it really was-- 1st one like this I've ever received, and thought I'd share--
Thanks, Ray

It's the Marker Monkeys brother "Snaggle Claw"

All's well that ends well. The stamps were okay.

I have attached a picture of the envelope containing a Labuan postage due SG D24 purchased on ebay for £49.99 but with a CV of £375. I have no idea what happened to the other half of the envelope or the stamp.

I had no insurance or tracking on the item (it is called 'self insurance') but the seller was good enough to offer credit against further purchases, something he was under no obligation to do.

i guess this brings up the question.....at what price/ point do you
insure and track from the USPS. I know that Internationally
importing can get costly and I have never lost anything in the mail coming my way....but knock on wood....whats one to do?

I take a chance. One of the issues around creating trackable mail is that you let the postal authorities know it is a valuable item. I sold an Australian Postage Due to stamp to Canada, registered and insured and lost in the system (can I say stolen within the Canadian Postal system?) a few years ago. I am sure it is because it was registered and insured and you had to indicate on the outside of the envelope what was inside.

I would prefer a sturdy, unremarkable letter, particularly if you are buying from questionable locations such as South Africa or Italy.

Feel free to say stolen within the Canadian Postal System. It happens but I think it's pretty rare. If something bad occurs it's more often within the Canadian Border Services Agency (Customs) that something "disappears". And that is where the mail (if insured, etc.) is inspected and where someone decides whether or not to apply sales taxes.

I have lost a couple of items coming from the USA and Tracking numbers usually get it as far as Canada before it goes west.

Having said that, I have to add that percentage wise, it's very rare - less that 1% since I am talking 2 items in a couple of decades, and once you get through to a live person at Border Services, they do a fantastic job of tracking problems down. They found one lot for me that was misaddressed and had bounced back and forth across the border at least twice over the course of two months.