I sent off a package a while ago, special jewelry I handmade for special family - and about to be family - members to suit the occasions of a pair of weddings. They were general styles I'd been making before in the jewelry club, some selling in the store, many or most given as presents to others. These were earrings and necklaces mostly, or at least the really good stuff was. By "really good" I'm talking about adhering to club standards for their store: quality of construction, sterling silver, high quality beads. In other words, not the mass market plastic or cheap glass one can buy at Michael's. Not knocking Michal's here, because thank goodness for them and being able to learn inexpensively, right?
My version of high quality beads is the kind one pays for individually, not by the string. In this case, my particular choice was to order via Etsy some hand crafted glass beads in various colors in the form of small flowers, like 3D and/or multicolor roses. More specifically, when the Ukrainian war started I made a point of ordering from a shop called Oliverstar. I highly recommend them, both for quality and - as the budget permits - helping a business succeed and the artists make a living in the middle of horrendous circumstances. Dignity and respect, not bad goals.
Sounds good so far, right? But you did read that title?
Three women were sent gifts. Since all are (now) in the same family, I mailed them in one box, wrapped individually, made according to the information supplied by one of them: color preferences, and the previously unknown fact that one didn't have pierced ears, meaning necklace only. I included something larger for one, glass made when that was my favorite skill to work on in that same club. The other two had received similar glass earlier, hand delivered for another occasion. It's why several packages went in one medium box instead of a second flat smaller one. (Go ahead, call me cheap!)
It never occurred to me to have to document all my parts purchases over the years except when I made enough to have to file a 1099 for tax purposes. I wasn't selling things recently, just gifting them. I didn't take photos of them before sending, the way I used to do before placing them for sale in the club store. I never before had any problem shipping a package. None ever got lost. All were cushioned as needed and had always arrived safely.
That's now ancient history.
I received a hesitant call from the addressee I sent the entire batch to. She also emailed me photos showing what condition the box arrived in. She had understood that I was sending several things in the same box. Initially I ascribed her hesitancy to thinking maybe I'd sent things in separate boxes? Or she'd misunderstood there would be several? I mean,we're talking a couple of weddings here, and no "real" presents? (Was I really that cheap?)
I asked what to me was the obvious question: Was the glass broken? I hoped not. I could replace, more or less, the other items since I have no need of a kiln make those, but couldn't replace the glass. Nope, the glass was perfect. But the box had arrived squished on one end - the one I had the jewelry in. Everything was well protected with all the bubblewrap I could cram in. The cards I sent along were fine as well. Anyway, who'd really mind a bend or wrinkle in a card?
The problem was the other end of the box was wrinkled AND torn open along a full corner. The small packages were missing. You know, the more-or-less replaceable items, after replacing parts of my remaining stock like the beads and special-order silver headpins, special order because I spiral them so they have to be over twice the length of what one can order pre-made. Back in the club with their equipment, I frequently made them myself. I'm not there any more. I don't have the equipment, nor a good fireproof place to use it. Nor a good spot to store the chemicals. Nor.....
She sent me photos in case the post office needed them of the box where and how badly it was damaged, also showing address info and tracking number. Of course they weren't home when it arrived, so no postal employee to talk to.
I had insured the box, for a bit over the standard, under the circumstances. I took my Priority receipt to the post office and asked what did I need to do. The postmistresses in small towns I have invariably found to be courteous and helpful. This one was no different. The answer, not so helpful: go online.
Ever run into one-form-fits-all issues? I was OK through the first few questions. Name. Addresses. Tracking number. There wasn't enough form to answer their other questions however. I tried again, reframing. And again. It timed out and the form went blank.
Let's start with simple: when was it purchased? Purchased? They were manufactured by me. Maybe which part were they talking about? I could give them a range in years as I accumulated things to put together, but their form required one square in one of a choice of calendars which couldn't begin to explain the facts.
Name the item: Which frigging item? Are we thinking each individual item? Each individual package is already more than one item and three had gone missing.
Prove your purchase price. Asked and answered already in various ways, nothing suitable for their form however. I could by now come up with photos of the various orders for replacement beads, which of course include more than just the items needed to replace these pieces because why, for example, pay international shipping on just a few beads when you are sure to want more in the future, and face it, the war means buy what and when you possible can at the time you buy anything. Worst case there's not a second chance.
Note that there is a small limit of photos one can e-attach to the form. How many receipts can you get in a single photo? How many of those can somebody read?
Silver head pins? Special order, walk in a store, talk to one of their suppliers who makes special order pieces, pay in advance and wait for return to be picked up in store, and again, since I need 6, buy two dozen. Incidentally, everything for this transaction is a handwritten note and cash exchanging hands ahead of time. Did I keep the paper? Of course not. I trust that store and our long relationship, and thus whatever person they direct me to who can provide the odd thing I need. It works, though patience is required. I'm not in business these days. No tax info needed.
Then pictures of the lost items. I didn't take any, as it turns out. I was working on a personal deadline, not making proof for myself for the club's store inventory time of what a certain inventory number and brief description actually looked like to separate it from seven other similar ones made with a little different wire bend in each just because. That wire bend might have made a $3 difference in sale price or something. But document it for a gift?
I could take pictures of their replacements, once made. They wouldn't be exact. If the originals ever showed up, can't you just see some officious ass trying to claim fraud because this wasn't precisely what got lost? Or finding it but not returning it because of a small difference? Obviously somebody else made and lost that one. Can I perfectly remember which silver spacer bead of my 4 different kinds in stock that I used where? Of course not! Nor did this flower open on this end or on that end? Point up or point down? Part of the point is to not make exact replicas of anything - it's what separates art from machines. For earrings, two alike is it... as close as it can be.
Even in necklace length, I can't be exact. Recently I've been working on giving a choice of lengths in the same piece. One cuts the chain to the shorter length desired, plus another piece of chain about 2" longer. A jump ring to connect the two that the lobster claw can fasten into if the shorter length is desired, plus an identical jump ring at the end of the small piece so it can be fastened at the longer length. One design, two uses, short or long. Did I do that for all? What did it make the total lengths? Pretty sure the measurement would be half an inch or a full inch off my best guess. I was in a hurry finishing up. Do you seriously think I measured precisely? Then there were blue flowers I attached differently than for the others. It's hard enough to describe here, wordy as I might choose to be. Imagine squishing that detail on the final three digits of a standard form. Go ahead, try!
Yeah, you're not that crazy either.
Is the loss of the claim going to devastate me? No. I not only can afford to replace the parts, by now I have nearly done so. Nearly. I'll be sure when the reconstructing of them as much as I can is finished. Occasionally things go wrong and one starts over. It's a reason for keeping a container for "sterling crap". I sold some filling a pill bottle by the metal's weight on the club scale for another member to use for silver casting. WOW! Who knew the price mounted up that fast? It paid to have kept every crumb. I gave her a slight friendship discount and we both were happy. I'm already working on bottle #2, with no idea of its eventual destination. But for the moment I'm pretty sure I'll need to purchase more sterling ear wires, the French style. I don't work with posts. And I have more planned to make besides these.
I also know that those uniquely wired blue flowers cost me some wire until I figured out exactly how I wanted to do it, since it was new to me. Do I recall exact details? You jest! I know each wire went through 3 tiny spacers before going together through one flower, and ..... I'll figure it out. I did once.
Point is the irritant value of that damnable postal form is worth way more than the fairly high cost of the claim, which would still be less than full insurance of the package because we know the glass arrived intact. I'm already dealing with the side effects of those stupid steroid pills, and watching for other possible side effects from them supposedly not to be taken if I have 5 different medical conditions, which of course I have. For example my morning blood sugars have spiked two days in a row now. Let's just say digestive upsets have arrived... hurriedly. None of the side effects have been pain relief, because of course. That would just be too easy.
And yesterday was my first day of professional torture... er, physical therapy. We now know my starting point, range of motion, muscle strength, etc. I have a schedule of how many repeats of what for how long each time for the next three weeks till my next appointment. I like the therapist, including for her being impressed at how flexible my back is even with everything else life has tossed my way. I explained that 6 years of belly dancing - even ignored for decades - can do that for a person. Someday I may show her a thing or two. Just for fun. It might be fairly easy since she "gets" isolating movement in a single body part.
But the point is, right now it is not worth the extra aggravation of trying to deal with the (so far) worst form, most irrelevant and unresponsive form that the government has thus far cooked up to keep a dozen oval pegs out of a corrugated miniscule square hole. Not to mention preventing fraud and waste and efficiency.... Oh, that last wasn't official? My bad.
I had been informed that if the packages had been released in the truck they were in, with no indication of which damaged box (of just how many, exactly?) they came from, they would wind up in Georgia. This assumes honesty, of course. (Can I choose not to comment with an opinion on that? Wait - of course I can. This is MY BLOG!)
Let's choose for the moment to imagine some day those little white-paper-wrapped packages will be opened and examined, and whatever person involved recognizes workmanship like those Ukrainian beads for their actual value. I won't pretend I think they would ever come across this, but I might hope they find the items an appreciative home. I'd hate to think they simply got stepped on by some careless person when whatever happened to destroy the box (and who knows how many others at the same time) to let them free.
The second box will be handled far differently I assure you. I still won't have a single date of purchase, or all the necessary receipts for that one either however. I doubt their form spaces will have enlarged. Or...
Hmmmm.......