Yes, there is such things as USPS first class international mail. Edit: Sorry Must've misunderstood your question
No, I don't believe USPS First Class Mail International is Registered. You have to pay extra for that and it is not cheap. More than $10 if I recall correctly.
If the mail is international, there is no Registered to it. The rules that govern the handling of Registered mail stop at the US border. To the bets of my knowledge there is no way to insure international mail at all. If th epackage becomes lost or damaged - well, you're just out of luck.
While the registered aspect ends at the US Border, I thought he USPS still offers insurance for certain destination countries where their postal system meets certain expectations (this still isn't registered, but it's better than nothing).
I suggest you check, and then check again, and then check again. Quite honestly, it has been my experience that the majority of postal employees don't have a clue as to what the rules really are. Talk to Post Masters only, or find the rule on their web site.
From past experience for insuring in U.S. I can tell you that half of the post masters are clueless as well. You can go to the web site, print it out and then show it to a post master and they wil STILL tell you it's wrong even though it is their rules. It varies from post office to post office but who knows what happens after it leaves YOUR post office.
I give you what is written in USPS. First Class Mail International First Class Mail International May contain any mailable matter that is not hazardous or prohibited by the destination country. First Class Mail International items are not trackable. Aerogrammes are not available for purchase. Previously purchased aerogrammes are mailable at the applicable First Class Mail International rate. Estimated delivery time varies by destination, but is usually 6-10 average business days. Extra services may be added (registered, return receipt) on a country-specific basis. Check the International Rates Calculator (ircalc.usps.gov) for availability. Weight limit of four pounds or less. A $0.17 per-piece surcharge is applied to a First Class Mail International item that weighs 1 ounce or less if it has one or more of the following characteristics: Has any dimension that exceeds the acceptable standard dimension i.e., if length exceeds 11 1/2 inches, or if height exceeds 6 1/8 inches, or if thickness exceeds 1/4 inch. Has an aspect ratio (length divided by height) of less than 1.3 or more than 2.5. Is polybagged, polywrapped, or enclosed in any plastic material. Has clasps, strings, buttons, or similar closure devices. Contains items such as pens, pencils, or loose keys or coins that cause the thickness of the mailpiece to be uneven. Is too rigid (does not bend easily when subjected to a transport belt tension of 40 pounds around an 11 inch diameter turn). For pieces more than 4 1/4 inches high or 6 inches long, the thickness is less than 0.009 inch. Has a delivery address parallel to the shorter dimension of the mailpiece. For self mailers with a folded edge perpendicular to the address, the piece is not secured according to DMM 201. For booklet type pieces, the bound edge (spine) is the shorter dimension of the piece or is at the top, regardless of the use of tabs, wafer seals, or other fasteners. Is the rgistered is extra?
Registered from the US is a LOT extra. It is very expensive in the US to register a letter - 4 or 5 or 6 dollars, somewhere in that range. (It is much cheaper in most other countries).
According to the Post Office website and international rates links etc found through Avi400's post. In Israel coins are restricted to Registered International First Class mail. International First Class mail is not insurable or trackable. Registration fees are $10.15 over and above the International First Class postage. Registered mail handling procedures end at the US border. (so once again it can only be tracked to the US border.) And the maximum reimbursement if the Registered International First Class mail goes missing is $43.73
It's about $3 in the UK, comparable to the $4 US rate you quoted. The UK is much, much smaller than the US (in fact, it's smaller than Oregon), so I expected that would bring their postal rates down sharply, since it's cheaper to transport shorter distances.
As Condor101 had mentioned, the rates are a bit higher than my guess. I saw one brochure today at the PO that says the fee starts at 9.50 and Condor has noted that for int'l it starts even higher. So, the US is at least 3 times higher than the UK, and I think other countries may be cheaper than the UK still. Registered mail is a little knwn service in the US (unless you are receivibg a registered letter) since it is so expensive that no one uses it routinely. I do wish we had the option to use it more often like peopel do in other countries where it is more reasonable. I donlt know why it so expensive in the US. When I was living in London in 1997 you could get a certificate confirming that you mailed a letter (or a list of letters) for free. Here, a Certificare of Mailing now costs $1.05 - all it is, is a postmark on a piece of paper with the recipient's address.
Regardless of the rates, different countries do not reciprocate tracking packages or letters that are mailed out of the country. If you mail a package in the US, you can pay for all the tracking you want - but that tracking stops the instant it leaves the US. It is the same for packages mailed from the UK or any other country - tracking stops at their border. In plain English - packages and letters CANNOT be tracked across international borders and there are NO guarantees of delivery.
clembo, You got that right! Most of them are unaware that the USPS is not supposed to pay on any Claims for Damaged, Lost or Stolen Coins unless they were sent via Registered Mail! You can call the USPS Hotline and they will advise you of the USPS' Policy and Rules concerning the shipping of Coins. In some cases, if the loss is not very significant, most Post Offices will submit the Claim and you are reimbursed for the loss. Claims on Damaged, lost or Stolen Coins are a nightmare on Elm Street per say, as they usually want pictures of the coins and for you to obtain a Pre-Shipping Appraisal (what the coin were worth when they were shipped and based on the pictures) (unless they were previously appraised) from a Coin Dealer that is Certified to do so. Also, it's even worse when it comes to coins that were damaged in shipment as they will want a Pre-Shipping and Post-Shipping appraisal. I know because I lost a bundle on a Morgan Dollar Collection that was damaged when it was shipped to me! Since both appraisals would have cost me $200 or more, I just said they H$*& with it and ate the loss! When I purchased them and before they were shipped, there were only a couple of AU/BU Morgans in the Collection with the majority of them going MS-62 to MS-64 with three that ranged from MS-65 to very close to MS-67. However, something punctured the shipping box and released 8 of the coins from there plastic air-tight holders and they ran amuck in the box, damaging each other and the other holders as well. Needless to say, the 8 coins were all trashed and wouldn't you know, included the highest grade coins in the Collection with most of them being reduced to EF/AU. Frank
That's why even though more expensive, private shipping may be better for valuable items crossing international borders.
GDJMSP is right, it would appear insurance is not an option for international mail. I cannot find at the moment the section of the Manual that discusses registered mail for international destinations. Wish I had time to search because now I'm curious.
I have received registered letters from outside of the country (both in the US and when I was living in Germany). The Post Office did make me sign for them since they were registered. Whether or not they are responsible for doing that (or required to) is another question, as is the liability angle. (The one exception was a registered letter from Iraq, where the PO could not read the Arabic script and didn't realize it was registered). Also, when I was living in Germany I sent a registered letter to Portugal. It was lost, and the German PO said that it was not insured only because it contained cash. They did try to track it but the Portugese PO did not provide the details so there was nothing the German PO could do to even tell me if/when/where it was delivered. I am just offering these personal experiences - I am not trying to suggest that they are applicable to any other person's situation. I seem to recall reading in a PO pamphlet I saw earlier today that the Universal Postal Union provides for some sort of reciprocity for some services, but I assume it is largely voluntary.
