lsst
|
posted on December 1, 2000 09:32:05 PM new
About 2 weeks ago, I posted a question concerning international money orders.
I learned it would take 4-6 weeks to get one sent to England.
I contacted my seller and asked what most of his US buyers do. He replied they usually send cash via registered mail.
I went to my P.O. and inquired about the international M.O. and yes it takes 4-6 weeks.
I sent the money $90 USD to England registered mail.
The postal clerk handed me the customs form and insisted I must state letter PLUS cash and declare a value.
I hesitated and stated what if someone reads the custom form stating cash and steals the cash?
He said letters to England usually arrive safe.
Well, it has now been 12 days and the seller has not received the payment. I feel so stupid for putting cash on the customs form and think it may have been stolen.
How does the P.O. trace the registered letter?
I e-mailed the seller with a scan of the receipt with the postmark so he will not think I am putting him off.
I do not want to send cash again but am not sure how to get the money to him. I asked him to give it more time for the payment to arrive.
Sorry for the run-on sentences but I am soooooooooo frustrated! Lauren
[ edited by lsst on Dec 1, 2000 09:34 PM ]
[ edited by lsst on Dec 1, 2000 09:35 PM ]
|
avaloncourt
|
posted on December 1, 2000 10:04:27 PM new
A registered letter is the highest security the postal service can offer. The article sent remains under lock at all levels of the transit and there is a written record whenever it is removed from one location and put in another. Every person who touches the envelope must sign for it. The postal service is required to use a cancellation stamp on every seam and seal of the envelope to show mismatch if the envelope had been tampered with.
I'm not sure what the appropriate waiting period is for international registered pieces. Whenever that period expires go to your post office and report it. The postal inspectors will be alerted to the missing piece and begin an investigation. They consider registered pieces very high on their list of priorities because it is frequently used for high value items. It seems to me that I think you're supposed to alert the post office if a domestic piece hasn't made it in 2 weeks. No clue on international though. You're at the mercy of the English postal system to get it there in their own time.
|
triplesnack
|
posted on December 1, 2000 10:20:22 PM new
lsst Don't kick yourself just yet! Registered mail travels slower than regular mail.
I'm in the US, and I sent a cash payment ($175) via registered mail to a seller in England on November 9. The seller emailed me on November 22 to let me know that it had arrived that day. That's a little longer than it normally takes but I guess delivery is just slow right now.
|
frosty123
|
posted on December 1, 2000 11:01:46 PM new
I'm a window clerk, and I can't understand why your PO clerk would have you put a custom form on a letter? It's not required. And furthermore, I would never tell a customer to write "cash" on a custom. I'm not telling you that to get yourself worried. Registered mail is slow, and that's because it's the safest way to send something of value. If you declared the value on your registered form, then the postal service will reimburse that amount. 
|
lsst
|
posted on December 1, 2000 11:06:31 PM new
The postal clerk mentioned it would be traced until it left the country. After that, I am at the mercy of England's postal system.
Is it standard to declare cash on the customs form? I know it is against the law to not declare what is actually in the letter.
The seller thinks it should have been there in 5 days. The postal clerk said 7-10. We did have the Thanksgiving holiday so that may have slowed things.Thanks for the comments. It helps me to put things in perspective. Lauren
|
lsst
|
posted on December 1, 2000 11:16:17 PM new
Frosty123, The clerk stated that since it was registered and cash, I had to fill out the form. I tried every way around it.I explained it was just a letter with a payment. I put the money and letter in a 4x6 lined envelope. It did make it look like a small packet.
This is probably why. I did not want the money to show through the envelope.
He also told me if it were lost, it was only insured to $45. I could pay extra for more coverage but it was so much higher, I passed on it. I do wonder if he gave me accurate info. Lauren
[ edited by lsst on Dec 1, 2000 11:18 PM ]
[ edited by lsst on Dec 1, 2000 11:19 PM ]
|
jozi
|
posted on December 2, 2000 03:04:24 AM new
I actually just had a great experience with an international purchase. I mailed an international money order in British pounds from Canada to Scotland on November 11. On November 29, I received my package. I hadn't asked for any special handling or anything and was amazed at how quickly it arrived!
I'm with you! I would be worried about the fact that the word CASH was on the form. But take it on the advice of the smart folks here, it may actually still be too soon to fret.
Hope it works out for you! I know that amount of money being lost really stings.
Jozi
|
Brooklynguy-07
|
posted on December 2, 2000 06:59:15 AM new
I've sent and received numerous international money orders to and from England and delivery has ALWAYS been in less than 2 weeks, so I don't know where the 4-6 weeks delivery time comes from. I have also sent and received numerous cash payments to and from England via registered mail and have never been asked to fill out a customs form for a letter and have never been asked what the contents were. No possible way I would have listed "cash" on a customs form for everyone to see. Since you were obviously uncomfortable you should have asked for a supervisor to make sure you were being given the proper information.
|
mark090
|
posted on December 2, 2000 08:23:02 AM new
If I were a postal worker and I wanted to get cash from envelopes, I would ask the customer to clearly mark it so I could find it later...
|
sissyclarke
|
posted on December 2, 2000 09:47:19 AM new
http://home.stny.rr.com/riverow/ebay/fistball01.gif
|
sissyclarke
|
posted on December 2, 2000 09:48:34 AM new
[http://home.stny.rr.com/riverow/ebay/fistball01.gif]
|
lsst
|
posted on December 2, 2000 10:24:43 AM new
Well, I went to the post office to find out what the situation is and see if the registered letter can be traced.
WHAT A WASTE OF TIME!!!!!!!!
The clerk I dealt with when I mailed the letter was off today.
The clerk I spoke with today stated I had to wait 60 days to start a trace!She then began to recite postal regulations.
She stated all registered letters sent out of the country must have a customs form.
She was quite snippy and told me that it did not matter if I had cash on the customs form or not, It might get stolen anyway once it left the US!!!!!!! What a crock!!!!!
She said I should have sent it express priority and it would be there by now!
I kept on and on and she started repeating I'm sorry you feel that way. After the fourth time of hearing that comment, I realized I was getting no where.
Lauren
[ edited by lsst on Dec 2, 2000 10:25 AM ]
|
