Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
If a collector in a foreign country claims that he sent you an envelope via Registered Mail, and you have no knowledge of what he's talking about - Doesn't Registered Mail have to be signed for? If it's not signed for because the recipient is out of town for an extended period of time, or is in the hospital for an extended period of time, does the envelope get returned to the sender? Thank you.
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Registered mail can mean both: first of all it is a way for the sender to be sure a letter is delivered: he or she will be notified when that is done. The sender can choose whether he wants another safeguard, that is a signature for receipt. At least that's how it is over here in the Netherlands: registered mail or registered mail with signature.
I believe that the sender can also specify whether or not a letter or package needs to be returned if undeliverable.
Of course I have no doubt this will be different for every country.
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Some of the Postal systems dropped the requirement of the recipient to sign for mail during this covid pandemic and accepted the postmans' signature as proof of delivery.
Undelivered mail should go back to the delivery office and held for collection up to 10 days and then returned to sender (Which can take up to one year)
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Bob, was this something you ordered/purchased or an extra from someone from whom you have previously purchased items?
What was the sellers country? Could make it easier to give a more correct answer.
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Hi Vic! This was from a collector who has sent me Items in the past, and I have sent him Items in the past. He used to be identified as being in Ukraine, but this changed to Russia a few years ago. I don't want to paint a negative picture, but he's easy to remember by asking for never circulated $5 and $10 bank notes.
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During Covid (since Mar 2020), I have gotten a number of registered letters from outside of the U.S. All were delivered without my signing for them. I am not sure whether this will be an ongoing policy of the U.S. Post or not. I read in a post on another board that a signature is never required for registered letter from outside U.S. I don't know how to validate that statement though.
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"I read in a post on another board that a signature is never required for registered letter from outside U.S. I don't know how to validate that statement though."
I can confirm this through the experiences of a stamp friend of mine who often received registered mail from Western Europe. It must've been at least 5 years ago, probably longer, when he learned that registered mail from overseas was no longer being treated as registered mail once it entered the US. Instead, it just entered the regular mailstream, with no special custody by the USPS. Although I think some carriers still tried to get a signature at delivery, a number of them did not.
And once Covid hit here, the USPS waived a signature requirement for, I think, everything. I don't know if this is being restored again as things become more regularized again.
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To me, you guys are missing the most important aspect: TRACKING!
Ask the sender to provide you with the tracking number for the mailing. If he truly sent it by Registered Mail, he was provided with a tracking number. That will allow you to determine whether it ever got to the US and where it is now.
Typically, these will be published by eBay, so that you can monitor the progress independent of the seller. The reciprocity between countries on this is not complete, however.
I am not bashful about requesting "proof of mailing" from senders, regardless of whether they've obtained a tracking number for the shipment. It's usually fruitless, but it does serve to put them 'on notice'. I usually get vague, evasive responses to this request, and that causes me to write them off as viable sellers.
-Paul
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I have a situation that I find troubling, but I refuse to spend a lot of time worrying about it.
If a collector in a foreign country claims that he sent you an envelope via Registered Mail, and you have no knowledge of what he's talking about - Doesn't Registered Mail have to be signed for? If it's not signed for because the recipient is out of town for an extended period of time, or is in the hospital for an extended period of time, does the envelope get returned to the sender? Thank you.
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re: Registered Mail
Registered mail can mean both: first of all it is a way for the sender to be sure a letter is delivered: he or she will be notified when that is done. The sender can choose whether he wants another safeguard, that is a signature for receipt. At least that's how it is over here in the Netherlands: registered mail or registered mail with signature.
I believe that the sender can also specify whether or not a letter or package needs to be returned if undeliverable.
Of course I have no doubt this will be different for every country.
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09:47:16am
Auctions - Approvals
re: Registered Mail
Some of the Postal systems dropped the requirement of the recipient to sign for mail during this covid pandemic and accepted the postmans' signature as proof of delivery.
Undelivered mail should go back to the delivery office and held for collection up to 10 days and then returned to sender (Which can take up to one year)
Login to Like
this post
Approvals
re: Registered Mail
Bob, was this something you ordered/purchased or an extra from someone from whom you have previously purchased items?
What was the sellers country? Could make it easier to give a more correct answer.
Login to Like
this post
Approvals
re: Registered Mail
Hi Vic! This was from a collector who has sent me Items in the past, and I have sent him Items in the past. He used to be identified as being in Ukraine, but this changed to Russia a few years ago. I don't want to paint a negative picture, but he's easy to remember by asking for never circulated $5 and $10 bank notes.
Login to Like
this post
re: Registered Mail
During Covid (since Mar 2020), I have gotten a number of registered letters from outside of the U.S. All were delivered without my signing for them. I am not sure whether this will be an ongoing policy of the U.S. Post or not. I read in a post on another board that a signature is never required for registered letter from outside U.S. I don't know how to validate that statement though.
Login to Like
this post
re: Registered Mail
"I read in a post on another board that a signature is never required for registered letter from outside U.S. I don't know how to validate that statement though."
I can confirm this through the experiences of a stamp friend of mine who often received registered mail from Western Europe. It must've been at least 5 years ago, probably longer, when he learned that registered mail from overseas was no longer being treated as registered mail once it entered the US. Instead, it just entered the regular mailstream, with no special custody by the USPS. Although I think some carriers still tried to get a signature at delivery, a number of them did not.
And once Covid hit here, the USPS waived a signature requirement for, I think, everything. I don't know if this is being restored again as things become more regularized again.
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03:29:59pm
re: Registered Mail
To me, you guys are missing the most important aspect: TRACKING!
Ask the sender to provide you with the tracking number for the mailing. If he truly sent it by Registered Mail, he was provided with a tracking number. That will allow you to determine whether it ever got to the US and where it is now.
Typically, these will be published by eBay, so that you can monitor the progress independent of the seller. The reciprocity between countries on this is not complete, however.
I am not bashful about requesting "proof of mailing" from senders, regardless of whether they've obtained a tracking number for the shipment. It's usually fruitless, but it does serve to put them 'on notice'. I usually get vague, evasive responses to this request, and that causes me to write them off as viable sellers.
-Paul
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this post