USPS Standards for Registered Mail

BrendaM

USPS Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) § 503.2 specifies standards for Registered Mail. Here are some excerpts:

§ 503.2.1.1 What's not eligible for Registered Mail: Items "[p]resented for mailing in a padded envelope; envelope or mailer manufactured of spun-bonded olefin, such as Tyvek; plastic envelope or mailer; or envelope or mailer made of glossy-coated paper."

§ 503.2.3.3 Sealing the package: notice if sending currency, you're required to FIRST GLUE the package closed, THEN PAPER TAPE over all edges of the package.

• Paper or cellulose strips or wax or paper seals must not be placed over the intersections of flaps of letter-size envelopes where the postmark impressions are made.
• Packages must be sealed with mucilage or glue or with plain paper or cloth tape.
• _Packages containing currency or securities may not be sealed exclusively by paper strips, but must first be sealed securely with mucilage or glue. _

• Large envelopes (flats) that are completely sealed and that also have paper strips or paper tape across the intersections of the flaps may be considered packages for sealing requirements.
  *_ To be used on Registered Mail, tape must visibly damage the envelope or wrapper if removed and must absorb the ink in a postmark impression. _

• USPS employees are not permitted to help customers prepare or seal mail to be registered.

Coinstartled

Welcome to the forum!

Timbuk3

Welcome to the forum, thank you for the information !!!

ReadyFireAim

The easiest thing I've found is to go to Staples and get new brown boxes and that water activated tape with the little crisscrossed fiber strands.
You precut the tape & place in water before putting it on the box.

All seams have to be covered & affix one of those sticky labels.

ricko

@BrendaM.... Welcome aboard.... Good information. I ran into the taping issue the first time I sent a package registered...Went back a second time... then a postal employee helped me...did not know that was against regulations....Cheers, RickO

ChrisH821

Interesting about that last point... I've definitely had a desk clerk apply the paper tape for me when I didn't have any. That was a couple years ago though.

CCGGG

Welcome to the forum. While it may not be a USPS rule, they should tell customers sending registered mail they will automatically add at least a week more than normal delivery times for their package to be delivered. (That's if you are lucky. Two+ weeks more in some cases)

BAJJERFAN

@ReadyFireAim said:
The easiest thing I've found is to go to Staples and get new brown boxes and that water activated tape with the little crisscrossed fiber strands.
You precut the tape & place in water before putting it on the box.

All seams have to be covered & affix one of those sticky labels.

I don't put the tape in water, just pass the sticky side under a SLOWLY running faucet/spigot.

Coinstartled

@CCGGG said:
Welcome to the forum. While it may not be a USPS rule, they should tell customers sending registered mail they will automatically add at least a week more than normal delivery times for their package to be delivered. (That's if you are lucky. Two+ weeks more in some cases)

Registered deliveries have sped up significantly. Often only a few days. No guarantees of course.

JBK

@BAJJERFAN said:

@ReadyFireAim said:
The easiest thing I've found is to go to Staples and get new brown boxes and that water activated tape with the little crisscrossed fiber strands.
You precut the tape & place in water before putting it on the box.

All seams have to be covered & affix one of those sticky labels.

I don't put the tape in water, just pass the sticky side under a SLOWLY running faucet/spigot.

Lazy bums. Lick it with your tongue!

CCGGG

@Coinstartled said:

@CCGGG said:
Welcome to the forum. While it may not be a USPS rule, they should tell customers sending registered mail they will automatically add at least a week more than normal delivery times for their package to be delivered. (That's if you are lucky. Two+ weeks more in some cases)

Registered deliveries have sped up significantly. Often only a few days. No guarantees of course.

My last registered package (sent it 2 months ago) took almost exactly two weeks. According to the tracking info, it sat in one PO location for almost 5 days. A few weeks later I sent another package to the same location (but not registered) and they received it on the third day.

No Headlights

As for delivery there seems to be some postal black homes regionally
New Jersey is one. Midwest is pretty reliable. Welvoto the forums

Coinstartled

@No Headlights said:
As for delivery there seems to be some postal black homes regionally
New Jersey is one. Midwest is pretty reliable. Welvoto the forums

My last one was delivered in two days, albeit a relatively short distance.

Word of caution, as you mentioned Jersey. About three years ago a registered was caught in blizzard conditions in NYC with a Jersey delivery address. On day 7 the buyer filed a complaint with Ebay and at day 14 the fine folks at Ebay (the worlds greatest marketplace) were prepared to hit me with a $3000 chargeback.

Problem wasn't the PO in this case. It was the shylocks at Ebay.

It did deliver at the eleventh hour.

BAJJERFAN

@JBK said:

@BAJJERFAN said:

@ReadyFireAim said:
The easiest thing I've found is to go to Staples and get new brown boxes and that water activated tape with the little crisscrossed fiber strands.
You precut the tape & place in water before putting it on the box.

All seams have to be covered & affix one of those sticky labels.

I don't put the tape in water, just pass the sticky side under a SLOWLY running faucet/spigot.

Lazy bums. Lick it with your tongue!

I'll save the wear and tear on my tongue for other things, thank you.

ReadyFireAim

@CCGGG said:
... sending registered mail they will automatically add at least a week more...

I employ the "hot potato technique"...
Wait until I have a enough coins to justify a HUGE amount of insurance.
That way nobody wants to have the box in their possession.
I average about one or 2 days UNDER standard delivery.

BTW...After being sent to the back of the line a couple of times
My boxes look like artwork now.

BigA

@BAJJERFAN said:

@ReadyFireAim said:
The easiest thing I've found is to go to Staples and get new brown boxes and that water activated tape with the little crisscrossed fiber strands.
You precut the tape & place in water before putting it on the box.

All seams have to be covered & affix one of those sticky labels.

I don't put the tape in water, just pass the sticky side under a SLOWLY running faucet/spigot.

...or just soak a sponge and drag the tape across it...works great

messydesk

@BigA said:

@BAJJERFAN said:

@ReadyFireAim said:
The easiest thing I've found is to go to Staples and get new brown boxes and that water activated tape with the little crisscrossed fiber strands.
You precut the tape & place in water before putting it on the box.

All seams have to be covered & affix one of those sticky labels.

I don't put the tape in water, just pass the sticky side under a SLOWLY running faucet/spigot.

...or just soak a sponge and drag the tape across it...works great

I use a wet, folded paper towel for the tape, and also the sheets of old stamps that I affix to the package.

Wabbit2313

I am waiting for the banned crew to say this is OilofOlay.

logger7

I haven't sent registered in quite a while, way too much trouble, almost a "religious" exercise in extreme caution; expresses are fast and reliable and thoroughly wrapped quite safe. And with their new online system on late deliveries, you just enter the information and they validate a refund it they don't get there when they guarantee them to be there. But I would use registered on higher risk coins and bullion.

derryb

Registered is the cheapest and safest way to ship/insure items over $700. The only way to ship if you are sending bullion. USPS will honor insurance for bullion only if it was shipped registered. Safe trumps fast on high dollar items.

I have shipped hundreds of registered items, never lost one. The slowness of delivery did enable me to have USPS "intercept" and return two $1500+ shipments after ebay notified me of unauthorized credit card use by the buyers.

derryb

@BigA said:

@BAJJERFAN said:

@ReadyFireAim said:
The easiest thing I've found is to go to Staples and get new brown boxes and that water activated tape with the little crisscrossed fiber strands.
You precut the tape & place in water before putting it on the box.

All seams have to be covered & affix one of those sticky labels.

I don't put the tape in water, just pass the sticky side under a SLOWLY running faucet/spigot.

...or just soak a sponge and drag the tape across it...works great

I sprinkle catnip on the tape and let the cat lick it.