Best way to ship coins

I have some gold coins on eBay that I'm selling, and I was planning on
packing them in a small box and sending them by UPS Ground. I've been
told UPS doesn't ensure coins for their full value, so I'm wondering
what the best way to ship them would be. I want to be covered in case
the package gets lost, disappears, or the buyer claims he never got
it.

Thanks,
Ed

On Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:36:00 -0700 (PDT), "Ed B."
wrote:

I have some gold coins on eBay that I'm selling, and I was planning on
packing them in a small box and sending them by UPS Ground. I've been
told UPS doesn't ensure coins for their full value, so I'm wondering
what the best way to ship them would be. I want to be covered in case
the package gets lost, disappears, or the buyer claims he never got
it.


The choice depends on the value of the coins. I've sold several US
gold coins and shipped them by USPS Priority Mail in the small "video"
box for $4.60. Sometimes I insure them, sometimes I don't. I do use
"Delivery Confirmation". For a coin with a value up to about $500,
it works well. I've never had a problem doing this.

For items of larger value, I ship by Registered Mail.

Someone will be along to say they've lost things in the mail, but I
never have. If you package safely, use the correct address, write the
label legibly, and put clear tape over the address label, it's very
unlikely that a package will be lost in the mail. I prefer boxes to
bags, though, since bags tend to tear.

The biggest danger is at the receiving end. Some buyers are outright
scammers, and some packages are received by someone else in the house
or building and never make it to person you sent it to. "Delivery
Confirmation" or "Signature Confirmation" is more important than
insurance. Proving it got there, and to the right person, is more
likely to be your problem than getting replacement value of a damaged
item.

I'd feel comfortable mailing a $1,000 coin by Priority Mail in a
"video" box with "Signature Confirmation" and no insurance. The
buyer, though, often wants you add insurance. If you don't, he thinks
you are careless and might try to take advantage.






--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

tony cooper wrote:

For items of larger value, I ship by Registered Mail.

Does basic RM meet PayPal requirements?

I see that the USPS says about RM "And you can
verify the date and time of delivery and the delivery
attempts online."

Is that standard, or do you have to:
"You can combine Registered Mail with the following Extra Services:
Delivery Confirmation™
Signature Confirmation™"

--
Regards, Bob Niland
http://www.access-one.com/rjn email4rjn AT yahoo DOT com
NOT speaking for any employer, client or Internet Service Provider.

rjn wrote:
tony cooper wrote:

For items of larger value, I ship by Registered Mail.

Does basic RM meet PayPal requirements?

I see that the USPS says about RM "And you can
verify the date and time of delivery and the delivery
attempts online."

Is that standard, or do you have to:
"You can combine Registered Mail with the following Extra Services:
Delivery Confirmation™
Signature Confirmation™"


Well I just sent a registered package and had to pay extra ($0.75) for
delivery confirmation. The USPS clerk didn't initially know if I could
even get delivery confirmation, but somehow figured it out on her
computer. This seems odd since I can track the package via the
registration number using the online USPS tracker. Still, I wasn't in a
mood to argue over 75c.

/dave a

On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:15:56 -0700 (PDT), rjn
wrote:

tony cooper wrote:

For items of larger value, I ship by Registered Mail.

Does basic RM meet PayPal requirements?

Beats me. When I'm shipping a coin with a value over $500, what
concerns me is getting the coin to the customer, having the customer
himself sign for it, and having proof that the customer received it.
If that is accomplished, problems don't follow.

The post office is very good at making sure the addressee signs for
the package. Unlike UPS who will drop the package next door, down the
street, in the general vicinity of the address, and to anyone who will
accept it, the mail person hands over the package in person to the
addressee.

I'm sure someone has a story about a rogue mail person, but my
experiences have been good.

I see that the USPS says about RM "And you can
verify the date and time of delivery and the delivery
attempts online."

Is that standard, or do you have to:
"You can combine Registered Mail with the following Extra Services:
Delivery Confirmation™
Signature Confirmation™"

I do combine with one or the other above. It's cheap insurance.


--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

As others have stated, the envelope for Registered Mail has to have visible
seams that can be stamped such that any tampering would be visible. A
cardboard mailer inside the envelope would help too. You MUST state the
value and pay for the insurance as well.

The coins I order from the US Mint come in a box that has been completely
wrapped in the old fashioned brown package sealing tape that has nylon cords
running through it. This is the type that is moistened with water in order
to activate the glue. Every seam is stamped around the entire package and
the mailing label is glued on so tight that it is impossible to remove.
Likewise the tape. I run the risk of cutting myself each time I open one of
these boxes.

I do not pay more than the standard $4.95 shipping fee when I order from the
Mint. It's their choice to spend the extra time and money to ship it to me
that way.

Bob
"Ed B." wrote in message
...
I have some gold coins on eBay that I'm selling, and I was planning on
packing them in a small box and sending them by UPS Ground. I've been
told UPS doesn't ensure coins for their full value, so I'm wondering
what the best way to ship them would be. I want to be covered in case
the package gets lost, disappears, or the buyer claims he never got
it.

Thanks,
Ed

dave a wrote:

I see that the USPS says about RM "And you can
verify the date and time of delivery and the delivery
attempts online."
Is that standard, or do you have to:
"You can combine Registered Mail with the following Extra Services:
Delivery Confirmation™ Signature Confirmation™"

Well I just sent a registered package and had to pay extra ($0.75) for
delivery confirmation. The USPS clerk didn't initially know if I could
even get delivery confirmation, but somehow figured it out on her
computer.

Is that "had to" as in: the clerk was requiring you to add DC,
or "had to" as in: DC wasn't free.

This seems odd since I can track the package via the
registration number using the online USPS tracker.

That was what I was asking about. If the base RM barcode
is on-line trackable, just what does DC bring to the party?

I can see adding SC, as I expect the standard RM tracking
does not capture and serve a signature. But DC on RM
seems like a waste of money.

--
Regards, Bob Niland
http://www.access-one.com/rjn email4rjn AT yahoo DOT com
NOT speaking for any employer, client or Internet Service Provider.

rjn wrote:
dave a wrote:

I see that the USPS says about RM "And you can
verify the date and time of delivery and the delivery
attempts online."
Is that standard, or do you have to:
"You can combine Registered Mail with the following Extra Services:
Delivery Confirmation™ Signature Confirmation™"

Well I just sent a registered package and had to pay extra ($0.75) for
delivery confirmation. The USPS clerk didn't initially know if I could
even get delivery confirmation, but somehow figured it out on her
computer.

Is that "had to" as in: the clerk was requiring you to add DC,
or "had to" as in: DC wasn't free.


The later. The clerk wasn't very well informed and didn't know if I
could track it with the registration number so I asked for DC. This was
only the second or third registered pkg I have ever mailed so I didn't
really know the options either. I guess I should have done more
homework, but, as I said, I wasn't going to bother arguing over 75c.

On Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:36:00 -0700 (PDT), "Ed B."
wrote:

I have some gold coins on eBay that I'm selling, and I was planning on
packing them in a small box and sending them by UPS Ground. I've been
told UPS doesn't ensure coins for their full value, so I'm wondering
what the best way to ship them would be. I want to be covered in case
the package gets lost, disappears, or the buyer claims he never got
it.

Thanks,
Ed

USPS Registered Mail in the ONLY way to go!

On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:27:42 -0700, dave a
wrote:

rjn wrote:
tony cooper wrote:

For items of larger value, I ship by Registered Mail.

Does basic RM meet PayPal requirements?

I see that the USPS says about RM "And you can
verify the date and time of delivery and the delivery
attempts online."

Is that standard, or do you have to:
"You can combine Registered Mail with the following Extra Services:
Delivery Confirmation™
Signature Confirmation™"


Well I just sent a registered package and had to pay extra ($0.75) for
delivery confirmation. The USPS clerk didn't initially know if I could
even get delivery confirmation, but somehow figured it out on her
computer. This seems odd since I can track the package via the
registration number using the online USPS tracker. Still, I wasn't in a
mood to argue over 75c.

/dave a

You shouldnt have paid for this. ALL registered mail has to be signed
for.