Advice - never received art in the mail

[marblestheskunk.livejournal.com]

About a month and a half ago I commissioned a badge and ref sheet from an artist doing PWYW commissions, I paid $25 on june 29th for a simple ref sheet and a traditional badge.

Everything went fine, she finished my ref sheet and then the badge. The badge was posted on July 9th.

I waited a while for her to ship it and then noted her on august 2nd: http://www.iaza.com/work/120906C/iaza18088377550800.png

She promptly resonded and said it would be mailed after she got off work also on august 2nd: http://www.iaza.com/work/120906C/iaza18088336394700.png

I then waited and waited and the badge never came, I decided that I would poke her to see if I could find out where it was on august 25th: http://www.iaza.com/work/120906C/iaza18088356788100.png


She responded and said that it was indeed shipped a few weeks ago and she would check: http://www.iaza.com/work/120906C/iaza18088346138100.png

Thats the last I heard from her..

The badge still has not arrived and its been over a month since it was shipped, I'd imagine it would be here by now, we are both in the USA

I sent her a message today asking about it again, no response yet.

Just curious as to what I should do about this?

My friend told me that she also got a badge in early november and did not get it until early feb or so...so I am not completely sure, but if she said she shipped it I can imagine it would not be here.

Thanks.

Comments

[taasla.livejournal.com]

I'm going to guess no one purchased delivery confirmation? While it isn't true tracking, it can help you narrow down where your package is.

The first thing to do is to call your local post office and ask them if they've seen it. If not, it may take up to three months for it to get bounced back to her irrc. If that's the case, have her get delivery confirmation next time.

If it truly is lost, I don't think there is much you can do. I am rusty on shipping responsibility, but I am pretty sure the seller is not responsible for lost shipments. Someone who does this more often can correct me on that, tho! It's been a few years.

[wolf-goat.livejournal.com]

As far as Paypal are concerned, sellers are responsible for lost shipments. Most businesses will take responsibility for lost shipments too, as far as sending replacements is concerned. However it's a customer service choice, really. And with custom art, where there's no replacement option, things become way more problematic. An artist may choose to offer something by way of compensation but they're not obliged to. On the one occasion I had an item lost in the post, I offered a smaller commission as a goodwill gesture.

In this case the 2 items were pretty cheap in the first place so I don't think I'd judge the artist either way, if they chose to compensate or not.

It's a good idea to decide ahead of time about a policy for this and put it in a ToS, e.g. artist is not responsible for replacing items lost in shipping, commissioners are recommended to purchase tracking/insurance.

[poprock-grey.livejournal.com]

If they have a receipt showing it was sent to you (Or at least a shipment Aug 2nd to your town, state) then it isn't their fault.

If they can't show you a receipt, I would take that as them not shipping it. No proof of shipment could mean it was never shipped. That is when I feel it falls on the seller/sender and they should refund you in full/redo and reship with delivery confirmation.

ALWAYS get delivery confirmation. 80 cents of reassurance, free if they print the label out online. (USPS, unsure of other shipping companies)

[rivkahwinter.livejournal.com]

The only thing here is that while I see your point, I usually ship with a stamp. There's no receipt for something like sticking a stamp on an envelope and sending it out, since I already have stamps at my house, and I just take one from the sheet and put it on.

Maybe I should consider spending the extra and getting printable things for each time I ship something, but I like just being able to use the resources that are already available (my stamps that I've already purchased).

I wouldn't want somebody demanding a full refund or redo of a traditional piece if it got lost in the mail by no fault of my own. Also I wouldn't be able to prove that the customer hadn't received it yet either.

So maybe delivery confirmation is the way to go...? I should start using that instead of stamps.

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

Proof of shipment in that case would be as simple as taking a photograph of the addressed and stamped envelope. It's still ideal to send items with tracking numbers though.

[rivkahwinter.livejournal.com]

*nods* Yeah... I mean, it would be easy enough to just fake a photo like that if you really didn't want to ship whatever you were shipping.

I think next time I ship something I will print a label from USPS most likely, after reading these comments and such.

[otana.livejournal.com]

That's proof of packing it up though, not actually shipping it. I can think of a few artists who've been reported here who did package up the item, forgot or put off mailing it and then lost it.

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

I agree but I mean it as a 'better than nothing' measure in cases like the above where there is no shipping label or tracking number available.

[linksage.livejournal.com]

I've actually considered video taping a small clip of me dropping the addressed and stamped envelope into a blue box if tracking wasn't purchased for some reason, just to cover my backside in case something goes wrong.

[breakspire.livejournal.com]

always always ship with tracking (USPS = delivery confirmation)

gives you proof that you shipped it, plus you can check to see if it was actually delivered on not if the receiver says they never got it

[familliaraver.livejournal.com]

I'm super terrible with keeping track of receipts and stuff. I simply take a picture of the tracking receipt or whatever when I get back into the car and e-mail it to the customer.

It's better to have tracking and not need it than need tracking and not have it. Add it in with the cost of shipping.

[stripedpony.livejournal.com]

It can take months to bounce back if something was wrong with the address. I was commissioned for a tail a while back. I made it and shipped it promptly to the address I was given. I'm not quite sure about the circumstances of why the tail came back(the red stamp on it indicated the dwelling was unoccupied) But it did take nearly 3 months to return to me.
Perhaps some how the address was written wrong and its still in that same USPS blackhole the tail ended up in? Its possible it could still show up at either of yours homes, probably back to the artists.

But yea delivery confirmation goes on everything I mail out and I usually do not charge the buyer for it just to cover my own butt.

[zaulankris.livejournal.com]

To my knowledge (and at least in my country, maybe it's different in yours) items automatically come with a $100 insurance even if there is no tracking#. I'm not sure if this covers all types of mail or just parcels, though so there might be different rules with different packaging types. Have you asked about that yet?

Also worth asking about is who can initiate a trace/claim with the shipping company? Sometimes it's only the sender, sometimes either party can get the ball rolling. If it's the sender only, I think it would be their responsibility to look into it for you even if it's not their fault since your hands are tied.

[ljmydayaway.livejournal.com]

Not in the US with USPS mail. You only get free insurance if you ship via EMS/Express Mail, and then it only covers up to $75 before you have to purchase insurance.

UPS offers up to $100 (I think) free insurance on all mail, no idea what FedEx offers.

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

It's rare, but I've had things go missing, even from one address in the USA to another, for more than a month. So it may yet turn up.

In any case, ask if the artist has a receipt, shipping confirmation, etc. And ask if there's anything they can do to resolve this. I wouldn't make demands, I'd just lay out that you're concerned, and if it is lost forever, does the artist have any suggestions for replacing it or working out some other solution? If the artist has high-res scans maybe a nice copy can be printed out, for example. That way you'd at least have something.

Can't hurt to ask, so long as you're polite about it.

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

Have you asked for tracking info or checked that she wrote the correct address?

[norala.livejournal.com]

When I ship something I pay for certified or first class mail. It is cheap and gives me a tracking number. It keeps you safe with paypal along with commissioners.
The sad thing is there is no real proof one way or the other. I hope you get it! If not it is (imo) the artists responsibility to "replace" the missing art.
As said above I have had mail destroyed, sent back and lost for several months.
Ask for tracking and what method she used (priority etc)
I personally don't like the blue box, I like having a receipt. >< good luck.

[mpd-84.livejournal.com]

Our local post office removed a lot of the public boxes here a few years back. Rude people kept using them as trashcans.

[dakotabailey.livejournal.com]

I'm just going to come forward and say that I am the artist in question. My FA is DakotaWuff. Mods, please update the ticket as you see fit.

Marbles, I'm a little confused here. That was NOT the last correspondance between you and I. The last correspondance between you and I was a couple of days ago in which you brought up the badge once more. When FA comes back up, I will show the notes between us. I said that I would send a replacement badge out to you when I get a free moment to remake one. You said that would be fine.

(Just noticed that this was sent in the 5th.)

I understand your frustration and I apologize once more for this. I will take a photo of the addressed and stamped envelope as proof that the next badge was sent out. Thank you for the advice, everyone. I didn't think of that.

[taasla.livejournal.com]

Just make sure to get delivery confirmation from now on and you should be ok. That way clients have a number to check up on online and you have peace of mind.

[dakotabailey.livejournal.com]

Is this something that I can do online?
Not making an excuse, just explaining my situation. I live in a pretty rural area without a car/reliable transportation. The badges pretty much go in the campus mailbox.

[ljmydayaway.livejournal.com]

Yep, you can go on USPS.com for Priority Mail, or print through Paypal to get First Class mail with delivery confirmation.

(Or if you happen to have Stamps.com account - it's a monthly fee, but if you ship a lot it's worth it - you get free delivery confirmation.)

[onyxserpent.livejournal.com]

Also adding on to what ljmydayaway said... If you do get the postage online, compare it to what flat rate options there are for stuff that size, it might actually be cheaper for future stuff. The post office will happily mail you free flat rate boxes/envelopes to use if you can't get to a post office, and if you do your postage online, delivery confirmation is free. Then you just put it with the normal mail.

I pretty much just use the small flat rate boxes for my badges (with them kind of secured inside so they don't bounce around). It's a little overkill but it basically costs the same as an envelope, and then I definitely don't have to worry about it getting bent in transit. Does mean you need to assume $5 for shipping, but it also gets it wherever it's going in about 3 days.

[dakotabailey.livejournal.com]

If I do commissions in the future, I will keep this in mind. Thank you :)

[tealmoonxiv.livejournal.com]

What, delivery confirmation is free?
Is it only on this stamps.com thing?

[onyxserpent.livejournal.com]

Nope, not just stamps.com. It's free if you order postage for priority mail online with USPS. If you go to the post office it's like $1 extra.

[ljmydayaway.livejournal.com]

Stamps.com is the only consumer-based system I know of that gives free delivery confirmation on First Class mail.

Everyone you can print from online gives free DC on Priority Mail.

[splatterhouse.livejournal.com]

d/c is 19 cents when you print a label through paypal. this link (https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_ship-now) is handy for making a paypal label even if they didn't pay you through paypal.

[sbneko.livejournal.com]

Just to play devil's advocate, it's possible she sent in this post a while ago and it only just now got approved. Sometimes there's a few days delay.

[dakotabailey.livejournal.com]

This came to mind while I was making the post. Apologies for that. Sometimes I forget that there's the delay.

[marblestheskunk.livejournal.com]

thats what happened, it took quite a while before it got approved. Everything is good though.

[marblestheskunk.livejournal.com]

Hey, this was posted way before you responded [It took quite a few days before it was posted] I've been out of town at a friends place so I haven't been able to say it was resolved, and I was just curious on what to do! I have no problem with you everything is fine ^^

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

Since the situation has been resolved and there was really no need to identify yourself, if you wish me to screen your posts to retain anonymity please let me know.

[marblestheskunk.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to let you know, this has been resolved, the artist has been very kind and has told me that if the badge doesn't come she would be willing to make a new one.

I apologize for not posting sooner, I just got back in town from a friends place, and this post took a while to be approved, but in the process she did contact me and let me know that she is willing to make another.

Thanks everyone.

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

In future, if circumstances change while you have a post in the queue, please let a moderator know.

[marblestheskunk.livejournal.com]

Okay, I apologize, didn't know I could do that ^^ thanks!

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

Screening this! :)

[splatterhouse.livejournal.com]

ty :)