USPS Mail Theft

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by bnorth

Most postages have the cost displayed. Just by knowing postal rates you can see if and how much insurance it has. Most cards and other small things of value I send in a small flat rate box with zero insurance. Have never lost one and I have sent 100s of them. The most valuable being around 30K with most of the value being one card(25K). I have used Registered once when sending a small handful of 100s to a fellow member but that could have been delivered faster in a covered wagon with old horses.

I send in a small flat rate box with zero insurance. I'm on your side Ben.

I've always thought the insurance label read "Take me".

You would have to open a lot of nondescript small flat rate boxes to hit the jackpot. Better odds in Vegas.

Not to mention the difficulty in collecting a USPS claim.

I would add that for the really valuable parcels, it's Registered Mail Period

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

I've always thought the insurance label read "Take me".

I'm in Canada. 99.999% of the baseball collecting world is not. I have to prevent each and every label from reading "steal me", each and every time. Sometimes, this has caused problems at Customs when they feel it isn't specific enough. Well, my description wasn't dishonest--I'm simply trying to avoid others' dishonesty, so tough luck to them. Cards are always "cards", never trading cards, or much worse, "sportscards". I could go the "Printed Matter" route, but could see where they could accuse me of deception if they wanted to get nitpicky. An autographed baseball? "Ball". I would relish them calling me up and trying to challenge that what I sent wasn't a ball. It's not our fault the system is full of thieves.

"Ball" might cause enough curiosity to a theif. May make the switch to "orb". J/K

If I was shipping a Ruth game used bat, should I go the flowery old Mastro route? "Contents: Mighty Thor's Hammer"? Nah. Too many comic book/memorabilia thieves would confuse it for some stupid comic or movie collectible.

[EddieP]

Back in the day of paper stock certificates the broker would tell you to send them via registered mail.

[philo98]

One of the reasons I have collectors insurance. This isnt a plug for them, but my policy is through Collectors Insurance Services and although I have not had to use the benefits of the policy, I know of a few that have, all for stolen mail. The policy covers at home fire or theft, etc etc but also has a clause where it covers stolen or lost items by mail services. Also, you can split the policy for multiple locations, for example safe deposit box and home or for what I have temporarily, safe deposit box and storage facility.

[Buythatcard]

This reminds me of a story when I first started selling on eBay. I sold a 99 cent Topps coin. The buyer claimed that the envelope was slit on the side and that USPS stole the coin. I was a newbie seller and refunded the 99 cents plus shipping.
About a year later, the exact same thing happened. Once again it was a 99 cent Topps coin. The buyer said that USPS stole the coin because the envelope was slit on the side.
Bells started going off in my head. I referred back to a database where I kept track of every single eBay transaction that I ever had. Sure enough, it was the same buyer.
Told him to go f_k himself. Never heard from him again.