What would be the right thing to do...

A $20.00 coin becomes a $35.00 coin. Best way to ship is Priority Flat Rate Envelope for $6.65. The packaging is free, it's sealed, has $50.00 insurance and a tracking number. For a few extra dollars, you can change it to a signature.

 

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Well that makes sense I understand that everything has to be cost-effective but as I stated I'm new I'm learning but after your post if I decide to buy any coins I will ask that it be sent registered mail even if I have to bite the expense

 

I appreciate that that is a lot less expensive

 

It's just a cost thing. If a buyers willing to pay the shipping fee almost any seller will send it however they want. But no seller will spend as much on postage as the coin is worth.

For what it's worth thousands of coins are sent normally everyday and get there just fine.

 

Just as cheaper is not always better, so it is with expensive.

 

Yes I agree with that but if I was the buyer and I was wanting to add something to a collection I think I would be willing to pay the expense to ensure me that I get it in my hands of course if I was buying it and then was going to resell it then I would have to rethink that statement

 

I must admit, mentioning the wheatie does make one wonder why it would've been left and how it didn't fall out in transit after it was opened...

 

Either way, you are adding to your cost of the coin.

 

The thing I feel a lot of people don't realize is: it's not the buyer's job to get the coin to them. It's the seller's responsibility. If the coin doesn't arrive, the fault lies with the seller.

 

Well this may not have anything to do with coins but isn't there a lot of scams going on Craigslist where they are purchasing stuff through PayPal and then you get your money and then a couple days later they file a complaint with PayPal and said you never gave them the merchandise when they sent somebody to pick it up and then PayPal refund their money and you're out the merchandise and the money I may have been misinformed on that information

 

@Seattlite86 if the packaging was bad or it was sent in a poor manner yes it is the sellers fault, if it was stolen it was the thiefs fault.

Yes sellers generally will refund thefts, but the buyer has a responsibility to file a postal inspection claim to help catch the thief. There's to many scammers to blindly refund people for a story that happens incredibly rarely. If others want to blindly refund that is their right, but there's nothing unreasonable about asking for a postal inspector report on the item and it weeds out the majority of scammers quickly

 

I don't see anything I wrote that would imply I disagree with you... which I don't. My comments were aimed from the point in which an item is paid for and to the point where the package arrives in the buyer's hands.

 

Not to beat a dead horse but I'm wondering about the envelope you used to send the coin. Was it a regular #6 or #10 white envelope or a 6"x9" manila envelope?

These envelopes MUST be flexible enough to go through the processing machinery which includes being able to bend a tight radius. A chunk of metal the size of a silver dollar WILL damage the envelope and kick it out of the process. An envelope damaged this was can easily lose the contents.

As far as using those types of envelopes, how they're addressed determines how they're processed. If they're addressed in the "normal" way with the envelope horizontal (wider than high) and the postage on the upper right corner, they'll be sent through the automatic machinery. On the other hand (especially for the 6"x9" manila envelope) if they're oriented vertically (higher than wide) they'll be hand processed.

The only envelopes I use for items < $25 are the 6"x9" envelopes, either padded ones, or plain ones with a thin cardboard insert to stiffen it. Everything > $25 goes in a flat rate envelope.

 

I used those yellow envelopes with bubble wrap padding inside.

 

And that type of packaging would be used a different machine, not a letter machine. I do not for 1 minute believe that this was damaged at a US Postal facility. You could ask the sender for a photo copy of the damaged packing, front and back of course. It should have been stamped damaged, contents missing by the delivering office.

 

As a seller, if I choose not to insure a package, I do so with the understanding that if something goes awry, I'm the one who insures it. Depending on the transaction, there are different thresholds, but at $20, I'd be the one eating the cost. It's part of doing business. Return the check, and if you believe in your heart of hearts this buyer is a scanner, don't do any more business with them.

 

I asked for photos, he refused.

 

Hehehe. Pleased to hear.

The disadvantage to selling in this fashion is, you're far easier to scam than other types of retailing. The advantage is, you can stand your ground far more easily too.

Especially if this was off-Ebay, you're essentially exposing yourself to the whims of a buying public which is more than happy to demonstrate situational ethics if they can get away with it. With Ebay, you have the Feedback and Resolution system, and in online forums you've the ability to publicly shame a miscreant if it reaches that point. It really sucks that we have to consider these problems in numismatics, but ours is one of the scammier hobbies around.