So far this year, I have read posts from people in Nepal and Brazil talking about how the postal services in these countries are restricting/banning the mailing of coins and currency to other countries. At my local post office, they mention the same restrictions. At first, it was just certain to countries, such as Ukraine. But now, it's a blanket ban on mailing all coins and currencies.
I find this to be a big problem towards swapping.
Is anyone else experiencing this problem and do you have any solutions - with the exception of lying to the clerks?
You don't have to lie to anyone. Package and post from home. I package my swaps, weigh them, affix the correct postage and place them in my mailbox for the mail carrier to pick up. No questions asked, no problems so far.
You still have to complete a customs declaration unless you can keep the swaps small enough for 1st class mail. (letter)
Most folks don't use terms such as "coins" because of theft issues so for those countries who are not clamping down on coins we can simply carry on as before - using non descriptive, yet arguably correct terms. "Numismatic items" being a perfect example.
Silly postal laws should be viewed in the same light as The Pirate Code in Pirates of the Caribbean.... "more of a guideline".
I'm not sure what to make of the situation in Brazil. I guess we'll wait for our Brazilian members to work out the score.
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
Quote: "pnightingale"You still have to complete a customs declaration unless you can keep the swaps small enough for 1st class mail. (letter)
I believe that you're allowed to mail up to 3.5 ounces 1st class internationally without a customs form. I've been able to squeeze in up to 20 coins per swap.
Currently I found myself in one of this situations.
EMS as I needed to send a Registered Mail of 700 grams of coins to Argentina was rejected as the postal guy knows I send coins and its prohibited to send coins to Argentina (apparently) I found the information on their site so its official I guess.
I had to repack and use another postal office, chances it gets returned from Argentina are quite high I guess...
Quote: "Geison"Sending coins from Brazil is doomed until further information.
My world is in ruins.
Do they open your mail? If your coins are individually packed between cardboard they can't feel or hear there are coins in your package. How can they know unless they open your mail?
Quote: "Geison"Sending coins from Brazil is doomed until further information.
My world is in ruins.
Do they open your mail? If your coins are individually packed between cardboard they can't feel or hear there are coins in your package. How can they know unless they open your mail?
There are new rules now, every single mail, even the light ones are being passing through x-ray /scanner and they are opening and sending back to sender, every brazilian user of the site that is used to swap abroad is being affected, we are discussing in another thread (in boring portuguese), but no light in the end of the tunnel so far.
The problem is only sending coins, receiving them still normal.
I am selling my doubles (already sold all foreign ones) and buying lots on ebay. It is not the same as swaping, but...
Here in México still normal tough, it depends who attends you in the mail offices, some workers just ask, another ones ask and try to feel if something is in there (nothing a bubble card can't take rid of) but others are queen to open and see what is inside, i guess just the heaviest mails are x-rayed, there is no real problem in here, and even if the person who attends you in the mail office is kind of heavy , nothing a soda can't fix
Quote: "neilithic"In New Zealand it's 200g you can send without having to declare. You can do a decent swap with 200g.
Actually the weight has dropped to 100 grams back in 2007.
Also coins are expressly forbidden under our rules and you have to tape them individually to card or in the case of bags, tape em up and if the staff ask, say its button or toys.
We have a lot of suspicious (Most pen pushing staff of a certain ancestry who are nit picky as heck). A clue is many have names that have a esh or jit in them.
I love coins. Especially silver, gold and anything really old.
Member of the Royal Numismatic Society of New Zealand and the Auckland Numismatic Society
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