I got a very nice knife in the mail. I didn't buy it. What to do???

jackknifeh · #1

I got a very nice two blade knife in the mail today. It came in a very nice leather pouch. I don't know if it's a shipping mistake or maybe I have a secret gift or what. If it's a mistake I don't want to do anything with the knife in case someone figures out what happens and contacts me. The package had my name and correct address. The return address was just that. An address with no name or anything else. There was no sales slip or anything else in the package. Just a small leather pouch. I opened it and out dropped a beautiful knife. I found the knife on-line and it costs between $170 and $200. Since I have no information about where it came from I'd rather not say what knife it is. If I am contacted by someone who says they misshipped a knife and can identify it I'll return it. If not I don't know what else to do. I googled the address and all I got was a bunch of real estate web sites. I tracked the package on USPS.com and it came from the same city as the return address. It had a different zip code but that's not uncommon. All I can do is write them a letter I suppose and address it to "resident" or "very kind person".

I know where the knife was purchased (website) but their address is on the other side of the country. I'll try mailing a letter to the return address and see what happens. Anyone have any other ideas?

Jack

yablanowitz · #2

Put a coin in with the letter, that way you've "paid for" the knife. Many believe that accepting a knife as a gift will sever a friendship. Or you could simply ship the knife back with a note that says "Thanks, but I am unworthy of such a gift."

jackknifeh · #3

yablanowitz wrote:Put a coin in with the letter, that way you've "paid for" the knife. Many believe that accepting a knife as a gift will sever a friendship. Or you could simply ship the knife back with a note that says "Thanks, but I am unworthy of such a gift."

I will put a coin in the envelope. :) I hadn't thought of that. I won't put the knife in there because I don't know who will open it. If it was a mistake I don't want someone else accidentally getting hold of it and keeping it. To be honest the thought did occur to me to keep it and use it and not care any more about it. But I'd feel like a sh**head every time I looked at the knife. So, my plans are to do what I can to find out something and if I can't after a certain amount of time I'll chalk it up to luck and use it. How long do I wait though? Let's see... 30 minutes? That sounds about right :D

Jack

Evil D · #4

Well come out with it man what knife is it??

jackknifeh · #5

yablanowitz wrote:Put a coin in with the letter, that way you've "paid for" the knife. Many believe that accepting a knife as a gift will sever a friendship. Or you could simply ship the knife back with a note that says "Thanks, but I am unworthy of such a gift."

I will put a coin in the envelope. :) I hadn't thought of that. I won't put the knife in there because I don't know who will open it. If it was a mistake I don't want someone else accidentally getting hold of it and keeping it. To be honest the thought did occur to me to keep it and use it and not care any more about it. But I'd feel like a sh**head every time I looked at the knife. So, my plans are to do what I can to find out something and if I can't after a certain amount of time I'll chalk it up to luck and use it. How long do I wait though. Let's see... 30 minutes? That sounds about right :D

Jack

jackknifeh · #6

Evil D wrote:Well come out with it man what knife is it??

All right, all right. Actually I'm anxious to show it. I've already taken pics but can't show them yet. Here is the link.
http://www.knivesshipfree.com/northwood ... ant-ivory/

I'll put some pictures of "the one I have" (sure would like to say "mine" :) ) tonight or tomorrow.

Jack

Knivesinedc · #7

sweet blade. Lets hope it was meant for you........and even if it wasn't, well if nobody claims it in a week or so, I'd say its yours. :D

rodloos · #8

How many people on the forum here have your personal mailing address? Someone must have intended to gift the knife to you, either that or they already have your address from a previous transaction with you but they accidentally used yours instead the intended recipient?

I have sometimes thought of gifting a knife to certain people, but I think I would include a note to let them know it was a gift.

I haven't received any anonymously gifted knives, though I have received the *wrong* knife from a seller before -- the knife I received was worth about twice the value of the knife I ordered, so I contacted the seller to resolve that one.

Bladekeeper · #9

My guess is you've used that company before your name was similar to the customer .
Either the account number brought your address up they wouldn't have checked send to different address as it wouldn't have mattered being as they got the wrong account.
Sometimes the first four letters of a surname bring up accounts how its paid eg card name isn't questioned.
If you haven't used them before it sounds strange , I know here in the uk identity thieves will order from somewhere to your actual address .
Then arrive hoping to intercept the parcel , I'd check all your cards etc too .
A bit of a weird one if its a gift not to have put a letter in but props to you for being a honest person.
I got sold something recently for my youngest who is disabled they knew this and ripped me off still .
I have had to have huge restraint as I know where they live and would like to get payback but I'd just be stooping to their level .
ATB .

jackknifeh · #10

Rodloos and bladekeeper, I've been thinking what you both suggest. I think it's someone who sells on ebay or Amazon who I have bought from and my name and address is in their computer. They used my address by mistake. My address on the package is handwritten, compared to it being printed on a shipping label as I have done when selling on ebay. I'm going to wait 30 days or more before I sharpen it or use it. If a seller mailed it to me by mistake that will give the buyer time to complain. Then the seller will try to figure out where they mailed the knife. But, since my address is handwritten it may not be in their software. The seller may not know where they mailed the package. They may not have the tracking # either. I still think writing a letter to the address is the best thing I can do. OTOH, I'm expecting to get another letter in a day or two or maybe an email.

On a side note. I might be glad I don't have a knife store near my house. Although this is a beautiful knife and feels good in my hand I don't think I'd ever pay $174.30 for it from a web site with only a picture and written description. But being able to see it and hold it makes it all that more appealing. :)

Jack

jackknifeh · #11

Here a few pics

Pinetreebbs · #12

I searched completed sales on eBay and didn't see this knife, but they do drop off quickly and some ebay descriptions are very descriptive.

jackknifeh · #13

I put a letter in the mail today to the return address on my package with my email so someone can contact me. Now I'll wait and see what happens. I don't know how much I would carry this knife if at some point I consider it mine but I do want to sharpen it. :) But I won't do anythiing to it at all for now.

Jack

BigBill5953 · #14

Those Norfolks look fantastic! There's at least one thread on them over on blade forums. PM sent about the *dealer's* info.

w3tnz · #15

I wouldn't feel right about keeping it, your profiting from someones mistake/misfortune. I would feel overwhelming guilt even considering keeping and using it, I could never enjoy such a thing it would just haunt me forever.

Your own moral compass will have to guide you, but IMO you should of sent it back to the sender straight away, explaining you never ordered or paid for the knife, and there has been some mistake.

If it was a genuine gift the sender should have stated that, and they can always send it back to you if that was the original intent........

jackknifeh · #16

w3tnz wrote:I wouldn't feel right about keeping it, your profiting from someones mistake/misfortune.

Ever since I got this knife I have struggled with how long to wait before using this knife if I didn't fine anything out. I mailed a letter to the return address but haven't heard anything yet. I have heard all my life that if you find money it is legally yours after 30 days if it is unclaimed. So I sort of used that as a possible waiting period. But even then I would worry about the owner finding out where they sent the knife by mistake and want it. By then I would have sharpened it. So like you w35nz, I would feel bad. So maybe wait a year? Anyway, this doesn't matter because I found out about the knife. A forum friend asked me to have a knife sent to me so I could mail it to him because the seller won't ship out of the US. I agreed but my friend forgot to email me that I should look for the knife in the mail. So now I know about it and am mailing it to the rightful owner.

:D So this saga ends. :D

Jack

kbuzbee · #17

Glad it got worked out, Jack!

Ken

jackknifeh · #18

kbuzbee wrote:Glad it got worked out, Jack!

Ken

I'm glad too. It was mentioned I could just send the knife back since I knew I didn't buy it. That's not a bad idea but I'm glad I didn't. That would have delayed the rightful owner even more. It's on it's way now so all is well. I just wish I hadn't dropped the knife in that mud hole. :eek: :D Just kidding.

Jack

kbuzbee · #19

People pay a lot of money for that fancy schmancy mud you guys have down there.

to get it for free... even on your knife... seems like a good deal to me

Ken

jackknifeh · #20

kbuzbee wrote:People pay a lot of money for that fancy schmancy mud you guys have down there. to get it for free... even on your knife... seems like a good deal to me

Ken

I've seen "Genuine Florida sand" sold in little plastic bags in tourist shops along some of the beaches. I'm glad to say I never saw anyone actually buy it. :) Hopefully even tourists aren't THAT dumb. :) When I met my wife she worked in a tourist shop and she had LOTS of sea shells that were pretty valuable. The store would bet 4 foot square boxes of shells from all over the world. If you went to Sea World in Orlando back then you could buy a frog holding a tiny Budweiser can made from shells glued together. They would order them by the gross I believe from that store. I would go by the shop sometimes and wife and two teenage bikini beach babes would be sitting there making frogs. :) I sure did enjoy looking at those frogs. :D Anyway, if I'm not mistaken some of the beaches with white sand have it trucked it. I know the palm trees are not originally from here. Well maybe I don't KNOW. But that's what I've heard many times from people who had lived here for ever. I worked at Cape Canaveral and some of those guys were about 200 years old. :) That was on the Atlantic side. I'm on the gulf now. If you want to go to Cocoa Beach for beautiful water, DON'T. It's just south of Cape Canaveral and the ships and maybe other things pollute the water. I don't think it will hurt you but the water is NOT pretty. I surfed when I was living there and sometimes you would even have lumps of tar in the water. A buddy got some under his arm once and I think it ruined his wet suit.

But if you want some "Genuine Florida mud" send me your favorite Para2 and I'll send it back muddy. :)

Jack