SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A June Ahleman painting is finally hanging up in Pam Daniels’ San Francisco home, where it belongs.
“My husband calls me the founding member of the lucky club and this story would suggest that there’s merit to that,” said Daniels.
We first met Daniels two months ago after the painting she had shipped with UPS went missing.
“I thought it was lost to the world which made me so sad,” said Daniels.
Daniels wasn’t alone. 7 On Your Side Investigates covered several stories of rare, lost UPS shipments, all with the same explanation.
“All merchandise is missing and the carton has been discarded,” Daniels explained.
Like a rare guitar that the purchaser later saw for sale on a Guitar Center website and a motorcycle supercharger, that the purchaser later found for sale on eBay.
So it seemed, maybe Daniels’ beloved painting could be out there, too.
“I just really wanted to get her the painting back,” said Jason Sjol.
VIDEO: UPS tells Bay Area customer his guitar is destroyed and discarded, but he then finds it for sale
A Hayward man says UPS lost a unique guitar he purchased, then offered up a bunch of different explanations including that it was destroyed.
In July, artist June Ahleman received an Instagram message from Sjol in Utah, telling her he’d just bought her painting at an NPS pallet auction and would she like it back.
Her response?
“That’s crazy,” said Ahleman.
Crazy because Ahleman knew UPS had lost Daniels’ shipment.
“June contacted me and said is it okay if I give him your contact information,” said Daniels.
Sjol says he found Ahleman by taking a picture of the painting and doing a reverse Google image search.
He offered to give Daniels the painting for free if she covered the cost of shipping. They went with a different shipping company this time.
“Both of us were elated that this story might still have a happy ending,” said Daniels.
Sjol tells 7 On Your Side Investigates he paid $299 for this pallet which included picture frames, mirrors and Ahleman’s painting.
MORE: Bay Area viewers question UPS explanation for ‘lost items’ now for sale online
His wife says there was no shipping label on the tube and that sometimes the shipping labels carefully cut off.
“It varies, sometimes it will have stuff on there, sometimes they are box cut off,” said Sjol.
The couple flips and sells what they buy on eBay, but this isn’t the first time they’ve attempted to reunite a lost shipment with it’s rightful owner.
“We’ve gotten people’s photo albums before that we’ve contacted that actually had their names and stuff on it that we contacted for shipping we shipped it back to them,” said Janelle Sjol, Jason’s wife.
NPS did not respond to 7 On Your Side Investigates requests.
UPS wouldn’t say how long its been working with NPS, how long it holds an item before selling it to NPS or how much money UPS has made from the sales.
Writing in a statement, “We work with a variety of vendors to support our business needs, but we don’t disclose details out of respect for those relationships.”
Investigative reporter Melanie Woodrow reached out to the United States Postal Service as well which said its Mail Recovery Center is the lost and found department for undeliverable and non-returnable mail.
USPS makes efforts to return those items to their rightful owners, but MRC also auctions items on the website GovDeals.com.
MORE: More complaints from shippers who say UPS told them contents were destroyed, discarded
As for UPS selling the painting Daniels bought and reported lost to UPS?
“That doesn’t feel great,” said Daniels.
Though she says she sort of understands.
“But as a general procedure what to do with all the lost items I kind of get it,” Daniels continued.
Lost or damaged shipments for sale at places their rightful owners might not know to look.
“I just want to express gratitude to you Melanie for your reporting because without your story I don’t think Jason in Utah would have known to connect with June and I don’t think I would have the piece right now,” said Daniels.
Daniels did receive a refund from UPS when we originally covered her loss. She said she reached out to them recently offering to return the money but has not heard back. Daniels paid approximately $3,000 for the painting while Sjol paid less than $300 for a pallet of goods including the painting. Woodrow also reached out to FedEx to see if they participate in something similar but has not yet heard back.
Take a look at more stories and videos by 7 On Your Side.
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