Shipping Internationally

tlhoy · November 13, 2003 11:03AM

How much of a Hassle is it to ship a coin internationally from the United States?
Do you have to mess with customs for a coin worth less than $150?
Are there any extra taxes or fees that need to be paid?
Thank you!

Robgetty · November 13, 2003 11:07AM

I'll be interested to see what the replies are on this.

bigbadchad777 · November 13, 2003 11:08AM

I had to fill out customs papers and shipping was expensive.
Global Priority was the best way for me to ship.
Shipping Internationally is a little more work.

MadMarty · November 13, 2003 11:10AM

It depends what and where you are sending it.

beartracks42 · November 13, 2003 11:38AM

I have shipped to Australia and to Sweden. You have to fill out customs forms and basically lie about what you are shipping. According to my postal clerks, it is unlawful to ship U.S. coins out of the country?? (I do not know if they are right.)

Additionally, you can not insure international shipping of coins. I shipped global priority with the understanding of the recepiants(?), that I could not insure.

ajaan · November 13, 2003 11:43AM

To the best of my knowledge it is not illegal to ship coins out of the US. It is illegal to ship coins to some countries, Greece for instance. Insurance is available for coins. You must ship Parcel Post to insure items to overseas. An alternative is to ship Registered Mail, but the maximum you can insure is $40.40 unless it is going to Canada.

Custom forms are required in most cases. Uninsured Global Priority, small envelope which is big enough to hold a size 000 padded envelope, is only $5.00 I shipped two coins to Poland this way and it took 3 days to get there.

darktone · November 13, 2003 11:48AM

Keep in mind that the max you can insure an international package for is $40.45 except for Canada you can go as high as $200 and this is Registered mail. I have a claim filed on a lost International package from this May and all I seem to get out of the USPS is that it's out of their hands when it leaves our country- my only question to them is "how do I knbow it left this country can you track it that far " and I get no response and I no reimbursement. This is the main reason I don't sell out of the country. Also remember if the buyer accepts the risk of no or only partial insurance at the time of purchase he will soon forget about this choice he made if the package is lost and you will be held accountable. And yes alway's have a customs form filled out. mike

darktone · November 13, 2003 11:51AM

<< <i>You have to fill out customs forms and basically lie about what you are shipping. According to my postal clerks, it is unlawful to ship U.S. coins out of the country?? (I do not know if they are right.) >>

Just write "Numismatic Item" on the customs form and most will not have a clue what it is and it is not a lie. mike

tsacch · November 13, 2003 11:55AM

Avoid, not worth it, even if they pay the shipping, it can come back to bite you in the beeehind.

Barry · November 13, 2003 12:09PM

Shipping international is a pain in the butt, so I try to avoid it. Some things I've sold, like Euro Mint sets, are more likely to attract a European buyer, so those I open up for all. Otherwise, most of my auctions are US only. I won't ship something overseas uninsured, which means you have to ship air parcel post and it's going to run about $20. There are certain parts of the world notorious for mail theft - specifically all of South America, Italy, Greece, most parts of eastern Europe, and Russia (this is not an all inclusive list). Places like the UK, Germany, Switzerland and Japan are very reliable. Also, if you are shipping to some remote parts of the world, you can specify routing. For example, I've sent mail to Mongolia via Japan. If you just write Mongolia on the envelope, it goes through Russia, and it will never get there.

Details on customs forms are on the USPS web site. The type of form (there's a short and long form) depends on the rules of the country to which you are shipping, and value of the item, and it's all spelled out at usps.com. For description, I usally put "numismatic items" or "hobby materials," never coins. Once, I shipped to a country that didn't permit coins, and I labelled it "metallic disks." Make sure your buyer understands you won't lie about the declared value and he's repsonsible for any customs or duty required by HIS country.

nanda · November 13, 2003 1:02PM

Use Global Priority Small Envelop to send items upto 2 lb costing 5 dollar or Big envelop costing 9 dollars. Fastest and reliable way i guess atleast if you send to India and hopefully to other countries also.
Bye,
Nanda

hamiltonjh · November 13, 2003 1:46PM

Depends on if you're selling to a citizen of a foreign country or a US armed Forces member or DOD civilian, or someone similar. If you're sending to an American with an APO, FPO AE, AP etc, then it's just like shipping normal mail in the US. No extra cost to you, the buyer or anyone else. I've been overseas for 10 of the last 13 years, and got alot of my coins through the mail, normal mail. Some registered, some not. All insured. :-) Never, NEVER a problem receiving a coin overseas, at least here in northern Japan.
As far as selling to citizens of a foreign country with a foreign address, I have no idea about the rules. Just wanted to let you know that sending to military members and DOD civilians overseas is no problem and no more expensive/complicated than "normal" US mail. :-)

lordmarcovan · November 13, 2003 2:01PM

I've shipped all over the world with very, very few problems- and one of the very few overseas packages I remember having a problem with was damaged in shipment, with part of the contents lost... in the United States.

As long as they pay shipping and understand that it is at their risk (insurance can be a headache, if not downright impossible), then it shouldn't be a problem. Most of the items I have shipped overseas have been world coins worth less than $50 or so, usually- not worth insuring, anyway. I had one shipment to Hong Kong arrive very late and seem to recall a delay with one going to Brazil, but it hasn't been too bad. And by shipping internationally, I get lots more (and higher) bids on my world coins. (German coins will fetch far more money from collectors in Germany, for example). Why limit yourself to just the USA? I can understand it if you are selling expensive items, but for cheap stuff there is really no reason not to ship internationally.

So far, I have done business with:
Canada
Great Britain
Ireland
The Netherlands
Belgium
Denmark
Norway
Germany
Spain
Italy
Greece
Bulgaria
Russia
Hong Kong
Japan
South Africa
Brazil
and maybe one or two others I've forgotten. The problem ratio has been 1% or less, as compared to about 1.5 to 2% for my US transactions.

Askari · November 13, 2003 2:16PM

In all the time I've been buying overseas I have had only four lost packages -- one mailed from Germany, one from Wales, one from France, and one from Belgium. I have received packages from most countries outside of Africa, including from one then undergoing a civil war. I don't ship much overseas, but have not had a problem. I have never heard of a US law prohibiting export of numismatic material, but there are some countries who do not permit theirs to be exported. Check with your postmaster (not a postal clerk) about the most secure way to ship a valuable item. You can also post any specific questions you may have on the Dark Side as we have considerable experience there.

From what I have heard from numerous dealers shipping internationally, it is rare that a package gets lost, but it does happen. Experienced US-based dealers generally ship overseas with the proviso that it is at the buyer's risk and only ship registered. Registered mail is the most secure -- certified is a waste of money -- because it is specially handled and there is less chance of it disappearing. Insurance has been restricted to negligible amounts in most cases.

It is important -- and prudent -- to ensure that a casual handler won't be tempted to examine the package because it clearly holds an item of value. "Numismatic" means nothing to most non-English-speaking mail sorters, while "coins" or "currency" probably is eye-catching. Coins, especially should not be loose or you're inviting the sorting machinery to extract it. They should also be packaged so that a handler can not feel the package and tell there is a coin inside. Even in high-theft zones, there are ways to minimize the risk of loss.

All that said, it is not as risky nor difficult as many here believe. Yes, you do have to make a little extra effort to learn the in's and out's. No, you don't have to learn the entire world at first. Maybe start with just permitting shipping to Canada ... then maybe Western Europe ... and so on as you get more comfortable. Who knows? You just might learn a little geography along the way.

LucyBop · November 13, 2003 2:25PM

I was able to ship some coins (Frankies) to Nanda in India.....

my postal clerk (who is a very cool cat named David Hall)

looked up in a book they have what I'm suppose to do. According to the book I had to mark on the customs form, 'Coins for ornament"

and Nanda has since taken posession of the Frankies...

silverandvinyl · November 13, 2003 7:42PM

I will not ship anything overseas anymore because of all the problems you run into with the buyers.Most of them do not want the product insured,they want you to lie about the worth,if the product gets crushed they want their money back and they want to send you 2 installments.I know all this because it happen to me twice.International is a negative for me.I've never shipped coins to Europe just vinyl records.Shipping coins (I would think)would be less of a hazard.

291fifth · November 13, 2003 8:25PM

Shipping internationally is a risky pain. I have found it not worth the hassle and now specify in my eBay auctions that I will only ship to US addresses. If you have a problem you will spend an inordinate amount of time trying to resolve it.

commoncents · November 13, 2003 8:41PM

The people at my post office know that I always send "stamped planchets".

tonyhar · November 13, 2003 8:56PM

I am grateful to those dealers in the US who ship to the UK . I would not be able to complete/ upgrade my registry sets without them.
Those who list US only do not get considered as they do not want my money!

newbiecollector · November 13, 2003 9:12PM

Interesting thread but in my opinion very many un-warranted concerns. Most of all purchases I have made came from the USA, Australia, New Zealand or other countries. A couple of the others that have replied before have sold to me.
If someone not in the USA does not understand that insurance is not available then they are just too nieve (sp).

The custom form, a 2x2 stick-on label is simple. If you are concerned about high value items then I strongly recomend that you find a way to ship insured..... and make sure the buyer understand he pays for it. You can most likely find a way (at a cost) to insure anything shipped.
No reason the buyer should not be told of this cost up front.

Steve27 · November 13, 2003 9:13PM

My only experience was sending a bunch of German coins to a darksider who lives in Norway. It bothered me to have to indicate on the customs form, which gets attached to the outside of the package, that there were coins inside, but he did receive them.

newbiecollector · November 13, 2003 9:16PM

Yes I did Steve!!! and you could have said it was tapioca pudding. There is not any customs fees due here in Norway for "money"..

Thanks again

silvereaglecoins · November 13, 2003 9:16PM

I ship internationally almost every day and have never had a problem. Yes, the customs paperwork takes a minute or two to fill out but besides that, it's no more work than shipping a package across town. First of all, weigh your package and then visit the USPS International Calculator Website to get the "exact" shipping cost. Use a padded envelope if possible instead of a cardboard box to get better rates. Depending on the value, I usually ship Global Priority Mail or Airmail Letter Post, whatever is less. For shipments over $100, I usually ship Registered Airmail Letter Post which is the "safest" method. However, $40.45 indemnity is the limit but I have never lost a registered letter or any international package for that matter. I have lost several US mailed packages over the years. You can buy additional insurance but it tends to get expensive since you usually have to upgrade the mailing to airmail parcel post which can get expensive with insurance. Also, NEVER list "coins" or "currency" on the customs description for obvious reasons. I list silver coins as "xx oz. base metal samples - AG" which is perfectly acceptable.

On customs or duty fees, the US seller pays nothing. The recipient is responsible. I add a note to my eBay auctions as follows:
Important Note for International Buyers: GST, VAT, or duty is not included and varies greatly from country to country. We have no control over this charge which can be as high as 20% in some countries. This charge is not added to your credit card and is typically due upon delivery. We are unable to ship international packages marked as a "gift" to avoid such charges.

darktone · November 13, 2003 9:51PM

If an out of country buyer emails me before the auction ends and asks if it is okay to bid and agrees to the special terms and assumes all risk I will sell lower value stuff $100 or under. I would say on average I lose two international packages a year and rarely recieve compensation from the post office. mike

newbiecollector · November 13, 2003 10:03PM

<< <i>If an out of country buyer emails me before the auction ends and asks if it is okay to bid and agrees to the special terms and assumes all risk I will sell lower value stuff $100 or under. I would say on average I lose two international packages a year and rarely recieve compensation from the post office. mike >>

To pursue my ignorance further I have to ask/state some things more. As an example you (or others) had a eBay auction going, you said that you ship only to the USA. I mailed you asking if you would allow me to bid, I would pay the extra shipping costs (asking what it would be) and fully accepted that insurance was not available.

Would you allow me to bid? If I won would you ship to me?

I have made this request more than once and only been turned away on rare occasion.

Of course I don't buy or bid on $1000 coins..... I would if I could but.......

darktone · November 13, 2003 10:14PM

Wayne, I would sell to any international forum member and that would include the more expensive stuff also but as you stated you would assume the risk of loss just as I would if I bought from you uninsured. For those that don't read the auction terms or email me before the auctions end I will fill out this ebay form LINK. mike

Shipping Internationally

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