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Is Ship and Insure significantly cheaper than USPS and easy to use?
BIGAL2749
Posts: 742 ✭✭✭✭
Foolish to ask these questions after spending well over a thousand dollars between packages to PCGC, PMG, CAC, and NGC but I haven't finished with my need to ship coins and currency.
I know many on the forum have had a lot of experience with this issue so thanks in advance for helping point me in the right direction.
Al
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Yes it is significantly cheaper. Also, I set up a discounted FedEx acct. and shipped a bulk 100 coin submission to PCGS. Then they shipped back to me using my FedEx acct. Easy peasy, saved a bundle. Best part was how fast the shipping was!
It is cheaper but the biggest part of the equation is do you ship enough volume to overcome the yearly fee. I'm not sure now, but when I checked into it a couple of years ago they didn't insure 1st class mail.
Ship and Insure is a royal pain; all packages shipped must be in a box, you have to enter all details and upload by midnight to their account and join their $125 organization. Hugh Wood requires none of that but has a flat annual fee of a few hundred dollars for most shippers.
Yes volume is key. If you are not producing enough shipping then don't do it.
It's not that much of a pain to me. For my policy (collector), Hugh Wood required me to send everything with signature confirmation if I recall correctly (several years ago). Shipping in a box is also a better way to go because it doesn't go through the same sorting machines.
Any idea on what the approximate savings for $20 $50K or 75K?
Ship and insure requires everything to be in a box within a box (two layers of boxes), not just in a box. They also require the boxes to be fairly large. For priority mail, both those requirements make it difficult at times to stay in the Under 1 Lb shipping class, after which shipping prices start escalating quickly.
The biggest factor for me that caused me to drop their service immediately was after they quoted me a price on an annual membership renewal. I sent the check in, they cashed it and then later told me that it actually didn't cover the annual membership fee and wouldn't honor it, nor give me my money back. Needless to say, I didn't send them another check like they requested and instead dropped them and went with Hugh Woods, who have been much easier to deal with so far. I also hated the whole "must upload shipping details by midnight" to insure my packages. There were a few occasions where I forgot about that.
So what you save on insurance could get used up on postage?
Between the annual fee and postage, quite possibly. It really depends on your volume. For me, it was definitely worth it (ignoring the customer service issues) as I was shipping many thousands of dollars in coins every month. But, for a collector who ships coins only a few times a year, it doesn't really make any sense most likely.
It looks like Ship and Insure did something illegal taking your money you sent without compensation or services rendered, I would go over their heads with the PA state attorney general or consumer rights department.
Well, to clarify they gave me services for what they felt I should get for the amount I paid. However, that was quite a bit less time than if you prorated the annual fee, less than what they originally told me I would get, and less than what I wrote on my check as the term of the membership. So, I'm sure I could've done something about it, but it just wasn't worth it to me at the time.
Personally, I didn't feel they were trying to scam me, it just didn't seem a very professional shop and they didn't know how to handle issues such as when they make an error. So, for me, it was basically just that sometimes it's better to just take your money and do business somewhere else.