We've finally arrived here on St. Thomas

Welcome to STT! Sorry about the tools-- that does bite.

Did you connect in SJU? I seem to get alot of stuff lost in that airport.

Brandon and Leslie...

I am soooo sorry to hear about your misfortune.

I am shipping my stuff via USPS soon and I was womdering where you shipped from?

Where your boxes insured?

How did you mail them? (insured or not)

Were they large and heavy boxes?

Did you put a tracking number on them?

I know several people are shipping this way as well and this will be useful information. Thank you for your input!

Pink

Hi pink.

For anything as important as tools for your livelihood, I recommend checking extra boxes on your flight. It costs more than the PO but it's worth the peace of mind for critical things. Among the rest of your belongings, I'd pack together items you'd be extremely unhappy to lose and insure those boxes, and for the rest I'd just purchase tracking. Lastly, new boxes are generally sturdier than used boxes and to seal mailing boxes I;d use the more expensive tape with fibers in it and use it very generously, not just at the flaps and seams.

dntw8up is correct on using the better tape and checking things that are vital on flights - but just FYI for future movers, we have also found that things that require a signature, or are insured, or are sent priority seem to make it to their destination either way - the tracking # only told me my box was lost in PR, and that was the end of that....probably the ONLY box we didn't insure. Hopefully everyone in the PR post office enjoyed that boom box and 70's and 80' CDs. (stayin' alive, stayin' alive...)

Guess those suggesting sending stuff as excess baggage on the plane have never had their stuff go missing--unfortunately a not-uncommon occurrence on airplanes, and then try making a claim--seems half the stuff is on the "not covered" list. We have always found that insuring a box in the post office, even for the minimum $50, seems to make it much more likely to get to its destination.

I shipped 8 boxes from Texas to St. Croix on June 15th. I insured each box, and sent each on priority mail.

Within a week 3 boxes arrived. Four days later, 2 more arrived. I am still waiting for the last 3. Doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason why some made it and some didn't. Next step is to start the claims process at the post office, which I understand is not an easy or quick process.

From my recent experience, I would have to agree with the others; check the things you really want as baggage and pay the excess fee if you need to. At least that way you will probably get the stuff you really want!

Hi txjazzfan.

Don't give up! Most of the time Priority Mail arrives within a week or two but this year alone I've had two instances where Priority Mail took 6 months to arrive and one instance where it took 4 months to arrive. Most importantly, I've never once had Priority Mail fail to arrive 🙂

Hi,

Just my .02 based on my recent experience with the USPS.

I mailed 40 boxes, some priority, some parcel post. ALL of the boxes were insured. ALL of the boxes made it.

I agree with the other posters re: using quality packaging materials. I used new, double-walled boxes, purchased from Uline (great service, great selection and decent prices BTW) as well as copious amounts heavy-duty strapping tape on every box.

I wonder if having insurance somehow makes a package a bit more "theft-proof?" I have this thought that perhaps it might...................

Also, welcome Brandon and Leslie :)!!! Glad you made it! Sorry to hear about your packages, but hopefully it will be smooth sailing from here on out!

leslie theres a yard sale at toad & tart on sunday, smith bay there will be miter saw(chop saw) and portable table saw if interested also some hand tools,belt sander (used twice). So sorry for your loss>

Hello All,

You can file claims with the U.S.P.S online. You don't have to go to the post office. We filed a claim and two days later the box showed up. Don't know if it was just a coincidence or not. A few months ago (maybe longer) I read an article that said that American Airlines and another airline were no longer being used to ship U.S.P.S packages. So many boxes live in P.R. until there is room on a boat or something to get them here. Priority has always made it here for me, but I don't use anything less as it takes months to get here. Just my helpful (hopefully) two cents. 🙂

Teresa

Great info on shipping, I'll defenitely be using heavy duty boxes, buy the best tape money can buy, and insure everything.

I went to U-Haul today, and bought boxes and supplies for shipping. They have EVERYTHING you need to ship including a chart that tells which boxes are accepted at the post office and which are not!! My first box will be shipped at the end of this week through general mail and insured. I will keep everyone posted as to how well it arrived! Good luck to everyone!!

Pink

we had large and med. sized boxes. We use an ENTIRE roll of indusrial strenght packing tape and covered EVERY box. The first shipment we sent 5 boxes (the ones that were "lost") and ensured them for 100$...we didn't realized how cheap it was to insure for more the others were for 1000 after that. We are trying to file a claim with ms. blash here at the post office and she is about as usefull as a wet noodle. Now they're saying if we didn't keep the box for the destroyed wedding pix, and printers we are S.O.L.

The boxes were mutilated and we live in a studio apt. We couldn't keep them.

We shipped from kansas city. Drove to miami to ship car (which Tripical lost...it got sent to a different island but they won't tell me where..but it turned up.) changed flights in Atlanta and flew direct to ST. Thomas.

No P.R. change. Our Luggage all arived safe and sound. We had stuff like camera's and cam corders, files, and really important that would fit in our luggage. But some stuff we just couldn't do.

I'll talk to my hubby about the yard sale. THANKS!!!

Welcome Brandon and Leslie!

Sorry about your USPS experience. When we moved down 2 1/2 years ago we shipped 88 boxes, most insured, and all but one arrived intact. Our claim on the one was processesed and paid rapidly and completely.

We got to know our mailman - Weland - quite well, and he was very helpful in hauling all those boxes into our condo. And they arrived over a 1 month period. He still says Hi we when we see him!

I guess I'm still a fan of USPS.

Max (temporarily in Albuquerque)