I know the topic about countries forbidding coin mailing has already been discussed on this forum, but I would like to share my personal experience.
I moved from France to China a few months ago. Unfortunately I couldn't bring my heavy coin collection with me. So today was the first time I wanted to send coins from China.
I just wanted to send Christmas cards with two coins in each, and those were not even current Chinese coins, so they can't reasonably be considered as money. In France, where sending money is also forbidden, that would have made absolutely no problem. Most post office would not even have asked for the content of the mail. But here in Beijing, I tried to post my Christmas cards in two distinct post offices: both wanted to know the content of the mail and both categorically refused to let me send my mails, because of the two coins which went along them. There was no way to send the coins!
I recently collected some spare coins to start swapping from China but, unless someone can suggest me a way to send coins from China, I guess I will not swap as long as I live here. I'm so disappointed!
However, I found a way to send the "numismatic" Christmas cards, thanks to a friend who goes back to France for holidays.
Sounds like other countries I have visited. Its incredibly common NOT to allow the export of money, and remember most officials are not coin collectorsn and don't know the difference between current and out of circulation.
The only option I have found, which lets face it we all have done, is smuggling. But beware, it is illegal and you can get in unpredicatable trouble depending on how you react when and if you get caught.
I remember an incident when a man tried exporting a Kenyan bank note from Kenya. He was caught, and rather than just saying "sorry, didn't know" and handing it over, he tore it up. This is treason in Kenya! He insulted the ruler, and they threw the book at him!
I got caught in Morocco, and just apologised, claimed I had forgotten about it, and handed it to a cleaner at the airport with a smile and was allowed on my way.
Well, what I would do is go on Ebay and find a seller of Chinese coins from China. Pretend to be interested and ask them how they do it. I think I've seen quite a few sellers selling Chinese coins from within China. They can't all have special permission.
Quote: ScottyWell, what I would do is go on Ebay and find a seller of Chinese coins from China. Pretend to be interested and ask them how they do it. I think I've seen quite a few sellers selling Chinese coins from within China. They can't all have special permission.
You're right. Either on eBay or other Chinese websites, you can buy coins from China. That mean there must be a way to send them!
Quote: rferrarimThe souvenirs options is the best in my opinion. Someone in the Customs can be a problem with electronics... Considering my experience in Brazil.
I tried this, bu it didn't work. The post officer insisted to know what exactly was in the mail.
Anyway, an expat living in China myself, it is surprisingly easy for Chinese (or just yellow-skinned like I am) to circumvent to rules. I myself bring hundreds of coins in and out when I moved to China, and also when I bring some back to Singapore.
It may help, but the 'rule' to breaking the law in China is to just blatantly lie. Saw it's a game token from an amusement park or something. Most of the time the officials don't really care, and won't go into it if you just give them a lie.
Funny story too. When I was taking my driving license here, they asked if I had a phone on me. My driving guy told me to keep it on me so he can beep me instructions in the very worst case, so I told the police no. They looked at my bulging pocket, raised and eyebrow but just let me through.
One thing to remember about Chinese postage though, it is VERY unreliable. Out of the 7 letters/documents I sent, only 3 arrived. I bought 4 things from Ebay, books, coins and cufflinks, but none of them ever arrived. I'm not sure if it's theft or just chaotic postage, but don't send/order expensive stuff to China.
Thank you for your advice. I already saw some Chinese people lying blatantly, which seemed very strange to my French eyes. I should try.
Thank you also for your advice about postage liability. Now I understand why most dealers on Internet deliver themselves (btw, this is very convenient).
However, I wonder how I should proceed to swap coins from China. Did you already tried UPS or DHL?
UPS and/or DHL is almost 100% safe. But they are slightly pricier (I am only a student after all) and they also take border taxes and restrictions much more seriously.
Same advice I'll give for unwanted pregnancy: abstinence. Best chance you have is to hoard up, sneak them out through your luggage when you're on vacation (day trip to Hong Kong?) and mail them all out there. Thing is, the risk is more with incoming mail than outgoing ones... so good luck with that.
Not a single swap since I moved here 4 years ago.
Living in Shanghai by the way, much easier to get things going.
Funny, because sending modern and commemorative coins out of your country is a service to the respective country's Tourism Industry. It helps promote what a certain culture is most proud of, informs others of their history and just put's forth something positive. How much do France and China spend on Tourism advertising? People are trying to send these items, with no charge to the respective government. Shame to be this restrictive and this petty. I can understand not allowing valuable historic pieces to leave, but modern coins?
When it comes to China, how do they even know whether what is being sent is real or fake? Can they even tell anymore?
Quote: La RondelleFor once that Chinese cannot export, we are not going to pity!!
Wrong, they are protecting their fakes, by not allowing any authentic coins to slip through their borders. This eliminates many Chinese authentic vs. Chinese fake coin comparisons in the rest of the world. The fakes are probably safely shipped out into the world, as official government cargo.
you must have been back to France years ago, I had the same problem when I start to use this website 2 months ago, I wrote my solutions in the reply of this topic: https://en.numista.com/forum/topic77637.html
Recently I prefer to send parcel via logistic proxies, there are hundruds of such proxy companies in Shenzhen, China Post and some foreign postal services have cooperation with them. Parcels from proxies wont be inspected that much like in post office, only necessary security check
Quote: "aephi"there are hundrunds of such proxy companies in Shenzhen (some of them are listed in 17Track), China Post and some foreign postal services have cooperation with them. Parcels from proxies wont be inspected that much like in post office, only necessary security check
I agree...a lot of seller from eBay/AliExpress are using these proxies. I guess it's a cheap alternative since most of my purchase were of free shipping and some of them were tracked.
Quote
I agree...a lot of seller from eBay/AliExpress are using these proxies. I guess it's a cheap alternative since most of my purchase were of free shipping and some of them were tracked.
the proxies prepare everything for postal services including weighting, saves resource
proxies are just proxies, tracking is depend on which postal service the ebay seller had chosen
I recently moved from USA to China because my wife is chinese. I have a lot of silver coins. Most of them were sent to my sister in Florida. 200 ounces were packed into a crate with other stuff and shipped to China because I didn't have room to put them anywhere else. Chinese customs opened that crate and went through all of the stuff (they leave a polite note). They opened up the containers with the silver coins and went through those. Some coins were lying loose in the bottom of the crate. The crate and all of the coins showed up at my chinese residence 15 days after shipping. Curiously, they sent one crate back to the USA because of books. No Harry Potter books!
