FedEx coin shipping questions/general shipping, etc.

Question: when shipping coins, is FedEx good about requiring signatures - Europe to the US? Even the Post Office has been horrendous about that since covid. With the P.O., I can get my carrier to deliver the desired package on a certain day, negating the problem. The signature is purely to prevent it from being dumped at the door). Worst coin case scenario with the post office; it goes in the mailbox.

FedEx has two strikes already; comically high rates and it appears that they don't offer insurance. I can tolerate the former in certain instances, but FedEx would have to require a signature and be able to deliver it on a Saturday. I believe they now do the latter.

Are there any other caveats I need to know about FedEx?

DHL's already failed the test; no Saturday delivery in the U.S. I would also suspect that they're of the dump-at-the-door-without-signature school of thought.

I would just set up a temporary post office box, but I don't think they're able to deliver to those.

I'd also suspect that FedEx/DHL are also the only options for shipping from more exotic locales, like Dubai?

DHL has a delivery manager/ customization website. Could one specify, " put the package in so and so", and would the carrier actually pay attention to that? FedEx also has a similar manager. Special instructions could potentially alleviate the problem. But like I said, it would entail the shipper respecting said instructions.

Pickup from FedEx/DHL HQ is also not an acceptable option.

Cost isn't my main concern. Safety and convenience are. I don't have big porch pirate problems, but above a certain price point one really doesn't want to take a chance with private shippers.

 

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I always have FedEx send my packages to the local Walgreens drug store to be held for me until I can go there and sign for it. This allows me to pick up my packages until 9:00 pm on my way home from work.

 

I don’t have enough experience to speak beyond the anecdotal. But I’m still waiting on a FedEx coin shipment from Spain initiated 102 days ago. A transportation strike in Spain complicated some already bad paperwork. And it’s impossible to speak to a FedEx human being. However, I have yet to visit my local FedEx office, though I don’t know what they can do about a coin sitting on a truck in Spain. These problems may be peculiar to Spain. But a registered letter would’ve gotten here in half the time. @panzerman is right.

 

I am retired and home most of the time. I like to have packages signed for. USPS, FedEx and DHL have been pretty good about this. When I bought a really nice coin, I had the FedEx folks hold the package and I went to their office. Most items I do not worry about, but I felt this coin was worth the trouble.

 

Walgreens? I assume one does this via the FedEx delivery manager app? This option must have come about more recently than 2015. Saturday delivery wasn't even a regular option then. Due to some intensely negative past experiences, non-post shippers are to me what Beethoven was to Alex in A Clockwork Orange, so I'm completely out of the loop to what services they now offer. It may sound silly, but FedEx/UPS (mostly the latter) really did give me PTSD. It's possible to happily live in a post office bubble 99.8% of the time (98% of my post-2000 mail order coins have been purchased via vcoins-affiliated dealers), but there's the occasional must-have coin which isn't available via post.


My best scenario would be to find a reputable relay person who would, for a fee, forward my rare DHL orders via post. The problem; I've only recently begun to regularly order coins from Europe and I have no firm relationships with any of the European dealers. I do have much more established relationships with U.S. dealers. Which would be a better; a U.S. or European go-between? My thinking is that DHL might be less crappy in Europe, so it might be better to start the journey there.

It would be silly to go to all that trouble for inexpensive coins. Even I'm willing to take reasonable chances on sub-$300 coins. The more expensive the coin, the more nervous I become about taking a chance with the non-postal carriers.

I hope your coin arrives safely, Gavin. I have no experience with receiving items from Spain.

 

Actually, since the start of the pandemic I have not signed for any shipments, be they from the Postal Service, FedEx or DHL. FedEx does ring the door bell, leaving the package or envelope in front.

The large envelope that was delivered today by DHL was left in the courtyard. I didn't know that the delivery was made until I happened to check the DHL tracking site.

European sellers will ship by DHL generally, as an option. Shipping the owl by DHL Express, from the Netherlands, cost me $26, and took four days. I am glad to have done this, as shipping by registered mail would take much longer.

If you do ship through DHL, there might be an option where you can specify when the package is to be delivered. I've never done that since I am home a lot (retired), but it might be something worth looking into.

 

If my European feelers fail, I do have an American firm in mind. Maybe I could ask him if he'd be a go-between for a certain coin that I want....

 

Exactly. It works out great for me.

 

The great majority of my DHL fears stem from the not being home/how to get the final delivery safely conundrum.

The simplest expedient in this situation is to ask an American dealer with whom I've had many dealings with. I think the problem will be solved and DHL avoided on my end, and the European sender not inconvenienced. I can figure out later what arrangements can be made if I ever encounter DHL again.

I don't know if that's true in all cases, but in this case FedEx would be three times as expensive and would carry no insurance. Unless a supermodel hand-delivers the package, I really don't see how FedEx stays in business. I'm sure it's okay for ordering a book, but FedEx sure isn't for me. I would gladly pay for intermediaries to avoid that distress. After what they put me through with my custom turntable, never again...

My lifetime success to distress ratio with the Post Office is: 99/1, UPS 70/30, FedEx 5/95, DHL 0/0.

Collecting must have been far less stressful in 1935. The post office (or foreign post) was the only game in town.

 

LOL.

And per my 1935 analogy how ironic is it that gold objects were much cheaper in real terms and consumer goods were very much more expensive? However, with something like a radio, they generally were made with care, could be very attractive and lasted for decades.

A pro-grade turntable would run one $1,000 (in 1940 dollars). However, said turntable was built like a tank.

 

I know that Amazon's Prime doesn't ship anything that isn't bought from Amazon, but they have just about ended any delivery by anyone else. Many times, Prime delivers a package and I get an email and a picture of where and when my package was delivered. It would be nice if the other carriers could take a look at Prime and adjust their delivery process. Then again, Amazon doesn't sell coins.

 

My little conundrum seems to be solved.

Porch piracy isn't a problem in my area but one still doesn't want to take a chance of the package being unceremoniously dumped at the door. Who wantstheir coin rained on, or what if it's a windy day? I do like the picture evidence that Prime does. It does somewhat eliminate false no-delivery claims.

The whole porch pirate phenomenon is so easily solved; require a signature or some interaction from the recipient. The recipient could opt-in to the protections at checkout.

 

Yes, I've had the unfortunate experience of having mail dumped on the driveway, under the mail slot, even for pieces that could easily fit the slot!

I used to have a very nice, conscientious carrier for many years. He even put larger packages inside the courtyard, on a bench next to the front door. He's moved on and up in the ranks and I am happy for him. But now I guess his replacement or replacements don't really care what happens to items once they leave the hand.

 

That's a shame. I've been blessed with almost all great carriers over the years. I've had my share of postal goofs, but that's bound to happen over a 30 year period.

 

It's amazing that I can just casually mention FedEx in conversation and more times than not someone will chime in, wow, FedEx is terrible - they do so and so to my package.

DHL and FedEx are making me grumpy. No current FedEx packages, thank goodness. I shouldn't bother the seller for a tracking number until it reaches 3 or 3 1/2 weeks. Even a slight hangup in customs could cause DHL delays. No sign of it 2 1/2 weeks in. I went in with low expectations and it's an inexpensive ($130) DHL guinea pig.

Ditto Biga, around 3 weeks, but given the postage was 5 dollars, it was probably the post. Perhaps Dutch customs are slow? I can live with that, as long as it arrives.

I was considering NeroNumi, but then we have the DHL conundrum.

 

Whoops, put the reply in the wrong thread...erased.

 

Most of the coins I order are from Europe and many are with FedEx. In my experience, they just knock on the door and then leave the package. There's no signature, even when requested. DHL does the same.

In practice, I just make sure either I or someone else is home at the time. FedEx is decent about letting me know the day the package will be delivered.

My son runs a sports card business where he commonly receives packages valued in the tens of thousands. When we're unsure if someone will be home, we redirect those packages to the local FedEx pickup facility.

In my experience, the only services that leave the package in the mailbox are those that have relationships with USPS. SwissPost and Deutsche Post are examples.

 

Another day. No DHL. There's a shocker.

It was indeed very wise to choose an inexpensive coin as the test subject.

 

At least for expensive coin from Europe, I suggest DHL Express. It is fast, based on my recent experience (six days from the Netherlands), but apparently they do not offer insurance. Additionally, the delivery person did leave the package in the courtyard, but there may be options to arrange delivery - I didn't bother to check since I am a virtual fixture in the house.

The DHL Express tracking was very good, but I had to go to their website for updates (actually it is accessible directly from Google if you specify DHL tracking in the search box). Again, there is a way, I think, to get automatic updates by email or texting.

As far as Dubai and the UEA is concerned, all of my shipments have been through the Postal Service without any issues. The service may be slow, but it has been reliable so far.