Heritage shipping fees?

mercurydimeguy

I haven't bought anything from them since mid last year. Did the fees go up? I won a single coin for $1,233 and shipping was $30.10. This might be tolerable if they actually ship the coin(s) right away, but if I recall from last year it took me as much as 2 weeks to get my auction winnings from them...from the day I paid the invoice. Did the latter change? Do they ship coins faster now? I ask because I paid for my winnings Monday...today is Wednesday and I still don't see them shipped and I just paid $30.10 to ship a single coin...

Thanks for any insights anyone might have.

Elcontador

It's in the ballpark. They often ship me the coin before I pay them.

AmazonX

I won two coins in September that totaled almost $2,000 and was charged $30.70 for shipping.

Double check that they did ship it. This was my first purchase with them in 8 years and I paid right away. I remember it took a long time to get the coins. I was patient but after about 12 days I e-mailed them. They forgot to ship my coins, but they did send it out the next day. I have bought from them two more times and the coins came to me in 5 days or less. Shoot them an e-mail.

BStrauss3

It depends on how busy they are. I won something in a Tuesday auction, paid over night and it came in Friday. But that was a several weeks on either side of a big auction.

No Headlights

Past experience they have shipped coins priority mail. No signature confirm. Just shows up in your mail. They must have a blanket insurance covering the occasional missing package. My guess they are making substantial profit on the shipping part of their business.

Walkerfan

Well, I was going to chime in and post something, along the same lines as what the OP stated, b/c in the past; I've had similar experiences......but I'm really glad that I didn't do that.

Just found out that the coins just made it back to Dallas, TX, today (now, remember....Monday was a government holiday, so there was no mail that day), and my coin was shipped (accepted by USPS), this evening, complete with a tracking number.

GREAT JOB, Heritage!! Now THAT'S QUICK!!!

Mercurydimeguy---I sincerely hope that you enjoy similar luck with your winnings

I wanted to share this to give props to Heritage and to give the OP insight into my experience this time.

airplanenut

I was thinking about starting a similar thread, so perfect time to chime in. I bought a coin a few weeks ago that was a little north of $1k, and the shipping was around $30. I knew this going in, so I wasn't mad about the cost per se, but seeing the large jump below/above $1000 in value, I figured it also meant the coin would be shipped by Registered mail. Nope. Priority, no signature required. Actual postage of under $7.

Of course, I fully trust the coin was insured, but it was certainly a reminder to reconsider purchases there that I don't really need (anything somewhat generic versus filling a long-time want) as, factored in or not, the differential is massive. My basis for this also comes from my own shipping. My insurance lets me ship up to $2500 with Priority and a signature, so I'm used to charging $10-$12 for what Heritage charged $30 (them without a signature), and no doubt their economy of scale should make every aspect of shipping (except perhaps the exact postage) cheaper.

In all, I don't understand why it's so high other than to be a little profit center. I'm not asking for free shipping, and either way I'm factoring it into my bids, but I suppose it rubs me the wrong way when so much excess is charged. Just my 2 cents... or 30 bucks.

Flatwoods

There is little doubt that shipping is a money maker for them.
I receive quite a few packages from Europe over $1K and usually pay about what Heritage charges.
This covers much higher international shipping, insurance, customs, etc.

mercurydimeguy

As it turns out, Heritage did ship the coin quick -- super quick, so thanks to them for making good on the $30 shipping cost.

I received this in the mail today...

ms70

@mercurydimeguy said:
This might be tolerable if they actually ship the coin(s) right away, but if I recall from last year it took me as much as >2 weeks to get my auction winnings from them...from the day I paid the invoice.

This was my latest experience of a direct purchase from Heritage on a 4 figure coin. I was PO'd to say the least.

pennyannie

The shipping fee offsets the catalogs mailed out prior to to action and all the other mail they send you would be my guess. I have never paid for a catalog, they show up. I have called and requested catalogs for other collectibles and never a charge. Forever they were shipping catalogs with 9.95 postage labels attached. There mailing fee must be enormous yearly

VanHalen

That will be a nice addition to your 1869 Set of Everything.

desslok

I paid Heritage $75 shipping for a $59 item.

I won a $40 coin, or $59 after buyer's premium. I requested registered mail, but they ignored it and sent by FedEx (or was it UPS? I don't remember) , and initially charged me nothing. Inside the package they also included a complementary copy of their book on how to best take care of your estate (I'm "only" 42 years old). About 3 months later, they charged $75 to my credit card for shipping.

Now I wonder if I should be upset about it. I never requested FedEx for a $59 coin, although to be fair, they do state in their terms and conditions that this is mandatory for overseas deliveries. I also never requested the book, although I did read it. I suspect that at least part of the shipping cost was due to the size and weight of the book, which outweighs a single coin. I'm not familiar with the pricing structure of the freight companies, so I don't know if the cost could have been much lower had the book not been included.

In the end, I'm happy with the item itself, so I guess that's all that really matters.