USPS Usually Ends Up Destroying My Covers.

Oh, and here's the travel log just for total clarity. The last state is covered up for privacy purposes.
Stephen

Ut oh, the infamous ICS/NY customs routing...I'd be happy that the item even made it to its destination
Don

No kidding. About a month ago, I had three registered letters from Germany enter customs at ISC NY. When they cleared customs, the ISC incorrectly routed them back to Germany. Germany then had to send them back to the US, where they again had to spend a week getting through customs. I guess the USPS sent the entire container of mail back to Germany.

Looks like there are three FedEx location near you as shown here

https://local.fedex.com/en/search?q...&per=50&l=en

I believe that you can make your own label online (FedEx site) and then drop the item off (and get an understanding for shipping options/prices).
Don

I regularly received packages, usually registered from Japan and all well packaged. None have looked damaged, especially damaged in the manner shown in you illustration. I have received water damaged mailing from both international and domestic sources.

At your item, with water damage, the USPS is quite good at providing a marking or body bag for the damaged items.

Stephen-P

Based on my 40 years of experience servicing high-speed sorters, this is my take on your cover:

By using your "Hard Type Card Case" stiffener, this created what the USPS calls a "non-machinable" envelope, which means it was too stiff and too thick to safely travel through a USPS mail sorter. Your cover was placed in a mail sorter, and this caused it to jam. The stiffener was in the leading edge or right side of the envelope causing the jam. Your cover was then "rear-ended" on the trailing edge or left side by three or four other items coming behind it. I see no evidence of water damage, just wrinkling from the crash and some further damage by the machine operator unwedging the pileup out of the track.

My advice to you is to use a flexible cardboard stiffener on mail to the USA. Uniformly stiffen the entire envelope so it feels like a Christmas card. Place your postage stamps back from the leading edge at least a half-inch or more. Make sure the back flap and all stamps are firmly stuck down. I use a glue stick and tongs to add a dab of glue where needed, so there is no place where the item will catch in the mail sorter.

Hope this helps you,

Linus

Linus, nice explanation but how do you explain the stamps which were repositioned on the cover after being tied by postmarks if not by water damage?

I am always getting packages from philatelic sellers such as Brooklyn Gallery that use old stamps and they frequently are barely hanging on or have gone missing at some point because of fifty-year-old adhesive not moistened enough and stuck to packaging material that was not common back in the day.

Ppg-

My explanation would be loose stamps + wrinkled cover + camera angle. If we had the cover in hand, it would be much easier to see once you flatten everything out.

Linus

I read topic on mail cover being torn by PO. I have been with the PO for almost 40 years. The majority of mail maybe 99% does not get damaged. The 1% that does can be from multiple reasons. Any mail that can be sorted by a machine is done that way. It is more cost effective to do it that way. Mail that has loose plastic, lumps from objects put in envelope, flimsy are more prone to damage. Unfortunately mail is all in a tub mixed together. When clerk grabs it to put on machine he grabs a pile not individual pieces. The machine is fast paced so if it gets put on machine and jams it gets stuck and has to be removed. Depending on the jam it may be hard getting mail out of machine. If mail cover is loose or flimsy it may get torn trying to remove. The best thing you can do is not put objects like large clips, pens, etc… in a regular envelope. Anything other than paper should be put in a package.

Agree with Linus on the too stiff.

I to have had covers damaged in the mail system. It seems that more are being damaged as of late. In the past some covers were damaged by automated machines, but not very often. It seems that the covers damaged in the system has picked up starting the first of the year.

I should have came on here earlier
Shipped out 5 more today!!!
I wonder if I can request a non-NY path, haha.

And thank you for the FedEx map, Don!
Unfortunately the closest one is about an hour away from me. I send them out quite regularly, and it has to be done within 3 days. It wouldn't be sustainable.
Church, gym, work, stamps = All my time

Thank you for all the incredible insight. It's better to contact you guys than the actual PO.

Linus- that was extremely detailed, valuable information.. I've sent off quite a few more since last I posted and because of the advice here, I coincidentally did exactly what you said! I pretty much packed them the same but added a flexible cardboard that perfectly fits the envelope. There may be a lump in the middle, but overall it's a lot more flush.

I'll ask the customers if they wouldn't mind taking a picture of the envelope once it arrives.