@mr1931S said:
I use media mail sometimes to send inexpensive (under $50) raw coins. Coin inside a magazine, coin inside a CD or DVD case, that kind of thing. Save money on postage and go with no insurance for inexpensive coins.
Not a wise thing to do. Media mail is the ONLY class of mail that can be opened by a clerk to see if it is in fact Media Mail. Not to mention it's dishonest.
No it's not. I can mail a magazine to my brother with a penny taped to a page inside it can't I?
No, you can't. Not legally, at least.
Media mail is for qualified printed material only. You can't even include an invoice or note.
Your scheme is fraudulent and cheats the USPS out of revenue, which is not behavior that they need at the moment.
The Priority mail theft I experienced a few years was brazen, in the style of PennyLady's theft. I received a mangled Priority box where the sealed inner package with name and address of sender on it was slit open with a knife or scissors and contents removed. I went to the post office and read a supervisor there the riot act. USPS has got more thieves working for them these days than ever before.
I should mention that I was calm and collected at the PO until the supervisor clerk started insinuating that perhaps the sender forgot to seal the inner package (sealed with tape, return to sender info on it), and the item, a slabbed SLQ worth about $600, fell out of the mangled box. I had just showed him the inner package with the slit in it! What a dope. That's when he got read the riot act.
Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.
My point about the theft was most likely a postal worker in New York is based on the fact that I shipped a total of 6 packages, all going through the Santa Ana hub, and none of the other packages were tampered with. Then this package went directly to my customer's post office in New York with no stops in between (according to tracking) by plane so I doubt it would have made it all the way to New York in that condition without being flagged. But even if it was a non-postal worker, that will be up to the USPS to determine and hopefully they will be dealt with, in either case.
By the way, I'm headed to Central States tomorrow and will be at table 507 - please stop by and say hi if you make it to the show!
I hope everything turns out OK. I have had items missing/stolen when USPS delivered my package too. It is vert uncalming when it happens. Hopefully it will be made right to your satisfaction.
USN & USAF retired 1971-1993
Successful Transactions with more than 100 Members
Just thinking out loud: I wonder if a small addressed USPS Priority box was then placed within an addressed medium Priority box if that would make a difference. It would seem the larger the box the less likely it would be fraudulently opened.
@The_American_Frontier said:
If it happens again maybe try using UPS or FeDex. That is if you can get insurance with these other companies. I would think it should not be a problem.
Truth is you read as many complaints about the other carriers as about USPS.
Saw one last week on Reddit where they delivered a $3,000 bullion coin, adult-sig-required by forging a sig and throwing the package over the fence. A kind of "quality" of delivery.
FedEx left a signature required package (not a coin) on my front porch last month, visible from the street.
Same here. They even forge my signature. $14K worth of coins sat on my porch for 14 hours.
That used to happen to me with USPS signature required deliveries until I called my post office and told them that if any package like that got stolen off of my porch that I had video evidence from my ring camera showing that it wasn’t signed for.
@braddick said:
Just thinking out loud: I wonder if a small addressed USPS Priority box was then placed within an addressed medium Priority box if that would make a difference. It would seem the larger the box the less likely it would be fraudulently opened.
True. I once received a single slabbed Barber dime from an ebay seller in a big, big box. Those were the days before Priority mail was invented.
Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.
@braddick said:
Just thinking out loud: I wonder if a small addressed USPS Priority box was then placed within an addressed medium Priority box if that would make a difference. It would seem the larger the box the less likely it would be fraudulently opened.
It would have to help. A box inside a box or a padded mailer inside a box is less likely to be tampered with successfully.
For the record I have gone several decades and never had a USPS package lost or stolen shipped to me or shipped from me.
@braddick said:
Just thinking out loud: I wonder if a small addressed USPS Priority box was then placed within an addressed medium Priority box if that would make a difference. It would seem the larger the box the less likely it would be fraudulently opened.
Tape the coin to the inside of the small box and then tape the small box to the inside of the larger box. Use lots of fiber reinforced tape. Make it almost impossible to steal the coin without almost completely destroying the packaging. The thief will probably pass on your package and look for a package that's easier to open and reseal. On the return label, show something like "Computer Repair Supply" or "Small Machine Parts, Inc" or something similar so the thief will think there nothing he can use inside your package.
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
Tape the coin to the inside of the small box and then tape the small box to the inside of the larger box. Use lots of fiber reinforced tape. Make it almost impossible to steal the coin without almost completely destroying the packaging. The thief will probably pass on your package and look for a package that's easier to open and reseal. On the return label, show something like "Computer Repair Supply" or "Small Machine Parts, Inc" or something similar so the thief will think there nothing he can use inside your package.
Fiber tape is great, it's a good deterrent. Make the package a pain or look like a pain to get into.
As far return labels, now that it's a thing, just mark it Colongaurd Sample.
@The_American_Frontier said:
If it happens again maybe try using UPS or FeDex. That is if you can get insurance with these other companies. I would think it should not be a problem.
Pre COVID that would have been good advice, but most of us have seen too many UPS or FedEx packages just left at a front door.
@braddick said:
Just thinking out loud: I wonder if a small addressed USPS Priority box was then placed within an addressed medium Priority box if that would make a difference. It would seem the larger the box the less likely it would be fraudulently opened.
For the 1 in 10,000 that get stolen, it would cost you more than the loss
@MWallace said: Always put a "To:" and "From:" note, sticker, or write on inner container holding merchandise in case it's accidentally torn open and the contents fall out.
Yep. I've taken to doing that. Most of the time, I put holder in a holder (box in box or envelope in box or small box in envelope).
I've also had 1, and only 1, package in 20 years now, that didn't make it to me ok. I signed for it, from the USPS employee in the annex. I walked out the door about 10 steps, and, because of how I held/pressed the package, a slit became noticeable that wasn't noticeable otherwise. A coin, 1 of 2, was missing.
I walked back in and, Betty, the worker who knew me, was able to help me file a claim for the seller/shipper.
Because it was almost immediate, even though I walked out the door, and because she had gotten to know me, it was handle fine. Dang nice coin got stolen though
One other time, another forum member sent me $3000 worth of gold coins, overnight mail. Fully insured. New employee/probationary/contractor had signed it out to someone coming in to pick up their mail. Addresses were NOT EVEN CLOSE. Not in proximity nor in numbers of the address. Just happened to be "near" on the shelf there.
They took 20 minutes trying to find it before I asked for a supervisor and told him "Don't worry...it's fully insured for THOUSANDS". The supervisor also knew me from all the times I had to pick up packages and sign for them there.
He told me "Go home. We will call you". Seems they sent one of the upper people out to the person who got it, tracked him down, got it back, called me, drove it to me to deliver it. It was unopened. I didn't see the earlier employee much after that.
So, I agree with quick shipping and insurance, and also agree with putting TO/FROM info inside as well. And boxing/bundling things together so less likely to fall out.
Comments
The Priority mail theft I experienced a few years was brazen, in the style of PennyLady's theft. I received a mangled Priority box where the sealed inner package with name and address of sender on it was slit open with a knife or scissors and contents removed. I went to the post office and read a supervisor there the riot act. USPS has got more thieves working for them these days than ever before.
I should mention that I was calm and collected at the PO until the supervisor clerk started insinuating that perhaps the sender forgot to seal the inner package (sealed with tape, return to sender info on it), and the item, a slabbed SLQ worth about $600, fell out of the mangled box. I had just showed him the inner package with the slit in it! What a dope. That's when he got read the riot act.
Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.
My point about the theft was most likely a postal worker in New York is based on the fact that I shipped a total of 6 packages, all going through the Santa Ana hub, and none of the other packages were tampered with. Then this package went directly to my customer's post office in New York with no stops in between (according to tracking) by plane so I doubt it would have made it all the way to New York in that condition without being flagged. But even if it was a non-postal worker, that will be up to the USPS to determine and hopefully they will be dealt with, in either case.
By the way, I'm headed to Central States tomorrow and will be at table 507 - please stop by and say hi if you make it to the show!
The Penny Lady®
I hope everything turns out OK. I have had items missing/stolen when USPS delivered my package too. It is vert uncalming when it happens. Hopefully it will be made right to your satisfaction.
USN & USAF retired 1971-1993
Successful Transactions with more than 100 Members
Just thinking out loud: I wonder if a small addressed USPS Priority box was then placed within an addressed medium Priority box if that would make a difference. It would seem the larger the box the less likely it would be fraudulently opened.
peacockcoins
That used to happen to me with USPS signature required deliveries until I called my post office and told them that if any package like that got stolen off of my porch that I had video evidence from my ring camera showing that it wasn’t signed for.
True. I once received a single slabbed Barber dime from an ebay seller in a big, big box. Those were the days before Priority mail was invented.
Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.
It would have to help. A box inside a box or a padded mailer inside a box is less likely to be tampered with successfully.
For the record I have gone several decades and never had a USPS package lost or stolen shipped to me or shipped from me.
Tape the coin to the inside of the small box and then tape the small box to the inside of the larger box. Use lots of fiber reinforced tape. Make it almost impossible to steal the coin without almost completely destroying the packaging. The thief will probably pass on your package and look for a package that's easier to open and reseal. On the return label, show something like "Computer Repair Supply" or "Small Machine Parts, Inc" or something similar so the thief will think there nothing he can use inside your package.
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
it was cut open
this was priority mail express
Fiber tape is great, it's a good deterrent. Make the package a pain or look like a pain to get into.
As far return labels, now that it's a thing, just mark it Colongaurd Sample.
Pre COVID that would have been good advice, but most of us have seen too many UPS or FedEx packages just left at a front door.
For the 1 in 10,000 that get stolen, it would cost you more than the loss
when you hunt for just the right coin, the cost and insurance claim is slim solace compared to getting your coin
That’s a beautiful 1928 penny! I truly hope it’s recovered!
On a lighter note, I actually know a guy in the precious metals industry that occasionally puts “cremated remains“ on the package
My YouTube Channel
Yep. I've taken to doing that. Most of the time, I put holder in a holder (box in box or envelope in box or small box in envelope).
I've also had 1, and only 1, package in 20 years now, that didn't make it to me ok. I signed for it, from the USPS employee in the annex. I walked out the door about 10 steps, and, because of how I held/pressed the package, a slit became noticeable that wasn't noticeable otherwise. A coin, 1 of 2, was missing.
I walked back in and, Betty, the worker who knew me, was able to help me file a claim for the seller/shipper.
Because it was almost immediate, even though I walked out the door, and because she had gotten to know me, it was handle fine. Dang nice coin got stolen though
One other time, another forum member sent me $3000 worth of gold coins, overnight mail. Fully insured. New employee/probationary/contractor had signed it out to someone coming in to pick up their mail. Addresses were NOT EVEN CLOSE. Not in proximity nor in numbers of the address. Just happened to be "near" on the shelf there.
They took 20 minutes trying to find it before I asked for a supervisor and told him "Don't worry...it's fully insured for THOUSANDS". The supervisor also knew me from all the times I had to pick up packages and sign for them there.
He told me "Go home. We will call you". Seems they sent one of the upper people out to the person who got it, tracked him down, got it back, called me, drove it to me to deliver it. It was unopened. I didn't see the earlier employee much after that.
So, I agree with quick shipping and insurance, and also agree with putting TO/FROM info inside as well. And boxing/bundling things together so less likely to fall out.
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
The chances you take - sorry for your losses. It's a shame you can't stop thieves!
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"