Fun with shipping

richlevy · 11-24-2004, 07:57 PM

I ordered a Tibetan singing bowl on Ebay. The order was shipped promptly and arrived today...with one small hitch.

The person who shipped it to me shipped it in a box he must have gotten from work. The box was marked "SYRINGES". On the side of the box were standard CDC instructions about HIV and needle sticks. He shipped it through the US Postal Service.

The poor mailman who handed the box to my wife had it isolated in a postal bin covered with a protective lid, apparently in accordance with regulations on handling hazardous shipments. She didn't know what it was until she called me.

I sent a message to the guy telling him not to use those boxes again. I couldn't give him bad feedback since he did ship it on time.

elSicomoro · 11-24-2004, 08:10 PM

You could have given neutral feedback...he really should have known better.

xoxoxoBruce · 11-24-2004, 08:12 PM

Your mailman is being paranoid, the USPS delivers syringes to diabetics everyday, in boxes that are clearly marked. Tell him you've got aids and you made cookies for him.

Beestie · 11-24-2004, 08:44 PM

That all sounds real interesting but I have to ask: what is a Tibetan singing bowl. I'm certain that its one of those things that... "if you have to ask..." but I thought I'd give it a try anyway. I remember that you are into or at least like Bongos so I figure its some kind of percussion instrument. How about a link to the auction?

There are things from the region of Tibet that I wouldn't mind a box full of but, as of yet, singing bowls are not yet among them.

And I don't see the problem with a box of hypos. Diabetics and those with allergies and others, I bet, get boxes of syringes all the time. Tell the knucklehead postman that they aren't "used" syringes - they are new!

richlevy · 11-24-2004, 09:29 PM

A Tibetan Singing Bowl is a bowl made of a mixture of metals. When struck or when a stick is rubbed around the outside edge, the bowl hums.

Elspode · 11-24-2004, 09:55 PM

Rich, I think it is awesome you are getting into percussion and such. I do hope we get a chance to drum together sometime...

wolf · 11-25-2004, 12:12 AM

It actually takes a fair degree of control and wrist strength to keep moving the stick around the bowl without having it chatter. It's an awesome feeling when you get it right though. If at all possible, have someone "play" it with you lying down and moving it from your feet to your head.

Realigns your chakras and breaks up blocks too.

xoxoxoBruce · 11-25-2004, 03:52 AM

Looks like the same or a similar alloy to cymbals.

richlevy · 11-25-2004, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Looks like the same or a similar alloy to cymbals.

The one I got is more modern and is a silver color. It's more than 5 inches in diameter and about 3 inches deep. The walls are at least 1/8" thick. The bowl weighs over 2 pounds. When struck with the padded end of the mallet the tone is a deep gong. When rubbed with the wooden end of the stick I have gotten different tones, from deep to an almost shrill high pitch.

The only concern I have is for lead in the alloy. Although noone rubs these directly with their hands, I remember the rumors about Benjamin Franklin's glass armonica causing lead poisoning. This is ironic since Franklin was one of the first individuals to warn about lead poisoning.

Quote:

Some of the people who performed regularly on the armonica complained that the instrument was upsetting them emotionally. They said that the vibrations were entering their fingertips and causing mental anguish. There has been some conjecture that these conditions were caused by lead poisoning that the performers acquired from lead in the glass hemispheres of the instrument. Lead was a commonly used metal in the eighteenth century, so it is difficult to determine if these players' maladies came from the lead in the armonica or from other sources.

I don't intend to use it every day and I will be using a stick, so if there is lead in the alloy, it shouldn't be a problem.

BTW, I also bought a Kalachakra Car Hanging

limey · 11-26-2004, 01:58 PM

I've got one of those. What I've noticed is that if I give it to a friend and they get it to sing, then it doesn't sing for me again straight away, as though we have to get realigned to each other ...

flippant · 11-26-2004, 08:55 PM

The singing bowls are fun but I thought they were used primarily for meditation? Maybe just a false presumption, but in Tibet stores they are usually sitting close in proximity to incense.

maryharper · 12-13-2006, 04:21 PM

I buy my bowls wholesale from www.silverskyimports.com. They also have sound files for each Tibetan Singing Bowl at http://www.silverskyimports.com/category/Singing_Bowls.html.

I use my bowls for meditation, yoga, and healing.]

Mary

xoxoxoBruce · 12-13-2006, 10:00 PM

Hello Mary, been digging in the archives, I see.

How many bowls do you have? Some of them get pretty pricey.
Different sizes/tones for different problems to cure?

12-13-2006, 11:03 PM

I have a few, one that does the water column.

SteveDallas · 12-14-2006, 09:12 PM

Well I wanted to get Mrs. Dallas the Andrews Sisters Christmas album on CD. She loves the tape, which is all but worn out. It doesn't seem to be available anywhere around here, so I ordered it from half.com on 12/5.

On 12/11 the seller wrote to tell me that it was backordered and they'd let me know when it shipped. Now, this is already aggravating, because people are not supposed to sell stuff on half.com unless they have it in their hands ready to ship (and for that matter they're supposed to send it within 3 business days).

So I sent the seller a message and said, forget it, just cancel my order. They then wrote back and said, oops, I tried to cancel it, but it was just shipped.

Is this striking anybody else as fishy???

Well, the email included a "tracking number" that was a bunch of digits a mile long. I've seen UPS tracking numbers and this is not one. I dutifully plugged it into the UPS web site and it said the number wasn't valid. Hmmph. I wrote back and asked them to check the tracking #. They never wrote me back. I did check the email though, and then clicked the link instead of putting the number directly into UPS.

It was shipped through something called UPS Mail Intelligence. From what I can gather from their web site this involves the package being taken by UPS to a convenient US Post Office near the receiver, and the Post Office actually delivers the item to the recipient's door. (For non-US readers, UPS--United Parcel Service--is a private package delivery company that's completely separate from the postal service.) What they don't explain (at least not in a way that I can understand) is why this is a good arrangement for either the seller or the buyer. At any rate, the package has made its way from Orlando, FL to Paulsboro, NJ, so we'll see when it actually gets here. But the whole business seems very screwy.

11-24-2004, 07:57 PM	#1
richlevy King Of Wishful Thinking Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Philadelphia Suburbs Posts: 6,669	Fun with shipping I ordered a Tibetan singing bowl on Ebay. The order was shipped promptly and arrived today...with one small hitch. The person who shipped it to me shipped it in a box he must have gotten from work. The box was marked "SYRINGES". On the side of the box were standard CDC instructions about HIV and needle sticks. He shipped it through the US Postal Service. The poor mailman who handed the box to my wife had it isolated in a postal bin covered with a protective lid, apparently in accordance with regulations on handling hazardous shipments. She didn't know what it was until she called me. I sent a message to the guy telling him not to use those boxes again. I couldn't give him bad feedback since he did ship it on time. __________________ Exercise your rights and remember your obligations - VOTE! I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. -- Barack Hussein Obama

11-24-2004, 08:12 PM	#3
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Your mailman is being paranoid, the USPS delivers syringes to diabetics everyday, in boxes that are clearly marked. Tell him you've got aids and you made cookies for him. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

11-24-2004, 08:44 PM	#4
Beestie -◊\|≡·∙■·∙≡\|◊- Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Parts unknown. Posts: 4,081	That all sounds real interesting but I have to ask: what is a Tibetan singing bowl. I'm certain that its one of those things that... "if you have to ask..." but I thought I'd give it a try anyway. I remember that you are into or at least like Bongos so I figure its some kind of percussion instrument. How about a link to the auction? There are things from the region of Tibet that I wouldn't mind a box full of but, as of yet, singing bowls are not yet among them. And I don't see the problem with a box of hypos. Diabetics and those with allergies and others, I bet, get boxes of syringes all the time. Tell the knucklehead postman that they aren't "used" syringes - they are new! __________________ ♠ ♥ ♣ ♦

11-24-2004, 09:29 PM	#5
richlevy King Of Wishful Thinking Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Philadelphia Suburbs Posts: 6,669	A Tibetan Singing Bowl is a bowl made of a mixture of metals. When struck or when a stick is rubbed around the outside edge, the bowl hums. __________________ Exercise your rights and remember your obligations - VOTE! I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. -- Barack Hussein Obama

11-24-2004, 09:55 PM	#6
Elspode When Do I Get Virtual Unreality? Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Raytown, Missouri Posts: 12,719	Rich, I think it is awesome you are getting into percussion and such. I do hope we get a chance to drum together sometime... __________________ "To those of you who are wearing ties, I think my dad would appreciate it if you took them off." - Robert Moog

11-24-2004, 08:10 PM	#2
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	You could have given neutral feedback...he really should have known better.

11-25-2004, 12:12 AM	#7
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	It actually takes a fair degree of control and wrist strength to keep moving the stick around the bowl without having it chatter. It's an awesome feeling when you get it right though. If at all possible, have someone "play" it with you lying down and moving it from your feet to your head. Realigns your chakras and breaks up blocks too. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

11-25-2004, 03:52 AM	#8
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Looks like the same or a similar alloy to cymbals. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

11-26-2004, 01:58 PM	#10
limey Encroaching on your decrees Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: An island within the south-west coast of Scotland Posts: 7,016	I've got one of those. What I've noticed is that if I give it to a friend and they get it to sing, then it doesn't sing for me again straight away, as though we have to get realigned to each other ... __________________ Living it up on the edge ... of civilisation, within the southwest coast of

11-26-2004, 08:55 PM	#11
flippant shameless....so stop trying so hard....-me Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Colorado location* Posts: 215	The singing bowls are fun but I thought they were used primarily for meditation? Maybe just a false presumption, but in Tibet stores they are usually sitting close in proximity to incense. __________________ - I know we won't meet again in the season of blossoms, And I won't sit quietly by drunk in my chamber- YU HSUAN- CHI Ninth Century, CHANG' AN

12-13-2006, 04:21 PM	#12
maryharper Kinda New Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1	Singing Bowls I buy my bowls wholesale from www.silverskyimports.com. They also have sound files for each Tibetan Singing Bowl at http://www.silverskyimports.com/category/Singing_Bowls.html. I use my bowls for meditation, yoga, and healing.] Mary

12-13-2006, 10:00 PM	#13
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Hello Mary, been digging in the archives, I see. How many bowls do you have? Some of them get pretty pricey. Different sizes/tones for different problems to cure? __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

12-13-2006, 11:03 PM	#14
rkzenrage Guest Posts: n/a	I have a few, one that does the water column.

12-14-2006, 09:12 PM	#15
SteveDallas Your Bartender Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philly Burbs, PA Posts: 7,651	Well I wanted to get Mrs. Dallas the Andrews Sisters Christmas album on CD. She loves the tape, which is all but worn out. It doesn't seem to be available anywhere around here, so I ordered it from half.com on 12/5. On 12/11 the seller wrote to tell me that it was backordered and they'd let me know when it shipped. Now, this is already aggravating, because people are not supposed to sell stuff on half.com unless they have it in their hands ready to ship (and for that matter they're supposed to send it within 3 business days). So I sent the seller a message and said, forget it, just cancel my order. They then wrote back and said, oops, I tried to cancel it, but it was just shipped. Is this striking anybody else as fishy??? Well, the email included a "tracking number" that was a bunch of digits a mile long. I've seen UPS tracking numbers and this is not one. I dutifully plugged it into the UPS web site and it said the number wasn't valid. Hmmph. I wrote back and asked them to check the tracking #. They never wrote me back. I did check the email though, and then clicked the link instead of putting the number directly into UPS. It was shipped through something called UPS Mail Intelligence. From what I can gather from their web site this involves the package being taken by UPS to a convenient US Post Office near the receiver, and the Post Office actually delivers the item to the recipient's door. (For non-US readers, UPS--United Parcel Service--is a private package delivery company that's completely separate from the postal service.) What they don't explain (at least not in a way that I can understand) is why this is a good arrangement for either the seller or the buyer. At any rate, the package has made its way from Orlando, FL to Paulsboro, NJ, so we'll see when it actually gets here. But the whole business seems very screwy.

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