Shipping Coins To And From The U.S.

I need help with this issue.

I'm from Singapore but I do buy coins over the internet from the U.S. and other countries.

Sometimes, I have to use a freight-forwarding service such as comGateway because the merchants will not ship directly to Singapore. This happens especially when I buy from Amazon, where only DVDs, CDs and books are shipped directly to Singapore.

In addition, at times, I need to ship coins from Singapore to the U.S. for grading purposes.

How do I ship coins to and from the U.S. safely?

More importantly, how do I insure the coins?

I know that FedEx and DHL both state that they will not ship coins and I suspect it's because of the insurance.

I'm a novice coin collector and have just started collecting coins, so please help me, if possible.

Thanks in advance.

 

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Hmm, what about the postal service(s) then? Have had the same problems with UPS and FedEx here in Germany which will not ship coins either. But I know that from here I can basically ship coins with a value of up to €500 provided that I use DHL/Deutsche Post "Value Mail". Comes with insurance, but there may be limitations such as import restrictions. So maybe the USPS has a similar option ...

As for grading coins, well, I don't use TPG services and dislike plastic coffins but have you tried these places in Singapore? They seem to cooperate with NGC: http://www.ngccoin.com/services/dealer-listing.aspx?location=Singapore Not sure whether PCGS has such a "presence" in SG too.

Christian

 

maybe you should just go to the US and live there.

 

Great reply from Christian. If I were going to ship to NGC from SG I definitely would go through a dealer and let him worry about it.

 

I don't know the best way to ship between the US and Singapore, but I do think it's a shame in today's "Global Economy" that we have to worry about these sort of things.

 

I would also try to contact NGC or PCGS and ask them as I am sure you are not the only person with this problem.

 

Thanks for the info and help, Christian! Appreciate it very much.

I send my coins to A.N.A.C.S. for authentication and grading because, being a novice coin collector, I'm still learning and really need the authentication service. I also like the new A.N.A.C.S. clearview holders -- they do allow me to view the coins from every angle, and preserve the coins at the same time. I find A.N.A.C.S.'s services okay.

I started this thread because I recently had a bad experience with a freight-forwarding company. The insurance doesn't cover part of a shipment, neither will it cover coins, stamps, jewelry and other 'unusually expensive items', I believe. I had a consignment shipped via this company from the U.S. back to Singapore. A coin was missing from the consignment, although the rest of the consignment arrived with no problems.

Freight-forwarding companies have to open the envelopes containing the coins shipped through them because they need to inspect the consignment to make sure that no prohibited or dangerous items [firearms, explosives, toxic chemicals, etc.] are being shipped through them.

This freight-forwarding company is a decent enterprise. I've been using their services since 2011 and have had several shipments pass through them. They handle miscellaneous issues such as tax refunds, too, and offer free storage for 30 to 60 days, depending on how often a customer uses their services.

There hasn't been any issue until this last shipment. I believe the company's staff opened the envelopes containing the coins as usual, then accidentally dropped the missing coin somewhere in their warehouse. I doubt if any of their staff would steal just a coin -- he or she may as well take the whole consignment. I believe it was an accident but now the company says that their insurance won't cover the loss.

It's still trying to assist me with the above loss, 'though, and I just wanted to find out if there's another way I can ship coins to and from the U.S. or any other country safely.

 

am considering doing that ...... :yes:

 

I agree, Chris. Thanks for your help, too.

I've never thought about using a dealer. I'm just a novice here, and still learning a lot. A.N.A.C.S. allows me to send my coins directly to them so I've been doing that.

I'm just concerned about international shipping now because of what has happened recently.

Also, if I buy coins from places such as Amazon, and the merchants won't ship directly to Singapore, I still need to go through a freight-forwarding company. I think I'll have to work something out with this freight-forwarding company I've been using to see what can be done about this issue. Maybe they can help me find a suitable insurance scheme or something like that.

 

I totally agree.

If there weren't people such as terrorists around, life would be a lot less complicated, I think.

Part of the reason freight-forwarding companies have to open the sealed envelopes containing coins and other items that pass through them is because they're afraid somebody may try to smuggle explosives, firearms and the like through them.

It is a shame.

 

You can go to this site:
http://www.ngccoin.com/contact-us.aspx
and ask NGC how they recommend you send coins to them for grading.

 

Thanks for the suggestion.

I agree. The TPGs ought to be able to give me some assistance.

 

Thanks, Collect89. Appreciate your reply and help, too.


But, shipping coins to the U.S. is just part of the problem The other part is shipping coins from the U.S. to Singapore.

I don't use freight-forwarding companies the whole time. But there are advantages in using these companies, amongst them being storage and consolidation of shipments.

Freight-forwarding companies allow us customers to store our purchases in their warehouses in the U.S., usually for free for a specified time period. We can then consolidate and ship our items as a single consignment.

It's useful when we purchase from several merchants in the U.S. over a period of time, especially those who aren't able to ship directly to Singapore. The consolidated shipment also means more savings on shipping charges.

These freight-forwarding companies will further pool consignments from several customers together so they can get much cheaper airline rates because they ship in bulk. It's also more environmentally friendly, I think, to ship this way.

The only problems are people like terrorists because of whom inspection of our consignments become necessary.

 

FYI - If you create a relationship with one forwarder then you can become a "known shipper" & there would probably be fewer issues where your packages would be individually opened for inspection. You can discuss this "known shipper" process with your forwarder. At any time, Customs can inspect your package but your forwarder could be part of the inspection process.

 

Thanks for the information, Collect89 -- I honestly didn't know this! This is something I will definitely work on, too.

So far, my packages from the U.S that pass through this freight-forwarding company have been opened for inspection.

 

I am facing the same issue, I have accounts with 2 local companies, first company does not consolidate shipments, and the second does not ship coins "I found out the hard way at a cost of 70+ US$"

They are charging ~ 12 US$ per lb.

What is the cost per lb for comGateway?, I find it annoying that they do not have the charges on the site.

 

Hi wd40,

Thanks for your reply. I'm sorry you are also having the same problem.

For the first 0.5 kg, comGateway's charges for shipments to Bahrain are USD 52.60 for Express Delivery and USD 43.85 for Standard Delivery. Every additional 0.5 kg, their charges are USD 6.80 for Express Delivery and USD 5.65 for Standard Delivery to Bahrain. Express Delivery takes 3 - 5 working days, Standard Delivery takes 6 - 8 working days.

You need to click on the 'Services and Support' link at the top of the page, then click on the 'Shipping Rates, Fuel Surchage and Insurance' link on the left side of the next webpage.

 

​Perhaps you should tell customs that you are shipping tokens, less hassle.

 

Always describe the contents and value of the shipment honestly. There is some room for declaring the value which your forwarder can explain to you. If Customs finds descrepancies, you may end up on their list & all your subsequent shipments will be audited and possibly opened for inspection. Also, an inaccurate description & value can be seen as defrauding a foriegn government.

 

Thanks ebunny, it is more expensive than the service that I use now.

Collect89, I am not sure about other forwarding companies, but for the company I use ALL packages MUST be opened for inspection, even envelopes.

We do not have to pay taxes on items that are for personal use, plus we have a free trade agreement with USA, so I am not defrauding the government

Shipping "tokens" or "numismatic items" or "Printed Matter (Smart name for Banknotes)" may mean less hassle if your are shipping through USPS, but for us this mean having to go to the parcel center and opening the package in front of the customs officer, as all parcels "MUST" be opened there.