Common courtesy when trading...

I say just make that a condition of your trade with the other party upfront. I can say that I've never done tracking with a trade but I have only traded small quantities of tobacco. I had a problem once when a package that I sent did not show at the other member's place for about a month. He was patient with me and I can definitely say, give him the benefit of the doubt because the postal service isn't flawless.
How long has it been?

I sent some samples to a member here, not in a trade just because he had helped me out before, and I paid for the tracking and it still went missing. Unfortunately the tracking doesn't always help you due to the human element of the postal system. Good luck and I hope it really is just the postal system not some disingenuous person amongst us.

Good morning.
I agree that shipping with tracking is an important aspect of being a good trader/seller of items through the mail. I don't think it's safe to assume that everyone agrees with this, or operates this way. I've noted that there is a penchant on the part of some folk to ship for the lowest possible cost... I've had folks walk away from a purchase because of a shipping cost differential of $2.00 - $5.00, in instances where I elected to not compromise my intent to only ship with tracking and insurance.
I also know that life happens. Sometimes work, family, health, mindfulness all impact a person's ability to "get 'er done"; this has happened to me. As a buyer, or trader, I tend not to put pressure on the shipper for an immediate turn-around time. Especially as the items I'm trading for or buying here are non-perishable. I get that "stuff happens" and don't mind waiting, if the communications are clear, honest and delivered from a place of integrity.
I've actually had a similar situation, when a trade I shipped to the UK was returned to me because I had screwed up on the postal code. This delayed the arrival of my tobacco by a week, but I was straight with the forum member who I was trading with and, of course, tracking #s help immensely.
One other thought is to communicate through multiple avenues. We all have spam filters on our email, sometimes PMs here don't transit right away or pop in email immediately (although the PM system has often been my most successful fall-back for communications), sharing cell #s for texts has also been really handy for me in chatting with folks I'm buying, selling or trading with.
Finally, when it comes to B/S & T, I live by caveat emptor... Burn me once, blame on you. Burn me twice? Not likely.
Good luck with your trade, mate. I truly hope it works out for you.
-- Pat

astrange1 I hope it works out for you. I always add tracking info only because I always add insurance, but I don't think it's a given that many will do it - so probably best to request it.
It's still possible this was just an unfortunate set of circumstances and I hope so for your sake.

This is why I like to always ship priority mail. Costs a little more, but always have a tracking and automatic $50 insurance.

B

+1 Pipebow. I know that Priority and tracking #s aren't a safeguard for nothing happening but it does make one at least feel better!

I'm happy to say that my trade went very well, and we're both happy.
I've noticed that older members are a little better at communication.

Never assume.
And if you do make assumptions, don't complain about it when your assumptions don't pan out. It's your fault and nobody else. Whenever I make a mistake like this, I hear my dear mother saying "Live and Learn".
That said, give this transaction some time, and give the other guy the benefit of the doubt. I had a recent transaction that didn't show up. The sender, an active member here, had mailed the package promptly, with a tracking number, but we somehow got my address slightly wrong. My assumption is that it was my fault, but that's just the way I operate. The package got resent and arrived posthaste. The sender refused my offer to pay the additional postage. Msandoval858, you rock!
Moral: Don't dig your heels in and harden your position until you know for sure that there was utter indifference or malice aforethought on the part of the other guy.

Yes, well those things happen. I'm sure no ill intent was behind it. I try to use tracking with USPS for everything I do here and on eBay. But given the sorry financial state of USPS, I'm always amazed and grateful that anything comes through at all. The whole system is just hanging by a thread.

I've found that USPS Priority is the way to go when trading. I can print my labels online, with tracking, and turn around time for delivery has always been consistently great. Yes, it costs a few bucks more but I take that in to consideration upfront when I price something I want to sell or trade. I also like that I can plug in the recipients e-mail address when I create the label and have them get tracking notifications directly from the USPS's automated system. It's a win win for the extra few dollars, besides the small flate rate boxes are perfect for fitting a pipe or two or any moderate size quantity of tobacco, they are sturdy and hold up well, and are free of cost from the post office. You can order them online and have the boxes, labels, tape, etc all shipped to you free of charge. I pick up 50 or so at a time and keep in the corner of my office for various trades, ebay sales, etc. I also have the added benefit of having a mail room at work so I never have to step foot in an actual post office branch.
Aside from the actualy shipping, it's all about communication and doing the right thing. As Woodsroad said, our trade hit a snag because I made the mistake of leaving a number off the address. These kind of things happen. I appreciate his understanding and hope to not make any more $5.00 errors in the future :lol:

Mistakes happen.
It's what happens next that matters.

I've found that USPS Priority is the way to go when trading. I can print my labels online, with tracking, and turn around time for delivery has always been consistently great. Yes, it costs a few bucks more but I take that in to consideration upfront when I price something I want to sell or trade.

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I use this method on trades for decent amounts of tobacco, I weigh it with a scale, print the label, and stick it into my mailbox. It doesn't get any easier... I also pick up from the USPS store every once and a while a bunch of bubble wrap mailers solely for pipe tobacco trades as I do them quite a bit. If it's a really small amount of tobacco (less than a tin), I just ship in a regular paper envelope and tape it all around to make sure it doesn't get water damaged or ripped open, seems to work quite well. At those amounts, if something goes wrong I can just send another one, or if I am out of baccy I can apologize and give them another trade or a cash refund.
To put things in perspective (I am rather embarrassed to admit to this but, we have all tried this once before to save money right?), I used to do stuff like send in a regular paper envelope stuffed full of baccy, but since discontinued it because people would receive every once and a while a torn envelope with nothing in it, or one badly ripped up and water damaged. I would advise everyone to learn from my mistake and never ever do it, it gets jammed in the sorter and torn and the USPS doesn't have adequate protection from water damage sometimes. Best to make sure it is lamented with some sort of plastic in those very tiny trades and to throw an extra stamp on it (USPS charges extra for pregnant envelopes). So your seller may have been inexperienced like I was, but then there's no excuse for not answering messages, since you can have your email notified when you receive one here.
On a side-PSA, while you may have a lot of these lying around, diapers are not considered proper packing material for things like pipes or pipe tobacco, please refrain from using them, thanks!

"Mistakes happen.
It's what happens next that matters."
Very well said, Woods.
Fnord

"bad trader" should be banned IMO

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I agree.
As many have mentioned, things happen. With the holiday season I know the USPS is slammed. However, from what you are describing (shipping to wrong address and now no response) you may have been duped. Hopefully not.

Hope it works out.

I always use UPS or FedEx purely because the tracking is so good. USPS tracking is getting better, but still has a long way to go.
That opinion foisted, the time of year could be the big "culprit" here. I ordered some things from a company I do business with on a regular basis. They shipped same day (last week Thursday)... FedEx Tracking shows that it was received from the vendor the same day I ordered it. Where it's been sitting with no tracking updates for 5 days now. Still sitting in the FedEx facility in a far away city. Cold, lonely, and waiting to be flown to me.
Tis the Season

I will, at all costs, avoid buying a pipe or tobacco which is being shipped UPS or FedEx. Both require signatures, and only deliver twice before requiring me to drive to some hell-and-gone depot to receive my item. Both, also, charge usurious brokerage fees for "bringing items into the country" and every order I've had with these two shippers has also been dinged for duties and taxes.
I'll happily take Canada Post, and the USPS, and their lovely bi-lateral agreement any day of the week. As has been mentioned above, a flat fee of $15CAD for $100 insurance and tracking is just fine with me.
-- Pat

Pat,
It is for that reason that I now avoid Al Pascia. However, I recently got an order in from Bollito pipes in Italy. It was shipped via air mail, arrived very quickly, and no usurious charges. A real good experience with that seller.

Something interesting I ran into this week when I was shipping a pipe at the UPS store. On the description, I was going to put "Tobacco Pipe". The clerk told me that would almost guarantee that the package would be opened, inspected and repacked. I changed the description to "Briar Carving"...Problem solved!