topic Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit in Community Chat

secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

sunshine45 — Thu, 09 May 2019 04:04:59 GMT

Lost packages sold for profit! Inside the secret facility auctioning off YOUR LOST MAIL!

via our local FOX station

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/nation-world/the-secretive-facility-where-usps-sends-and-sells-your-lost-mail-for-profit

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

deeva — Thu, 09 May 2019 04:24:28 GMT

The airlines also auction abandoned luggage and lost items.

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

GAQShopr53 — Thu, 09 May 2019 04:42:48 GMT

Huuuummmm I wonder how much QVC and HSN merchandise that was "lost" is selling at those auctions. If I could be a fly on the wall!

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

iwrite — Thu, 09 May 2019 08:44:19 GMT

sadly, this has been going on for a long time.

if the package is "lost", how do they have them to sell?
and i suppose NONE of these packages have a return address

someone is not telling the truth.

and they wonder why people are using their ratchet service, less and less

and have the nerve to say that they don't make enough money - lies

while some may be annoyed that amazon is on it's way to disrupting the entire shipping industry, when you read things like this, it's kinda hard to be mad at them.

it's a shame that there are so many people/businesses that are death after a dollar, that they would stoop this low. in the end, they will loose.

i guess there will come a time where companies that ship packages, will have to put some type of tracking device in the boxes, so they will know where they are at all times.

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

Remar — Thu, 09 May 2019 08:47:51 GMT

I know things can get lost along the way. Think of all the stops our packages make before they get to us.

Over the many years I've bought things through my computer I've had some things not show up. I always call CS and they either send the same thing I've ordered or refund my money.

I do believe some things have been lost along the way or someone has taken the item out of my mail box.

Our names and addresses are on the packages though. Don't they see that?

I'll have to read this article because I've never heard of this before.

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

KingstonsMom — Thu, 09 May 2019 09:53:42 GMT

@sunshine45

Funny you should mention this now, just yesterday I read a news article where a woman bought a box of Legos for her son at a P.O. auction and underneath the Legos in the box was a package of Meth worth $40,000 on the street.

Yikes! I guess we know why there was no return address on that box!

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

CalminHeart — Thu, 09 May 2019 10:12:30 GMT

@iwrite wrote:
sadly, this has been going on for a long time.

if the package is "lost", how do they have them to sell?
and i suppose NONE of these packages have a return address

someone is not telling the truth.

and they wonder why people are using their ratchet service, less and less
and have the nerve to say that they don't make enough money - lies

while some may be annoyed that amazon is on it's way to disrupting the entire shipping industry, when you read things like this, it's kinda hard to be mad at them.
it's a shame that there are so many people/businesses that are death after a dollar, that they would stoop this low. in the end, they will loose.

i guess there will come a time where companies that ship packages, will have to put some type of tracking device in the boxes, so they will know where they are at all times.

You'd be amazed at how much mail is sent without labels, return addresses, company names, etc...and packaged/labeled so badly that they fall apart at a glance. There are tons and tons of mail every day and most is run through machines with computers. What would you suggest USPS do with unidentifiable mail? They could throw it away. Or they could auction it off if not identified or claimed within their timing guidelines.

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

software — Thu, 09 May 2019 11:47:31 GMT

In the case of lost luggage, it goes to the unclaimed baggage store after the airline has made compensation to the owner.

The airline does very little to return luggage to their owners.

The store is located in north Alabama.

It's time for May Sweeps, local TV news will present lots of sensational stories for ratings.

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

Sooner — Thu, 09 May 2019 12:28:18 GMT

I would think they would auction it off. Why add to a dump or burn it or something? It's undeliverable mail, damaged mail, misrouted mail that was not properly addressed and can't be traced, etc.

Even a big outfit like QVC messes up packages a lot. Think about what PEOPLE send? Really? LOL!!!

Part of the problem is that now you can pay for shipping and make your own label so how many times do you think that gets messed up? Back when you had to check on in at the post office, the person at the counter might look and say, there's no zip code, that's not taped up well enough, or something like that. Now people just go on a wing and a prayer and "hope" it gets there.

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

proudlyfromNJ — Thu, 09 May 2019 13:00:44 GMT

@software wrote:
In the case of lost luggage, it goes to the unclaimed baggage store after the airline has made compensation to the owner.

The airline does very little to return luggage to their owners.

The store is located in north Alabama.

It's time for May Sweeps, local TV news will present lots of sensational stories for ratings.

@software. The airlines do return lost luggage. The problem is identification on the outside of the bags comes off and there is no way to identify the owner.

I always have identification inside of my luggage and very noticeable.

The way those bags are thrown around you can’t trust the tags on the outside.

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

Kitty Galore — Thu, 09 May 2019 13:01:10 GMT

@CalminHeart wrote:
@iwrite wrote:
sadly, this has been going on for a long time.

if the package is "lost", how do they have them to sell?
and i suppose NONE of these packages have a return address

someone is not telling the truth.

and they wonder why people are using their ratchet service, less and less
and have the nerve to say that they don't make enough money - lies

while some may be annoyed that amazon is on it's way to disrupting the entire shipping industry, when you read things like this, it's kinda hard to be mad at them.
it's a shame that there are so many people/businesses that are death after a dollar, that they would stoop this low. in the end, they will loose.

i guess there will come a time where companies that ship packages, will have to put some type of tracking device in the boxes, so they will know where they are at all times.

You'd be amazed at how much mail is sent without labels, return addresses, company names, etc...and packaged/labeled so badly that they fall apart at a glance. There are tons and tons of mail every day and most is run through machines with computers. What would you suggest USPS do with unidentifiable mail? They could throw it away. Or they could auction it off if not identified or claimed within their timing guidelines.

I have to agree with you. Postal workers sometimes get a bad rap. I have family members that work in the sorting areas and they DO make every effort to see yo it that packages that are sometimes not labeled correctly or not packaged well etc. get delivered. I'm sure every facility , fed ex , ups have problems it's inevitable.

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

Desertdi — Thu, 09 May 2019 13:13:22 GMT

If they are "secret".......how does anybody get there?

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

sidsmom — Thu, 09 May 2019 13:23:34 GMT

Auctioning off stuff is not a big deal.

Governmental entities have been doing this for some time.

”Storage Wars” is h.u.g.e. reality show on A&E.

I figure there’s a 99.9% chance the onus lies on the sender

for not addressing/packaging/paying it correctly w/ USPS items.

It’s not because out of a zillion packages, someone is

rubbing their hands together just waiting for your box of

Denim & Co Capri pants. That’s crazy talk.

My sister sends me items via USPS. The envelope is smaller and

she addresses it using a huge sharpie (ie electronic readers can’t

be used). Needless to say, I wait weeks to get these envelopes.

I’ve told her many times to use a typewritten label &

use a standard size envelope w/ the correct postage...nope.

She’ll call/text me several times..each time proclaiming

‘someone must have stooooolen it.’ And I alway say ‘nope..

it’ll get here but next time use a label & regular envelope.’

Rinse, Repeat.

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

CrazyDaisy — Thu, 09 May 2019 13:59:43 GMT

That is why they tell you to also put a lable inside the box.

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

Love to Run — Thu, 09 May 2019 14:10:55 GMT

With the millions upon millions of packages shipped annually, of course there are packages that cannot be delivered or returned for one reason or another without the need to "steal" anyone's stuff. Should they pay to store these packages? Burn them?

No story here.

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

Cakers3 — Thu, 09 May 2019 14:34:12 GMT

Guess it's not such a secret. LOL

I would imagine that most of these are mislabeled packages being sent regular mail and not Priority?

Somebody made the excellent suggestion about putting a label INSIDE the box, too, especially if it is something like a gift package. Return labels for vendors inside the box usually have enough info for tracking.

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

LilacTree — Thu, 09 May 2019 16:14:54 GMT

The contents should be identified and then sent to an appropriate charity.

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

Tyak — Thu, 09 May 2019 16:46:10 GMT

I bet the good stuff finds its way home with a postal worker and the not so good stuff hits the auction.

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

sidsmom — Thu, 09 May 2019 19:06:15 GMT

@Tyak wrote:
I bet the good stuff finds its way home with a postal worker and the not so good stuff hits the auction.

If it truly is ‘good stuff’, the sender/recipient should have a

tracking number...and insured.

Re: secretive facility where USPS sends and sells your lost mail for profit

SeaMaiden — Thu, 09 May 2019 19:11:11 GMT

@KingstonsMom wrote:
@sunshine45

Funny you should mention this now, just yesterday I read a news article where a woman bought a box of Legos for her son at a P.O. auction and underneath the Legos in the box was a package of Meth worth $40,000 on the street.

Yikes! I guess we know why there was no return address on that box!

Did she get to keep it since it was her purchase?