Stolen mail risks?

I have had coins stolen with the USPS.

This item caught my attention today of a postal employee being caught for theft: http://www.justice.gov/usao/ct/Press2012/20120409-1.html

I have seen reports like this before, more focussed on theft of parcel contents rather than on postal money orders.

As protections I generally buy at least $100 in insurance on parcels so that whoever handles the parcel is cognizant that it is insured.

I use "Ship and Insure" as an external insurer, just in case. The burden of proof on claims can still be a hurdle to get over. How does the insurer really know what you claim is inside was actually shipped unless you do photo documentation?

 

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How do you know the cook in the back isn't sneezing on the food he cooks for you? You don't, it's just a general rule of thumb to put trust into others. There are always going to be rotten apples that spoil it for everyone else but don't knock the whole organization or trust because of these bad apples.

According to USPS and other carriers, to prove what the worth is, you need written documentation and proof, like a sales receipt of the item. If you don't have such proof, then if something is stolen, the hurdle is that much greater.

You can insure a package for whatever amount you want, but you might not get such value unless you have some excellent proof the item is or was worth such amount. Look at it from USPS's point of view, if anyone could insure a package for whatever amount without some type of proof, I could see a lot of people exploiting this to their advantage (ex. One could package a bunch of rocks in a box, ship to friend, insure the box for $100, friend claims it was lost, stolen or never received, sender/receiver goes to claim their easy $100).

 

You might be surprised by what the shipper knows about your packages. They might not be able to tell precisely whats in them, but they'll be able to recognize the difference between coins and rocks. I think in the last UPS/FEDEX report I received from my employer something like 12% of packages mailed were rejected for interstate shipping because the sender didn't provide accurate content information. That says a lot for how much they know without the sender disclosing anything.

With that in mind, I think it's probably more difficult to defraud shipping insurance than one thinks. Otherwise there would be a lot of it happening, which isn't the case.
Guy

 

Insurance specialists are going to profile anyone making many claims, then they turn it over to their fraud department. On safety of the mail, Ship and Insure has very specific recommendations when shipping to zip codes with a high rate of loss; options include using a different carrier like Fed Ex or UPS.

 

I've never had to make a claim, but from reading here of others that have I hope I never have to. Sounds like a burden. So did you lose a package Owle or just prearing for the worst if it happens?
Guy

 

Well, they do retain the right to inspect packages as well.

I bet most of those employers couldn't tell a rock from a fossil though?

Well of course it's difficult, they don't care what value you put on the package, they only care when you try to claim it because then they'll ask for adequate proof of the value of the package you're trying to make a claim on.

 

I did lose some valuable precious metals, I thought it had been well-wrapped and packaged and sent priority. If you spoke with those who ship many packages like Heritage, they would probably be able to tell you what happened, why it happened, and how they recovered, like with the 70-CC $20.

 

I would suspect they use x-rays to determine the content of a box or parcel. With the threat of terrorism, this would be a necessity.

 

I do not think I have ever lost a coin within the US. I have only ever lost them coming from overseas. Half the time, if its obvious, the USPS puts it in a bag notating it came that way from overseas.

Did you lose a coin in a domestic shipment Owle?

Btw, one of my favorite sellers, to try to protect against this, when he ships coins lists his return address as FSR metalworks. I guess crooks aren't as interested in bits of industrial metal as coins.

 

I am sometimes asked what is in the package--only the intimidating USPS does this; UPS and FEDEx have never asked me what's inside. #2 They ask if there is anything fragile, liquid or perishable--once again the others never ask this and it is dumb. #3 If someone were to break into a package with coppers, silver or other rare coins, they would have no idea what they were looking at or how to fence the rare coins. #4 On antiques shows they always ask the person how they got it. This is none of their business, IMO. But they ask, it makes for good programming.

When a lot of ounces of PMs are being shipped, they almost always go Registered/insured. No mistaking that you have really valuable coins inside.

 

Is that why most coins are shipped USPS?

 

Or metal die strikes. Perfectly legitimate answer, and even a little more "foggy".

 

I've never had a problem receiving or shipping out coins. With that said, I do use tracking and insurance. Most of the people who work for the USPS are honest hard working people but we would be idiots if we thought that inside thefts didn't occur. All you can do is cya. It's not gonna change by using FedEx or any of the others. Every now and then a thief will slip into employment. Maybe when they start they're not a thief but something can change that like gambling, drugs, debt, sleezey girlfriend or any other factor. It's out there, there's no denying that.

 

Or I am sending "rounded and orbicular objects" for pecuniary advantage.

 

So they are off the hook if they are insured by them. Not that it really matters--anything you ship through UPS and gets damaged they will fight you like the devil to deny the claim. Happened to me twice, last were a pair of astromical binoculars shipped a couple hundred miles to upstate NY in an extremely secure reinforced metal box. They denied all claims so I took it up with the state attorney general and got reimbursed through exerting legal pressure that way!!!

 

I've never had any shipments stolen, but I have had things lost in the mail, but not coins. One example was a package sent to me on which my address was illegible. Even though it had a tracking number it was instead sent to the "dead letter" facility (in Atlanta?). By the time I got through working with the USPS on it, it had been sent to the dead letter facility, and I was told by USPS that once it goes there it can no longer be retrieved - I thought that was a ridiculous way to run a business. The only coin issue I've had was with one that was "out of delivery" for at least 3 weeks. The seller and I agreed to wait a while before we went for a refund. This was during the busy holiday season, and I think my coin package must have fallen on the floor of the USPS delivery truck, and later found during a post holiday cleanup.

 

The USPS has two different classes of insurance under $250 and over $250. The under $250 has no tracking, travels with the regular mail and they have no idea where it is between the time you drop it off and the time it is delivered. It is a package clearly marked "Steal me! I'm valuable" that they have no idea the location of. The over $250 does have tracking. I would bet they have a lot more under $250 insured packages stolen than any other.

But if you make a claim you will have to be more specific about what was in the package and when they find out it was coins, you get your insurance fee back because they don't insure coins as cash or as collectibles. and that is in their rules.

But it is in the USPS regulations that you can insure collectible coins.

 

$100 Insurance no good then? That is a shock to me. Considering how much more you have to pay for the next tier, I'm not sure its worth it. But I do have a private insurer that is reasonable...