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Replies: 17 / Views: 6,324 |
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Valued Member
United States
320 Posts |
So, I posted a while back about my heirloom 1909-S VDB... well I really didn't want to send it in for grading, I have been particularly paranoid about its loss. It's not just "any" coin, it's an heirloom, you know? I could never replace it even with an "identical" coin. But eventually I decided that since this is what has to be done to finalize the estate, and there's no other real way to do it, I finally talked myself into it.
So anyway... I mailed it to PCGS on Saturday, insured for $1650. As of today end of day the only thing I see in the online tracking is its acceptance. Nothing further updated since 9-something Saturday. I thought one of the benefits of registered mail was that it had to be accounted for at every stop... surely it must have moved by now with 2 postal business days?
I have never sent anything registered mail before, so don't know what to expect, but would think I should see something. And the clerk even mentioned in an offhand way that it would "probably" be there Monday, which it isn't.
So now I am nervous. Am I being paranoid? What is the timetable, and when should I "really" start to worry?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
781 Posts |
often online, the tracking numbers aren't updated immediately at each stop. however, the information is being collected and if on the off-chance, the coin didn't reach PCGS, they would be able to monitor its path up to the point of loss. what usually happens, in my experience, is that immediately before or at delivery destination, ALL the info will suddenly be available online. give it a couple more days and I'm sure you'll have an update on its path.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2335 Posts |
I've sent registered mail 2 times. Both times it was incredibly slow, & tracking showed it as being accepted for a few days past the time it was actually received by the recipient.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
Quote: I thought one of the benefits of registered mail was that it had to be accounted for at every stop It is signed for and accounted for every time it changes hands but this accounting is INTERNAL to the post office, it is a paper tracking and not always posted online. You are being paranoid, but most people are paranoid when they start shipping expensive merchandise. As to the timetable, Registered is noticeably slower than regular mail. Taking a week is very common, two weeks is not unusual. Over a month is unusual but does sometimes happen. It used to be that the post office wouldn't even open an investigation until it has been at least 30 days. On rare occasions a package will disappear for two months or more. It happened recently to a member of of one of the forums I'm on to a package going to ICG. HOWEVER, Registered mail is VERY VERY safe and it will eventually show up some 99.9999% of the time.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5854 Posts |
I have only sent items by registered mail twice and both times the online tracking only showed the acceptance date and then the delivery date.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
598 Posts |
A quick comment. The only two items I've had go astray were registered letters from the U.S. to Canada. One was refunded by PayPal, and the seller had a third party insurer. All went amicably well with that one. The other was a non-PayPal transaction. So, the seller made a USPS claim on my be-half. He became so frustrated with the process, that it eventually fell into my hands... and what the hay, he had his money and the coin was gone. In this instance, the last tracking memo was "Mail piece diverted to Customs". So, of course, the USPS said your item was at Customs (Canada=CBSA), and the CBSA said your item was diverted to us but we did not receive it, and Canada Post said we sent it on to the CBSA. So, for 14 months all three entities had me in this circular pattern of phone calls, emails and letters. I sent 16 pages of identical documents to all three parties. The USPS would not pay out unless Canada Post verified in a written document that they had indeed lost my mail piece. That was not going to happen... by this time I was dealing with the Canada Post Ombudsman. Canada Post re-imbursed me to their maximum standard... which was 50% of the value of the contents of the mail piece (minimum standard?). I had of course previously sent a plethora of supporting documentation. Was it worth it? I dunno. It's done, and I did it all professionally and unemotionally. It's better than nothing, which seemed to be what I was gonna get for the longest time. Did I say quick comment... oh well. So anyway, I still prefer regular mail... fewer hands in the stew so to speak. But, try 'splainin' that to a seller... why I'm more apprehensive with registered mail than regular post. 
Edited by IBGolden 10/04/2011 11:26 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Might help others so keep us POSTED as to what happens.
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Valued Member
 United States
320 Posts |
Awright, I guess I'll try to not stress so much. Still nothing on the online tracking. Glad I asked else I'd be quite nervous at this point. Will keep everyone "posted" (haha, bad pun)
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10635 Posts |
I know from personal experience that the post office keeps track of overnight express mail deliveries extremely well, plus you have the added benefit of super fast delivery AND you get a full refund if not delivered by the promised time!
Les
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Moderator
 United States
16679 Posts |
I would not worry too much. I am sure PCGS will get your coin :-)
swcoin.ecrater.com
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
If USPS Registered Mail was good enough for Harry Winston to ship the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian, it is good enough for anything you have.
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Valued Member
 United States
320 Posts |
Phew! It shows delivered today. Thank you all for the sharing of your experiences, I appreciate it. I had never sent anything registered before, and work in the transportation industry myself. In my world if something goes a day with no updates on the web tracking, something has gone wrong. Showing accepted without further updates for days and days on end..well it freaked me out.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
781 Posts |
nice to hear it made it. now you gotta post pics of the slab when you get it back
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Items going to and from anywhere via the post office is a real scarry thing sometimes. I always like those newspaper articles about a postal person that just piled up all the mail in his house. Or one that just threw it all away. If you ever had a chance to visit one of the really large facilities and watched as virtually millions of letters, packages, boxes, etc go flying all over the place, you'ld really get worried. YET for some unknown, possibly magic or mysticala methods, the mail goes through. Back in the days of film for your camera I sent in some film to a place that put the photos on a 3-1/2 inch floppy. Once I forgot about sending one in and several years later that one popped up in the mail. It had my neighbors kids on it from when they were in school and now married so it was kind of funny. Don't forget to take photos of it when you do finally get it back. HOPEFULLY, it will not take years.
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Valued Member
United States
493 Posts |
Registered mail takes 6-10 days, being the post office that means when we get it to you. Funny thing, NGC & other graders seem to prefer registered mail, seems odd to me, I don't really want my coins bouncing around in warehouses for weeks on end, especially sealed 25th ASE sets, which are already loose in the box, or so I hear.
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Valued Member
United States
299 Posts |
When I first went to send something Registered, the Postmaster in our small town warned me that it is often the slowest way to sen d mail because it has to be personally signed for at each and every exchange point along the way.
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Replies: 17 / Views: 6,324 |