I would also like to think it was an honest accident, and not a theft. I agree that this could happen on a machine without human hands involved. Believe me, I work (computer programming) around large, high-speed mail inserting / sorting / processing machines and have seen thousands of mail pieces eaten up. In our case, we are pre post office so when the mail gets ruined, we just reprint it since all our mail originates from us.

I can't help but wonder why if it were an accident why didn't they mail me the chips? They have my address and could have either put them back in the #10, or repackaged them, or even do a COD for the additional postage for all I care. This would allow me to know what happenned even if they mailed them broke. I think that is a valid point.

This isn't the first time it happenned from my uncle's shipment, last time was some CA chips, that time there actually was one left in the env, and the rest gone.

I have been victim of plenty of crimes (more life-threatening than this one!) which makes it easy to understand that crime is all around at all times and 'regular, average' people may surprise you when given enough temptation. I am more of a realist than an optimist. How many kids don't try and sneak an extra cookie out of the cookie jar? It's the same idea, just more expensive cookies and adults who should know better.

It's all good though, it was just losing a gift from family that bothered me, not the value of the chips, which probably was not much. More of a dissapointment than anything. Not a big deal.

I think I'll be over it when my 20 $5 chips arrive from my recent purchase!

Dave