25th Anniversary Set Trade Request

I can see the label on the original box. Why would they insert another box on top of the original? There are only three sets inside and the volume of these sets would not require another box to be inserted on top. Unless UPS packed more items into the original box.......

 

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Its not the original box, the label was removed from the original box and taped to these boxes. The mint packaging for the sets are like 14" long.

 

Yeah, you're right Mtnstyne. I observed that upon closer inspection. That would mean that the original box would have to be completely destroyed. The only way that UPS could re-pack the package would be by doing what they did in this case, as they're limited with box size options. Tough call on your part. If it were me, I'd open the package and take stock of what's inside. I fear that the "sealed box" option is moot in your case. I'm sorry.....

 

I have to agree with Green, at this point I would worry whether or not all the original contents are still where they were suppose to be.

 

Any truth to the rumor you and Jim Casey delivered packages together on your bicycles?:devil:

 

Oh, you devil........

 

If he rejected it, the mint would refund him $900 and someone else would get the returned sets. Sometimes **** happens. The shipping companies care more about the item gettting to its destination than someone concerned with the appearance of the box.

IMO he's going about this the right way, but needs to sweeten the offer with a bunch of regular SAEs or something. Even if someone was going to open their box of 1-3 sets anyways, it's a hassle for them to ship the sets to someone else (and pay for shipping) and deal with the risk that they may scam you or something happens to the item in transit..

 

I figure this is a dead issue at this point, but thanks for the comments. The sets were unharmed in the box, I plan on selling one on fleabay and I can actually buy one still sealed in the mint box for only about another $100 if I chose to, rather than putting together a grab bag of additional booty.

The original post was just in hopes of getting lucky...I know there were a LOT of folks who purchased 1, 2, or 3 sets that opened the boxes without plans of getting them graded.

IMO the slabs from this set of the 3 common coins are going to command a large premium in the future, where as there are 100,000 S and reverse proofs out there that can get slabbed...there are many fewer of the other 3.

 

UPS I hardly ever use, their tracking is good and their estimates of delivery are pretty accurate but they are notorious for damaging packages. From what I've heard their workers try to damage the packages because they don't like their job, they throw them and stuff. UPS sends different people to my house, one is very nice, but the other one I've never seen. He parks on the street, and sneaks up, leaves a note on the door and leaves, the package always has to be picked up, he claims to have rung the doorbell, but he never does.

 

No more than anyone else. I've gotten some pretty dinged up stuff from the Postal Service as well as FDX. You see, it's not so much the carriers fault as it is the guys shipping the boxes. That's not to say that the carrier is totally innocent....I agree that the packages can get some rough handling but if the shipper would just take a few precautions when packaging up the contents there would be less damage and less broken and mangled boxes. Lets use the package the mint sent the OP as an example. The mint uses the same size box for shipping out the 25th anniversary sets, regardless of how many sets were ordered. Now if you ordered 5 sets the box was practically filled to the top and required very little in the way of packing material. It made for a really tight pack job, but still, there was no room for padding around the edges of the contents. A good "rap" against the side of that box and the wooden box included with the set could have been damaged. Now for the folks that ordered one or two sets, they just filled the empty space with crinkle paper. What they should have done was cut the box down so that it would be closer in size to the contents. Ideally, the proper way to pack these sets would have been a "box in a box". The inner box containing the sets and the outer box holding the inner one with generous packing material in between. And then you wonder why there's never enough time to do things right but always enough time to do it over......

That's completely false. I've seen guys fired for doing things like that.

We had a guy in our barn many years ago who fit that description. The guy was a flash and used to be done by 3 o'clock every day. A relief driver friend of mine was doing this fellows route one day, and while delivering a package to a residence, the door suddenly flew opened and the customer exclaimed, "after 5 years of you delivering here I've finally caught you"! "Sorry Lady", was the answer, "you still haven't caught him. He called in sick today"........

 

Referring to the box in a box in bold and green above:

Ken, this idea occurred to me too. The presentation boxes would have been protected from shifting and coming open during transit and the contents of each box unable to become unseated exposing coins from their capsules. However, what I really thought about the box in a box was that the Mint should have done this so customers can receive each individual set, wrapped in its own Mint sealed box, the way rolls are shipped in those generic white card stock boxes, date and time stamped with the product code on them. This way if customers wanted to submit one or more sets for grading they could do so after opening the Mint shipping container, removing their invoice and separating sets they wished to keep OGP or not submitted to TPGs. It boggles me that some products are shipped this way from the Mint and others are not. It's extremely inconsistent and careless that the Mint didn't cut down the boxes as you suggested to fit the contents more appropriately as well as allowing these fine sets of coins to be essentially naked inside the shipping container. It proves the Mint's lack of commitment to the collector/customer.

Also, do you happen to know the term UPS drivers use to refer to guys who skip addresses? It was happening to me on my street in Brooklyn earlier this year and I was going bonkers trying to catch the guy. My street has multiple drivers and I caught up with two different guys who told me to call into the route manager and report that an article I was after was being "sheeted". I think that was the term. Well, the thing that killed me is the guy was doing this to the point that 3rd and final deliveries were being made. Boy did that get me steamed up. i caught it right in time though and the route manager got it on the right vehicle for the next delivery before it could get returned to the sender.

 

Most assuredly they could do better in the packing department but I don't think it's the fault of the mint, so much, as it's the fault of the fulfillment center which does the actual packing and shipping. When the mint goes looking for a contractor to carry out a task or job for them I would assume that such a contract would go up for bid and the low bidder gets the contract. Contractors look to save on costs, so hence the "one size fits all boxes". Instead of carrying an inventory of 10 boxes (for the sake of argument) you only need three or four. Saves on shipping costs but rankles with the customer who gets the rattler......

I don't know how they do it in the city Chris, but out here on the Island you'd never get away with that. It's called "flagging stops" and if you were caught doing it you got suspended. The only thing I can say is maybe the guy was overloaded with 'stops' and was looking to make up time by skipping customers. Not a good thing as the company and driver are not delivering the service they're supposed to. If I was unable to complete my assignment I had to phone the office and apprise them of my situation. They'd do their level best to get someone out to give me assistance. If they couldn't I was told to "stay out there" till the job was done. There were many nights that I would roll back into "the building" way after 10PM. Didn't make for much of a family life back then, but ya sure as the devil enjoy your retirement years....... I still get nightmares to this day.

 

I sure would have to agree with you on the contractor reasoning though cutting costs on this level and expense at this level of merchandise is unacceptable. Additionally the mint would have to agree to the use of materials that the contractors budget called for. Therefore responsibility shall always fall back on the Mint even though I'm sure the fullment agent has insurance for any claims made to limit their liability in the end. So the customer gets the short end of the stick if a limited product cannot be replaced.

Also in my case with UPS shipping provlems skipping my address, the problem was solved but required three days of my time and effort working with other drivers and the route manager over the phone who all were concerned for me and helped solve the problem.

 

I ship equipment around the world. Box in a box is the way to go. But in their defense, if you ship 30,000 packages, a few of them might run into trouble.

Fedex skipped me a few times. I was really steamed the last time when I had to go and pick up a package. I gave my evidence to the guy at the counter and he insisted it was impossible for a driver to skip an address because they have gps. LOL.

 

My dad lives in the mountains in Montana and he said that if there is any snow UPS will either call him to come pick up his packages or they leave them at the Post Office to deliver. He gets some satisfaction everytime he tells the story because he is a retired Postmaster...lol. I guess they add into their cost what they have to pay the PO to finish the delivery.