Long shipping delays really sucks the joy out of buying a coin!

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Given that 3 out of the 4 Priority (stiff mailer, whether it be large or small) coin packages showed at least some conveyor belt burn (one major, one extreme), I suspect it's happening at my local post office.  The fourth was bent to stuff it in the mailbox.

Per your coin, It's a good thing that the neighbor was an honest person.

[Bailathacl]

USPS has become more and more a service for online shopping delivery, and it shows.  First class letters take longer, 6-day-per-week delivery does not exist anymore (though they won’t admit that on the record), and even the pricing structure promotes mass shipments of packages.  What’s a poor Priority Mail envelope to do in the face of this trend?

[Heliodromus]

19 minutes ago, Bailathacl said:

What’s a poor Priority Mail envelope to do in the face of this trend?

Yes, and the latest change is the fairly recent introduction of USPS "ground advantage" shipping, which apparently gets lumped together with the priority mail (per postal employees on r/usps_complaints) ... You may as well just avoid priority and tracked services and just cross your fingers.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

The first package was before I knew better.  The coin came within about 5mm of being destroyed.  It only survived because it was so small.  The other maulings have been less.  I think one I didn't have any choice, and the other two were because the dealer sent it priority (when the shipping option said first class). I contacted said dealer, and he went back to bubble mailers and first class, which I've been super happy with.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

I don't know what's going on with European dealers, my last two orders have taken three weeks and two weeks, respectively, to put in the post.

*I wish I could use the built-in GIF feature.  Giphy never comes up with any results.

[Heliodromus]

I used share, then copy GIF link, from GIPHY to post this one (never tried it before).

I imagine this is your coin dealer getting to the post office! 🙂

Edited September 26, 2023 by Heliodromus

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

No matter what I type, giphy always says no results found, when I press the 'gif' button.

I expected the first dealer to take forever, so it wasn't a huge surprise.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

I did it, via a roundabout way.

[Prieure de Sion]

On 9/26/2023 at 5:22 PM, Nerosmyfavorite68 said:

I don't know what's going on with European dealers, my last two orders have taken three weeks and two weeks, respectively, to put in the post.

 

First. If it's possible (and affordable) I wouldn't currently send anything by Deutsche Post, Royal Mail or USPS! Always choose UPS, FedEx, TNT or DHL Express if possible. Of course, if the coin costs only a few dollars, you probably have to use the post for cost reasons. 

But I can tell you that the conditions at Royal Mail and Deutsche Post are currently catastrophic - there is nothing the dealer can do.

 

Second. It may well be that you think the dealer did nothing 2-3 weeks after your order and payment. But that doesn't have to be the case and is also due to Deutsche Post! About 4 weeks ago, I sent a shipment to the USA (via Deutsche Post) for a customer. After 3 weeks, the customer asked me when I would send the coin. I had already sent it - but the Deutsche Post system did not show anything. So I sent an enquiry to Deutsche Post.

But even after 2-3 days, nothing had changed in the system! No entry! And then the customer wrote to me next day - out of nowhere she received the shipment via USPS.

Whenever it can be avoided - I would not take a normal letter as a shipment!

 

PS: By the way, I don't feel any better - even as a buyer. I have been waiting (by post!) for this Gold Solidus since July 2023! The coin has been on the way for almost three months now!

 

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by Prieure de Sion

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

No, in this case, nothing was done for 3 weeks. I emailed the dealer.  It was ordered at the end of August,but only went out a couple of days ago.

To remix and old Ludacris song, "How Slow Can You Go?"   I expected, from the 2022 order (although I received a shipped notice quickly then) for it to take absolutely forever.  The coins from said dealer are nice and a good value, but it takes forever and a day.

I usually avoid Deutsche Post, it wasn't that.  This is from the Netherlands.

Even France is taking longer than normal.  Numiscorner shipped very quickly, according to the email. Their order hasn't been in the too long category, just about a week more than normal, validating the earlier mention in the thread that European mail to U.S. customs is taking more time.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Well, I must say, it arrived very quickly once it was in the post.  This order, although it took 3 weeks to put it in the mail, actually beat out the 2022 order, which took somewhere between 4.5-5 weeks, total.