Just thought I would share this story so that it doesn't happen to others....even if the chances are small...you're better off just not doing what I did and have peace of mind that this won't happen to you.
Like a lot of previous generation Apple watch owners anticipating the Apple Watch S3...in early September I put my series 1 for sale on ebay hoping to recoup some of the cost to help buy the new one when it came out. It sold for $195 which I thought was pretty decent for just being 5 days before the keynote. But...not always being totally rational...trying to save a buck or two...I decided to wrap the box of the watch in one of those Priority Mail envelopes, folding it in such a way that it contoured the shape of the Apple Watch box...13 inches long, 3.5 inches wide etc... I thought I was being clever in saving a few bucks on the weight of the shipment. On I went to drop off the package...and here was my second mistake...instead of going directly to a USPS Post Office and physically giving the package to a USPS employee, I decided to drop the package off at one of these mailing stores that FedEX, UPS, and USPS pass by to pick up packages throughout the day.
I've been dropping some packages off there for at least 10 years so it didn't even occur to me that anything could go wrong. Well a day later the tracking number was still showing as only the label having been printed. Then 2 days, then 3 days, then 4.....I realized something was up. After inquiring and being told that occasionally packages don't get scanned but do get delivered I decided to wait some more to see if that would happen. The buyer then complained about not having yet received anything....well you can figure out the rest. Bottom line...the only explanation I can think of is that one of the 3 mail services' employees spotted the shape of the box realizing it was clearly an Apple Watch decided to take the package along with all the rest of the packages they were supposed to take in and decided it would be the perfect crime to just take it and never scan it....making it impossible to track, or complain to the USPS which didn't receive the package directly from me...and knowing the store would be unwilling and unlikely to bother to help out by reviewing their security tape (which surprise surprise only keeps 7 days of footage)....Either that, or someone at the store stole it (which I highly doubt, it's only 3 people)....so moral of the story....don't be cheap when you plan on selling your Apple Watch...just put it inside a normal box that won't advertise to mail employees who have seen the distinctive shapes of product packages a million times to know what's in them the opportunity to steal them and leave you doubly f*cked with an unhappy buyer and with the unfortunate reality of essentially having "paid" for your watch to be stolen. Oh and always hand over your package at a post office...don't just drop it on a table to be picked up if you want to reduce the risk even more. Don't be an idiot like me.
Like a lot of previous generation Apple watch owners anticipating the Apple Watch S3...in early September I put my series 1 for sale on ebay hoping to recoup some of the cost to help buy the new one when it came out. It sold for $195 which I thought was pretty decent for just being 5 days before the keynote. But...not always being totally rational...trying to save a buck or two...I decided to wrap the box of the watch in one of those Priority Mail envelopes, folding it in such a way that it contoured the shape of the Apple Watch box...13 inches long, 3.5 inches wide etc... I thought I was being clever in saving a few bucks on the weight of the shipment. On I went to drop off the package...and here was my second mistake...instead of going directly to a USPS Post Office and physically giving the package to a USPS employee, I decided to drop the package off at one of these mailing stores that FedEX, UPS, and USPS pass by to pick up packages throughout the day.
I've been dropping some packages off there for at least 10 years so it didn't even occur to me that anything could go wrong. Well a day later the tracking number was still showing as only the label having been printed. Then 2 days, then 3 days, then 4.....I realized something was up. After inquiring and being told that occasionally packages don't get scanned but do get delivered I decided to wait some more to see if that would happen. The buyer then complained about not having yet received anything....well you can figure out the rest. Bottom line...the only explanation I can think of is that one of the 3 mail services' employees spotted the shape of the box realizing it was clearly an Apple Watch decided to take the package along with all the rest of the packages they were supposed to take in and decided it would be the perfect crime to just take it and never scan it....making it impossible to track, or complain to the USPS which didn't receive the package directly from me...and knowing the store would be unwilling and unlikely to bother to help out by reviewing their security tape (which surprise surprise only keeps 7 days of footage)....Either that, or someone at the store stole it (which I highly doubt, it's only 3 people)....so moral of the story....don't be cheap when you plan on selling your Apple Watch...just put it inside a normal box that won't advertise to mail employees who have seen the distinctive shapes of product packages a million times to know what's in them the opportunity to steal them and leave you doubly f*cked with an unhappy buyer and with the unfortunate reality of essentially having "paid" for your watch to be stolen. Oh and always hand over your package at a post office...don't just drop it on a table to be picked up if you want to reduce the risk even more. Don't be an idiot like me.