I used to like ATF

[pfarber]

Till this:
"We will NOT ship via US Postal Service, not even a button."

Evidently the owner doesn't realize the UPS WILL CONTRACT with USPS for delivery. When I drove for Fed Ex ground LOTS OF TIMES I delivered to the local post office for them to do local delivery.

And a small, flat rate box is less than $6, the box is free and is tracked from shipper to delivery. If ATF doesn't think $4 is a big deal then he should charge $4 less for shipping... 'cause, $4 is not a big deal... until it come out of HIS pocket.

[pfarber]

So, Netflix users... your discs come via USPS... how many have been lost? I had Netflix for two years, the 1 DVD at a time plan and I had discs in no more than 4 days (mostly due to weekends).

None of the parcel companies post loss rates directly. I have read a few articles that try and deduce loss rates by comparing package insurance costs.. but I find this to be troublesome. More packages may be damaged than lost. Who is more likely to pack an item properly? A business with a UPS/FEDEX account or Joe Schlub that wants nothing more than the cheapest way to ship an item??

[pfarber]

Where does lost stuff go?

Undelivered packages that are not stolen by drivers, damaged into scrap parts, are sent to warehouses where companies like:

http://www.npsstore.com/AboutUs.asp
and
http://bukoos.com/

Buy in bulk (most likely by the pound) and list your shit on ebay and Amazon.

The USPS does the same thing... but only direct:
http://about.usps.com/doing-business/au ... elcome.htm

In 2012 USPS is predicted to handle 170 BILLION pieces of mail (of all sorts).

The UPS handled a paltry 4 Billion

http://pressroom.ups.com/Fact+Sheets/UPS+Fact+Sheet

Fed Ex seems to be a very distant third:

Average Package Volume: More than 3.4 million packages daily (3.4 x 365) 1.2 Billion parcels annually.
http://www.statisticbrain.com/fedex-company-statistics/

So if your shipping 40x the parcels, and only losing 1% (USPS loss rate by insurance claims) you are getting a WHOLE MESS of packages delivered right.