Has anyone ever had a USPS Registered Mail package lost?
Raufus
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Hi All-
I have an incoming coin via USPS Registered Mail. I'm getting worried about the shipment. 11 days so far from NYC. Hopefully it will show up. The USPS employees are somewhat reassuring - and somewhat clueless.
I know that Registered is slow. That's a very small trade off for the supposedly enhanced security.
I'm just curious: Has anyone ever shipped or been shipped a USPS Registered Mail package which was, in the end, lost?
Thanks
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None for me in the past 40+ years.
No, but I had one package take close to three weeks once.
Thanks guys. Very reassuring. I'm freaking out a bit.
Wow. Did it get hung up at one post office or did it take several days at several different post offices? Was it domestic or intl?
Thanks!
It was a domestic package to California. I live on the East Coast. For some reason it ended up being stuck in Washington D.C. for several days. I have no clue why.
I've sent numerous mail/packages via Certified Mail, and I'd say 50% of the time the USPS fails to scan at the last step & never gives me the proof of delivery I pay extra for. But they refuse to take responsibility, claiming "the deliveryman just forgot to scan", etc, & will "work to improve"..........leaving it up to me to contact the recipients to confirm they got them. And the USPS never reimburses me for their failure to liver" what they charge a premium for.....................
Comparing apples to oranges. Certified Mail goofs are not uncommon, but Registered Mail faulups are. Never had to file a claim with R.M. in over 25 years.
Thanks guys. Mine is was stuck in Buffalo for 5 days. It now says left Jamaica NY two days ago but has not been scanned in anywhere. It was shipped from NY State to VA. The next stop after Jamaica should be DC or Merrifield, VA. I spend 30 min on the phone w/USPS to little avail.
I don't mind it taking a while I'm just praying that it's not, in the end, lost.
I think you can file a Postal insurance claim on the 15th day for Registered Mail. If so, file a claim on day 15. You'll be shocked at how quickly they find it.
Give it 3 weeks before worrying
I have been told some Post Offices only have 1 or 2 people authorized to sign for registered packages. If they happen to be off work for a few days the packages will sit until they return.
The Post Office can see exactly where it is in the system and who handled it last.
I once had a package sit 20 miles away for 5 days,,,,,, had my local Post Office call to check on it and it showed up the next day.
Only once on a pkg sent to Austria. Got to NYC and then lost.....never found. Insured and got screwed on that.
Oh well,
bob
Go into your local PO and ask them nicely if they will track the package. They have that ability.
Never had one lost. Record though was 5 weeks and if the customer did not contact me, it might still be sitting in the same place.
I've had 3 registered mails lost/stolen. In each case, I received payment promptly from the USPS. The USPS wouldn't tell me what happened, but, they did say they knew what occured,
Had one from David Hall get lost way back in 1987. The postman left it laying on the stairs in an apartment mailbox alcove and it was apparently stolen. I believe the carrier lost his job as a result. But it almost never happens. I have so much faith in Reg Mail I never insure for more than the $50 or $100 that comes free with it.
What did u do once the customer contacted u to get It delivered? Thanks.
About 20 years ago I did have a coin get lost in the mail under registered mail and then show up about a year later. I couldn't believe it when I seen the package, it was beat up to hell and torn and had been taped by the Post Office with a message on the package, looked like it got caught in one of their machines and wasn't found for a little over a year When I opened the package and seen the coin, at first I had forgot all about the coin and then figured it out that it was the coin that was lost, it was a pretty nice Capped Bust Dime, glad it finally showed up. I called the guy I bought it from and he couldn't believe it that the coin showed up and me telling him I was going to be sending him the money back that he refunded me.
I've never lost a package sent registered mail
Nope, but had an insured one go missing.
Nope.
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The longest was nearly three weeks to delivery for me. I got one of the way to Florida right now, hopefully it delivers tomorrow before the hurricane.
PS Lucky I sent it registered, otherwise it would go into a mailbox and end up in the ocean with my luck.
Never...Ever...Never Ever
No I have not. I have sent hundreds of registereds and never had one go AWOL.
Stay safe during Hurricane Irma!
Just recently I had one stuck at a facility near me for over 3 weeks. Filed a claim and so did NGC and it came in a few days. Every other one was delivered within a week and half
Did this happen all at one time?
Between everyone else in the thread there is like 2 packages lost over decades. But you have had 3 lost just yourself! Wow. You seem to be a marked man!
Unfortunately yes. Took 3 refusals but they did finally pay my claim.
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/980794/registered-package-apparently-stolen-from-baltimore-po-zip-21210-pictures-of-coins#latest
I have shipped Registered Mail (darkside gold) several times.... I have never had an issue. It is slow, but always gets there (in my experiences). Cheers, RickO
Headed to my local PO and described the problem. Took them an overnight to locate the package which had not moved from the recipients small PO for four weeks. It just kind of got overlooked.
I have sent out perhaps 200 registered packages over a decade. Have maybe 5 stories. All did work out ok at the end.
Not here, and have had hundreds shipped. Several took 3 weeks or so but finally made it.
Side story from a couple of years ago. Heavy snowstorms in the NY/ NJ area. $3000 coin in registered package was held up near LaGuardia for over a week. Customer filed a compliant after 7 days from shipment and Ebay told me a week later that they were going to refund the buyer the $3000 on day fourteen from shipping.
I suspect that if refunded the customer would have kept the money and the coin. Fortunately it was delivered on final day before refund was issued.
Ebay is always dicey on high value coins.
Never had one lost. But...had one take 17 days once. I was the shipper (and seller in an eBay transaction) and both the recipient and I were quite nervous (buyer opened a case, etc). I learned that I, as shipper, had to contact someone in customer affairs locally - they were very helpful, were able to track the package, and discovered that it had not been scanned at one point along the way, and was just sitting, all locked up. They got it back on its way and it was delivered without issue. So in my case, patience yes, but a little action required as well!
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What was the basis for refusal? The other thread doesn't mention that.
My Early Large Cents
Registered mail delivery can be very slow these days but I haven't had a registered mail package get lost (or stolen) in over 30 years. I've had packages in the last 12 months take more than 11 days to arrive at their destination.
When asked what happens if you lose a registered mail package, my mail man of 25 plus years replied, "You want fries with that?"
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I also had one take three weeks, from Buffalo to Sarasota. But I've never lost one.
I don't think that online tracking is always up-to-the-minute on registered though. I've always suspected that there are posting delays online as a measure of security.
I am from the general DC area and when I get packages from NGC, they sent registered, and they route through DC. 1 week is the minimum, and more than that is the norm. Don't know why either, but it is frustrating.
And I also have never had a registered mail package lost.
Tom
Give it time. Don't worry be happy.
I've had a few Registered Mail packages take over 3 weeks from upper state New York to just outside of Boston. I would give it at least 3 weeks before worrying about it.
Donato
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They kept saying they needed more evidence...even after I had provided everything they needed the 1st time. I kept pressing asking what more they needed and told them the head of the Post Office where it went missing told me to file a claim!
. I think it's just standard protocol to get you to drop your claim!
Happened on 3 separate occasions. Twice out of the Palm Springs, CA PO and once out of the Casa Grande, AZ PO. In each case, the PO took only 1 or 2 days to investigate before sending out a check. I sent the USPS proof of sale online. The funny thing is I had only used registered less than 50 times. Needless to say, I stopped using registered years ago.
May be due to postal employee vacation and/or weather issues? I also believe they don't update the tracking while it is in transit due to security concerns. Mine usually stop tracking after a few days and starts showing up when it is about to be delivered. I have only had issues with express packages...never registered.
Maybe some of the USPS employees who are collectors here can provide some insight. If someone remembers their usernames, summon them here
Coinlieutenant and I had one lost for about 70 days once. According to a USPS super. it went to a sorting facility that was closed and must have sat there for a while but eventually she showed up. It must be signed for each hand that it passes.
Freddie
none as of yet thank god
Anyone ever? Probably.
Me, no
Most people freak out and it shows up the next day.
None for me in 40 years. But I don't send that many registered packages.
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When I filed my INSURANCE claim, they wanted an ITEMIZED cost proof for a box of circ Morgans being sold as BULK.
They were adamant until I had to bring in my CONGRESSMAN to set them straight.
Limited number sent here......but no.never............just hung in limbo for a while
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Thanks so much for all of the replies!!
I called and discussed w/USPS. It took 20 minutes just to get a human - exactly as was noted by another member above. W/in 12 hours the coin was logged into DC. It's not here but it's progress! Hoping for early next week.
Don't worry, registered mail is slow but it will get there.