Registered Insured Mail

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Raymond1000

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Bladeforums regularly gets threads about problems shipping knives. Parcels lost in transit. Knives stolen from the box. Packages left on the recipient’s doorstep with no one home. Packages delivered to a neighbor. Parcels that never arrived, marked “Delivered”. There’s no end to it.

I was reading about gold and I found information new to me. I’ve never heard of Registered Insured Mail. Here’s the source: http://onlygold.com/HowToBuyPages/HowToSell.htm

If RIM performs as advertized, it might be a good tool when shipping high value knives. The cheaper the knife, the less cost effective RIM would be. If you're sending someone a Vic Classic, don't bother. OTOH if you’re shipping a Sebenza or a Randall Made, it might pay for itself.

Does anyone have experience with Registered Insured Mail?

How safe is Registered Insured Mail?

Many people are not aware that their local post office provides a safe method to ship high-value parcels – USPS Registered Insured Mail. . Registered mail is secure because it is what is called accountable mail. Registered mail packages are always the personal responsibility of a USPS employee, with signatures required at every step.

This strict accountability system makes shipment by Registered Mail as secure as via any bonded armored courier company in the US – and it’s backed by the USPS with an ironclad guarantee of signed receipt delivery.

USPS insures Registered Mail for up to $25,000, and we have supplemental insurance under our business policy for an additional $75,000 available at no cost to you.
A Registered Mail package containing five ounces of gold can be sent anywhere in the US for less than $40. Of course, larger shipments cost more, but if you are selling us ten ounces or more, we will refund all your costs of postage and insurance shipping via Registered Mail.
NOTE – Alternate carriers such as Federal Express and UPS do NOT provide the guaranteed security of US Registered Mail. Their insurance does not cover coins or bullion.

Also, if you are selling material that is worth more than $250,000, call us to discuss alternate methods of insured shipping. On larger transactions, we can arrange armored car pickup at your ban

Here are a few tips to make your Registered Mail shipping go smoothly:
If you have coins in plastic tubes, pack each tube so that it doesn't rattle, and tape the top securely shut. Put your material in a sturdy box, preferably a corrugated-wall cardboard box.

Once the material is in the shipping box, pack the box tightly with wrapping material such as wadded paper, bubble wrap, or 'packing peanuts.'
Ideally, you have the box packed tightly so that the load can't shift inside the box. Remember to pack securely, because while in transit, your package may be turned upside down, have heavy parcels put on top of it, or even be dropped off a loading dock.

To make your package tamper-proof, the Post Office will apply ink cancellation marks to various areas of your package. Therefore, the outside of your box, including all seams, must be entirely of a porous paper or cardboard surface. If any part of the outside of your package has a slick or glossy surface, the Post Office may not accept it.

To comply, we recommend using a paper packing tape to cover any slick surfaces, or even the whole box. We use a 2-inch wide manila reinforced paper tape that requires moistening to adhere. It is available at most office supply stores and wrap-and-ship locations. If you can't find it, give us a call -we buy it by the case and would be glad to send you some!

At the Post Office, send your package via Registered Insured Mail, insured for its true value. Each package can be insured for up to $25,000, and you will receive a serial numbered receipt stating the declared value of each parcel.

Do not use "Certified" mail. Your valuables need the protection and accountability of Registered Mail. Registered Mail is also a Priority service, and delivery is usually in two to five business days.

When you return from the Post Office, call or email us with the Registration number(s). We will contact you when the packages arrive here, and payment will be sent within 24 hours of receipt. And remember, if you have ten ounces or more of gold, platinum, or palladium we will refund all your costs of Registered Mail shipping, fees, and insurance!

As For the Safety Record of Registered Mail

Our business has long depended on the reliability and security of Registered Mail. Since 1986, we have shipped and received over $750 million worth of US Registered Insured Mail without a single package being lost or tampered with.

And in the highly unlikely event of a problem, the USPS stands to pay any claim of loss within the declared insured limits of any Registered package.
 
I work at the P.O.-

-REGISTERED mail would be good for "high end" knives. The difference is this--Everyone that touches that package is required to sign for it. There is a nice paper trail. The downside is that it is a very slow service and it isn't cheap. Starts at $10.95

Regular INSURANCE will work too. Over a certain ammount ($150 I think) requires a signature apon delivery, so less likely any delivery errors. The label is BLUE

Now, there is another service called SIGNATURE CONFIRMATION- This is the same as DELIVERY CONFIRMATION, but also requires a signature apon delivery-this label is PINKThis service is $2.55

There is a new service - It is ADULT SIGNATURE REQUIRED. Over 21yrs. only. You’ll get delivery information, as well as the recipient’s signature and name. This service is $4.75

Adult Signature Restricted Delivery provides the same service as Adult Signature Required with the additional restriction of limiting delivery to a specific addressee or authorized agent who is 21 years of age or older. This service is $4.95

And last, plain old RESTRICTED DELIVERY. You get to specify the person who can sign for and receive your item. This service is $4.95

These are prices for the additional service--you still have to pay the postage (first class, Priority, ect)

Sorry for the long winded post. I hope I helped somebody.
 
I used RIM when I sold/traded my Rolex Sea Dweller to www.watchseller.com and everything went smooth with no worries.
 
RIM is cheaper than regular insurance once you hit 1000 or 1500. And more secure, it's a win for sure
 
I ship knives internationally and the most economic and reliable way is First Class International + Registered. This gets you insurance, and end to end tracking provided the recipient country also has Registered post system in place (most of them do).

As an example, a recent package to Malaysia cost me $12 shipping and $12.95 registration, a total of $25. This got me insurance, tracking and signature confirmation (a sign is required for registered delivery across most countries). The only flip side is maybe 3 to 4 weeks of delivery time., which is acceptable considering the cost of shipping.

Compare this with flat rate priority international, which recently increases to $23.95 from $16.95, and which gets you nothing!

For all my international knife shipments, it's REGISTERED FIRST CLASS INTERNATIONAL PARCEL !!!
 
choombak said:
I ship knives internationally and the most economic and reliable way is First Class International + Registered. This gets you insurance, and end to end tracking provided the recipient country also has Registered post system in place (most of them do).

As an example, a recent package to Malaysia cost me $12 shipping and $12.95 registration, a total of $25. This got me insurance, tracking and signature confirmation (a sign is required for registered delivery across most countries). The only flip side is maybe 3 to 4 weeks of delivery time., which is acceptable considering the cost of shipping.

Compare this with flat rate priority international, which recently increases to $23.95 from $16.95, and which gets you nothing!

For all my international knife shipments, it's REGISTERED FIRST CLASS INTERNATIONAL PARCEL !!!
Click to expand...

This is as good as EMI, at half the cost. Glad to know this, as I shipped to Malaysia and Romania recently myself.
 
Packaging instructions for Registered shipment

This information is in the first post by Raymond1000, but I think it needs to be re-emphasized to ensure a problem free shipping experience. All packages that are Registered must NOT have any plastic/glossy surface as well as anything pasted on it. For eg.,
* Do not reinforce corners with plastic packaging tape
* Do not put clear tape on the From and To addresses
* Do not print the From and To address and stick it on the package. Write the address on the package with a ballpoint pen to ensure it does not bleed in case it comes in contact with water.
* Do not reinforce flaps with any tape.

Certain countries have strict rules regarding this, eg. Canada, and your Registered shipment may be returned back if you stick address chit, or put plastic tape.

In short, do NOT put any tape on your package. Just seal it with glue, write the from and to portions, and take it to the PO. The PO will reinforce the corners with a brown paper-plastic tape and stamp all corners for tamper detection. If you fail to follow this, the PO will make you either take off the plastic tape, or repackage the entire contents.
 
Glad this is a sticky. Excellent pieces of information. I learned something about higher end, lower stress shipping methods and I thank you for that. Great stuff everyone!
 
choombak said:
Packaging instructions for Registered shipment

This information is in the first post by Raymond1000, but I think it needs to be re-emphasized to ensure a problem free shipping experience. All packages that are Registered must NOT have any plastic/glossy surface as well as anything pasted on it. For eg.,
* Do not reinforce corners with plastic packaging tape
* Do not put clear tape on the From and To addresses
* Do not print the From and To address and stick it on the package. Write the address on the package with a ballpoint pen to ensure it does not bleed in case it comes in contact with water.
* Do not reinforce flaps with any tape.

Certain countries have strict rules regarding this, eg. Canada, and your Registered shipment may be returned back if you stick address chit, or put plastic tape.

In short, do NOT put any tape on your package. Just seal it with glue, write the from and to portions, and take it to the PO. The PO will reinforce the corners with a brown paper-plastic tape and stamp all corners for tamper detection. If you fail to follow this, the PO will make you either take off the plastic tape, or repackage the entire contents.
Click to expand...

actually, i've been basically wrapping my packages in clear tape for years, not one problem, not one lost or stray object falling out, sent overseas. etc. new one on me you're not suppose to do that. my PO accepts them and just gives me the "thorough aren't you look"

in most of my sales, i make insurance optional for the buyer, some people want to save a few $$. sometimes i'll throw it in there to protect myself, at my cost. never had a claim yet, but i always encourage buyer's to do it, if they have doubts.

on items IN the package, much like Amazon has been doing, each item is often sealed in its own bag, wrapped with tape, and secured to a fitted cardboard piece so that it CANNOT shift in the box - never use envelopes for knives. you're just asking for it - i see retail companies doing this all the time.

with bundles of items, i may wrap them in additional used grocery bags. and lots and lots of packing. shake one of my boxes, nothing moves or rattles. i have in the past taken pictures of the wrapping procedure, and sent them to the client.

the bundles often have MULTIPLE address slips on them indicating to: from, never know if the outer label will get destroyed.

sometimes i'll seal a box in with brown paper. not one exposed seam there. labels are attached with standard clear packing tape. all labels are written with "space pen" which is permanent and generally cannot bleed.

i go an extra 2 miles when i wrap important things. it's never come back to bite me.

big worry is that the carrier loses or destroys it (i've had amazingly destroyed things arrive - "was shipped that way!" -- "send it back!" -- "we don't accept packages like that" -- "oh really)

biggest worry: carrier drops it off at the wrong place, or fakes the signature, or steals it, or loses it, or ...
 
Bladite said:
actually, i've been basically wrapping my packages in clear tape for years, not one problem, not one lost or stray object falling out, sent overseas. etc. new one on me you're not suppose to do that. my PO accepts them and just gives me the "thorough aren't you look"

...
Click to expand...

You aren't supposed to wrap in plastic clear tape (or any plastic material on the package seams, corners) if and only if you opt for the Registered option ($12.95) - the PO maintains a register all through the end (both in the US and the destination country). The PO will put paper tape (well paper reinforced plastic) on all four corners, as well as all seams, and then stamp it. If you have plastic tape on the seams, the USPS paper tape won't stick on it, which is why they make you remove it. Done it twice at different post offices, before I got wise. Registered article is HOT STUFF, and as I was told it is a Federal offense to try to tamper Registered articles - the postal employee may lose his/her job for doing so. Rest assured, if the article is Registered, it will be handled with utmost care - definitely till it leaves the US. Similar rules exist in all countries that support Registered articles. The overall process requires manual intervention at all points, and hence all Registered articles will travel slow to their destination. Also, many times USPS employees may try to discourage you from having First Class + Registered, since it increases their work, typical reason given is "awwww, it will be soooooooooo slow!".

I recently sent a knife to Canada, one to Singapore, and one to Malaysia. In all cases, the tracking was all the way to the end - till the package was delivered. At total of $25, you can now get a reasonable blade (~6 oz.) shipped worldwide from the US with tracking all through to the end. Here is a recent trace to Canada, What more could I ask? :-)

Again, if you are not doing Registered, then the usual BOMB PROOF packaging (taping, etc.) must be done to prevent issues.
 
Per Wiki~ On November 10, 1958, Harry Winston donated the Hope diamond to the Smithsonian Institution, where it became Specimen #217868,[48] sending it through U.S. Mail in a box wrapped in brown paper, insured via registered mail at a cost of $145.29

Registered Mail also gets were it need to go fast.
 
I called the Post Office and asked what kind of tape to use, to wrap a Registered Insured Mail package.

It’s called Water Activated Paper Tape. You rub the underside of the tape with a wet sponge before applying it to your parcel.

You should be able to find WAPT at office supply stores.
 
Raymond1000 said:
I called the Post Office and asked what kind of tape to use, to wrap a Registered Insured Mail package.

It’s called Water Activated Paper Tape. You rub the underside of the tape with a wet sponge before applying it to your parcel.

You should be able to find WAPT at office supply stores.
Click to expand...

Or the USPS does it for you -- some PO clerks are fanatical about how this tape should be wrapped, so I let them do it. At my local PO, the clerk carefully activates the paper tape, wraps it around carefully, then stamps every corner and fold of the package. Once satisfied with the result, she then proceeds to do the receipt and all. Take a few minutes more (and others in the line wonder what the heck is being wrapped sooooo slowly!), but super secure.
 
I've sent dozens of packages via registered 1st class and priority mail shipping william henry knives. Never had a problem. I use the brown water activated tape I buy at office depot, do all the seams and corners which is then stamped by the post office. usually is a bit slower than priority mail but hands down the safest way to ship. I've lost two knife shipments to UPS, one was lost in their NJ depot. Had UPS investigators come to my house, delivery guy said he left it but didn't have us sign for it. They made it good for the shipper. Investigator said they only loose a very tiny % of their shipments. what's 005% of a billion or so. LOTS!!! registered actually isn't much more than insured priority cause the PO knows it safer so insurance is less.
 
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