i always ask for insurance or at least some kind of recpt or confirmation. if i send something, i offer ins - if it's not taken then i put a confirmation on it just to be safe.
I haven't read all of this but do you guys think it is ok to pay USPS rates for insurance in addition to the postage for an item and then have the item arrive "SELF INSURED"???
I have had this happen to me and frankly I think it's quite a questionable thing to do IMO.
The $50 is the little green form. The barcoded form (for >$50) is blue. If lost, you file a claim the same way for either.
USPS made the business decision that it's not cost effectrive to require signatures for items insured for $50 or less. UPS realized this also, when they started dropping packages off and not requiring signatures. For them, it's cheaper to pay a few more claims (bogus or otherwise) than to slow down their drivers by requiring signatures.
What you guys are missing as that if you "self-insure" the buyers would like to be aware of it beforehand. We don't like surprises, especially when our heard earned $$ is at stake. Even if you put it in writing that you self insure and will pay me my money back if I claim I didn't receive the package really doesn't mean much to me even if you use delivery confirmation & tracking numbers. Another thing you are missing is that delivery confirmation & tracking numbers only means it was delivered SOMEWHERE. Not that it was delivered to the proper address or person. It might have been left on my porch, delivered to my neighbor or some guy that just happened to be walking down the street in front of my house at the time. A good case in point is when I won a $700 coin in a Heritage auction. I returned home after several days to find a large red white & blue FedEx box just wedged between the mesh & top rail of my fence gate out by the road. Heritage would have probably made it good if somebody had stolen it but that is not a good way to do business. I would want my COIN that I ordered, otherwise I just as soon leave my money in my checking account @ 1.9% interest than let Heritage & FedEx hold for however long it takes to resolve a claim on an item that was on the prohibited shipping list.
Please just offer me real Postal Insurance and I will gladly pay the $1.30 or whatever extra it costs.
So I ask this question and the replies will be interesting to me if somebody even replies but: So if I called one of you self insurers and said I didn't get my $500 coin & wanted my money back then you checked and the delivery confirmation said it had indeed been delivered would you still give me my $500? Even if I'm a board member and didn't have 15 million posts here the last 4 years?
Change that we can believe in is that change which is 90% silver.
ldhair- <<<Let's say a seller sends out a $50 item, USPS and pays the $1.30 for insurance (used the little blue form).
It lands in the buyers mail box but he says he didn't get it.>>> The coin doesn not land in the buyers mailbox. A pink form does that you have to sign before the package is handed over.
Change that we can believe in is that change which is 90% silver.
All coins get shipped and are covered by insurance. I also pass the shipping costs along.
On larger deals where I need to buy a ryder ( usually 50 bucks or more depending on the value), that extra insurance is passed along as well.
I generally ship express mail ( box) and 20 bucks covers the shipping with a value up to 25K. Over that it requires a ryder. Customers can also express mail TO me and it's insured the same way, and they obviously have to pay the post office for the express mail ( only), and the insurance I pay for unless it requires a ryder.
Selling price is for the coin. Shipping is shipping.
<< <i>ldhair- <<<Let's say a seller sends out a $50 item, USPS and pays the $1.30 for insurance (used the little blue form).
It lands in the buyers mail box but he says he didn't get it.>>> The coin doesn not land in the buyers mailbox. A pink form does that you have to sign before the package is handed over. >>
That's what I needed to know. I think that's a great deal for $1.30. I want the buyer to sign for it and want to sign for it if I'm the buyer.
Years ago I got into a big arguement with a seller over an 1877 IHC. He said I got it and I said I didn't. I found it after a search. Stuck in the mud in the flower garden. I want to sign for coins.
<< <i>It lands in the buyers mail box but he says he didn't get it.>>> The coin doesn not land in the buyers mailbox. A pink form does that you have to sign before the package is handed over. >>
Not in my neighborhood. I've had plenty of insured >$200 packages just left sitting on the gound by the mailbox post because they wouldn't fit in the box. No signatures gotten at all. (Can't get a signature becuase it's just a box on a post on a vacent lot. I don't use it for shipping but sometimes people don't follow directions and ship to the wrong address.)
I self insure most packages under $100. Yes I believe people when they tell me the coin didn't arrive. I had one person say the packages arrived with no coin in it. Did I refund him his money no questions asked? Yes. Why would he lie for a $3 coin?
Note I said I self insure most packages under $100. From now on if STMan ever buys another coin from me I will insure it as I can see it is a pet peeve of his
<< <i>ldhair- <<<Let's say a seller sends out a $50 item, USPS and pays the $1.30 for insurance (used the little blue form).
It lands in the buyers mail box but he says he didn't get it.>>> The coin doesn not land in the buyers mailbox. A pink form does that you have to sign before the package is handed over. >>
Not correct, at least around here. The <$50 insurance items are just left in the mailbox. There is no tracking mechanism by USPS (i.e. the barcode and scanner). The >$50 (blue barcoded forms) are SUPPOSED to be signed for, but sometimes they, too, are just put in the mailbox.
Under 50 bucks I self insure, otherwise if the person recieving the coins wants it insured they can pay for it or except the risk. But all my coins are shipped with delivery confirmation, that way they can be tracked. That green piece of paper the post office gives under $50.00 is not worth the trouble trying to get your money back on. I found out the hard way on a twenty dollar deal. And yes the really expensive packages go registered mail if it's over $500.00 or so but I don't have very many of them.
Conder101-<<<I've had plenty of insured >$200 packages just left sitting on the gound by the mailbox post because they wouldn't fit in the box. No signatures gotten at all.>>> I had a similiar experience where a substitute mailman left both the pink slip & the package in my mailbox with a stickum note saying to just sign the pink slip & leave it in the mailbox & he'd get it tomorrow. A stickum note from me saying I appreciated the kind thoughts but don't do that anymore put a quick stop to that nonsense.
Change that we can believe in is that change which is 90% silver.
To answer the thread question: All the time, especially if valued at $50. or less.
I like to give most people the benefit of the doubt. While it's easy to get a negative attitude when reading about all the "scams" (sometimes just miscommunications or misunderstandings) I believe that most people are honest and given the opportunity will do the right thing. (I think that most board members can be counted on to make it right)
What strikes me as interesting is that apparentely stman was trusted to send payment AFTER he received the coin. So why the gripe when in fact you RECEIVED the coin?
Comments
I have had this happen to me and frankly I think it's quite a questionable thing to do IMO.
It lands in the buyers mail box but he says he didn't get it.
What's next. I don't seem to understand the process.
USPS made the business decision that it's not cost effectrive to require signatures for items insured for $50 or less. UPS realized this also, when they started dropping packages off and not requiring signatures. For them, it's cheaper to pay a few more claims (bogus or otherwise) than to slow down their drivers by requiring signatures.
Even if you put it in writing that you self insure and will pay me my money back if I claim I didn't receive the package really doesn't mean much to me even if you use delivery confirmation & tracking numbers.
Another thing you are missing is that delivery confirmation & tracking numbers only means it was delivered SOMEWHERE. Not that it was delivered to the proper address or person. It might have been left on my porch, delivered to my neighbor or some guy that just happened to be walking down the street in front of my house at the time.
A good case in point is when I won a $700 coin in a Heritage auction. I returned home after several days to find a large red white & blue FedEx box just wedged between the mesh & top rail of my fence gate out by the road. Heritage would have probably made it good if somebody had stolen it but that is not a good way to do business. I would want my COIN that I ordered, otherwise I just as soon leave my money in my checking account @ 1.9% interest than let Heritage & FedEx hold for however long it takes to resolve a claim on an item that was on the prohibited shipping list.
Please just offer me real Postal Insurance and I will gladly pay the $1.30 or whatever extra it costs.
So I ask this question and the replies will be interesting to me if somebody even replies but:
So if I called one of you self insurers and said I didn't get my $500 coin & wanted my money back then you checked and the delivery confirmation said it had indeed been delivered would you still give me my $500? Even if I'm a board member and didn't have 15 million posts here the last 4 years?
<<<Let's say a seller sends out a $50 item, USPS and pays the $1.30 for insurance (used the little blue form).
It lands in the buyers mail box but he says he didn't get it.>>>
The coin doesn not land in the buyers mailbox. A pink form does that you have to sign before the package is handed over.
On larger deals where I need to buy a ryder ( usually 50 bucks or more depending on the value), that extra insurance is passed along as well.
I generally ship express mail ( box) and 20 bucks covers the shipping with a value up to 25K. Over that it requires a ryder. Customers can also express mail TO me and it's insured the same way, and they obviously have to pay the post office for the express mail ( only), and the insurance I pay for unless it requires a ryder.
Selling price is for the coin. Shipping is shipping.
Tom
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
<< <i>ldhair-
<<<Let's say a seller sends out a $50 item, USPS and pays the $1.30 for insurance (used the little blue form).
It lands in the buyers mail box but he says he didn't get it.>>>
The coin doesn not land in the buyers mailbox. A pink form does that you have to sign before the package is handed over. >>
That's what I needed to know. I think that's a great deal for $1.30.
I want the buyer to sign for it and want to sign for it if I'm the buyer.
Years ago I got into a big arguement with a seller over an 1877 IHC.
He said I got it and I said I didn't. I found it after a search.
Stuck in the mud in the flower garden. I want to sign for coins.
<< <i>It lands in the buyers mail box but he says he didn't get it.>>>
The coin doesn not land in the buyers mailbox. A pink form does that you have to sign before the package is handed over. >>
Not in my neighborhood. I've had plenty of insured >$200 packages just left sitting on the gound by the mailbox post because they wouldn't fit in the box. No signatures gotten at all. (Can't get a signature becuase it's just a box on a post on a vacent lot. I don't use it for shipping but sometimes people don't follow directions and ship to the wrong address.)
Note I said I self insure most packages under $100. From now on if STMan ever buys another coin from me I will insure it as I can see it is a pet peeve of his
<< <i>ldhair-
<<<Let's say a seller sends out a $50 item, USPS and pays the $1.30 for insurance (used the little blue form).
It lands in the buyers mail box but he says he didn't get it.>>>
The coin doesn not land in the buyers mailbox. A pink form does that you have to sign before the package is handed over. >>
Not correct, at least around here. The <$50 insurance items are just left in the mailbox. There is no tracking mechanism by USPS (i.e. the barcode and scanner). The >$50 (blue barcoded forms) are SUPPOSED to be signed for, but sometimes they, too, are just put in the mailbox.
But all my coins are shipped with delivery confirmation, that way they can be tracked. That green piece of paper the post office gives under $50.00 is not worth the trouble trying to get your money back on. I found out the hard way on a twenty dollar deal.
And yes the really expensive packages go registered mail if it's over $500.00 or so but I don't have very many of them.
I had a similiar experience where a substitute mailman left both the pink slip & the package in my mailbox with a stickum note saying to just sign the pink slip & leave it in the mailbox & he'd get it tomorrow.
A stickum note from me saying I appreciated the kind thoughts but don't do that anymore put a quick stop to that nonsense.
I like to give most people the benefit of the doubt. While it's easy to get a negative attitude when reading about all the "scams" (sometimes just miscommunications or misunderstandings) I believe that most people are honest and given the opportunity will do the right thing. (I think that most board members can be counted on to make it right)
What strikes me as interesting is that apparentely stman was trusted to send payment AFTER he received the coin. So why the gripe when in fact you RECEIVED the coin?
Joe.
<< <i>I ship all coins insured, regardless of value.
Russ, NCNE >>
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