Mailing warning
messydesk
Posts: 20,300 ✭✭✭✭✭
Yeah, preaching to the choir for the most part, but there are undoubtedly some of you that don't know this.
A hefty, flat-rate box with an insured sticker, lots of postage, and delivery confirmation screams "STEAL ME" to mail handlers. I had a small flat-rate box show up today that had been mangled and opened from the side. It looked like it had been run over. Upon closer examination, the opened end had been soaked in water to soften up the cardboard so that "Tab A" could be removed from "Slot B" without tearing the package. Coins missing, paperwork intact, delivery refused. No picture of the box, as I didn't have my camera with me at the PO. Now the original sender has to file an insurance claim. Based on the amount of postage, the package was insured for about $1000 and could have been sent much cheaper by registered mail and actually reached me. Packages valued under $500 can be shipped by buying insurance online from 3rd party insurers for less than the cost at the PO, and no indication of value is needed on the box. I do not remember the last time I bought postal insurance through the post office.
Next time you prepare a package for mailing, consider if it looks like something a felon would want.
Hopefully, this helps someone out there NOT lose their coins to a sticky fingered postal worker.
A hefty, flat-rate box with an insured sticker, lots of postage, and delivery confirmation screams "STEAL ME" to mail handlers. I had a small flat-rate box show up today that had been mangled and opened from the side. It looked like it had been run over. Upon closer examination, the opened end had been soaked in water to soften up the cardboard so that "Tab A" could be removed from "Slot B" without tearing the package. Coins missing, paperwork intact, delivery refused. No picture of the box, as I didn't have my camera with me at the PO. Now the original sender has to file an insurance claim. Based on the amount of postage, the package was insured for about $1000 and could have been sent much cheaper by registered mail and actually reached me. Packages valued under $500 can be shipped by buying insurance online from 3rd party insurers for less than the cost at the PO, and no indication of value is needed on the box. I do not remember the last time I bought postal insurance through the post office.
Next time you prepare a package for mailing, consider if it looks like something a felon would want.
Hopefully, this helps someone out there NOT lose their coins to a sticky fingered postal worker.
John
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
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Stuart
Collect 18th & 19th Century US Type Coins, Silver Dollars, $20 Gold Double Eagles and World Crowns & Talers with High Eye Appeal
"Luck is what happens when Preparation meets Opportunity"
1. Poor packaging, poor address.
2. Fraud by the recipient, fixable by signature/delivery confirmation.
3. Water/weather damage. Can be addressed in item 1 above. I use waterproof barcoded labels on everything.
--jerry
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
<< <i>Hypothetical question---What's to prevent someone from mailing a friend a box full of rocks with $15,000 of insurance? The outside of the box could be prominently marked "HANDLE WITH CARE---RARE GOLD COINS". If the box shows up empty or damaged, file an insurance claim. I can't see how it would not work. The thieving postal worker can't exactly blow the whistle on you without incriminating himself. >>
"I dropped the box and rocks spilled out." should get him off the hook. Of course this would only work if the postal worker was the theif. I don't think they are. But assume they are, I say it won't work because the insurance is too high. Insurance rates are sky high on priority and first class mail so they would have to lose (steal) something like one package out of 40 to make it break even. --Jerry
<< <i>Hypothetical question---What's to prevent someone from mailing a friend a box full of rocks with $15,000 of insurance? The outside of the box could be prominently marked "HANDLE WITH CARE---RARE GOLD COINS". If the box shows up empty or damaged, file an insurance claim. I can't see how it would not work. The thieving postal worker can't exactly blow the whistle on you without incriminating himself. >>
it may work but is 15000 dollars really worth it if you have to risk a
few years in jail for getting caught?
think about it. to make your claim you better have a legit receipt
for an actual 15G purchase of rare gold coins, you can only do it once
as doing it more then once is highly suspicious, etc...
aint worth it so therefore a sane person never would dream of it.
consquences and reprecussions
<< <i>
<< <i>Hypothetical question---What's to prevent someone from mailing a friend a box full of rocks with $15,000 of insurance? The outside of the box could be prominently marked "HANDLE WITH CARE---RARE GOLD COINS". If the box shows up empty or damaged, file an insurance claim. I can't see how it would not work. The thieving postal worker can't exactly blow the whistle on you without incriminating himself. >>
it may work but is 15000 dollars really worth it if you have to risk a
few years in jail for getting caught?
think about it. to make your claim you better have a legit receipt
for an actual 15G purchase of rare gold coins, you can only do it once
as doing it more then once is highly suspicious, etc...
aint worth it so therefore a sane person never would dream of it.
consquences and reprecussions
How would you have a receipt when those double eagles were inherited from your grandfather who got them from a bank back in the 1930's? Don't forget that this is a hypothetical situation and I certainly wouldn't suggest anyone attempt this. Most coin collectors that I know wouldn't do well in prison.
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
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>Hypothetical question---What's to prevent someone from mailing a friend a box full of rocks with $15,000 of insurance? The outside of the box could be prominently marked "HANDLE WITH CARE---RARE GOLD COINS". If the box shows up empty or damaged, file an insurance claim. I can't see how it would not work. The thieving postal worker can't exactly blow the whistle on you without incriminating himself. >>
it may work but is 15000 dollars really worth it if you have to risk a few years in jail for getting caught? think about it. to make your claim you better have a legit receipt for an actual 15G purchase of rare gold coins, you can only do it once as doing it more then once is highly suspicious, etc... aint worth it so therefore a sane person never would dream of it. consquences and reprecussions
How would you have a receipt when those double eagles were inherited from your grandfather who got them from a bank back in the 1930's? Don't forget that this is a hypothetical situation and I certainly wouldn't suggest anyone attempt this. Most coin collectors that I know wouldn't do well in prison.
I'm told insurance claims with the USPS can be very difficult on those inherited or otherwise long term held items that you have no receipt for. --Jerry
<< <i>I don't agree that the USPS is full of thieves either. The only package I've ever had stolen was taken by a feuding neighbor after delivery. That's over 5000 packages. I think the 3 most common causes of non-delivery are as follows:
1. Poor packaging, poor address.
2. Fraud by the recipient, fixable by signature/delivery confirmation.
3. Water/weather damage. Can be addressed in item 1 above. I use waterproof barcoded labels on everything.
--jerry >>
I have been on both ends of this. Packages I send end up "missing" and yeah, I have my doubts if each case was legitimate (point 2). I use a boat load of tape, pack them tight so nothing shakes, rattles or rolls, and also tape over the address so that no way it could ever come off.
I will agree that poor packaging can result in theft.
I think poor packaging is a result of most theft within the PO. For example, I had one item shipped to me from another dealer. the return address was Joe blow rare coins. The package had no tape and was not secure. The package was ripped open using the handy pull tab. Boom, there went a MS66 Walker. Clearly a case of poor packing that made it too easy.
I have had other packages that have arrives empty so maybe it is just my Post Office?
I would never, consider sending anything that was not taped completely arond the Tab A/Slot B areas.
The name is LEE!
<< <i>Yeah, preaching to the choir for the most part, but there are undoubtedly some of you that don't know this.
A hefty, flat-rate box with an insured sticker, lots of postage, and delivery confirmation screams "STEAL ME" to mail handlers. I had a small flat-rate box show up today that had been mangled and opened from the side. It looked like it had been run over. Upon closer examination, the opened end had been soaked in water to soften up the cardboard so that "Tab A" could be removed from "Slot B" without tearing the package. Coins missing, paperwork intact, delivery refused. No picture of the box, as I didn't have my camera with me at the PO. Now the original sender has to file an insurance claim. Based on the amount of postage, the package was insured for about $1000 and could have been sent much cheaper by registered mail and actually reached me. Packages valued under $500 can be shipped by buying insurance online from 3rd party insurers for less than the cost at the PO, and no indication of value is needed on the box. I do not remember the last time I bought postal insurance through the post office.
Next time you prepare a package for mailing, consider if it looks like something a felon would want.
Hopefully, this helps someone out there NOT lose their coins to a sticky fingered postal worker. >>
PayPal Labels with a non-business return address, chose not to include the cost of postage on the label, use strapping tape (fiberglass tape that will not break).
Also use the bulk mailing option to print the stickers with PayPal and get the Acceptance Confirmation Scan Sheet and have the sheet scanned in at the Post Office makes a big difference.
Using this technique I have never had a package tampered with.
Fighting the Fight for 11 Years with the big "C" - Never Ever Give Up!
Member PCGS Open Forum board 2002 - 2006 (closed end of 2006) Current board since 2006 Successful trades with many members, over the past two decades, never a bad deal.
I've always been required to provide some kind of proof (receipt,bill of sale,printout of my ebay auction,etc.) that the package actually contained what I am claiming it contained.
A prominently marked box HANDLE WITH CARE---RARE GOLD COINS might get you some unwanted attention from the Postal Inspector.
You could be getting your fifteen minutes of fame before the box is even delivered to your friend.
Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.
<< <i>Hopefully, this helps someone out there NOT lose their coins to a sticky fingered postal worker >>
FYI, mail is handled at airports by non-Postal people, and a lot of mail shipped long-distance over the road travels in trailers under contract by private carriers, and driven by non-Postal people.
Next time you're in a good-sized Post Office, look up at the ceilng. In many cases, you can see suspended lookout spaces where a Postal Inspector can be watching, unseen by those working below.
No doubt that there are thieves who work in the Postal Service, but many of them are hard-working family people, like the rest of your neighbors. Those who aren't eventually get caught, fired, and jailed.
my early American coins & currency: -- http://yankeedoodlecoins.com/
<< <i>PayPal Labels with a non-business return address, chose not to include the cost of postage on the label, >>
Only works up to $500......Case presented was $1000 which had to be posted at the USPS branch. Registered was the correct way to go
Stew
<< <i>I thought TECHNICALLY coins (if known by post office ) can only be insured at face value ... >>
That is not true. Coins can be insured for full value.
Many members on this forum that now it cannot fit in my signature. Please ask for entire list.
<< <i>So, is there some magic shipping company out there that has never had a theft??? Ship enough items and the law of averages will see to it that you lose something. >>
Yes, but take prudent precautions and you can reduce these chances by a lot, which was the point of my original post.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Needless to say, but I thought that was as odd packaging/shipping option...has anyone heard about a postal meter?
<< <i>Needless to say, but I thought that was as odd packaging/shipping option...has anyone heard about a postal meter? >>
Lots of coin dealers also handle stamps. And lots of older stamps are purchased for less than face value. Based on what I've paid for them myself, I'd imagine dealers might be paying around half of face value for non-current, lower denomination stamps. If you mail lots of packages (and have the time and patience or have someone working for you that you can have do it) it can add up to quite a bit of savings.
<< <i>
<< <i>Needless to say, but I thought that was as odd packaging/shipping option...has anyone heard about a postal meter? >>
Lots of coin dealers also handle stamps. And lots of older stamps are purchased for less than face value. Based on what I've paid for them myself, I'd imagine dealers might be paying around half of face value for non-current, lower denomination stamps. If you mail lots of packages (and have the time and patience or have someone working for you that you can have do it) it can add up to quite a bit of savings. >>
That was my thought, also.
<< <i>I don't agree that the USPS is full of thieves either. The only package I've ever had stolen was taken by a feuding neighbor after delivery. That's over 5000 packages. I think the 3 most common causes of non-delivery are as follows:
1. Poor packaging, poor address.
2. Fraud by the recipient, fixable by signature/delivery confirmation.
3. Water/weather damage. Can be addressed in item 1 above. I use waterproof barcoded labels on everything.
--jerry >>
Maybe not thieves, but how bout' Knuckleheads? This guy was not only my mailman but also my neighbor...Haven't seen him in a long time and Yup, he was fired...
Postal clerk charged with stealing gold
Associated Press
December 20, 2008
MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. - A suburban Detroit postal clerk is accused of stealing gold and selling it to the pawnshop that first mailed it.
William A. Perko was arraigned Thursday on federal charges of mail theft. He was released on $10,000 bond and has been placed on unpaid leave.
Court documents say a jeweler at the G&S Pawn Shop mailed a package containing melted-down solid gold, gold dust and gold filings from the Mount Clemens post office to an Ann Arbor store on Nov. 5. Authorities say Perko went to the pawn shop two days later and sold melted-down gold to owner Jim McBride.
The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens says investigators confronted Perko after the jeweler identified the gold as being the same metal he had mailed.
Oh ya, I used to double box, tape and glue sealed, until I forgot an invoice and had to destroy the box to get it open, probably a bit much...I was using Gorilla Glue...
<< <i>
<< <i>I don't agree that the USPS is full of thieves either. The only package I've ever had stolen was taken by a feuding neighbor after delivery. That's over 5000 packages. I think the 3 most common causes of non-delivery are as follows:
1. Poor packaging, poor address.
2. Fraud by the recipient, fixable by signature/delivery confirmation.
3. Water/weather damage. Can be addressed in item 1 above. I use waterproof barcoded labels on everything.
--jerry >>
Maybe not thieves, but how bout' Knuckleheads? This guy was not only my mailman but also my neighbor...Haven't seen him in a long time and Yup, he was fired...
Postal clerk charged with stealing gold
Associated Press
December 20, 2008
MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. - A suburban Detroit postal clerk is accused of stealing gold and selling it to the pawnshop that first mailed it.
William A. Perko was arraigned Thursday on federal charges of mail theft. He was released on $10,000 bond and has been placed on unpaid leave.
Court documents say a jeweler at the G&S Pawn Shop mailed a package containing melted-down solid gold, gold dust and gold filings from the Mount Clemens post office to an Ann Arbor store on Nov. 5. Authorities say Perko went to the pawn shop two days later and sold melted-down gold to owner Jim McBride.
The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens says investigators confronted Perko after the jeweler identified the gold as being the same metal he had mailed.
Oh ya, I used to double box, tape and glue sealed, until I forgot an invoice and had to destroy the box to get it open, probably a bit much...I was using Gorilla Glue...
I'll bet the gorillas don't like you!!
<< <i>Listing the contents as "Collectibles" covers a lot of ground >>
I always use "collectibles" too. One time the clerk said "You mean like, coins?" That was scary.
<< <i>
<< <i>In many cases, you can see suspended lookout spaces where a Postal Inspector can be watching, unseen by those working below.
>>
I thought that was just to prevent someone from going, you know, "postal".
<< <i>Listing the contents as "Collectibles" covers a lot of ground >>
Unless you're filling out a customs form for an international shipment, you don't have to tell anybody what's in the package.
<< <i>I thought TECHNICALLY coins (if known by post office ) can only be insured at face value .. I sure would hate to get $20 for a lost St. Gaudens. >>
Sure if yer just shipping a roll of cents but we're talking collectibles here which can be insured for full value.
Should a mishap occur, you'll simply need to provide information regarding current collectible value of the item.
The name is LEE!
<< <i>I thought TECHNICALLY coins (if known by post office ) can only be insured at face value .. I sure would hate to get $20 for a lost St. Gaudens. >>
Others have already written that this is incorrect, and this truly is incorrect. Another way to honestly declare what is in the package is to state "merchandise" or "product". Finally, I once shipped a heavy box containing hundreds of modern US commems in their original government packaging and I told the clerks that it contained "machined metal parts".
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
<< <i>
<< <i>I thought TECHNICALLY coins (if known by post office ) can only be insured at face value .. I sure would hate to get $20 for a lost St. Gaudens. >>
Others have already written that this is incorrect, and this truly is incorrect. Another way to honestly declare what is in the package is to state "merchandise" or "product". Finally, I once shipped a heavy box containing hundreds of modern US commems in their original government packaging and I told the clerks that it contained "machined metal parts". >>
Aren't they stamped metal parts?
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