Man says USPS lost Pokémon card worth $13,000. He’s not alone when it comes to lost packages

Ashli Lincoln
·3 min read

What if you’ve paid thousands for an item only to find the United States Postal Service lost it?

Channel 2′s Ashli Lincoln spoke to a metro Atlanta a man who said that happened, and he’s not alone.

Paul Gallagher said he spent more than $13,000 for a Pokémon card only to find out that the card has since been lost by the USPS.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Gallagher said buying and selling Pokémon cards isn’t just a hobby, but also a source of income.

It’s a hobby he says can bring upwards of $10,000 in additional income a month for his family.

That’s why he said he’s been frustrated with USPS since December after he said it lost a Pokémon card he shipped to a buyer.

“We’re talking thousands of dollars, that card we’re talking about cost me $13,000 to buy it,” Gallagher said.

He said USPS contacted him last week, confirming what he didn’t want to hear.

“They didn’t get back with me until March 25 and declared it was missing, and here’s $200 for your $13,000 card and good luck,” he said.

TRENDING STORIES:

Gallagher said he isn’t alone.

Several card traders are voicing their frustration online about the USPS losing or destroying cards that are worth thousands.

In 2019, a buyer blamed USPS for losing a Pokémon card worth $60,000.

“Not only did I lose my initial investment, but I lost the money that that customer spent. They refunded him that money,” Gallagher said.

Lincoln reached out to USPS regarding Gallagher’s package, and they say they’re looking into it.

Meanwhile, the postal service blames continued staffing shortages for missing and delayed packages.

They’ve held job fairs across the county, but the biggest anticipated relief could be from lawmakers hoping to pass the Postal Service Reform Act.

That bill that would free up $27 billion for USPS to use for other expenses, with the goal to get mail delivered on time.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

The bill has passed the Senate and is just awaiting signature from President Joe Biden. Once it goes into effect, the USPS will have to create a dashboard so that the federal government can monitor the USPS’ daily operations.

“I take packages to the post office every day, and I’m just worried, worried if that package is going to make it,” Gallagher said.

USPS issued the following statement:

“As a matter of standard protocol, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG) does not confirm or refute information related to possible ongoing USPS OIG investigations, except in matters where details of the investigation become a matter of public record. The USPS OIG is aware of this incident and will continue to review the situation. The U.S. Postal Service employs more than 625,000 employees and is the largest civilian federal workforce in the country. This type of alleged behavior within the Postal Service is not tolerated and the overwhelming majority of Postal Service employees, which serve the public, are honest, hardworking, and trustworthy individuals who would never consider engaging in any type of criminal behavior.”

Customers can submit tips and complaints on the USPS hotline website.

IN OTHER NEWS: