This has been an eye opening exercise, thank you for all the comments. I feel better, a little bit. A few closing comments:
1) With the resources they have, Heritage should be able to ship purchases out within a few days.
2) The fact that so many on this thread have seen innumerable delays, for many years, tells me that Heritage Senior Management does not understand the value in prompt client fulfillment, nor do they seem to value any sort of clear communication when there is a delay.
3) This reflects poorly on them as an organization.
4) As a 30+ year high- tech veteran, if it was my company, I would fix this issue immediately, and I would use the opportunity, and associated positive PR to regain the trust and overall satisfaction of my clients.
@Goldbully said:
Now that Heritage trusts me to pay in a timely manner, my winning coin(s) ship within 2 days of the auction close, many times one day after.
I bought from HA for more than 10 years and some time once a week but they never never ship within 2 days no mater how fast I pay. I always pay on the same day with echeck.
@logger7 said:
They are the behemoth and leviathan all rolled into one....A dealer I know complained years about a 1936 proof set that was not imaged or described and when he got it he saw the problems, but they refused a return. He was blocked from further business with them. On ebay most sellers ship promptly, often free.
@Eldorado9 said:
This has been an eye opening exercise, thank you for all the comments. I feel better, a little bit. A few closing comments:
1) With the resources they have, Heritage should be able to ship purchases out within a few days.
2) The fact that so many on this thread have seen innumerable delays, for many years, tells me that Heritage Senior Management does not understand the value in prompt client fulfillment, nor do they seem to value any sort of clear communication when there is a delay.
3) This reflects poorly on them as an organization.
4) As a 30+ year high- tech veteran, if it was my company, I would fix this issue immediately, and I would use the opportunity, and associated positive PR to regain the trust and overall satisfaction of my clients.
End of rant.
I agree with your points 100% but unless you’re going to sell your coin does it really make that much of a difference if you get your coin in one week or three weeks.
I agree with your points 100% but unless you’re going to sell your coin does it really make that much of a difference if you get your coin in one week or three weeks.
For what they charge for shipping, handling, and 20% BP, yes, it makes a difference. We are paying premium prices, we should receive premium service. GC is half the BP% and half the shipping cost yet I've never received my orders later than the Wednesday following the Sunday auction (granted I'm in CA). Kudos to GC for amazing service and value!
I agree with your points 100% but unless you’re going to sell your coin does it really make that much of a difference if you get your coin in one week or three weeks.
For what they charge for shipping, handling, and 20% BP, yes, it makes a difference. We are paying premium prices, we should receive premium service. GC is half the BP% and half the shipping cost yet I've never received my orders later than the Wednesday following the Sunday auction (granted I'm in CA). Kudos to GC for amazing service and value!
While they could be better, comparing Heritage to GC is apples to oranges. Heritage is not just coins and is orders of magnitude larger than GC.
While they could be better, comparing Heritage to GC is apples to oranges. Heritage is not just coins and is orders of magnitude larger than GC.
I understand but disagree with your point. The best analogy I can think of is hotels. Despite different service models and sizes, the end product of all hotels is pretty similar. Just like, regardless of the scale or other products, the end product of all auction houses is the same.
Marriott operates 7500 hotels including Ritz Carltons. The Four Seasons has 118 hotels. If Ritz Carlton was TWICE the price of the Four Seasons I would expect an immensely better experience, would be disappointed with the same experience, and very upset with a worse experience. Why are we paying for the Ritz Carlton and getting the Ramada Inn?
Legacy status doesn't count for anything. Same as many here, paid 5/8 not shipped yet.
I suspect HA's shipping department is understaffed, as are many other businesses. I also wonder about the insurance issues in loading tens of millions worth of coins into a single FedEx truck.
The elephant in the room is that with auctions the week after the show, HA must now ship every coin, instead of distributing coins at lot pickup during a show. I doubt they ramped the shipping department to handle that.
JMHO, Heritage got high on its own supply during the pandemic, when it had no competition, and people were stuck at home content to bid sight unseen and wait for packages. The customer service issues with that approach are now becoming evident.
@logger7 said:
They are the behemoth and leviathan all rolled into one....A dealer I know complained years about a 1936 proof set that was not imaged or described and when he got it he saw the problems, but they refused a return. He was blocked from further business with them. On ebay most sellers ship promptly, often free.
Nobody ships free.
It just depends on where they hide the costs.
Ha! But do you try to make money on shipping? The objective is to sell and deliver your merchandise to the customer at a profit, but never to make money off shipping. First class and priority shipping are well under $10 usually and certainly considerably less for high volume sellers.
@MFeld said:
To those of you who have asked or wondered, I saw this thread last night and have made Heritage aware of it. Thank you.
I have no problems with Heritage
I don't either....and just to get a little good will flowing my way from the high and mighty I am very impressed with Stacks Bowers, GC, the grading services, and Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates as well if they are watching....
@logger7 said:
First class and priority shipping are well under $10 usually...
You want insurance with that? Sure you do. That'll be more. And the people who pack the coins will likely want to be paid. There's a cost for the office space required to house the shipping department, too. There are probably other expenses involved, but you get the idea.
My strategy is different, and it’s always worked, without exception. Maybe I’ve been lucky, but I believe being a Legacy member truly helps. My rough sense is about 40% or so of my collection was obtained via Heritage, so I have coins shipped to me regularly from Heritage, most recently just a couple of weeks ago:
I’ll pay my invoice online via their eCheck system by the next morning after receiving the invoice.
I’ll then call the next business day after the day I made the payment, asking for the Legacy department. If the auction was off-site, I still make the online payment when I receive the invoice, but I wait until the day after the coins return to Dallas before making my call.
I ask if my coins can be shipped within the next two to three business days. Most of the time they get shipped the day after the day of my call.
Steve
A day without fine wine and working on your coin collection is like a day without sunshine!!!
@Eldorado9 said:
This has been an eye opening exercise, thank you for all the comments. I feel better, a little bit. A few closing comments:
1) With the resources they have, Heritage should be able to ship purchases out within a few days.
2) The fact that so many on this thread have seen innumerable delays, for many years, tells me that Heritage Senior Management does not understand the value in prompt client fulfillment, nor do they seem to value any sort of clear communication when there is a delay.
3) This reflects poorly on them as an organization.
4) As a 30+ year high- tech veteran, if it was my company, I would fix this issue immediately, and I would use the opportunity, and associated positive PR to regain the trust and overall satisfaction of my clients.
End of rant.
I agree with your points 100% but unless you’re going to sell your coin does it really make that much of a difference if you get your coin in one week or three weeks.
Two points. First, many people are going to sell the coins, so yes, it matters. Second, aside from just the shipping time is the excessive cost. And this is where it really matters. There are two kinds of items I’m interested in. Really hard to find ones which I will buy if I can (assuming the price is right, etc.) and nice coins I’d enjoy having. Yes, if heritage has the first kind of item, shipping be damned I’ll bid. I will factor in the shipping cost, but most likely I’ll bid high anyway just to win. But that second kind? Those are the ones where when I factor in the shipping cost, I may just pass altogether. And what if there are a few such items in an auction? I may pass on all of them from the outset, or if I don’t win the first one or two, skip the rest because now the shipping isn’t worth it. When I don’t HAVE to buy a coin from someone specific, why would I buy from the place where I feel like I’m getting screwed? I can tell you for a fact I have looked through many auctions and decided not to bid on anything because I wasn’t interested in enough to justify the shipping costs and hassle I’d face. And in turn, that’s at least one bid their consignors didn’t get. Over the course of years, that’s not chump change.
@logger7 said:
They are the behemoth and leviathan all rolled into one....A dealer I know complained years about a 1936 proof set that was not imaged or described and when he got it he saw the problems, but they refused a return. He was blocked from further business with them. On ebay most sellers ship promptly, often free.
Nobody ships free.
It just depends on where they hide the costs.
Ha! But do you try to make money on shipping? The objective is to sell and deliver your merchandise to the customer at a profit, but never to make money off shipping. First class and priority shipping are well under $10 usually and certainly considerably less for high volume sellers.
@logger7 said:
First class and priority shipping are well under $10 usually...
You want insurance with that? Sure you do. That'll be more. And the people who pack the coins will likely want to be paid. There's a cost for the office space required to house the shipping department, too. There are probably other expenses involved, but you get the idea.
Then why don't ebay sellers charge for all the extra costs and work? And why do other auction and numismatic companies charge a lot less? With private insurance and volume the cost of shipping is lower than what ebay sellers pay to ship their stuff.
While they could be better, comparing Heritage to GC is apples to oranges. Heritage is not just coins and is orders of magnitude larger than GC.
I understand but disagree with your point. The best analogy I can think of is hotels. Despite different service models and sizes, the end product of all hotels is pretty similar. Just like, regardless of the scale or other products, the end product of all auction houses is the same.
Marriott operates 7500 hotels including Ritz Carltons. The Four Seasons has 118 hotels. If Ritz Carlton was TWICE the price of the Four Seasons I would expect an immensely better experience, would be disappointed with the same experience, and very upset with a worse experience. Why are we paying for the Ritz Carlton and getting the Ramada Inn?
That is not at all different than the point I made. I said they could be better...
Look, I'm 10x better than GC. I charge ZERO to ship and I ship faster. I also don't charge a buyer's premium. But it's a dumb comparison as I do 30 to 50 items per week and don't have to pay staff.
Why can't GC be as good as me?
Per Heritage vs. GC. Do you know how hard it is to pack and ship a crystal chandelier?
Fwiw, I use echeck to pay. On three fairly modest coins in the recent CSNS auction, they shipped same day I paid.
Customer service there has always been great to me. Mark’s previews of individual coins are invaluable.
For people that say they will stick to GC or whatever, that is fine if you are collecting widgets available everywhere. But Heritage still gets the most consignments of important coins and to put together the best collection, you have to be active in their auctions.
"Look up, old boy, and see what you get." -William Bonney.
@logger7 said:
Then why don't ebay sellers charge for all the extra costs and work?
For the same reason a teenager with a lawnmower will cut your lawn for less than a professional landscaping service. Or just go with what jmlanzaf wrote:
"Look, I'm 10x better than GC. I charge ZERO to ship and I ship faster. I also don't charge a buyer's premium. But it's a dumb comparison as I do 30 to 50 items per week and don't have to pay staff."
@logger7 said:
And why do other auction and numismatic companies charge a lot less? With private insurance and volume the cost of shipping is lower than what ebay sellers pay to ship their stuff.
I don't know. Why don't Coke and Pepsi always cost the same?
@winesteven The secret decoder ring! I am glad you have figured out the system my friend! But sadly, there are too many poor experiences here, and there should not be a secret system to even figure out in the first place. The secret system at GC is a check box, that says FedEx 2 day delivery/$15.00? Check.
This is all about how a legitimate corporation runs their business fairly and efficiently, and delights their customers with stellar service. GC, I guarantee gets this point...Look what they have done with that business. This should be a wake up call for Heritage, not an exploration into why I as the consumer should be ok to wait longer, and be satisfied with sub-standard customer service.
@Eldorado9 said: @winesteven The secret decoder ring! I am glad you have figured out the system my friend! But sadly, there are too many poor experiences here, and there should not be a secret system to even figure out in the first place. The secret system at GC is a check box, that says FedEx 2 day delivery/$15.00? Check.
This is all about how a legitimate corporation runs their business fairly and efficiently, and delights their customers with stellar service. GC, I guarantee gets this point...Look what they have done with that business. This should be a wake up call for Heritage, not an exploration into why I as the consumer should be ok to wait longer, and be satisfied with sub-standard customer service.
No one said you should accept anything that you don't want to. It doesn't even have to be rational.
HOWEVER, I still think comparing GC to Heritage isn't exactly fair, especially if the Heritage auction was connected to a show that had off-site viewing. You can't even start the clock until the coins have been shipped back to Heritage and that shipping won't take place until AFTER the show and related auction is over. If you win a coin on the 1st day of CNS, the coins won't even be on their way back to Dallas until after the last day of central states. They then need to be unpacked, etc.
But, again, you can choose to not do business with Heritage for any reason, even if it is just the color of their shipping boxes.
@logger7 said:
First class and priority shipping are well under $10 usually...
You want insurance with that? Sure you do. That'll be more. And the people who pack the coins will likely want to be paid. There's a cost for the office space required to house the shipping department, too. There are probably other expenses involved, but you get the idea.
Then why don't ebay sellers charge for all the extra costs and work? And why do other auction and numismatic companies charge a lot less? With private insurance and volume the cost of shipping is lower than what ebay sellers pay to ship their stuff.
I charge for all the stuff. I sell on consignment and if I offer free shipping and the bids go up a few dollars as a result (same net cost to the buyer) I see little if any of that increase, and I don’t have a good way to charge my consignors for those costs, so I don’t. Now, if I sold my own stuff, offering free shipping would be much easier because the net bid+shipping amount someone is willing to pay would all go to me. I still think Heritage’s prices are astronomical, but I understand why they aren’t free. I don’t have a problem with there being a cost, just not the cost they charge.
It's always been slow. I think they run on the old paradigm where the lots are shipped via ground transport to and from show venues. Then there is expected due diligence in the inventory control with scans at every waypoint. So the lots from an auction held at a show end up not shipping until they have returned to Dallas and have gone through both inventory control and payment verification. Also, there are post-auction buys that some make that revise their invoices (sometimes crossing limits to avoid sales taxes for retail customers) and combine shipping.
They do on-site pickups after auctions. I cannot see why they cannot also just ship from the shows for fully paid winnings. But like differences in buyer fees, it always comes down to which company has the coins you want. From there, just need to have patience with the different approaches. It does get frustrating for dealers though (same goes for the TPGs) when the capital has been invested in the coins but they are not in hand to set up at a show for weeks (or months for TPGs).
I get your rant but in all honesty I don't think it was fair to post this on a Friday at 5pm when chances are no one will respond, until at least on Monday.
You also could have messaged @MFeld directly, he would have looked into this for you. He is a great asset to the forum AND a direct contact at HA.
That said GC is def better shipping times, but then nothing is perfect in life.
I hope you get your goods soon, and post it
I like heritage a lot but they generally take a long time to ship. It is what it is. Everything about their services including customer service are great!
@alefzero said:
It's always been slow. I think they run on the old paradigm where the lots are shipped via ground transport to and from show venues. Then there is expected due diligence in the inventory control with scans at every waypoint. So the lots from an auction held at a show end up not shipping until they have returned to Dallas and have gone through both inventory control and payment verification. Also, there are post-auction buys that some make that revise their invoices (sometimes crossing limits to avoid sales taxes for retail customers) and combine shipping.
They do on-site pickups after auctions. I cannot see why they cannot also just ship from the shows for fully paid winnings. But like differences in buyer fees, it always comes down to which company has the coins you want. From there, just need to have patience with the different approaches. It does get frustrating for dealers though (same goes for the TPGs) when the capital has been invested in the coins but they are not in hand to set up at a show for weeks (or months for TPGs).
To ship from the site, they would have to bring a trukload of supplies and equipment and tent a room large enough to accommodate it.
@Eldorado9 said: @winesteven The secret decoder ring! I am glad you have figured out the system my friend! But sadly, there are too many poor experiences here, and there should not be a secret system to even figure out in the first place. The secret system at GC is a check box, that says FedEx 2 day delivery/$15.00? Check.
This is all about how a legitimate corporation runs their business fairly and efficiently, and delights their customers with stellar service. GC, I guarantee gets this point...Look what they have done with that business. This should be a wake up call for Heritage, not an exploration into why I as the consumer should be ok to wait longer, and be satisfied with sub-standard customer service.
No one said you should accept anything that you don't want to. It doesn't even have to be rational.
HOWEVER, I still think comparing GC to Heritage isn't exactly fair, especially if the Heritage auction was connected to a show that had off-site viewing. You can't even start the clock until the coins have been shipped back to Heritage and that shipping won't take place until AFTER the show and related auction is over. If you win a coin on the 1st day of CNS, the coins won't even be on their way back to Dallas until after the last day of central states. They then need to be unpacked, etc.
But, again, you can choose to not do business with Heritage for any reason, even if it is just the color of their shipping boxes.
I disagree. They ship a lot of coins from the show. Pretty sure mine was and they have historically done this in the past.
@Eldorado9 said:
How is it that Heritage, just can't ship promptly? I won a coin on May 4th. It's been 16 days, and I've not received any notification, so it looks like I will continue to wait. To add insult, the laggard's charged me over $40.00 in shipping fees, and then when I inquired with customer service, the friendly woman informed me that for an additional $30.00 she might get things moved up in the queue. I responded that I wasn't interested in paying over $70.00 to ship one PCGS slab. Let's contrast with Great Collections. I buy on Sunday, and I receive on Wednesday. Yup, 2 days, always on time, no issues. Someone knows how to do this....Heritage, you listening?
Is there some secret decoder ring, or password I am missing that gets Heritage to ship in less than 2-3 weeks? Please let me in on the secret!
Sounds like they are holding your coin ransom for an additional $30 in small unmarked bills.
@logger7 said:
First class and priority shipping are well under $10 usually...
You want insurance with that? Sure you do. That'll be more. And the people who pack the coins will likely want to be paid. There's a cost for the office space required to house the shipping department, too. There are probably other expenses involved, but you get the idea.
I would like to think the 20% or whatever the buyers premium is would cover the shipping...
@logger7 said:
First class and priority shipping are well under $10 usually...
You want insurance with that? Sure you do. That'll be more. And the people who pack the coins will likely want to be paid. There's a cost for the office space required to house the shipping department, too. There are probably other expenses involved, but you get the idea.
I would like to think the 20% or whatever the buyers premium is would cover the shipping...
Reduce your bid by the amount of the shipping charge. Problem solved.
@Eldorado9 said: @winesteven The secret decoder ring! I am glad you have figured out the system my friend! But sadly, there are too many poor experiences here, and there should not be a secret system to even figure out in the first place. The secret system at GC is a check box, that says FedEx 2 day delivery/$15.00? Check.
This is all about how a legitimate corporation runs their business fairly and efficiently, and delights their customers with stellar service. GC, I guarantee gets this point...Look what they have done with that business. This should be a wake up call for Heritage, not an exploration into why I as the consumer should be ok to wait longer, and be satisfied with sub-standard customer service.
No one said you should accept anything that you don't want to. It doesn't even have to be rational.
HOWEVER, I still think comparing GC to Heritage isn't exactly fair, especially if the Heritage auction was connected to a show that had off-site viewing. You can't even start the clock until the coins have been shipped back to Heritage and that shipping won't take place until AFTER the show and related auction is over. If you win a coin on the 1st day of CNS, the coins won't even be on their way back to Dallas until after the last day of central states. They then need to be unpacked, etc.
But, again, you can choose to not do business with Heritage for any reason, even if it is just the color of their shipping boxes.
I disagree. They ship a lot of coins from the show. Pretty sure mine was and they have historically done this in the past.
I don't think I've ever had a coin shipped from a show. Why would they be carrying bags, boxes and shipping labels? They would also have to have all of the inventory and shipping software up and running on site. Not to mention arranging carrier pick up from a hotel room.
Try buying from a Hong Kong show and see how long it takes.
It's easy to understand the OP's frustration but there are really too many variables at play to make a solid condemnation of Heritage. They have always served me well and I'm not that impatient to begin with.
I would expect that Heritage uses a third-party company for insurance. Those insurance companies will typically require Express Mail shipment for coverage over a certain amount. It's not really possible to know what that insurance costs Heritage per shipment for insurance, but with that in mind...
The USPS retail cost to ship a single slab 2000 miles by Express Mail, insured for $5000 is.... $127.
Too much?
edited to add... That $127 is if you pack it yourself. If you have a shipping department, you'd be paying them, too.
@MasonG said:
I would expect that Heritage uses a third-party company for insurance. Those insurance companies will typically require Express Mail shipment for coverage over a certain amount. It's not really possible to know what that insurance costs Heritage per shipment for insurance, but with that in mind...
The USPS retail cost to ship a single slab 2000 miles by Express Mail, insured for $5000 is.... $127.
Too much?
edited to add... That $127 is if you pack it yourself. If you have a shipping department, you'd be paying them, too.
@MasonG said:
I would expect that Heritage uses a third-party company for insurance. Those insurance companies will typically require Express Mail shipment for coverage over a certain amount. It's not really possible to know what that insurance costs Heritage per shipment for insurance, but with that in mind...
The USPS retail cost to ship a single slab 2000 miles by Express Mail, insured for $5000 is.... $127.
Too much?
I just shipped a coin from CA to MA using UPS Ground and it was $17. When I ship packages at work, for a very large company, it is $4.50 overnight. Heritage is not paying retail shipping expenses nor retail insurance prices.
@MasonG said:
I would expect that Heritage uses a third-party company for insurance. Those insurance companies will typically require Express Mail shipment for coverage over a certain amount. It's not really possible to know what that insurance costs Heritage per shipment for insurance, but with that in mind...
The USPS retail cost to ship a single slab 2000 miles by Express Mail, insured for $5000 is.... $127.
Too much?
I just shipped a coin from CA to MA using UPS Ground and it was $17. When I ship packages at work, for a very large company, it is $4.50 overnight. Heritage is not paying retail shipping expenses nor retail insurance prices.
Was that a $7000 coin with insurance?
@MasonG never said it cost Heritage $127 to ship that package. I think his point is that they are "only" charging $40 to ship a package that has a retail cost of $127. So that is not exactly price gouging.
Comments
This has been an eye opening exercise, thank you for all the comments. I feel better, a little bit. A few closing comments:
1) With the resources they have, Heritage should be able to ship purchases out within a few days.
2) The fact that so many on this thread have seen innumerable delays, for many years, tells me that Heritage Senior Management does not understand the value in prompt client fulfillment, nor do they seem to value any sort of clear communication when there is a delay.
3) This reflects poorly on them as an organization.
4) As a 30+ year high- tech veteran, if it was my company, I would fix this issue immediately, and I would use the opportunity, and associated positive PR to regain the trust and overall satisfaction of my clients.
End of rant.
I bought from HA for more than 10 years and some time once a week but they never never ship within 2 days no mater how fast I pay. I always pay on the same day with echeck.
I think the funny side of this is if you flip the companies around this is my usual experience with Stacks!
Nobody ships free.
It just depends on where they hide the costs.
I have no problems with Heritage
"Subsidy" check in the mail for yah...LOL
Well, just Love coins, period.
I agree with your points 100% but unless you’re going to sell your coin does it really make that much of a difference if you get your coin in one week or three weeks.
For what they charge for shipping, handling, and 20% BP, yes, it makes a difference. We are paying premium prices, we should receive premium service. GC is half the BP% and half the shipping cost yet I've never received my orders later than the Wednesday following the Sunday auction (granted I'm in CA). Kudos to GC for amazing service and value!
Chopmarked Trade Dollar Registry Set --- US & World Gold Showcase --- World Chopmark Showcase
While they could be better, comparing Heritage to GC is apples to oranges. Heritage is not just coins and is orders of magnitude larger than GC.
I understand but disagree with your point. The best analogy I can think of is hotels. Despite different service models and sizes, the end product of all hotels is pretty similar. Just like, regardless of the scale or other products, the end product of all auction houses is the same.
Marriott operates 7500 hotels including Ritz Carltons. The Four Seasons has 118 hotels. If Ritz Carlton was TWICE the price of the Four Seasons I would expect an immensely better experience, would be disappointed with the same experience, and very upset with a worse experience. Why are we paying for the Ritz Carlton and getting the Ramada Inn?
Chopmarked Trade Dollar Registry Set --- US & World Gold Showcase --- World Chopmark Showcase
Legacy status doesn't count for anything. Same as many here, paid 5/8 not shipped yet.
I suspect HA's shipping department is understaffed, as are many other businesses. I also wonder about the insurance issues in loading tens of millions worth of coins into a single FedEx truck.
The elephant in the room is that with auctions the week after the show, HA must now ship every coin, instead of distributing coins at lot pickup during a show. I doubt they ramped the shipping department to handle that.
JMHO, Heritage got high on its own supply during the pandemic, when it had no competition, and people were stuck at home content to bid sight unseen and wait for packages. The customer service issues with that approach are now becoming evident.
Ha! But do you try to make money on shipping? The objective is to sell and deliver your merchandise to the customer at a profit, but never to make money off shipping. First class and priority shipping are well under $10 usually and certainly considerably less for high volume sellers.
I don't either....and just to get a little good will flowing my way from the high and mighty I am very impressed with Stacks Bowers, GC, the grading services, and Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates as well if they are watching....
You want insurance with that? Sure you do. That'll be more. And the people who pack the coins will likely want to be paid. There's a cost for the office space required to house the shipping department, too. There are probably other expenses involved, but you get the idea.
now I don't feel too bad about waiting a few days to use ACH rather than pay with credit card to save a few bucks.
My strategy is different, and it’s always worked, without exception. Maybe I’ve been lucky, but I believe being a Legacy member truly helps. My rough sense is about 40% or so of my collection was obtained via Heritage, so I have coins shipped to me regularly from Heritage, most recently just a couple of weeks ago:
Steve
My collecting “Pride & Joy” is my PCGS Registry Dansco 7070 Set:
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/type-sets/design-type-sets/complete-dansco-7070-modified-type-set-1796-date/publishedset/213996
Two points. First, many people are going to sell the coins, so yes, it matters. Second, aside from just the shipping time is the excessive cost. And this is where it really matters. There are two kinds of items I’m interested in. Really hard to find ones which I will buy if I can (assuming the price is right, etc.) and nice coins I’d enjoy having. Yes, if heritage has the first kind of item, shipping be damned I’ll bid. I will factor in the shipping cost, but most likely I’ll bid high anyway just to win. But that second kind? Those are the ones where when I factor in the shipping cost, I may just pass altogether. And what if there are a few such items in an auction? I may pass on all of them from the outset, or if I don’t win the first one or two, skip the rest because now the shipping isn’t worth it. When I don’t HAVE to buy a coin from someone specific, why would I buy from the place where I feel like I’m getting screwed? I can tell you for a fact I have looked through many auctions and decided not to bid on anything because I wasn’t interested in enough to justify the shipping costs and hassle I’d face. And in turn, that’s at least one bid their consignors didn’t get. Over the course of years, that’s not chump change.
The postage alone is not the shipping cost.
Then why don't ebay sellers charge for all the extra costs and work? And why do other auction and numismatic companies charge a lot less? With private insurance and volume the cost of shipping is lower than what ebay sellers pay to ship their stuff.
That is not at all different than the point I made. I said they could be better...
Look, I'm 10x better than GC. I charge ZERO to ship and I ship faster. I also don't charge a buyer's premium. But it's a dumb comparison as I do 30 to 50 items per week and don't have to pay staff.
Why can't GC be as good as me?
Per Heritage vs. GC. Do you know how hard it is to pack and ship a crystal chandelier?
A quick breeze of these posts……I’m reminded
It’s a patient hobby and collectibles are never dealt in emergency
Some pieces are worth the hassle.
I’m not the center of the universe.
thats way too reasonable
Fwiw, I use echeck to pay. On three fairly modest coins in the recent CSNS auction, they shipped same day I paid.
Customer service there has always been great to me. Mark’s previews of individual coins are invaluable.
For people that say they will stick to GC or whatever, that is fine if you are collecting widgets available everywhere. But Heritage still gets the most consignments of important coins and to put together the best collection, you have to be active in their auctions.
"Look up, old boy, and see what you get." -William Bonney.
For the same reason a teenager with a lawnmower will cut your lawn for less than a professional landscaping service. Or just go with what jmlanzaf wrote:
"Look, I'm 10x better than GC. I charge ZERO to ship and I ship faster. I also don't charge a buyer's premium. But it's a dumb comparison as I do 30 to 50 items per week and don't have to pay staff."
I don't know. Why don't Coke and Pepsi always cost the same?
@winesteven The secret decoder ring! I am glad you have figured out the system my friend! But sadly, there are too many poor experiences here, and there should not be a secret system to even figure out in the first place. The secret system at GC is a check box, that says FedEx 2 day delivery/$15.00? Check.
This is all about how a legitimate corporation runs their business fairly and efficiently, and delights their customers with stellar service. GC, I guarantee gets this point...Look what they have done with that business. This should be a wake up call for Heritage, not an exploration into why I as the consumer should be ok to wait longer, and be satisfied with sub-standard customer service.
PS. 18 days and counting with no coin, and no notification. May has come and gone.
No one said you should accept anything that you don't want to. It doesn't even have to be rational.
HOWEVER, I still think comparing GC to Heritage isn't exactly fair, especially if the Heritage auction was connected to a show that had off-site viewing. You can't even start the clock until the coins have been shipped back to Heritage and that shipping won't take place until AFTER the show and related auction is over. If you win a coin on the 1st day of CNS, the coins won't even be on their way back to Dallas until after the last day of central states. They then need to be unpacked, etc.
But, again, you can choose to not do business with Heritage for any reason, even if it is just the color of their shipping boxes.
I charge for all the stuff. I sell on consignment and if I offer free shipping and the bids go up a few dollars as a result (same net cost to the buyer) I see little if any of that increase, and I don’t have a good way to charge my consignors for those costs, so I don’t. Now, if I sold my own stuff, offering free shipping would be much easier because the net bid+shipping amount someone is willing to pay would all go to me. I still think Heritage’s prices are astronomical, but I understand why they aren’t free. I don’t have a problem with there being a cost, just not the cost they charge.
It's always been slow. I think they run on the old paradigm where the lots are shipped via ground transport to and from show venues. Then there is expected due diligence in the inventory control with scans at every waypoint. So the lots from an auction held at a show end up not shipping until they have returned to Dallas and have gone through both inventory control and payment verification. Also, there are post-auction buys that some make that revise their invoices (sometimes crossing limits to avoid sales taxes for retail customers) and combine shipping.
They do on-site pickups after auctions. I cannot see why they cannot also just ship from the shows for fully paid winnings. But like differences in buyer fees, it always comes down to which company has the coins you want. From there, just need to have patience with the different approaches. It does get frustrating for dealers though (same goes for the TPGs) when the capital has been invested in the coins but they are not in hand to set up at a show for weeks (or months for TPGs).
I get your rant but in all honesty I don't think it was fair to post this on a Friday at 5pm when chances are no one will respond, until at least on Monday.
You also could have messaged @MFeld directly, he would have looked into this for you. He is a great asset to the forum AND a direct contact at HA.
That said GC is def better shipping times, but then nothing is perfect in life.
I hope you get your goods soon, and post it
I like heritage a lot but they generally take a long time to ship. It is what it is. Everything about their services including customer service are great!
BHNC #248 … 130 and counting.
To ship from the site, they would have to bring a trukload of supplies and equipment and tent a room large enough to accommodate it.
I disagree. They ship a lot of coins from the show. Pretty sure mine was and they have historically done this in the past.
😂😂🤣
My YouTube Channel
I would like to think the 20% or whatever the buyers premium is would cover the shipping...
My YouTube Channel
Regardless of the size of the business, staffing issues, etc, poor communication with customers is not acceptable.
Reduce your bid by the amount of the shipping charge. Problem solved.
I don't think I've ever had a coin shipped from a show. Why would they be carrying bags, boxes and shipping labels? They would also have to have all of the inventory and shipping software up and running on site. Not to mention arranging carrier pick up from a hotel room.
Try buying from a Hong Kong show and see how long it takes.
Good one MasonG! 😂🤣🤪
It's easy to understand the OP's frustration but there are really too many variables at play to make a solid condemnation of Heritage. They have always served me well and I'm not that impatient to begin with.
I took a look at the Heritage website. Here is what they list as their charge for shipping.
INVOICE TOTAL.................................IF MAILED TO STREET ADDRESS
Up to $199..........................................$6.40
$200 - $399.........................................$11.46
$400 - $999.........................................$17.19
$1,000 - $2,999...................................$22.92
$3,000 + .............................................$32.55 + $1.75 per additional thousand
Plus...
$1.57 first item + $0.65 per additional item
Plus (PO boxes only)...
For P.O. Box shipments containing value greater than $2,500, add $4 plus $0.25 cents per item.
Are these rates the ones that are being discussed as "too high"?
Yes, those are the ones.
I would expect that Heritage uses a third-party company for insurance. Those insurance companies will typically require Express Mail shipment for coverage over a certain amount. It's not really possible to know what that insurance costs Heritage per shipment for insurance, but with that in mind...
The USPS retail cost to ship a single slab 2000 miles by Express Mail, insured for $5000 is.... $127.
Too much?
edited to add... That $127 is if you pack it yourself. If you have a shipping department, you'd be paying them, too.
Amazon ruined everyone with "free shipping".
I just shipped a coin from CA to MA using UPS Ground and it was $17. When I ship packages at work, for a very large company, it is $4.50 overnight. Heritage is not paying retail shipping expenses nor retail insurance prices.
Chopmarked Trade Dollar Registry Set --- US & World Gold Showcase --- World Chopmark Showcase
Amazon ruined everyone with "free shipping".
Well, that's one way to look at it. I choose to think that Amazon showed us how much everyone else has been gouging us.
UPS Ground? Third party insurance companies won't go for that.
What size/weight are those packages? How much insurance do they carry? How much does your company pay for it? I presume you're being paid, too- right?
Of course not. I didn't say they were.
Actually, Amazon just hid the shipping costs so everyone thinks it's free.
Nobody ships for free, not even Amazon. Amazon isn't showing you anything by hiding the shipping cost.
Was that a $7000 coin with insurance?
@MasonG never said it cost Heritage $127 to ship that package. I think his point is that they are "only" charging $40 to ship a package that has a retail cost of $127. So that is not exactly price gouging.