Do you ship coins, stamps, currency, or bullion via UPS?

I post this once a year on most of the collectibles websites/blogs where I participate, just for general information. Invariably, someone will reply that they've shipped such items hundreds of times with no problems, LOL LOL.

FedEx has somewhat "similar" terms, with some important exceptions.

Excerpted from:
UPS® Tariff/Terms and Conditions of Service – United States

UPS does not accept for transportation,
and Shippers are prohibited from
shipping:
–
Articles of unusual value, which shall
be deemed to include, but are not
limited to:
•
Any Package with an actual value
of more than $50,000, except that
the actual value of Packages declared
in accordance with the Enhanced
Maximum Declared Value provisions
of Section 53.1 (“Maximum Declared
Values”) cannot exceed $70,000;
•
Any pallet with an actual value of
more than $100,000;
•
Coins, cash, currency, bonds, postage
stamps, money orders, and negotiable
instruments (such as drafts, bills of
exchange, or promissory notes, but
excluding checks);
•
Unset precious stones, and industrial
diamonds;
•
Any article that contains more than
50 percent by weight of gold or
platinum, or any combination there
of in raw form including, but not
limited to, bullion, bars, or scraps
of these metals. [more @]

http://www.ups.com/media/en/terms_service_us.pdf

 

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I do not, and I do not recommend it. I had a seller ship me an expensive coin via ups once. It arrived empty, and it was pretty obvious it had been opened along the way. The seller said no problem, it was insured. Long story short, she was denied, since it was a coin. Ebay refunded me though.

 

I dunno. I've lost one in 16 years, a near-melt 1921 Morgan. The plural of anecdote will never be data, though, and one wonders why the TPG's prefer Registered Mail if it were prohibited by the rules. They would not leave themselves so exposed.

 

Nope. I scheduled a pick up from an auction house that refused to ship once. Told the lady on the phone what was to be shipped (a single dime [ missing obverse clad layer]) who said 'no problem and indeed had no problem charging the fee to my card. The driver refused pick up and I angrily called to find out why.

Some smug little (you know what) tried to justify keeping the money until I asked why the lady I scheduled the pick up with didn't tell me that before taking my money for a delivery that the company never intended to fulfill. Only after he learned that I had disclosed the nature of the item prior to being charged, did he change his tune and refund my money.

So the moral of the story is:

If you don't tell them its a coin before they charge you, they can play the game like it's your responsibility to disclose that info to them prior to scheduling the driver to show up and the driver is following policy so you owe for the gas and time involved for the refusal.

 

I never do the UPS for 2 reasons,

1. Their expensive
2. They have weird rules

 

USPS is your best bet.....bar none! Heck the Hope Diamond was shipped U.S.Mail.

 

So-named because the Seller repeatedly said, "I Hope it gets there..."

But I agree about USPS, UPS and FedEx are OK for Amazon. Besides, you can buy ever-increasing amounts of discount postage for 80c on the dollar. I have more on hand from buying stamp collections than I'll ever use in my lifetime.

 

I find it interesting the US Mint has used UPS for almost all of the products I have purchased from them.

 

Nobody turns down the government...

 

Everything I've ever ordered from the US Mint or the BEP was shipped via USPS. UPS will ship coins and paper money but they will not reimburse you if it's damaged.

 

That's not what the Tariff says; read it again.

 

That's what my local UPS store manager said.

 

The cheaper items I have bought from the mint (ASE proofs, ATB pucks, etc) have come USPS. When I have purchased gold Buffalos, they have always come UPS.

 

I know a major Northeast dealer who uses UPS almost exclusively for coins, he said he never had a problem in over 20 years. Maybe less theft? UPS workers lose all the marbles if caught stealing while usps apparently have contracts where they still get their pension, etc..

 

I ship by UPS - United Parcel Service. I've had very few problems with them over the years. Only 1 lost package, it was delivered on a porch and the buyer said the wind blew it away (I'm not kidding, there was sort of a windstorm that did sweep thru that area at the time), and in around 3 weeks I received a check for the full amount, around $200, I had insured it, no hassles at all from UPS.

The key with UPS is to package the items well, I only use corrugated type boxes, and always use strong clear tape over the label to make sure it stays on there.

 

A lot of dealers and auction houses have private insurance. So UPS' refusal to insure the package is not an issue.

 

I once had to send a medal to France, and it was made in 1852.

It was quite expensive, and USPS would not cover the entire value of the medal.

I called UPS and I was first told that they cannot ship/insure a medal.

I asked to talk to one of their shipping experts (yes, there is such a thing).

He told me that ANYTHING that is older than 100 years, could be called an ANTIQUE, and therefore it is ship-able and could be insured for its entire value.

It was sent and received without a problem, but I don't know what would have happened if it got "lost" somehow...

 

By the way... I've NEVER understood why any shipping company would allow insurance on some things, and not others. If you are paying the insurance fee, what difference does it make? Makes no sense to me.

 

And seller lost out.

 

+I tired to get away with it ONCE. Shipped two $500 boxes of State quarters. You guessed it. Went in one end of the processing center but never came out the other.