Mailing Coins With Insurance

[+carleenp]

Last week I made a trade involving some rarer coins and decided to be safe that I would insure the ones I was shipping. I had insured coins before with no problems. Well, the post office wouldn't let me! They asked me what I was sending and I said collectible hobby coins. Then they asked if they could be purchased, and I said not readily, but yes on Ebay at times. Then they said they couldn't insure anything that couldn't regularly be purchased. Anyone ever run into this? It was new to me!

 

I looked on the USPS site and only found this:

 

Security is key when you’re sending valuables through the mail. Whether you are sending jewelry, antiques or just expensive clothing, getting insurance provides that security. Insure your package only for what its contents are worth; you’re only covered for the actual value at the time and place of mailing.

 

The FAQ on the site didn't have any useful info. I figure if they will insure antiques (hard to regularly buy a match), why not coins? Anyway, I suspect it was just an anomoly, but I wondered if others had run into this. I ended up shipping with just delivery confirmation, and know it arrived, but I was a bit annoyed with the postal service!

Edited May 16, 2006 by carleenp

[+Team JSAM]

Sounds like he did not know what he was talking about I have insured several hobby collectables that cant be easly purcahsed and insured with not problem also I have never been asked what I was shipping thats a new one to me I would go to a diff. person or post office.

[+carleenp]

Yeah, that post office gets weird at times. They also have sometimes not let me have delivery confirmation either because of the size of the envelope or the weight, while another post office in the area never has issues. Even the same clerk will give me delivery confirmation one time and not the next! They get snippy if questioned too (and I very gently, nicely and politely question). Unfortunately the inconsistent post office is the most convenient.

[+tokencollector]

Just keep in mind - to collect on USPS insurance, you need to provide proof of value. From the (unpaid) claim I filed, they want the purchase receipt, the original mailing cash register receipt, and the postmarked insurance stub.

[+Team JSAM]

Yeah, that post office gets weird at times. They also have sometimes not let me have delivery confirmation either because of the size of the envelope or the weight, while another post office in the area never has issues. Even the same clerk will give me delivery confirmation one time and not the next! They get snippy if questioned too (and I very gently, nicely and politely question). Unfortunately the inconsistent post office is the most convenient.

 

We used to live in a real small town (less than 2,000) and that post office was a real pain in the but that had nothing to do so they would inspect everthing that ever came through, now in a bigger city they are much better as long as you follow the basic rules they give you what you want and quick.

[+Team JSAM]

Just keep in mind - to collect on USPS insurance, you need to provide proof of value. From the (unpaid) claim I filed, they want the purchase receipt, the original mailing cash register receipt, and the postmarked insurance stub.

 

If you purchase the insurance online i.e. paypal or stamps.com the claims are alot easier to file.

[wandat24]

Yeah, that post office gets weird at times. They also have sometimes not let me have delivery confirmation either because of the size of the envelope or the weight, while another post office in the area never has issues. Even the same clerk will give me delivery confirmation one time and not the next! They get snippy if questioned too (and I very gently, nicely and politely question). Unfortunately the inconsistent post office is the most convenient.

 

We used to live in a real small town (less than 2,000) and that post office was a real pain in the but that had nothing to do so they would inspect everthing that ever came through, now in a bigger city they are much better as long as you follow the basic rules they give you what you want and quick.

 

My PO resembles that... The Post master claims I can't insure or get a delivery conformation on certain things, and yet it says in B&W right one their site YOU CAN! I've even went as far as printing the page and showing it to her.

[+BelKen]

They may have been right. We were able to insure a collectable. But when things went wrong the insurance wouldn't pay as the value could not be proven. The item itself in theory could be manufactured for less than $10.00 and thus would have been deemed uninsurable. The fact that collectors paid $200 was of no consequence. The only time they use a collectable value was when the item was able to be certified by a recognized International valuing agency. Christies, Sothebys , Bonhams etc. E-Bay didn’t qualify

 

So you may have been given the correct information as far as GeoCoins go. Some Postal people will let you insure. Talk to the insurer. They will let you know whether they will honour a claim.

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[+Moses]

I work for the post office and they will insure for the replacement value ( the price to purchase said item) not for a suggested inflated price. Because you say these collectables are more valuable you must prove this claim through an accredited appraisor. If not then any Joeblow can insure an item for ten times it's value and claim the postal service lost or damaged it. If you insure for less than $50.00 it will not have a tracking number, if the clerk or carrier your package comes into contact with doesn't do their job and scan it, tracking becomes useless. I mailed out my coins using delivery confirmation and had to contact a couple of buyers because it wasn't scan delivered on their end, I also got one back because the package had been flatted out (all the little bubbles had been popped, might have been a stressed out carrier) and didn't met the width requirement. I found out after inserting it in another envelope and mailing it off that I could have gotten my money back on the original if I had brought the envelope back in with the markings on it for the reason of return.

 

If you want to send something that has value and it's hard to prove said value, pack it securely and include your addresses on the item before you slip it in the mailer. Spend the extra money and send it Express mail which has built in insurance and tracking and is delivered 365 days a year including Sundays and Christmas.

I've seen people not want to spend an extra 15 cents to mail a package and it would mean the difference between parcel post and priorty mail (2-3 days or 5-7). In over 21 years of service I've seen just about everything that people try and everything that can go wrong. It's not a perfect system but it works the majority of the time.

 

Just remember before you send out anything that has value to you or the person on the other end, it's a good idea to take precautions on packing, labeling, identifing (take a picture) and protecting the item. Because after it leaves your hands and the clerk that puts it in the mail system, no one else knows how precious it is to you. It just becomes another piece of mail.

[+ncfinn]

I've seen people not want to spend an extra 15 cents to mail a package and it would mean the difference between parcel post and priorty mail (2-3 days or 5-7).

 

Last time I sent a package I splurged and spent the extra 15 cents for a faster delivery. It took 10 days to deliver the package one state over.

[+Moses]

I've seen people not want to spend an extra 15 cents to mail a package and it would mean the difference between parcel post and priorty mail (2-3 days or 5-7).

 

Last time I sent a package I splurged and spent the extra 15 cents for a faster delivery. It took 10 days to deliver the package one state over.

 

Yea they use mules in North Carolina

[+Nero]

i've never had a clerk refuse to insure a package/envelope. but I have had them refuse to add delivery confirmation if its under 3/4" i thin it is. also if i go up to the counter instead of just putting stamps on the envelope they almost always add an extra 14 cents i think it is for "hand sorting" because they say a bubble envelope cant go through the sorting machine.

 

all in all it eally depends on the person at the counter, i've found that women tent to be nicer. guys just seem to all be anal retentive and want to add extra charges and be jerks.