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Posting 1oz silver coins


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Hi,

What postal option is best for sending silver coins?

Firstly what is best for a signal coin with a value of up to £40?

For several coins with a value of £100-£200?

Even more coins £200-£500?

And finally for a tube or roll ,£500+?

I have been selling some coins on eBay and this forum and have been posting coins 2nd signed for. However, I recently read RM's T&C and it appears that silver is not covered by their insurance, its also not actually tracked! RM recommend Special delivery for gold, silver or cash, but the cost is prohibitive for single coins.

So any advice on the best postal option or recommended packaging methods would be appreciated.

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You're right, the costs can seem prohibitive for a single coin, but the bottom line is that's the only way they're insured. For this reason, the vast majority of sellers on TSF state that buyer chooses postage at their risk.

I recently used the Special Delivery option to send goods with a value of over £1000 (not precious metals) and while I can't remember the exact limit, I was well within the threshold. So I think SD covers your stated scenarios comfortably in terms of insured value - though I don't know if the weight of the PMs would impact costs.

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It depends on the value of the package and your attitude to risk.

Signed for is reasonably cheap, but you're right, bullion is not insured. The insurance value is only £50 anyway. To be fair I have never had any issues with Signed for, maybe its taken a day or two longer than I'd have liked, but never had anything go missing. For a few ounces of silver I (and most here I presume) are happy with this level of risk. It kills the value in this level of transaction if you have to add £8 postage costs.

Obviously if the package is of significant value, I'd use Special Delivery. Your level of significant is probably different from mine, its a subjective decision I suppose, but the maximum insurance of SD is £2500, so anything above that I'd split into smaller packages, or consider a courier.

Generally speaking the cost and risk of delivery is the responsibility of the buyer, and you should always make this clear.

Edited by TheShinyStuff
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I once had delivered a jiffy bag that had been damaged with half crowns falling out of it. It was put inside a clear royal mail bag with sorry your parcel had been damaged during transit. There was a claim number with it and managed to claim the full amount. 

Posting on here is fine as the buyer decides the risk level. eBay is a bit of a risk all together but only ever had one problem. I usually post coins inside dvd cases, just to hide the value and personally anything over a £100 I post SD. 

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I agree, on this forum it comes down to the buyers attitude to risk.  
 

However something else to consider - I had a bit of a strange one the other day with 1st Class Signed For.  I bought a sovereign for about £370ish (can’t remember the exact number) and the seller gave me the option of SD for about £9 or FCSF for about £2.50.  I chose FCSF as I was happy to take the risk on it.  However on the day of arrival the package came through the letterbox with no knock at the door and no request for signature.  Fortunately the package was intact and Sovereign was fine but it bugged me that I hadn’t had to sign for it and I didn’t understand how proof of delivery would work.  The seller had provided me with a tracking reference so I looked it up on Royal Mails website and it said the there was a generic squiggle signature with some random initials which i can only assume was the postie who signed it as they couldn’t be bothered to knock at the door.  Fortunately everything worked out ok for me and I can’t be bothered to follow it up but presumably in these circumstances a buyer could challenge the fact that it had been delivered at all?

 

Anyone else come across this before?

 

 

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3 minutes ago, StackerBritt said:

I agree, on this forum it comes down to the buyers attitude to risk.  
 

However something else to consider - I had a bit of a strange one the other day with 1st Class Signed For.  I bought a sovereign for about £370ish (can’t remember the exact number) and the seller gave me the option of SD for about £9 or FCSF for about £2.50.  I chose FCSF as I was happy to take the risk on it.  However on the day of arrival the package came through the letterbox with no knock at the door and no request for signature.  Fortunately the package was intact and Sovereign was fine but it bugged me that I hadn’t had to sign for it and I didn’t understand how proof of delivery would work.  The seller had provided me with a tracking reference so I looked it up on Royal Mails website and it said the there was a generic squiggle signature with some random initials which i can only assume was the postie who signed it as they couldn’t be bothered to knock at the door.  Fortunately everything worked out ok for me and I can’t be bothered to follow it up but presumably in these circumstances a buyer could challenge the fact that it had been delivered at all?

 

Anyone else come across this before?

 

 

Haven’t signed for a ‘signed for’ for …. well I can’t remember when, ages and ages. Surprised people are not getting caught out 

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21 minutes ago, StackerBritt said:

I agree, on this forum it comes down to the buyers attitude to risk.  
 

However something else to consider - I had a bit of a strange one the other day with 1st Class Signed For.  I bought a sovereign for about £370ish (can’t remember the exact number) and the seller gave me the option of SD for about £9 or FCSF for about £2.50.  I chose FCSF as I was happy to take the risk on it.  However on the day of arrival the package came through the letterbox with no knock at the door and no request for signature.  Fortunately the package was intact and Sovereign was fine but it bugged me that I hadn’t had to sign for it and I didn’t understand how proof of delivery would work.  The seller had provided me with a tracking reference so I looked it up on Royal Mails website and it said the there was a generic squiggle signature with some random initials which i can only assume was the postie who signed it as they couldn’t be bothered to knock at the door.  Fortunately everything worked out ok for me and I can’t be bothered to follow it up but presumably in these circumstances a buyer could challenge the fact that it had been delivered at all?

 

Anyone else come across this before?

 

 

Since covid, the 'heroes' at RM haven't been chapping your door for a signature. Utter nonsense. I suspect this will be the normal going forward. No price reduction to reflect the lesser service surprisingly enough. Just another business/organisation happy to keep the benefits of covid.

 

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12 minutes ago, TheShinyStuff said:

Since covid, the 'heroes' at RM haven't been chapping your door for a signature. Utter nonsense. I suspect this will be the normal going forward. No price reduction to reflect the lesser service surprisingly enough. Just another business/organisation happy to keep the benefits of covid.

 

So we have to take the posties word for it that they have delivered it?  That sounds a bit iffy to me, not sure how it works when someone says that it wasn’t delivered.

 

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1 minute ago, StackerBritt said:

So we have to take the posties word for it that they have delivered it?  That sounds a bit iffy to me, not sure how it works when someone says that it wasn’t delivered.

 

Like I said I've never actually had any problems with RM so far, but my Ring doorbell gives me a bit of confidence in that I can prove if a postie has actually been at my door or not...

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Thanks for the replies.

A few years back I was selling Air Rifle Darts on ebay. They kept going missing in the post when posted 2nd class. So I switched to signed for, then even more went missing!

A friend of mine suggested it was because the darts felt like a necklaces or piece of jewellery in the envelope.

It was annoying because the darts were a very cheap item.

I solved the problem in the end by using envelopes with a window on them, so people could see its not worth pinching - not sure this would work for gold and silver though 🤔

When selling on this forum I had assumed that as the seller it was my responsibility to ensure the customer received their goods, and I would be responsible for refunding or replacing the item if it goes missing.

However I have seen other sellers using phrases like "postage at buyers choice and risk" - I think I will adopt this method for my future listings.

I recently posted 5 coins to a fellow forum member using 2nd signed for. RMs tracking just says it was "Accepted at Post Office", yet the forum member has confirmed that it has arrived. So I am seriously questing if signed for is any better than standard mail.

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6 hours ago, StackerBritt said:

I agree, on this forum it comes down to the buyers attitude to risk.  
 

However something else to consider - I had a bit of a strange one the other day with 1st Class Signed For.  I bought a sovereign for about £370ish (can’t remember the exact number) and the seller gave me the option of SD for about £9 or FCSF for about £2.50.  I chose FCSF as I was happy to take the risk on it.  However on the day of arrival the package came through the letterbox with no knock at the door and no request for signature.  Fortunately the package was intact and Sovereign was fine but it bugged me that I hadn’t had to sign for it and I didn’t understand how proof of delivery would work.  The seller had provided me with a tracking reference so I looked it up on Royal Mails website and it said the there was a generic squiggle signature with some random initials which i can only assume was the postie who signed it as they couldn’t be bothered to knock at the door.  Fortunately everything worked out ok for me and I can’t be bothered to follow it up but presumably in these circumstances a buyer could challenge the fact that it had been delivered at all?

 

Anyone else come across this before?

 

 

Many packages that fit through a letter box will be simply posted through and the postie will place his/her mark on their scanner which also records time and location. If you were to challenge non delivery I think you would find this very difficult. Special Delivery is treated entirely differently and should always require a name and signature to obtain. Tracked 24/48 will usually require a photograph showing an open door or through a letterbox to identify the property. Covid played a big role in changing how the postal service works and for most I am pleased that I don't have to drive to the sorting office to collect a low value package that was tracked.

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9 hours ago, StackerBritt said:

I agree, on this forum it comes down to the buyers attitude to risk.  
 

However something else to consider - I had a bit of a strange one the other day with 1st Class Signed For.  I bought a sovereign for about £370ish (can’t remember the exact number) and the seller gave me the option of SD for about £9 or FCSF for about £2.50.  I chose FCSF as I was happy to take the risk on it.  However on the day of arrival the package came through the letterbox with no knock at the door and no request for signature.  Fortunately the package was intact and Sovereign was fine but it bugged me that I hadn’t had to sign for it and I didn’t understand how proof of delivery would work.  The seller had provided me with a tracking reference so I looked it up on Royal Mails website and it said the there was a generic squiggle signature with some random initials which i can only assume was the postie who signed it as they couldn’t be bothered to knock at the door.  Fortunately everything worked out ok for me and I can’t be bothered to follow it up but presumably in these circumstances a buyer could challenge the fact that it had been delivered at all?

 

Anyone else come across this before?

 

 

If it fits through the letterbox, then I've never signed for anything 😅 even with sd, I or family members are just handed parcel 😃

I like to buy the pre-dip dip

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19 hours ago, LittleMan said:

Hi,

What postal option is best for sending silver coins?

Firstly what is best for a signal coin with a value of up to £40?

For several coins with a value of £100-£200?

Even more coins £200-£500?

And finally for a tube or roll ,£500+?

I have been selling some coins on eBay and this forum and have been posting coins 2nd signed for. However, I recently read RM's T&C and it appears that silver is not covered by their insurance, its also not actually tracked! RM recommend Special delivery for gold, silver or cash, but the cost is prohibitive for single coins.

So any advice on the best postal option or recommended packaging methods would be appreciated.

I can see you have received answers and helpful advice. It does require some effort and experience to choose the optimum packaging and shipping, so i understand the problems.

Strangely enough, almost everyone on TSF expects FREE POSTAGE, although that's possibly only when they are buying from a dealer!

😎

Chards

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16 minutes ago, LawrenceChard said:

I can see you have received answers and helpful advice. It does require some effort and experience to choose the optimum packaging and shipping, so i understand the problems.

Strangely enough, almost everyone on TSF expects FREE POSTAGE, although that's possibly only when they are buying from a dealer!

😎

Postage is never free Lawrence,  you should know this🤣

I like to buy the pre-dip dip

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9 hours ago, StackerBritt said:

They’re always in such a rush.  They don’t even stop to see to the missus anymore 🤣

Ones around here must lead quite the life, they are never off their mobile phones 😁

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2 minutes ago, arphethean said:

Just to add as well, sellers should always be organised and take a photo of the parcel and keep every postage receipt for at least 6 months in case of an issue arising. 

Some excellent points above, may I ask why 6 months on the receipt? I usually keep for 30 days or until feedback is left.

I like to buy the pre-dip dip

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2 minutes ago, James32 said:

Some excellent points above, may I ask why 6 months on the receipt? I usually keep for 30 days or until feedback is left.

Yes, should have said only if you haven't had confirmation of arrival you should keep it. I have had buyers come back to me months later, and in one case a seller did not provide me with a receipt and disappeared off Facebook. When I finally reestablished contact with him a year later asking where my item was he said he hasn't kept the receipt so couldn't prove he'd posted it. I lost that case anyway but a seller could protect themselves by keeping the proof in case the buyer came back later.

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