The Old Dog Presents: An Update on Package Wars, Me Against Postal Thieves. Who Will Win?

in thieves •  7 years ago  (edited)

If you saw my previous post on this subject you know that I've been ripped off by postal thieves on three different continents. A nice piece of jewellery for a friend, gone! Baby clothes for my nephew's new arrival, gone! Swiss chocolate for friends in Europe, gone! Ok , ok maybe I would have been tempted to steal the package of chocolate too! :)

All of these packages were insured for their value and so I didn't lose money but that's not the point. I was left with the embarrassing situation of having not heard an acknowledgement from the receiver until I finally asked them. "Did you receive my gift"? "What gift" They'd reply!

With this in mind you can imagine that when I decided to send some silver coins to @papa-pepper it was not without trepidation. I needed to change tactics and see if I could get this fairly valuable and desirable gift to arrive without being pinched (that's British for stolen)!


This is how my mind views the thieves...even if I do love green! Photo credit: pixabay.com

My New Tactic For Mailing Valuables!

Since the stolen packages were all insured and had a sticker on them listing the contents this time I used a different tactic. After all, when the contents are listed and the thief is attracted to the description.... you do the math! By keeping the package under 100 grams I could send them disguised in a regular envelope with no description. I did send the envelope registered though and I can track its journey with an app. 

I'm Happy to Report That The Coins Are Now Officially on U.S. Soil



It's been exciting tracking this packages and as you can see it has already arrived at JFK airport. Cool!

Quick Facts About Mail Theft

  • Last year about 400,000 people in the USA had their mail and their identity stolen!
  • Mail theft can lead to having your bank account compromised!
  • Thieves can also use stolen mail to make fake fake drivers' licenses and credit cards!

What Do You Think?

  • Will my package make it safely to @papa-pepper?
  • Can you see that I'm having fun tracking my packages' journey?
  • Have you ever sent something to a fellow Steemer?


Until next time,


@kus-knee (The Old Dog)

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  ·  7 years ago (edited)

Yes and it is even more annoying when you depend on the delivery and then have to deal with make a claim for the loss and sourcing a replacement in a hurry.
Post office pickup is showing up as an option at checkout time for some online shops so that may be a better choice for those having packages grow legs?

I'm very curious to see if the package arrives!

am very sorry to hear your package was stolen
I hope papa gets his silver coin indeed ;)
you're very generous Old Dawg!

It's always safe to use the track and trace if you're sending packages abroad I guess. I do and the last package I sent a friend in the Ph didn't get stolen . Fingers crossed the last one reaches papa!

Since you sent it by registered mail, I'm hopeful he'll get it safely... as you know I have traded on eBay for almost 20 years, and I have found registered to be extremely reliable, especially for international mail.

But yes, mail theft is a problem. However, most packages are lost because there is not signature required-- they are left by the front door or in a mailbox and thieves see that as easy pickings.

I hope, and I'm sure that you are right. Did you read that Amazon is now offering a service where the delivery man can enter unlock your home, leave the package and lock it again? Where are we headed @denmarkguy?

https://www.ft.com/content/b042a202-b993-11e7-8c12-5661783e5589

I don't know @kus-knee; where I live, the mail is delivered to a cluster of lockable mailboxes at the end of the street, and large things are put in a couple of parcel lockers... and the keys to the locker is locked in your individual mailbox.

I heard about the Amazon thing, but I'm not sure I am ready to let strangers in my house... not even sure how Amazon plans to vest these people.

Yes those clustered mailboxes are big in Canada as well. I've yet to see them here and a big no to Amazon being linked to my wifi network and door lock!

your package wil arrive safe, and you make someone Very happy. Good you do the track and trace; always good to See how for the package did travel and hoe many days it took.

Thanks for the encouragement and yes it's been a lot of fun doing the tracking.

What a bad situation..i hope that your package to @papa-pepper make it safely!
Until now i never sent anything...
I'm seeing that you having a lot of fun with that!😂
All the best to both of you!😉

Si per me questo è triste ma anche divertente! Nel futuro voglio spedire anche altre cose magari anche a te!

Anch'io cerco sempre di sdrammatizzare in qualunque occasione, piangersi addosso non serve a nulla, anzi...
Sembri proprio una persona di cuore, ti ri-auguro tutto il meglio!
Buona domenica!

Grazie amico!

The fact that the parcel is being tracked does not mean much, my parcel was three months in the city for 300 cls from me. In the end, I got the money back and everything. Another time the parcel arrived at the time, but bathed in red syrup. Reading your articles, I understand that the mail is not works badly everywhere.

So, you've had your problems too. In Switzerland things work very well but it is such a small country.

I have a number of different tactics for eluding mail thieves, I do a lot of international shipping. For precious metals that don't fit in an envelope - use the phrase 'Machine Parts'.

Machine parts are heavy and have different values, so you won't have to lie about the insurance value or be suspicious about the weight. Good luck, sometimes deception is our friend.

So cool to read about your experiences. If I would have needed to write a description I would have written "metal discs".

Lol i have to check the previous post:)

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

Yes, my continuing saga! :)

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

@papa-pepper got the coin safe, you packed it as a great master @kus-knee
How can I get a silver steem ?

Good question. Why not post an article that you're looking for one. @papa-pepper purchased his from another Steemian.

Fuck, parcels stolen in the west! I have never heard it happen in India. Between I read how cunningly you disguised those silver coins! I am sure they will reach to @papa-pepper, until they set off some metal detector............

So good to read that theft has not been a problem in India. I am anxiously awaiting to see the outcome of this delivery!

Getting packages through the post is like playing roulette! Things that should make it don't and others, like bills, always manage to make it :(

Even our registered mail takes anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks...And we have also had things sent by courier stolen. It has become difficult to keep one step ahead of thieves...

Wow, you've had some terrible experiences with this! You're right though the bills usually arrive!

What was the thief caught? This just

No the thieves were not caught.

I am waiting for some beers through the post, but it is coming with DHL, I hope it will arrive!!

Are you serious? Hmmm a thirsty mail carrier is a dangerous animal!

Thief's live all around the world , tough luck for this incident and good luck for future

Yes, hopefully I will win this round!

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

In our business we deal with the USPS a lot and that list of items on the outside of the package is just like a menu where crooks can be selective and pick and choose what they want. After all it's about time for Christmas shopping! LOL

Your comment was exactly my thinking. What a situation!

It even gets better dealing with this entity. I left a big package on the stoop after making an appointment for UPS to pick it up with a sign taped to it "UPS". After about 2 weeks I received an email from the supposed recipient saying they had not received the package. After a couple of weeks searching out information with the post office and researching every step of the tracking, the post office reported that their carrier had picked up the UPS package by mistake "(remember it had a big sign," UPS " taped to it}.and that it had been at the local post office all the while as nobody knew what to do with it. They would be delivering it the next business day!

Thx kus the mail man👍

Yes, part detective, part mail man!

nice post sir kus-knee

Thanks so much!

thank again kus-knee

This deserves some attention. Upvoted and resteemed :)

i will always support you..

posts I like and greetings know from @bachtiar0210 and beg support to from @kus-knee

Good Post

That is really embarrassing and frustrating as well. I think this time you will get acknowledgement from @papa-pepper as I think he is also tracking your this post.

so is it good now :O

Stay alert in future friend

I'm more concerned to see if my package makes it safely to you.