Shipping Question. What would You expect?

goose3

say you bid on an item on ebay that is clearly going to be less than 50.00. The shipping is stated as 2.00 and insurance of 1.30 is optional.

you opt for the 2.00 and no insurance.


How would you as a buyer expect your 15-49.00 coin to arrive at your house?

its4real

Well packaged: padded 5x7 envelope ($60 cents), well packed inside with a packing slip/invoice. Actual postage should be about 90 cents.

danglen

Sounds like one of my auctions. I charge $2.00 for shipping on single coin auction within the US. I package the coin in a poly-flip, then put it inside a Safe-T-Mailer, add a cover sheet with a little "gift", usually a CU banknote from some third world country, add a business card, then place it in a 6 3/4" x 3 5/8" envelope, put a happy face sticker on the envelope, then clear packing tape around the envelope both ways. I always mail the coins at the Post Office, because they print the destination zip code on my receipt, which is a pretty good indicator that I actually mailed the coin. Every once in a while, someone mails the banknote back to me. Go figure.....

TRADERBOBZ

in atleast a bubble mailer they are cheap and with postage its still under 2 bucks
cheap ba$tards,if it came to me anything less i would send it back
RETURN TO SENDER

Russ

No, no, no! You should not only be willing to get your coin in a #10 envelope with 37¢ postage, but you should be so happy that you post a glowing positive for the seller! How dare you expect decent service in today's society? You have no right to do so!

Russ, NCNE

python

Coins should never be sent in letter envelopes unless sent registered, most mail is run through sorting machines
that can damage your coin and other peoples mail when machine comes to a sudden stop from something like a
coin or key jamming in a sorting gate. I always use a bubble mailer when selling and expect people I buy from to do the same, it's also nice to have the coin or slab in bubble wrap or a cardboard protector inside, I don't want to coins
I buy damaged and I certainly don't want to deal with a insurance claim.

coinhead1

I have received coins in everything from a used letter envelope, yes I said used, to triple packed and wraped. Poor service, yes when I buy a coin I am the customer and I do expect service, sorry if that upsets anyone but when you sell you are the server. It is the sellers job to get the item to the buyer in good repair, period. Insurance or not.

Mrpawn

The only coin that I have had lost in the mail was sent to me in a plain business envelope (got the demolished envelope).

For $2.00 shipping I would expect a bubble envelope or sticky cardboard protector in stiff envelope. Anything less and that seller would not get another bid from me.

Jr

Pushkin

I ship my coins in bubble wrap padded envelopes. The coin itself is in a solid plastic 2"X2", which is also inside of a smaller padded envelope. Total cost is $1.20 for the two envelopes, $0.50 for the 2"X2", and $1.06 for First Class Mail. Also, I will not ship any coin without insurance, an additional $1.30 for a total of $4.06. My charge for coins under $50.00 is $2.00 or $2.50 so that I lose money on every sale as far as shipping and handling is concerned. More expensive coins cost more (mandatory insurance) but I still generally lose money.

That is is why I am approaching retirement age, and am not rich!

Thank you for your attention. Donations for my retirement fund are appreciated, but not mandatory. The cat is out somewhere prowling around the house.

DCAMFranklin

Russ' coin was a coin costing only $11.50. The coin was shipped timely. The coin was wrapped in padded protection. The coin arrived without any damage. The coin arrived safely. The postal clerk made the error of not charging the 12 cents for the package being too thick, due to the protective, padded wrapping. How is the seller at fault for the error caused by the postal clerk?

Personally, I wrap all coins in bubblewrap. Then I wrap them in a copy of the auction page. Then I place them in a bubblewrap envelope and I do NOT make postal insurance an option. I make sure the seller receives the coin they purchased or the Post Office pays for the refund.

I have received a number of raw coins, though I purchase very few, in #10 envelopes and I would never make a big issue of it on this Forum. I would never submit Negative/Neutral Feedback for such when the coin arrived safely. The coin arrived timely, without damage and wrapped in protective padding. That is NOT poor service!

goose3

This thread is NOT about Russ' coin. It is merely soliciting opinions on how members would expect a coin to arrive. Nothing more.

BigD5

I ship them out enclosed in a Safe-T-Mailer, which is enclosed in a bubble type mailer. I haven't had any problems. Not that I can remember anyway.
When buying, I expect them to come in a similar fashion. Doesn't always happen, but it's what I expect.

DCAMFranklin

Goose3-
I'll take you at your word, though it seems rather transparent. Also, a little timely.

clackamas

I always use priority mail and ship even one coin in the VCR sized box. This gives me room for bubble wrapping and other padding. I have had coins run the gamut from, "it will survive a space shuttle crash" to "I am surprized it came in one piece". In the end its the seller IMO that takes the risk. If a coin is sent in a 2x2 in a regualr envelope and arrives fine, I don't care. If its damaged then I expect my money back.

BSqr

I've got a question for you folks. Do all insured parcels, regardless of value, require a signature upon acceptance?
Do sellers on eBay offer insurance but then not purchase it for the parcel? How can one know if this is the case?

Thanks in adavance

DCAMFranklin

BSqr-
If the package is insured for more than $50, then it will require a signature at delivery. If the package is insured for less than $50.01, then a signature is not required. The package should be stamped with an oval shaped stamp labeled "INSURED". Hope this is of some help.

It is EXTREMELY rare for an Ebay seller to charge for Postal Insurance and then not actually insure the package. Good luck on Ebay.

copperhead

I ship single coins in a 2X2 and a padded bubble mailer.
BSqr, The package should be stamped "Insured" (in Red Ink) by the P.O. if it is sent insured.
AL

BSqr

thanks DCAM, I was wondering about that cheesy little 'insured' stamp - it looks so generic that I wondered if the sender hadn't just used a stamp that they had picked up from an office supply store

braddick

Who cares how the coin is shipped just as long as it gets to me?
Envelopes, boxes, padded mailers, I don't care. (I do sort of hate those padded mailers though that look like they're made up of shredded, dusty newspaper! It gets all over everything when you go to open them!)
If it's at my front door in a timely manner and not damaged- it shouldn't matter what risks the SELLER took in shipping it!

If I am not paying for Registered or Insured or 3-Day Priority than I have no room to complain- even if the coin came in a plain envelope.

When I buy retail at the store I don't ask how the merchandise was shipped to the store. Why should I care?

zenny

i expect the coin to reach me in the condition it left the seller's possession.

i don't care if they buy a learjet and have a playboy bunny deliver it to my bedroom along with brunch and a "massage" or if they toss it in an envelope that i have to give my postal delivery person 12 or even 13 cents of postage due for.


of course i would prefer the bunnygram.........

BSqr

With my postal service of late I'd be lucky just to receive the package at all

ldhair

A bubble envelope.

Lakesammman

I simply expect it to arrive safely....as an aside to your original question, as a seller, I quit making the insurance optional......too many opportunities to say "I never got it...send me a refund"....yes, it's happened to me.

Had a buyer, who got the coin just fine, threaten to leave (-) feedback because it didn't arrive in a fancy package.....I don't understand that kind of attitude. For 10K you get a fancy package....for $10, you get a envelope!!!

Dog97

I would expect a slab to be in a bubble mailer or a raw coin in a safe-t-mailer in a #10 envelope.
It should be shipped in a proper manner whether it's insured or not.

CarlWohlforth

The only damage I had on coins I've shipped was when I shipped in a saf-t-mailer in a #10 envelope. The coin arrived but the slab was cracked open. The buyer was buying the coin rather than the holder and decided to keep it.

Since then I've always used bubble envelopes. The USPS people told me the bubble envelopes are too big for the machines so get handled by hand.

I insure all coins. I am self insured for the first $50. I really do put $1 per coin aside into my own insurance fund. I use postal insurance for everything beyond $50. I've never had a claim yet.

Coin Finder

If someone buys somthing from me, it is my personal opinion that they deserve the best service I can give them. I always insure the coin no matter what the value because I want the other party to be satisfied if the coin is lost. I always ship well packaged and in a large envelope so that it does not run through the postal letter sorter which can break a slab in two even in a safty mailer. I expect the same service from others, but I dont always get it. If I know and trust the person after a series of transactions then things get a lot easier.

Great thread Goose!!

Give me your PCGS 56 au flier now!!
Tbig

ClarkOfKent

<< <i>For 10K you get a fancy package....for $10, you get a envelope!!! >>


I disagree. Regardless of the value of the contents, the quality of the packaging should be based on the .Shipping/Handling Charge

Clark

danglen

Last year I collected over $800 in postal insurance premiums for the USPS. I had one claim on a $13.00 coin, and it took me six weeks and two hours of my time to get reimbursed (after I sent the buyer a duplicate coin two weeks after I sent the first one and he had not yet received the coin). I now self-insure, meaning if the buyer wants insurance, I give him/her up to $100 worth for $1.25. The letter that accompanies the coin is stamped "INSURED", with a tracking number I assign. I have been doing this since last January, have insured over two hundred coins, and have had one claim. My customers are getting more economical insurance, and the one claim I had was settled in five minutes, with no paperwork and no hassle to either party. By the way, the one coin that was lost last year, was mailed in a bubble envelope. My standard coin packaging is a 6 3/4 x 3 5/8 envelope, with clear plastic packing tape both ways around the outside. I have shipped over 2,000 coins using this method this year alone, and so far (knock on wood) no problems.