<< <i>If it is lost, how would anyone know it is not in a small box??
Whelp, you are comitting a felony when you file a false description of your lost item. Imagine they turn the place upside down to avoid a $4,500 Claim and they find it in a cheap-ass bubble pack versus the Box you claimed it was in?
I'd rather they find my $4,500 Box wrapped in Brown reinforced postal tape like I wrote down on my Insurance claim, then take a chance like that. >>
And no crime is being commited when the post office lady takes my $12.00 insurance fee and slaps a blue sticker on my bubble mailer even tho its not insurable? That seems like theft to me.
<< <i>Remember... The only trackable service USPS has is Express Mail...if it was not mailed USPS Express mail it is NOT trackable. >>
This is not correct ; the post office can track things internally and a customer can track items on line . >>
No, he is correct. Express Mail is the only service that is scanned every step of the way.
Insured Mail is not. Insured Mail can be looked up internally but they will not have up to date information unless the item had already been delivered. Otherwise it's guesswork as to where in the route the piece is.
Priority Mail is not trackable, doesn't have a number associated with it, nothing to scan.
Delivery Confirmation is not trackable though it's not uncommon for it to get scanned at some points along the way. The only required scans for DC is one showing that it was mailed and one showing that it was delivered.
Priority Mail will sometimes be sorted with Express mail. When this happens, if the PM has DC, it will likely get scanned along the way since the sorters are scanning every piece of EM anyway.
Registered Mail comes the closest to being tracked but can not be done while en route by the customer, only the PO. RM is more of a paper log than digital scans and is not intended to be tracked while still in route. YMMV on how nice your PostMaster is and how much leg work he/she is willing to do for you.
Sometimes I use a US Priority Mail Small Video Box (0-1096S) "8.625" x "5.375" x "1.625" , it weighs 2 ounces and is supplied by the US Postal Service for free ;>. It comes as an unfolded cardboard sheet that I simply fold inside out (keep the Postal Markings to the inside) .
Coinboy, are you the reason they started doing this:
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
If I send a coin in protected in Safe-T-Mailer within a regular sized envelope, can I safely insure it?
I have regularly received such insured envelopes and just recently mailed one that safely reached its destination. However, I had to twist the arm of the postal clerk to insure the envelope because they stated that envelopes were NOT insurable. I thought that was preposterous. After reading this thread, perhaps I'm wrong.
It is getting much more expensive to ensure that your recipient gets a package with a coin in the mail (at least in my eyes). If it goes Registered, it's a minimum of about $11-$12 if it's an envelope and if it's a small package, you're looking at about $15 or even more. If I'm to move to small boxes to mail coins, to insure them, each of those boxes run $1-$2, plus now they're bigger and heavier and have to go at a different postal rate.
Sorry...I had to vent. A silly $30 coin costs about $4 to mail.
I have had the unfortunate experience of having an insured envelope slip open somewhere in the postal system and having a $350 coin ripped off before it went back to the dealer. They paid on it, though.
I wish there was or will be a cheaper alternative.
<< <i>However, I had to twist the arm of the postal clerk to insure the envelope because they stated that envelopes were NOT insurable. I thought that was preposterous. After reading this thread, perhaps I'm wrong. >>
You're not wrong- the clerk is. I ran into this at the post office where I used to live. There was one clerk there who would not allow me to insure anything (coins, cards, souvenirs- any sort of collectible which *should* be able to be insured) sent in an envelope. His reasoning- you can't insure letters (true enough), and anything in an envelope is a letter (not even close).
Once I figured out what was going on, I avoided using his window when I had "letters" to insure. What's so silly about the whole thing is that now and then, I had insured shipments to sign for at the post office- this clerk (on more than one occasion) had me sign for my insured item, apparently not even noticing (for sure, he never said anything) that the item was in an envelope.
I posted above that I always ship expensive coins in a box. Now I've learned to ship them in an envelope. I pad them inside a kraft envelope and ship them registered mail. The clerks at the local post office have complimented me on the change. I don't use restricted delivery unless I have some concern about a package (for example if he is sending it to work and I'm afaid someone else will sign for it and lose it).
I believe the postal regulation about the bubble mailer is a comment that they don't consider it adequate protection for a valuable campaign glass. But I don't believe that would affect a loss. --Jerry
I Ship tons of stuff in Bubble mailers and never had a problem. I've shipped stuff insured with Sig conf in bubble mailers, I use to turn the USPS Priority mail boxes inside out until I was told by them it was Illegal to do so and could be considered theft. I rarely insure anything anyhow. I just package it super tight.
Insurance through USPS is worthless if item is damaged. Its only good for items that are lost in the mail. If its damaged they say it wasn't packed well enough, If it was it wouldn't have been damaged would it? Its happened to me many a time. It covers loss only from my Experience and I've had Lots of it.
Only thing we have to worry about with coins is loss of contents or totally lost package. I don't think it's possible to damage a coin if packaged decently.
<< <i>Regardless of Ebay policy, when I sell anything from $500 and up, based on my prior bad experiences, I won't sell to folks with less than 50 feedback. I put that in my ad. I really don't care if I get kicked off Ebay...... I have had too many scammers say they got empty boxes over 10 years. Maybe I just have had bad luck, but ya gotta do what you think is right to protect yourself.
One thing I've found is that a signature has reduced the scammers significantly. I've sold a few Saints registered mail, and was somewhat nervous until they posted good feedback.
I don't feel comfortable selling anything over $2,000 on ebay so I don't. Perfect strangers. Bad business IMO. Paypal has told me verbally that when in doubt, they will always side with the buyer's complaint! Even with overwhelming evidence on the side of the seller. (I'm just the messenger, that's what I was told, it is not in their written policy.)
It would be nice if there were a solution to the problem. The other thing I do is enclose a packing slip with 2 signatures on it verifying the contents. >>
Ebay has been quietly floating the idea of warehouse's where sellers send in their items to Ebay. What actual protection this would provide is doubous to say the least.
Bottom Feeder collector, Happy collector of Moderns
Comments
<< <i>If it is lost, how would anyone know it is not in a small box??
Whelp, you are comitting a felony when you file a false description of your lost item. Imagine they turn the place upside down to avoid a $4,500 Claim and they find it in a cheap-ass bubble pack versus the Box you claimed it was in?
I'd rather they find my $4,500 Box wrapped in Brown reinforced postal tape like I wrote down on my Insurance claim, then take a chance like that. >>
And no crime is being commited when the post office lady takes my $12.00 insurance fee and slaps a blue sticker on my bubble mailer even tho its not insurable? That seems like theft to me.
<< <i>
<< <i>Remember... The only trackable service USPS has is Express Mail...if it was not mailed USPS Express mail it is NOT trackable. >>
This is not correct ; the post office can track things internally and a customer can track items on line . >>
No, he is correct. Express Mail is the only service that is scanned every step of the way.
Insured Mail is not. Insured Mail can be looked up internally but they will not have up to date information unless the item had already been delivered. Otherwise it's guesswork as to where in the route the piece is.
Priority Mail is not trackable, doesn't have a number associated with it, nothing to scan.
Delivery Confirmation is not trackable though it's not uncommon for it to get scanned at some points along the way. The only required scans for DC is one showing that it was mailed and one showing that it was delivered.
Priority Mail will sometimes be sorted with Express mail. When this happens, if the PM has DC, it will likely get scanned along the way since the sorters are scanning every piece of EM anyway.
Registered Mail comes the closest to being tracked but can not be done while en route by the customer, only the PO. RM is more of a paper log than digital scans and is not intended to be tracked while still in route. YMMV on how nice your PostMaster is and how much leg work he/she is willing to do for you.
Coinboy, are you the reason they started doing this:
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
Express Mail®
Global Express Guaranteed®
Express Mail International®
Priority Mail® International
In case anybody cares...
If I send a coin in protected in Safe-T-Mailer within a regular sized envelope, can I safely insure it?
I have regularly received such insured envelopes and just recently mailed one that safely reached its destination. However, I had to twist the arm of the postal clerk to insure the envelope because they stated that envelopes were NOT insurable. I thought that was preposterous. After reading this thread, perhaps I'm wrong.
It is getting much more expensive to ensure that your recipient gets a package with a coin in the mail (at least in my eyes). If it goes Registered, it's a minimum of about $11-$12 if it's an envelope and if it's a small package, you're looking at about $15 or even more. If I'm to move to small boxes to mail coins, to insure them, each of those boxes run $1-$2, plus now they're bigger and heavier and have to go at a different postal rate.
Sorry...I had to vent. A silly $30 coin costs about $4 to mail.
I have had the unfortunate experience of having an insured envelope slip open somewhere in the postal system and having a $350 coin ripped off before it went back to the dealer. They paid on it, though.
I wish there was or will be a cheaper alternative.
<< <i>However, I had to twist the arm of the postal clerk to insure the envelope because they stated that envelopes were NOT insurable. I thought that was preposterous. After reading this thread, perhaps I'm wrong. >>
You're not wrong- the clerk is. I ran into this at the post office where I used to live. There was one clerk there who would not allow me to insure anything (coins, cards, souvenirs- any sort of collectible which *should* be able to be insured) sent in an envelope. His reasoning- you can't insure letters (true enough), and anything in an envelope is a letter (not even close).
Once I figured out what was going on, I avoided using his window when I had "letters" to insure. What's so silly about the whole thing is that now and then, I had insured shipments to sign for at the post office- this clerk (on more than one occasion) had me sign for my insured item, apparently not even noticing (for sure, he never said anything) that the item was in an envelope.
<< <i>A silly $30 coin costs about $4 to mail. >>
Thank you for helping keep postage rates down for the rest of us. I ship hundreds of $30 coins for $1.52. --Jerry
as been said b4 ; if the postal clerks can't agree -how the heck are we supposed to figure things out ?
<< <i>Bubble Wrap vs. Box Postal Refresher >>
I posted above that I always ship expensive coins in a box. Now I've learned to ship them in an envelope. I pad them inside a kraft envelope and ship them registered mail. The clerks at the local post office have complimented me on the change. I don't use restricted delivery unless I have some concern about a package (for example if he is sending it to work and I'm afaid someone else will sign for it and lose it).
I believe the postal regulation about the bubble mailer is a comment that they don't consider it adequate protection for a valuable campaign glass. But I don't believe that would affect a loss. --Jerry
Insurance through USPS is worthless if item is damaged. Its only good for items that are lost in the mail. If its damaged they say it wasn't packed well enough, If it was it wouldn't have been damaged would it? Its happened to me many a time. It covers loss only from my Experience and I've had Lots of it.
<< <i>Regardless of Ebay policy, when I sell anything from $500 and up, based on my prior bad experiences, I won't sell to folks with less than 50 feedback. I put that in my ad. I really don't care if I get kicked off Ebay...... I have had too many scammers say they got empty boxes over 10 years. Maybe I just have had bad luck, but ya gotta do what you think is right to protect yourself.
One thing I've found is that a signature has reduced the scammers significantly. I've sold a few Saints registered mail, and was somewhat nervous until they posted good feedback.
I don't feel comfortable selling anything over $2,000 on ebay so I don't. Perfect strangers. Bad business IMO. Paypal has told me verbally that when in doubt, they will always side with the buyer's complaint! Even with overwhelming evidence on the side of the seller. (I'm just the messenger, that's what I was told, it is not in their written policy.)
It would be nice if there were a solution to the problem. The other thing I do is enclose a packing slip with 2 signatures on it verifying the contents. >>
Ebay has been quietly floating the idea of warehouse's where sellers send in their items to Ebay. What actual protection this would provide is doubous to say the least.
<< <i>wow - thanks from me to everybody 's help in clearing the facts up ..........
as been said b4 ; if the postal clerks can't agree -how the heck are we supposed to figure things out ?
>>
The Postal Bible
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left