Is Registered Mail Safe/Secure to Foreign Countries?

C0inCollect0r

Hi folks,

I was just wondering if Registered mail sent internationally tends to be as "secure" as it is in the USA? Does anyone have alot of experience mailing Registered internationally? Were any packages lost or stolen?

Any advice would be appreciated.

trozau

JMO - any international mail is only as secure as the integrity of the receiving postal service (be they registered mail or not).

SYRACUSIAN

Yes, registered is the safest and smartest way to mail items from the US or from a different country. Registered parcels receive a tracking number, which in the event of a stolen parcel, can be used to track down its entire trip ,stations and people who handled it. PO workers know that and stay clear of registered parcels in case a few of them are tempted to steal something. It's also better than a courier service, because the latter ends up in Customs that will in one way or the other add a serious percentage to the parcel's value. USPS or other countries' registered services' parcels instead, do not go through Customs and arrive safely straight to the address of the recipient.

cacheman

I currently have a 'lost' Registered Mail packet containing a $500 medal that was being returned to the seller. It shows in USPS Tracking as arriving in Britain 17 days after I mailed it. That was March 2nd. There has been no further movement and it can't be located with help of the USPS International inquiry service. It is just listed as "in transit". I have all the receipts and Customs numbers and still cannot locate the packet. So, in a nutshell, I'd have to agree with Trozau. If I were you, I'd go with Express, a little more expensive but you are assured good tracking to cover your rear.


As an aside, this isn't the first time I have had issues with the "Royal Post' in Britain. I shipped four packets to four different customers using USPS International Priority Mail. Once the packets cleared customs (a week to ten days) the Royal Post would then hire a courier service (like fedex) to finish the delivery of the packet thus resulting in additional fees to the customer. I have had more problems with Britain than anywhere else...hell, I even got a packet to Beijing in four days from here in Oregon.

Zohar

I have used express which gets there swiftly, yet is pricey.

SYRACUSIAN

<< <i>I currently have a 'lost' Registered Mail packet containing a $500 medal that was being returned to the seller. It shows in USPS Tracking as arriving in Britain 17 days after I mailed it. That was March 2nd. There has been no further movement and it can't be located with help of the USPS International inquiry service. It is just listed as "in transit". I have all the receipts and Customs numbers and still cannot locate the packet. So, in a nutshell, I'd have to agree with Trozau. If I were you, I'd go with Express, a little more expensive but you are assured good tracking to cover your rear.


As an aside, this isn't the first time I have had issues with the "Royal Post' in Britain. I shipped four packets to four different customers using USPS International Priority Mail. Once the packets cleared customs (a week to ten days) the Royal Post would then hire a courier service (like fedex) to finish the delivery of the packet thus resulting in additional fees to the customer. I have had more problems with Britain than anywhere else...hell, I even got a packet to Beijing in four days from here in Oregon. >>




I'm sorry to hear these experiences Scott. Still, I believe that it would be a stretch to say that Royal Mail isn't among the finest Post Office services in the entire world. Even these have a few unfortunate cases, that are not necessarily the result of employees that wanted to steal the parcel, but rather some different, perhaps a logistics mistake. Who knows, you or your recipient might even eventually get his parcel, provided that you haven't claimed the insurance, if there was one, since registered parcels are usually insured for up to ~$40-$50 max.

USPS express is fine too, I'm just not sure if it can be tracked during its entire trip, inside and outside the US. It is actually cheaper than registered, which has become outrageously expensive in the US (over $30-35, compared to $12.50 for express), but fortunately it is still reasonable in other countries such as Italy, Spain, Greece etc.

YQQ

Before you send anything Registered from the USA or to The USA, ask your postal service if they still have an agreement with the receiving country for the item "registered"..
Example: Canada and the USA cancelled their agreement and since march 2013 ( I believe) one can NO LONGER send anything as registered mail either way.

If you use a courier or a POSTAL SERVICE, either way, customs is always involved. It is irrelevant how you send anything across a international border, customs is always involved. A simple letter will get faster and easier different treatment than a parcel.

If sent by courier, the courier automatically clears customs for the receiving party or the sender if the contents is "Documents" as part of the shipping fee. If the contents is other than docs, they will still clear it, however, they might charge a fee for it, unless you specifically state you will use your own broker.
My experience with over 20 different countries is that customs usually have a tolerance limit which is quite high.
They usually have to make sure that the revenue they get from a shipment at least covers the expense, i. e. time they spend charging the fees.
Now.... the matter of insurance when shipped: Unless this has changed within the last month, There is NO courier or postal system which will insure legal currency ( and some other items), regardless of age. They all point to the small print. If you do not tell the real "truth"
on your items value-declaration and it "gets lost" , you have to make a statement of the contents in your claim.....they will then point to the small print and.... NO refund either.
Before any of you says , that you always send insured ( international) please check it out yourself and ask yourself : Did I ever have an international claim? You are wasting your money if you pay for insurance with the carrier.
Declarations should also never point to valuable coins, coins, money etc.... a simple : collectors item or numismatics etc is sufficient and the truth.
I have NO idea what would apply for coins which are not legal tender anymore or how they would be treated in case of a claim.
AND, your post master or mistress have absolutely NO right to demnd to know the contents. When you sign the papers, you state that the contens complies with shipping regulations. i.e. dangerous goods and prohibited goods. Coins are not on that list.
and the fewer people know, the better.
do yourself a favor and find out before you ship.

Even using Paypal insurance is tricky...But that is another "hot" subject.

CIVITAS

Registered Mail is reasonably safe.

Something to remember: Registered Mail is only guaranteed to be treated as such in the U.S. Once it leaves the USPS' hands, it is handled as the receiving country's postal system sees fit. Some are better than others. Because of this, the following are a result:

1. You can only insure items up to $45.59 for Registered International mailings.
2. Tracking is iffy as compared to other services like Express. Many times the last scan you will see in tracking is when the package leaves the distribution center in NY.

1509eric

Is depend on the value you will send. Registerd mail normally is coverd for about 40-50 $. In this price range it is the cheapes way to send. I live in Germany and our postal service is not the best too...sometimes i just got registerd mail in my mailbox, even i normally should sign for it. And you have a tracking number, so you can follow it.
Ok, even tracking number not really help, once i had a sending from US and tracking says is at the customs at Frankfurt Airport....for more than 20 days....after this it was lost?!
But so at least you will get a a refund from the postal service for the lost.
But anyway ist the cheapes way to send in low price range. Courier Charge mostly 50 $ up...so it depend on the value...

cacheman

Dimitri, Duly noted.

I have assumed that the Registered Mail packet service I chose with USPS does not have an equivalent service within the British Royal Post. Rather than lost, I am assuming it is locked up somewhere and no one knows what to do with it. I did contact another buyer in Britain who has waited six months for a Registered Mail packet from the U.S. to arrive. Six Months!?!

YQQ

Eric,
there are two types of registered mail in Germany.
1 is a cheap way, with a tracking # . only for addresses in Germany, but some get also "out" and go overseas. BUT it is only scanned at the PO and all that is available when it is delivered to the address. NO signature required, you can dump it in any mailbox.

2 registered mail taken to the PO with receipt etc. and signature needed on delivery. tracking included and usually delivered over night within Germany. this type is also used for overseas shipping.