Coins going missing in the mail!

September 23, 2011

How many of you have had coins go missing in the mail? I know that it happens but I have had 3 go in the last month! One from the US that was posted on the 6th of August, so thats already 7 weeks! And 1 each from Holland and Germany both sent around the 5-6th September, so thats 2 and a half weeks. The crazy thing is that I just got a package from the US and it only took 4 days!!! Has anyone else encountered this! Cause I'm p#&!ed off and according to the post office "there is nothing they can do". But hang on isnt it their business to SAFLEY transport our mail to other people? Do we not pay them for this? So how is it not their problem when things go missing!!!!!!

September 23, 2011

The last month there were 2 coins missing which where send to me (Netherlands). One from the US and one from the UK. I totally agree that it's the shipping company who is responsible for making sure envelopes arrive. We pay for that. I buy a lot at eBay and for me it is nice to have the buyer protection, but I don't think it is honest to let the seller pay for a coin getting lost in the mail. If I make a mistake at my work, I'll be held responsible for that, so why are the shipping companies not taking their responsibility for what they are paid for?

3.6k · September 23, 2011

Yanno, a lot depends on how the coins were packaged. Folks are sending coins in envelops that aren't made to handle the stress of 1oz metal bits being flung inside at dizzying speeds. I've had a bubble wrap arrive that had had its contents ripped out of it and on one occasion it was a postal employee who found the contents and re-taped everything together.... man that mailer sure was mangled. And I learned a lesson from that.... make sure the contents aren't moving around in the mailer and use a bit of tape to toughen the edges too just to be on the safe side. Tape and paper are cheaper than insurance.

September 23, 2011

Droo, I agree with you but as i have already received 2 trades from one of the senders and it is packaged just as you said then I dont believe that they would do it diffrent this time. Plus if it was happening once a year say, I guess I would let it go but as it is 3 in the same month and they are from 3 different people in 3 different countries......thats taking coincedance too far!

September 23, 2011

What postage rate did the sender send the package at? If they sent it Space Available Mail (SAM) it can take three months for it to arrive overseas.

BTW I sent the ones we talked about to you yesterday. Coming via Germany Air Mail so hopefully you will have them by tomorrow. Monday at the latest.

7.3k · September 23, 2011

When properly packaged, I've found USPS delivery of coins within the US to be quite reliable. EXCEPT if you're shipping to "held" mail. I just won't do it anymore. In Florida, many do a lot of out-of-state in the summer, and have the P.O. hold their mail - boy, do coins not survive that.

I've seen people try to save on postage by packaging such that the envelope was less then 1/4 inch - that qualifies for a cheaper rate, as it can go through mechanical sorting (one coin at $0.61 instead of one coin at $1.71, first class). Which is fine if it works, but mechanical sorting will shred a lot of packaging.

3.4k · September 23, 2011

If it isn't mailed with delivery confirmation, they have no way of tracing it. If it is shipped with insurance then they would pay you. Other than that it isn't their problem.

With all the natural disasters, a lot of sorting and post offices are closed and mail is being re- routed. I sent a letter to Missouri and it took a month to get there. But it did finally arrive. You can check on the post office website to see if some of the sorting or post offices are down and mail is be re-routed. Where you have many not being delivered, this might be what is happening. Most aren't equipped for the extra mail so it takes time.

If mailing a coin in the US I always use delivery confirmation now. Read the news and there seems to be many post office workers being arrested for stealing the mail. So for peace of mind it ships with delivery confirmation. I have watched a package go from Maine to Hawaii when it was supposed to go Maine to New Hampshire but they finally straightened it out.

1.2k · September 23, 2011

I'm a bit worried also now.

Two packages to Canada and one in Europe are taking for ever to get there and do not seem to arrive...

After a torn envelope in June I do tape up my envelopes better, but I can't do anything against coins going missing.

It has (almost) always gone fine and smooth in the past few years and I've sent a lot of coins.

I do think there is something going on at the Dutch Post, at the moment.

My brother in law is holding a conference (with his company) and last week he discovered the Dutch Post lost all 1400 invitations...

I'm annoyed and I'm very sorry to disappoint the people I send coins to.

I always do go to the post office, ask around and fill in a form, but mailing every coin with delivery confirmation is simply going to get to expensive for me.

September 23, 2011

Yanno, a lot depends on how the coins were packaged. Folks are sending coins in envelops that aren't made to handle the stress of 1oz metal bits being flung inside at dizzying speeds. I've had a bubble wrap arrive that had had its contents ripped out of it and on one occasion it was a postal employee who found the contents and re-taped everything together.... man that mailer sure was mangled. And I learned a lesson from that.... make sure the contents aren't moving around in the mailer and use a bit of tape to toughen the edges too just to be on the safe side. Tape and paper are cheaper than insurance.

Apparently this does not always work because I am one of the senders jpbarr is referring to. It must have been over a month ago I sent the package. Usually I will send a replacement package but I no longer have extra coins especially if they don't make it to the receiver overseas. In the US it wouldn't be as bad.

9.8k · September 23, 2011

I've noticed excessive shipping delays sending INTO Germany mainly, but at times all EU countries can take awhile.

As far as domestic shipments. Sometimes the mailer gets misrouted or misplaced. I had a first class package take 6 weeks to get to Texas last year!

September 23, 2011

Looks like I opened a can of worms here. Tennessee Jed it is not your fault that the mailer goes missing so to ask for a replacement would, in my opinion, be wrong. I guess all we can hope for is that they turn up

September 23, 2011

Looks like I opened a can of worms here. Tennessee Jed it is not your fault that the mailer goes missing so to ask for a replacement would, in my opinion, be wrong. I guess all we can hope for is that they turn up

I know it isn't my fault but there is a problem. I mailed a package to a friend in Germany and it took more than a month to arrive. It could be a problem over here because a package I sent to the Netherlands arrived within a week.

Edited September 23, 2011 by Tennessee Jed

1.9k · September 23, 2011

Only problem I've had was to Germany and the 7 coins I sent never made it. I ended up splitting the difference and sent out 4 more.

I did have an empty mailer show up and in that case id say it was the packaging at fault.

Hope your coins arrive in due time. :-)

1.9k · September 23, 2011

Double post... still hope you see em!

Edited September 23, 2011 by 007BigD

September 23, 2011

I'll add my experiences. I started selling geocoins in February of this year, and I now mail at least one package a day and sometimes as many as ten or twenty at a time. I started out sending the packages the cheapest way that I could and I was having too many of them reported as missing. I noticed that only domestic packages were going missing, while all of the international ones were reaching their destinations. I figured that the biggest difference between domestic and international, is that international packages always have a tracking number. My mailing software charges 19 cents to add delivery confirmation (tracking number) so I now do that for all domestic shipments. Since I have added delivery confirmation, not a single package has gone missing, which is a dramatic difference. I can think of several reasons why this might be the case, but I have no real way of knowing. The nineteen cents costs less than replacing orders, but even more importantly, it lowers my stress levels.

As to packaging, I use plastic bubble mailers and they cost me only $40 for 500 or eight cents each. I love them because they are waterproof and unbelievably strong. I tried to find self adhesive labels, that were the right size for my software, but it seems to use an unusual size so you are forced to buy from them at outrageous prices. Instead, I print out the labels using my laser printer on regular paper. Laser printers are great because they are very cheap and the text does not smear if it gets wet. Even if one of my packages becomes completely soaked, the label can still be read. I cut the label so that it is the same size as the bubble mailer and then tape it on using packing tape. The tape wraps around the mailer making it even stronger. This technique takes a bit more time, but costs a lot less money. I put large orders into multiple mailers. It sometimes actually costs less than one large package and it means that if a package is lost, it won't be worth too much.

About coins being sent as letters. I would never do that, because then mechanical sorting is used and this can destroy coins. I have received several coins that were mangled in mechanical sorters and I don't want my customers to experience that sort of disappointment. It looked as though the coins had become stuck between feed rollers and were just ground down until a postal employee turned the machine off.

8.1k · September 23, 2011

I have been experiencing long delays shipping to Germany (up to 12 weeks!) and Czech Republic.

September 23, 2011

Only problem I've had was to Germany and the 7 coins I sent never made it. I ended up splitting the difference and sent out 4 more.

I did have an empty mailer show up and in that case id say it was the packaging at fault.

Hope your coins arrive in due time. :-)

This has been my experience too. Some international shipments are fast, while others take so long that you are sure they have been lost until you are notified that they have arrived. Germany does seem to take longer than other countries.

Speaking of international shipments, the majority of my coins are sold overseas, which surprises me a bit. I don't know why this is. My immediate thoughts are that perhaps my designs do not appeal as much to Americans, or perhaps the coins are subject to fewer taxes and are cheaper than EU coins, or the US economy is so bad that Americans just don't buy as many coins. I would guess that it is all three.

September 23, 2011

I would say that it is because the Euro is so strong. But that may be changing soon.

September 23, 2011

I had a package that I sent to Germany take almost 3 months to get there once. I also have had problems shipping to Canada where the mailers arrived mangled and empty.

September 23, 2011

I would say that it is because the Euro is so strong. But that may be changing soon.

Yes, good point. I should have included that. From by standpoint as a seller, I love the strong Euro and I hope that it remains strong. Vive le Euro!

September 23, 2011

Euro is slowly going down which makes me happy since I get paid in USD. I think the German Customs office is pretty strict. My US Army organization gets military stuff shipped over via FedEx and sometimes they even give us a hard time.

September 23, 2011

I think the German Customs office is pretty strict. My US Army organization gets military stuff shipped over via FedEx and sometimes they even give us a hard time.

This issue does slow down the mail and it also tells us why we need to be careful when shipping. When it comes to customs, I always play by the rules. I actually have only had one person ask me to mark the shipment as a gift and I just told the truth that I cannot jeopardize my ability to ship overseas. I also always mark the value of the coins exactly as much as they are worth. I understand that this might cost the buyers more, but if I break the rules, I could lose my ability to ship. I have ordered lots of coins from Germany and they have been inspected by customs, so I know that this is not a rare event.

The internet first made people anonymous, but that period was brief. Now, our online reputations last forever, which means that we need to be squeaky clean and I don't need the EU to view me as a postal criminal.

I added this to clarify two things. I don't want to sound overly rule oriented, but I include this information to help out new people. I wish that someone had explained more of this stuff to me. Actually, when I think about it, many people did. I have found this group to be very helpful in explaining how to do things, so this is my chance to give back a little. The second issue is, how much is something worth when going through customs? The answer is that the item is worth what the buyer paid for it. You cannot put down a wholesale price or some sort of calculation of what you think it is worth. If the buyer paid you $250.00 for the coin, then that is what you need to tell customs. If you are ever audited, the auditors will have access to your eBay and Paypal records. The details of how much to declare with customs can be found at this link:

Customs Values Explained

Edited September 23, 2011 by GregsonVaux

September 23, 2011

You are exactly right. Don't play around with customs and never mark it as a gift. The receiver still has to pay customs on gifts. My mom used to send my mother-in-law gifts at her Germany address and I had to tell her to stop because sometimes the customs were more very high.

I have an APO address so luckily my stuff stays in the US system and customs does not get involved.

1.1k · September 23, 2011

This could make your hair stand on end.

A few years ago we purchased 50 rare coins from a collector including a rare silver CRAKE Tracking time (1 of 25) and had them sent insured, signature required with tracking USPS. We received the email with the info.

After waiting an unusually long time (5+days) for this delivery we checked the tracking and it was labeled "Delivered" by the USPS.

Sparing all of the details, the Post Office gave us nothing but grief on our inquiry and actually were discourteous, uncivil, unmannerly, impertinent, insolent, impudent, rude and disrespectful....in short, (insert your own extreme adjective) Sue went to inquire and came home in shock and in tears from the PO with a "blaming us" mind set. We went to the central USPS hub to postal inspectors to get some action. Several visits were required to get someone to pay attention.

As it all turned out, the mailman dropped the package without the required signature at a similar house number. These folks were crooks who denied receiving the package until several visits from the postal inspection team, the final with guns and a warrant.

6 weeks later and a happy ending, we received "all" the coins but never received an apology from the USPS. We will never trust the USPS again...period. :anibad:

That postal employee is still on the job..... :anitongue:

Guess how much was in the mailbox for the Xmas tip...

September 24, 2011

. . . Sparing all of the details, the Post Office gave us nothing but grief . . .

The post office is currently suffering financially and some of that may be due to poor customer service.

Edited September 24, 2011 by GregsonVaux

8k · September 24, 2011

I figured that the biggest difference between domestic and international, is that international packages always have a tracking number.

What tracking number are you talking about? does your software add international tracking? I've tried to track the number on the customs form and found that rarely is it ever scanned overseas. The postal worker told me that if my envelope was too small that they had to put the sticker on the back that the overseas people may be too "lazy" to turn the package over and scan it. I went back and looked at most of the ones in the past month and the only one that actually got scanned was one to my son in France.

Over the years I have only had one or two go missing. Both were sent to Germany. In the US I always send with delivery confirmation because I use paypal shipping. I don't have to stand in line at the post office then--only for international.

I have had a couple of torn mailers. One I remember the coin was in the back of the mailbox thankfully. It was a new coiner who had sent it in a regular envelope. I have also received a slit poly envelope. The coin was still inside. I know that the 3M company loves me because I use a LOT of tape as anybody who has received a coin from me can verify! LOL

1.9k · September 24, 2011

One April I mailed a well packaged envelope from Maryland to Idaho. Fifteen months, yes that would be July of the following year, I moved to Idaho. A month later the envelope showed up in Idaho. No rips, no tears, no dirt. It looked just great considering that Lewis and Clark made a faster trip (I lie, it took them three months longer), not to mention the covered wagons...

2.5k · September 24, 2011

Wow! I wish I could add delivery confirmation for $.19!! Here in Canada adding delivery confirmation domestically increases a $1.44 oversize letter to $9.82.

Adding delivery confirmation to a US-bound coin raises the cost from $2.71 to $18.68.

As far as the 'gift' thing goes, I mark all trades as gifts. Canada customs only charges tax on the value over $60 on gifts. Anything marked commercial or sample they charge tax on the full amount.

September 24, 2011

I would mark trades as gift also. But if I sold one then I would not.

September 24, 2011

Wow! I wish I could add delivery confirmation for $.19!! Here in Canada adding delivery confirmation domestically increases a $1.44 oversize letter to $9.82.

Adding delivery confirmation to a US-bound coin raises the cost from $2.71 to $18.68.

As far as the 'gift' thing goes, I mark all trades as gifts. Canada customs only charges tax on the value over $60 on gifts. Anything marked commercial or sample they charge tax on the full amount.

Me too... cheapest way to send coins out of Germany is by mailer and this is without tracking. Delivery confirmation (includes tracking) is additional 2.05€ = about $2.80

I declare all as gifted game tokens with value of about 20-30€ in total. Never heard of problems customers had with customs.

September 24, 2011

There is no problem with customs when leaving Germany. The problem is coming into Germany.

September 24, 2011

Hearing how expensive it is to add tracking in Europe and Canada, it makes me reconsider my complaints about the US Postal Service. Some of the employees are still rude, but compared to other countries their service is inexpensive and for the most part reliable. However, this may all soon be academic because they are currently going bankrupt. The outcome will likely be higher prices for customers and lower wages for postal employees. Reliability might go down, but it could also go up as the good employees are retained and the ones who don't care are let go.

3.1k · September 24, 2011

The only way to get international tracking sending from New Zealand is to send as International Courier... price starts at $45

3k · September 26, 2011

I've sent quite a few coins to Germany and only ever had problems with one. On the customs form it was marked as a "Coin" and so it was held for being currency, inspected, rewrapped and finally delivered long, LONG past the expected delivery time. Since then, I always mark the package contents as "Metal Game Token" (and list the value as the original selling price) which is more accurate a description and I've never had another go missing or overdue. I've heard others having similar experiences. I have a strong suspicion that this wording can have a huge influence on delivery. Think of it this way... if you work for the German postal system and you have an unknown coin of unknown value come in then you would need to investigate. Investigating would require figuring out what kind of coin it is, where it came from, what it's worth, what it's called and on and on. We love geocoins and know what they are and we have a hard enough time answering that stuff. I can't imagine how hard it would be for someone unfamiliar. I can imagine there's a whole pile of dead-mail geocoins in a rapidly weight-gaining bin over there

September 26, 2011

How many of you have had coins go missing in the mail? I know that it happens but I have had 3 go in the last month! One from the US that was posted on the 6th of August, so thats already 7 weeks! And 1 each from Holland and Germany both sent around the 5-6th September, so thats 2 and a half weeks. The crazy thing is that I just got a package from the US and it only took 4 days!!! Has anyone else encountered this! Cause I'm p#&!ed off and according to the post office "there is nothing they can do". But hang on isnt it their business to SAFLEY transport our mail to other people? Do we not pay them for this? So how is it not their problem when things go missing!!!!!!

Did you get the two coins I sent you last Wednesday? You should have. I have not recieved the one you sent out.

September 26, 2011

Did you get the two coins I sent you last Wednesday? You should have. I have not recieved the one you sent out.

Bert, yes they arrived this morning thanks. And no problems this time I missed getting to the post office on Friday and it was closed over the weekend so it went today. You should have it by the end of the week or Monday I would think

September 26, 2011

Great!! So now we know that German mail outbound works.

Coins going missing in the mail!

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