Swindled

I was keenly aware that in moving to a new city, trying to rent an apartment and furnish it might lead to multiple opportunities to get swindled.

I didn't think it would be at the US postal office.


Today was my first day of my new job. I had carefully picked out twenty or so of my favorite books and shipped them through media mail to the new office (since I didn't have an apartment yet). It was a combination of my most used textbooks and a couple of professional publications, easily over a thousand dollars.

The administrative assistant told me the box had arrived, and when I went to open the box I noticed that the packaging was slightly different. It was the face of my old box taped onto a new box. I though that since I had shipped it media mail, they might have opened the box to check to make sure it was in fact media.


I opened the box, and inside : not my books.
Inside was a full box of random books.


A bunch of beat up random paper back books. Old novels, Chinese gardening books, tourism books.

I hadn't insured the books, so I'm shit out of luck according to the USPS. I didn't realize that included if the books never reach you.
Bummer.