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Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 3:12 pm
by PolishPunisher
Trying to ship my 2011 25th Anniversary Silver Eagle.

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 3:19 pm
by scrapper2010
I shipped mine with FedEx insured. They didn't ask what it was, just a value, so I'm not sure whether or not coins are in the fine print of things they don't insure.

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 3:24 pm
by PolishPunisher
I looked at the fine print for Fed Ex and it sets the limit at $1,000 for coins or buillion. USPS does not insure "buillion". I can't find the UPS exclusions page (if there are any)

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 3:45 pm
by natsb88
The only safe bet is USPS Registered Mail. Anything else will either flat-out not cover it, or will have low caps on the value, or will argue about the price when you file a claim, etc.

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 3:47 pm
by PolishPunisher
Can you send a package registered mail?

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 3:52 pm
by natsb88
Absolutely. It cost me about $60 to send my case of 25th sets from PA to TX.

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 4:08 pm
by PolishPunisher
You are a life saver, Nate. This is much cheaper than doing 2 day air with UPS.

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:12 pm
by DirtyFingers
natsb88 wrote:The only safe bet is USPS Registered Mail. Anything else will either flat-out not cover it, or will have low caps on the value, or will argue about the price when you file a claim, etc.

Registered Mail the same as Confirmation Signature? Or is it a different animal?

I haven't kept up with all the different terminalogies.

DF

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:45 pm
by daviscfad
Signature and registered are different. Registered goes out in a different bag and everyone that touches it has to sign. Signature just makes it where the receiver has to sign. Registered cannot have clear plastic tape on the box, it has to be sealed with brown packing tape

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:47 pm
by DirtyFingers
daviscfad wrote:Signature and registered are different. Registered goes out in a different bag and everyone that touches it has to sign. Signature just makes it where the receiver has to sign. Registered cannot have clear plastic tape on the box, it has to be sealed with brown packing tape

Ah, ok, thank you sir. I learned something new today.

DF

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 10:17 pm
by natsb88
Registered has to have every seam sealed with paper tape. No self-adhesive tape. If you don't have any, the PO will seal it up at the counter for you. They will stamp every edge of the paper tape with a dated postmark stamp. Registered mail stays locked in caged carts and individuals have to sign a log and are personally responsible for the package every step of the way. Registered only has one speed, so it's typically cheapest to pay Parcel Post rate + Registered fee. You can insure up to $25,000 this way...it's about the most secure way to ship something short of hiring an armored car :lol:

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 11:49 pm
by HoardCopperByTheTon
natsb88 wrote:You can insure up to $25,000 this way...it's about the most secure way to ship something short of hiring an armored car :lol:

So did you hear about that finest known gold eagle that disappeard out of an armored car? I think we are concerned after reading some of the horror stories about lost shipments.. especially those of us that have 2 5 set packages to ship. :mrgreen:

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 12:03 am
by BOHICA
They shipped the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian via USPS Registered Mail. I was a military postal clerk for a year overseas and we routinely used Registered Mail to send classified documents. The oversite on it is almost rediculous (but, I'm glad they do it).

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 3:53 am
by exbingoaddict
Just shipped them in USPS medium priority boxes with sig confirm. Didn't think they would glean much attention just doing them like that. All arrived ok.

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 7:05 am
by Lemon Thrower
if you ship to a dealer, sometimes they have a blanket insurance policy that covers you.

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 8:40 am
by daviscfad
natsb88 wrote:Registered has to have every seam sealed with paper tape. No self-adhesive tape. If you don't have any, the PO will seal it up at the counter for you. They will stamp every edge of the paper tape with a dated postmark stamp. Registered mail stays locked in caged carts and individuals have to sign a log and are personally responsible for the package every step of the way. Registered only has one speed, so it's typically cheapest to pay Parcel Post rate + Registered fee. You can insure up to $25,000 this way...it's about the most secure way to ship something short of hiring an armored car :lol:



This depends on the person at the counter. I had to file one of my only complaints with the PO one time when one clerk gave me tape and told me to tape the seams then i got put in another clerks line and she demanded i tape the whole box, and then wouldnt give me more tape. Told me i had to purchase my own. I told her he just gave me some. Well he is not supposed to. Thats the only time I have called and complained about something like this. I actually go to a different post office in another town b.c of this now.

And speaking of registered speeds. You can actually do priority or parcel. You can even use a flat rate box. I have done this several times. When i did the ASE sets they automatically jumped it up to priority b,c of weight. but you can send it at two different speeds but this is recently new but been around for at least a year. The guy in california that bought my set actually got his on the 3rd day and i know parcel wouldnt have made it that fast, as i am in NC

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 9:21 am
by JJM
I've found the post office more times than not will not provide the paper tape needed for registered mail anymore. Staples sells it however. The rolls are HUGE and will last most folks a lifetime.

A nice tip if you're selling internationally. You can provide the tracking needed by Paypal for seller protection by sending stuff 1st Class INTL via registered mail. The only down side is the maximum weight limit is 4 lbs. This adds $11.50 to the postage cost.

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 10:34 am
by Silver Addict
ins't numismatic coins covered under regular USPS insurance? I thought only bullion and paper money weren't.

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 10:58 am
by PolishPunisher
My concern would be that they declare my coins are buillion and want to fight about the amount of liability. If numismatic coins were covered and buillion wasn't wouldn't everyone just say the coins they sent were numismatic?

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 2:25 pm
by HoardCopperByTheTon
Aren't all coins theoretically numismatic? :mrgreen:
Image

Re: Do UPS, FedEx USPS etc. offer insurance for coin sales?

PostPosted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 4:13 pm
by natsb88
Silver Addict wrote:ins't numismatic coins covered under regular USPS insurance? I thought only bullion and paper money weren't.

Theoretically yes, but I have heard horror stories when it comes to identifying and valuing the coins in a claim. It's probably one of those situations that depends on the individual handling your claim, but I have heard of them only paying the face value of the coins, or calling anything gold/silver/platinum/palladium "bullion" instead of numismatic, or using old grey sheets to assign a value, or denying the claim if you can't provide proof of what was in the box...

That's why I say the only "safe bet" is Registered Mail. Anything else is just a "bet" :lol: