Persian shamshir destroyed by USPS!!!

[russel]

Sue the BASTARDS!

[ariel]

My condolences.
It is awful......

[Rick]

That's a crime; and now someone has to go through the insurance process.

Not a single FRAGILE sticker?
That's also a crime.

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Rick

That's a crime; and now someone has to go through the insurance process.

Not a single FRAGILE sticker?
That's also a crime.

Yea not very well packaged but this particular dealer does sell a lot of swords and probably has not ran into this type of problem before, lulled into a sense of security. The funny this is that right before I got home and found this I had shipped a very long naginata in full koshirae for some repair work and even though I packed it quite good seeing this damaged sword made me wish I did a better job.

This is the first damaged item I have received in many years, I posted this as a warning for anyone who may be shipping or receiving a sword, gun etc that maybe should be over protected just in case. I will be sending this image to people I deal with. Plastic gun cases with foam lining are not expensive and would probably have prevented this from happening......what really makes me mad is seeing a beautiful sword like this one destroyed, what a waste.

[Rick]

Now, if you don't want any damage...
Expensive but reusable.

[kahnjar1]

In my experience, where possible use a ROUND TUBE rather than a box. Not entirely fool proof but stronger I believe, and pack item as tight as possible. Do not leave gaps in the internal packaging which will reduce strength.
Sad to see the damage caused here, and though the sword may never but recovered, at least I hope that insurance will cover the cost.
Stu

[Lee]

I expect that even an adequate insurance reimbursement will not fully cure that sickening feeling down in the gut. It would be interesting to know how this damage was achieved. Perhaps it was sticking out on one side of a forklift load and whammed into a structural support?

I have had one return from Lew's estate sale and the re-used packaging had a kink just like that. The repacking had omitted the tip restraint it had departed with and so the tip was sticking out of one end by about ¾ of an inch. Remarkably, I am happy to report the keris penjang inside was entirely intact and there were no blood stains.

I have some nicely made custom wooden air freight crates, as well as segments of heavy plastic pipe up in the attic left over from inbound shipments and such packaging might have saved this sword. However, I doubt many would be enthusiastic about the added costs, except for the most valuable shipments.

[mariusgmioc]

Originally Posted by Rick

That's a crime; and now someone has to go through the insurance process.

Not a single FRAGILE sticker?
That's also a crime.

It is a sword for God's sake not a glass vase, so I don't think it should be labelled as fragile since it can withstand shocks and stress resulted from normal handling.

What happened here goes way beyond NORMAL handling and the package was subjected to tremendous forces (I would say more than 200 kg bending force).

So I believe the crime was on part of the carrier (USPS) for mishandling the package, not on part of the shipper who packed the sword adequately to withsdand NORMAL/REASONABLE handling.

[Rick]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

It is a sword for God's sake not a glass vase, so I don't think it should be labelled as fragile since it can withstand shocks and stress resulted from normal handling.

What happened here goes way beyond NORMAL handling and the package was subjected to tremendous forces (I would say more than 200 kg bending force).

So I believe the crime was on part of the carrier (USPS) for mishandling the package, not on part of the shipper who packed the sword adequately to withsdand NORMAL/REASONABLE handling.

I put fragile stickers on everything I ship Marius.
You can't be too careful; and if it helps just the slightest bit to prevent damage then I'm all over it.
It sure can't hurt.

[sakimori]

That is..truely..awful.Can't find better words.I had a kind of similar experience once blade point get cracked during shipping.It's always nice to add some extra protection for the package.

[Philip]

An exceptionally shocking example of postal abuse! It's a wonder the blade didn't break considering the sharp and deep bend... Wootz tends to be brittle by nature (due to its high carbon content).

After years of generally high satisfaction with the US Snail, I began to notice a decline in service quality in the last four or five -- including a high percentage of parcels arriving with severe impact damage (bent, gashed, or with corners bashed in), sometimes affecting the contents but thankfully not as disastrous as the example on this thread. Since a lot of what I receive is restoration work from customers, this is unacceptable from a business standpoint so I switched to FedEx. For shipments within the US, the prices for Ground and Home delivery are very competitive with USPS, and transit times vary between 2-4 business days depending on distance. Reliable tracking and much more careful handling.

The courier services DO charge significantly more on overseas shipments, but on an exceptionally fine piece which is all but irreplaceable, how much is too much to pay for shipping -- assurance that it will arrive intact and in a timely manner, with peace of mind?

Some of my colleagues in Europe like UPS (they will accept antique firearms whereas FedEx and TNT do not), but I've noticed that their handling is a lot rougher (one parcel arrived open and pilfered), and their in-house customs unit charges a handling fee even though on antiques over a century old, there is no duty charge entering the US -- a ripoff in my estimation.