I don’t know when the US MINT switched over to using USPS for high dollar amount orders, but the most recent 4 piece sets that we bought were shipped out using USPS instead of UPS. This is a big issue because USPS just isn’t reliable as UPS. And what’s worse is that they used to upgrade large orders to UPS, but now even a $7K order is using USPS.
A few examples of late:
- USPS marked a 7K order as “delivered,” but the package was never delivered at the house. He eventually found the box the next day outside his apt complex, all ripped apart with coins missing. Going to be a nightmare to resolve.
- A second story of a 4pc missing box even though it was marked as “delivered.”
- I’ve heard 2 stories now where the customer received an empty box from the MINT and when they disputed the charge and won, eventually the MINT sent them to collections (no idea what the end result was.) This issue isn’t related to the USPS/UPS cutover though. I’ve heard the MINT does xray all outbound packages so they can research some of these issues, but you’ll never be able to get a copy of the scan.
- A reader bought multiple different coins on the same order and only 1 of the 3 coins was inside the box (he thought it was odd that the box was light (just 6 oz for 3 coins,) so I had him open it to check. We’re hoping that the other 2 coins are coming in different boxes but as of me typing this, we’re not sure. The shipment email does show the same tracking number for all 3 coins which is odd.
- Another reader who also bought multiple coins in same order received a mystery 2nd box which he never got a tracking number for and eventually learned that it was a 2nd shipment for the other coins in the same order. Hopefully this data point will help the reader in #4.
- Oh I almost forgot a reader who bought the 3 silver coins last month. The package was so beat up that even the USPS put a sticker on it saying “Ooops sorry.” The boxes inside were a bit beat up too and the reader wound up selling the coins themselves.
What have we learned here? THAT THIS ISN’T A RISK FREE VENTURE! I’d say these issues are happening to around ~1% of orders. I think a lot can be mitigated by paying for EXPEDITED SHIPPING (I think only one person had a delivery issue with the 4pc sets back in March but we think it was due to theft.) I’ve spoken to my buyers about this and we may have you guys pick the EXPEDITED shipping (still UPS) for larger orders.
I think for the low cost silver coins (aka smaller dollar amounts,) I’ll stick to budget shipping myself, but for any GOLD coin or a larger sized order (>=$1000), I’ll do expedited just because it’s so hard to fight the US MINT with chargebacks/collections. The extra $15 is worth it for piece of mind, but that’s your call.
I wanted to make this post to be transparent about the risk with these deals. I’m not sure what other buying groups are going to do about this USPS budget shipping stuff, but I’ll try to make clear what the payouts will be depending on which shipping service you use in the future.
Thanks Vinh. The US mint customer service is the worse. Very difficult to deal with. Seems like the front line CSRs are not empowered to do anything and as a result simply don’t care
I think the idea of putting a temporary hold on your mail is a good one…however, there are recent reports of purchasers never getting a shipping notice nor a tracking number from the Mint and they just open their house door to find the package from the Mint, lying out on the doorstep. They log into their Mint account and the status is given as “processing” – how do you mitigate this risk? Would really like to know…
This has just started happening in the past week. I think most of it is due to partial shipments (where if someone bought 3 coins, but 2 of them were shipped and 1 was backordered.) Once the backorder ships, it’s the mystery box and their system doesn’t quite know how to display that online.
Do you think it would be wise to select a different shipping option at checkout? – would signature required maybe make a difference? of course, the additional expense would factor in to the whole equation…ugh.
BTW: I purchased the gold coins a couple of weeks back with UPS 2-day delivery with signature required, but the UPS man left the package without requiring a signature.
So, basically – you never know
I placed an order on August 03 for the Morgan coins that’s back ordered until October, but inadvertently put it on a credit card that expires end of this month. I Online chatted with the US Mint, the customer service Rep told me she can’t change to another payment of method, even though the coins are on back order and the order hasn’t been processed. I assume when US MINT starts to ship it out in October and post the charge to the credit card, my card will be declined therefore the order be cancelled? Anyone had similar experience? Anyway to salvage this order? Thanks in advance for your input!
In the future you can use PayPal key.
That allows you to switch the attached credit card as the funding source at any given time.
Thanks for the suggestion, Myi ! This is new to me, I will look into PayPal Key.
Obviously this is where the coin won’t actually ship untill a later date and you want to use a new cc you opened, or the exp date is set to expire on one card and etc. Gives you the flexibility as it’s a virtual credit card number attached to a funding source from another card.
Good luck!
Thanks again for the insight!
For some ‘subscription’ charges they manage to bill a CC even after it has been replaced with a different one with a new number, but
a) I guess this depends on the biller (someone like DirectTV might work)
b)
For your particular case I am hoping you can call the Mint after they start shipping (around 14 October) ?
Thanks, will try to call the Mint in October.
So it looks like we might need to start opening these and verify the contents before sending them on to the buyer?
That is NOT the takeaway
Just noted that you had someone open the box to verify. So only open if you have some reason to think the box doesn’t contain what you ordered?
Correct. He had contacted me before opening saying the weight seemed light for 3 coins, so I gave him an exception and let him open it. So if things seem off with the box, lmk and we’ll go from there.
Thanks again for the insight!
At this point, you might as well make a Mint/coin category for your blog. You probably have as many Mint deals posts as shutdown posts.
Thanks for heads up, Vinh.
I will see if I can change shipping on coins already purchased weeks/months ago that are due to be shipped in October.
Have any of these people completed the CERTIFICATE OF NON-RECEIPT form? I would personally try that before a chargeback..
I filed a certificate of non-receipt form back in late August for a four coin gold set that never arrived. I received an empty box in the mail. US Mint denied my claim and I’m now disputing the charge with my credit card company. I expect US Mint will send me to collections. Infuriating.
They just stuck a $7k gold coin in my mailbox like it was nothing important.
I mean to be fair to your mailman, they don’t know what’s in there. That’s on the MINT for not even trying to require sig.
When ordering the Morgans today, I noticed they added a charge for the Signature Required option. It shows now “Budget Shipping $4.95 (1-2 Weeks)” and “Budget Shipping – Signature Required $8.90 (1-2 Weeks).” And the $3.95 fee applies for all shipping options from Standard to Next Day
Wish I have seen that option! Did you opt to have the signature required shipping?
I didn’t, but I think I will given the post. I haven’t had any issues yet *knock on wood* but it would be pretty awful if I had spent a few thousand dollars on a future set and it got damaged or stolen en route. Maybe future lock-ins will cover for the option.
FYI, I selected the option with sig required for 2 of my 3 orders from the July 29th coins, and USPS delivered both of them without even attempting to get my signature (they just left them on the stairs inside the entrance to my building at the same time they were dropping off our regular mail).
Covid protocol lets carriers waive the signature requirements at their discretion, but better that you paid for it, in case of an issue, they won’t have one on file to prove you received it.
Have you seen an issue with US Mint sending tracking numbers, but then not actually physically delivering to USPS for about a week?
I get notified that it ships from US Mint, the USPS shows the tracking number, but it says information received, package not yet received – and then about a week later, USPS shows that it arrived in the origin facility.
Even though the US Mint says they ship first in, first out, I have had orders placed later ship before earlier orders.
Yes that’s happening a lot these days too.
Have your mailed held for pickup when you get tracking info.
A similar thing happened to me last Nov. with the End of World War II 75th Anniversary American Eagle Silver Proof Coin.
I got tracking info and tracked it to the Post office – expected it that day as USPS informed delivery daily email showed it was with Post man and to be delivered that day.
I was in the shower when the post man came. (We used to have the same post man for years but he retired now it’s different people everyday.)
I digress.
The delivery was never delivered (but it was also not scanned by the post man as delivered).
I watched for a few days after the weekend, I stopped the post woman and she gave me a biz card and said call the PO (never had luck in the past calling – or in person ) but it was delivered two days later (one week after it arrived at PO but was supposed to be with a delivery person).
It was just a small dollar amount – I tried to score the gold (was thankful that it was only the cheap silver coin).
Haven’t done another coin deal since. Timing hasn’t worked out on day/time when I wasn’t available. Plus slightly gun shy before reading this blog post.
BUT next time, I score a deal over $1K+ I’m going to have my mail held (vacation hold and pickup in person) as soon as I get the tracking info.
That way if a package seems light I can have it weighed for postage at PO and they can print a receipt (of the estimated postage), if package is damaged, missing etc. I can deal with the local Post Master and get a receipt of non-delivery when it show it arrived at Post office.
That seems like a thorough way to handle this issue going forward, thanks for the comment!
I understand having it weighed for your records if it is damaged or seems light, but what do you mean to accomplish by getting the estimated postage amount, and do you mean the estimate from them to you? Let’s say you have an estimated postage amount, that has nothing to do with the charges that the mint put on you. They charge certain rates, but it doesn’t really vary based on exact weight as far as I can tell. i.e. $4.95 is standard for 4 coin sets, and the same for 1 to 3 coin sets in my (limited) experience.
Next up, let’s say it is damaged. How would you qualify for a non-delivery receipt without opening it right then and there? Sounds like that would be necessary. Then if everything is there, maybe the buyer or club could back out. You may have to resell yourself. I would suggest you record video/audio on your phone as everything happens too.