FOUND***More valuable coins....missing USPS Greenville, SC Distribution Center
johnny010
Posts: 1,736 ✭✭✭✭✭
So I'll call it $20k in coins although insurance may disagree....how do packages go missing in these distribution centers? I've watched Youtube videos and it seems the conveyor belts, scanning, lighting all seems state of the art (unless it's not the same everywhere).
1/16: shipped small town, NC 3:36pm
1/16: arrived Greenville, SC 8:57pm
1/23: missing mail search initiated 1/23
Since 1/16 I've received packages from multiple states in the US and an order from Canada.
Hard not to feel discouraged since I'm buying hard to find, if even seen in the last 20 years, rattler holders.
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USPS has been performing noticeably below average for me in 2025. Parcels that disappear in DCs, never scan after leaving the local PO, inexplicable late deliveries on packages not subject to weather delay, carrier missing pickups, etc.
Yes, I realize that even with multiple issues my experience is anecdotal, but I’m just reporting the facts. I had to fill out a missing mail request just last week after an item disappeared (gold CAC coin), but luckily it surfaced shortly thereafter.
I did call my private collectors insurance agent to verify that I’m shipping everything in accordance with the rules of my policy, as it feels like the chances for a claim have been on the rise. Hope yours turns up soon.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
I hate to hear that, and certainly hope that they just temporarily dropped off the radar and will resurface soon!
My Carson City Morgan Registry Set
I had a priority mail envelope, with a check inside, take 6 days to go less than 700 miles to Heritage last week.
We got thieves in the distribution center here locally, the post office, knows, the post master knows it, but yet nothing is done. they say they cant pin em down. Numerous packages of mine have been stolen the past 6 months
I know it’s hard not to worry, but I wouldn’t quite consider it missing. I’ve had numerous outgoing shipments delayed considerably, only to appear a long while later with shipping updates and delivery scans. Fingers crossed for you.
Things seem slower in 2025. I just received a package from the USA to me in Canada after 3 weeks that is about 1 week more than usual. I am fine with it as long as the package arrives.
NFL: Buffalo Bills & Green Bay Packers
Usps seems awful currently.
One screenshot was a purchase I made and the other an item I sold.
It's like ground advantage packages go missing for weeks.
The seller reached to them and they said whatever the note in the system says "doesn’t make sense". They promised to call back and didn’t. Missing mail search initiated and nothing has changed.
At what point do the shipping companies finally get held accountable? It seems with appropriate measures it would be impossible to lose a package.
It seems with appropriate measures it would be impossible to lose a package.
I definitely hear you and absolutely feel for you in this scenario. I agree that there are no doubt procedures that could be implemented that would make it much more difficult to steal, alter or damage a package, but I would also imagine that many of these procedures might end up costing the consumer (me, you and everyone else) a fair bit extra tacked onto each parcel or letter. I guess that is the balance; how much does the public complain vs. what are they willing to pay.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
With respect to all, I do not care what it costs to ship as long as my possessions are safe. I personally ship via Fedex overnight on my dime 90% of the time and usually this is near $100 a package, but all services have issues with theft and lost packages, which begs an answer: when and how is this really ever going to stop.
With the amount of complaints and issues annually, I do believe there should be around the clock monitoring, delivery cameras and body cameras. There is no good reason, including price, that should allow employees to STEAL because everyone wants or needs to keep their shipping cost at $10 a parcel. I cannot say in my above example someone has stolen, but I have also been stolen from during shipping with an empty package delivered.
Why has everything become so clinical, "Well sir, do you have insurance?" Not ok with that anymore.
I do hope the leadership of the USPS Greenville location see this, and someone goes out and finds this package, if for nothing more than taking pride in their operation.
I have a lot of sympathy for a lost package and the few times that I've even had one get delayed created an incredible amount of stress and anxiety for me.
That being said...
The answer is very simple.
Deleted
Here's a gold coin that's (supposedly) en route to me. Never even made it to the origin DC. The record of possession by USPS is a grand total of 14 minutes.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
This. I had a package sit in Texas for a week without moving and then get delivered.
Happens almost weekly. RGDS!
The whole worlds off its rocker, buy Gold™.
BOOMIN!™
It’s a terrible situation. Take responsibility and Make sure stuff adequately insured. Develop a security strategy that matches your situation.
I do shows and try stay away from mail activity for items over $300. At shows buy / sell cash only. Otherwise they can shove off. I am not their bank lol.
I have noticed that mail order items are taking longer in transit and this has been going on for some time. Sometimes the PO say via text item delivered to POB am but it may take them till late afternoon put it in there. Also there is the chance they could put something in wrong POB. It’s happened to me and others in my coin club. I wonder if some of them (PO) can even read.
I had one coin a guy sent me in a mailing pkg inside a 6 x 6 box but it rattled around in the box. Was glad get it - was a nice CACG $200 MV coin win auc 14 pct behind cdn bid (buyers mkt). Sweet addn to show retail inventory.
If this was registered mail, the timeline is not uncommon, it takes that long……………..
Per the above, I now send everything more than a few hundred bucks via fedex, cost a little more, but worth the price knowing its got a much better shot at arriving than usps. Submissions to the grading services are either sent fedex now or driven there or show they are at.
Makes one wanna run out and do it again, fwiw & jmo 👎
With this in mind, you need to begin to fly and hand deliver the coins. It’s honestly not that difficult, and in essence it could be done where both parties attend the same coin show.
I agree with you, but service providers should have more on the line than repeating “did you buy insurance?” I can’t think of many businesses where negligence is just part of it without real recourse.
I've had mostly great service the last few years.
Update?
Not OP, but my inbound gold coin that went MIA a week ago still hasn’t surfaced. And a return shipment leaving CAC in NJ today was flagged with a “regional weather delay” exception—for what weather exactly, I ask?
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
Good news, except signed confirmation required and I'm now in Chicago and my wife is in Vegas. Definitely a sigh of relief.
Glad to find out it isn't missing anymore!
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Thanks Tom. No scan for 11 days is definitely missing in my book. Does it not seem odd it could leave Greenville and end up all the way in Houston without a scan? I do not know thus the reason for my question…
I recently (about 6 months ago) had a coin go missing for THREE MONTHS!!! I had written it off because it was a sub-$100 coin and I just didn't have the energy at the time to fuss about it. That coin just showed up one day, over 3 months later, out of the blue!
Dwayne F. Sessom
Ebay ID: V-Nickel-Coins
It's not "missing" if it is at the location where the last scan was done. Not moving isn't the same as missing.
It can easily go from hub to hub across thousands of miles with no intermediate scan because there is no intermediate destination. I don't specifically know for that route, but it wouldn't surprise me if they are both hubs.
On a side note... If you ever ship a gold or silver coin (gold especially!), wrap it in aluminum foil! Why? Because thieves at shipping companies use hand held metal detectors that indicate what type metal is in a box or package. If you wrap your coin in aluminum foil, all they detect is aluminum. Thieves are not interested in aluminum.
Dwayne F. Sessom
Ebay ID: V-Nickel-Coins
I'd like to see a study. Depending on the metal detector, I think it would detect both. They use magnetic fields not XRays.
Unfortunately they know that. Now those who know, when their metal detectors register aluminum it = gold. And who ships aluminum anyway except for industry? I'd look to other options. As we saw with someone reporting an aluminum wrapped group of common clad dollars getting to PCGS broken open.
The intent of the foil is to stop the nfc readers on your cell phone from picking up the coins in the package not prevent metal detectors.
Ok disagree. Anything not scanned in that was sent Priority mail that isn’t scanned for 11 days is missing.
That PCGS package seemed to be accidental opening not intentional. Nothing was missing.
Them I guess my parents were "missing" when they missed their flight to Europe...
I suspect some hubs have totes full of big envelopes and packages sitting for days if they get a big rush in volume or behind because of weather. Why would they pay overtime or for extra trucks if there is no penalty between 3 day and 14 day delivery?
Exactly. There is no penalty for "late" delivery no matter the service level at USPS.
That's not true. Express Mail is guaranteed. I had the postage fully refunded on a package that was one day late recently.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
Glad to hear the good news!
My Carson City Morgan Registry Set
Glad to hear it worked out. USPS is still the best way to ship coins.
Successful BST with drddm, BustDMs, Pnies20, lkeigwin, pursuitofliberty, Bullsitter, felinfoel, SPalladino
$5 Type Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/u-s-coins/type-sets/half-eagle-type-set-circulation-strikes-1795-1929/album/344192
CBH Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/everyman-collections/everyman-half-dollars/everyman-capped-bust-half-dollars-1807-1839/album/345572
That exception is now noted.
Are you sure the package wasn't intentionally opened and when the thief saw that none of the slabs had CAC stickers he just put them back in the package?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
This seems like an enormous amount of fear mongering. Thieves at shipping companies routinely have hand held metal detectors and regularly steal packages that contain metal?
Also, they have metal detectors that can tell the difference between silver, gold, and aluminum.
ALSO, they particularly like stealing the packages containing aluminum because they think it's a high indicator for containing gold/silver.
All of that seems EXTREMELY far fetched.
Have to disagree there (for higher value shipments at least) , team Fedex by far. All of my shipments are insured privately, but to have a package be picked at 6:00 pm in Florida and be delivered by 10:30 AM in California the next day deserves the win in my book. USPS loss rate has skyrocketed the last year, even a dealers registered package was lost a while ago. He didn't have private insurance, and several months later his claim is still being disputed.
Edit- Shipments under 10k I still use usps, but only because PM small boxes are inexpensive and I have private insurance, so I guess I'd agree that USPS priority is the best in terms of cost efficiency.
Founder- Peak Rarities
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@PeakRarities No worries. I didn't post that for your agreement. We each have different experiences and my only problems have been with UPS(stolen package by worker) and FedEx (delayed package that sat for 4 days without moving).
Successful BST with drddm, BustDMs, Pnies20, lkeigwin, pursuitofliberty, Bullsitter, felinfoel, SPalladino
$5 Type Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/u-s-coins/type-sets/half-eagle-type-set-circulation-strikes-1795-1929/album/344192
CBH Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/everyman-collections/everyman-half-dollars/everyman-capped-bust-half-dollars-1807-1839/album/345572
I'm retired from UPS,and many of the "lost" packages are in actuality where the labels have come off,and there is no other label inside to inform the clerks where the package is going.
In 35 years at UPS most theft i saw were Phones
FedEx left my NGC submission on my front steps today EVEN THOUGH it was signature required that prevented me from having it changed to be held for pickup. Lol. They wouldn't let me change delivery because of security, but that didn't stop them leaving it in the front steps.
Nope that small flat rate box was slit open with a box cutter or knife. It was taped shut and nothing missing. I read that USPS can inspect everything BUT first class without a warrant. Up to 20% can go past drug dogs or through x-ray looking for prohibited items not declared (drugs, ammunition, lithium batteries...). If it was damaged in machines and found open, I would probably have gotten a notice like this one I got last week.