Stacker Guides · Selling
How to Ship Gold and Silver Coins Safely
You can buy $5,000 of Priority Mail insurance for a box of silver and collect $15 if it vanishes, less than four silver dimes. Here is the one USPS service that pays full value, and how to pack the box.
By Joel Perkes · · 6 min read
To ship gold or silver in the US, use USPS Registered Mail and declare the full value. It is the only USPS service that pays full value for bullion, up to $50,000 a package. Ordinary USPS insurance on Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express pays at most $15 for bullion, and UPS won’t accept coins from ordinary shippers at all. Selling to a dealer? Use the dealer’s prepaid, insured label instead.
Shipping a box of coins feels like it should be simple: tape, label, post office. The trap is the insurance. The coverage most people buy at the counter doesn’t cover what is actually inside the box.
Can you ship gold and silver through USPS?
Yes. Gold and silver coins and bars are mailable in the US. The question is what you get back if the package disappears, and that depends on the service:
| Service | Most it pays for bullion |
|---|---|
| Registered Mail, full value declared | Full value, up to $50,000 a package |
| Priority Mail with insurance (up to $5,000) | $15 |
| Priority Mail Express with extra insurance (up to $5,000) | $15 |
| USPS Ground Advantage with insurance | $15 |
| Certified Mail, or no insurance | Nothing |
Coins with collector value are handled differently: USPS values them at fair market value set by a recognized coin dealer (DMM 609.4.1). Whether a claims office treats a Silver Eagle or a Krugerrand as a coin or as bullion is its call, not yours, so don’t ship bullion coins on that bet.
Does USPS insurance cover gold and silver?
Only through Registered Mail. USPS’s claims rules say that, “except for Registered Mail, the maximum indemnity for negotiable items, currency, or bullion is $15.00.” Buying more insurance doesn’t raise that limit. At the October 24, 2026 silver price of $54.05, $15 covers about a quarter of an ounce of silver, and it’s the whole payout on a box that might have held a thousand pre-1965 silver dimes.
Registered Mail is different. You declare the full value at the counter, USPS charges a fee based on that value, and insurance is included up to $50,000. Above $50,000, you still have to declare the full value, but USPS insures only the first $50,000.
How much fits under $50,000?
At the October 24, 2026 prices, $50,000 is about 12.5 troy ounces of gold, or about 925 ounces of silver. The silver is the tricky one. USPS takes packages up to 70 pounds, and 70 pounds of silver is about 1,021 troy ounces, worth roughly $55,000. A full-weight box of silver bars is worth more than Registered Mail will insure. Split a big shipment into two boxes and send them on different days.
How to send gold and silver by Registered Mail
- Use a new, sturdy box. USPS won’t register a padded envelope, and a heavy coin tube will tear through a thin box anyway.
- Seal it with paper tape or glue. USPS requires Registered packages to be sealed with glue or with plain paper or cloth tape, and the tape “must visibly damage the envelope or wrapper if removed.” Plastic packing tape won’t do.
- Declare the full value. USPS requires it. For precious metal, that is the market value or what you paid. Write the amount down along with a spot price and the date.
- Keep the receipt. A claim needs proof of value: a sales receipt, an invoice, a dealer’s statement of value or a card statement.
Can you ship coins with UPS or FedEx?
Not on an ordinary account. UPS’s US terms, effective April 17, 2026, list “coins, cash, currency” among the items it does not accept. The same list includes “any article that contains more than 50 percent by weight of gold or platinum,” such as bullion, bars and scrap. Those terms apply whoever hands over the box, so a claim on coins can be refused.
FedEx limits jewelry to a declared value of $1,000 a package, unless the shipper is enrolled in its Declared Value Advantage program, which goes up to $100,000 for domestic shipments. FedEx doesn’t sell insurance itself; higher values need a third-party insurer.
That is why dealers ship differently. APMEX, for example, sends its sellers a UPS label under its own logistics program, insured up to $60,000 a package. Parcel Pro, a UPS subsidiary, sells insured shipping for precious metals and jewelry to accounts that sign up with it. The rules for those contracts are not the rules at the counter.
Selling to a dealer? Use their label
This is the easy case. Most online dealers that buy gold and silver send a prepaid, insured label once you lock in a price. JM Bullion calls its label “cost-effective and insured” and recommends it over the seller’s own. APMEX supplies all labels and asks sellers to make sure the package is scanned at drop-off, because a claim “may be denied” without that scan.
Before you pack, check three things in the dealer’s instructions: the most the label insures, how the dealer wants the box packed, and where to drop it off. Get a receipt with the scan on it. Our guide to where to sell gold and silver compares what dealers, coin shops and pawn shops pay.
How to pack gold and silver coins
- Photograph everything before it goes in the box, and list each coin or bar. A short video of you sealing the box helps if anything goes missing.
- Nothing loose. Keep coins in their tubes, flips or capsules. Fill tubes so the coins can’t slide, then tape the lids shut.
- Box inside a box for anything heavy. Wrap the inner box and fill every gap so nothing rattles when you shake it. A rattling box sounds like coins to everyone who handles it.
- Keep the outside plain. No dealer logo, no “coins,” “bullion,” “gold” or “silver” on the label or the return address. APMEX’s seller guide says the same.
- Mind the weight. A monster box of 500 silver ounces is about 34 pounds of silver before the packing. Pick a box made for that weight.
Shipping to a private buyer
If you sell online to a person, use Registered Mail or a tracked, signature-required service with insurance that actually covers bullion. Require a signature, ship only to the address on the payment, and keep the tracking number and photos. A buyer who says the box arrived empty is the main risk, and photos plus a signature are your answer.
Outside the US
- United Kingdom: the Post Office says Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed is the only Royal Mail service that covers contents such as cash and jewelry. It covers up to £750 as standard and up to £2,500 for a higher fee. Larger sales usually go by the buyer’s insured courier.
- Canada: Canada Post’s Registered Mail accepts no liability for banknotes, coins, precious metals or gold bullion, and its insurance pays at most C$500 for precious metals on its parcel services. Use a dealer’s insured label or a courier with third-party insurance.
- Australia: Australia Post won’t carry bullion, banknotes or coins in any international service. Within Australia, Extra Cover goes up to A$5,000 for eligible items, so ask whether your coins qualify before you buy it.
- Everywhere else: check the national post’s list of valuables before you send anything. Most treat coins and precious metals as restricted items with low payouts.
Whichever country you’re in, the same rule applies: insurance only counts if it covers what is actually in the box. Ask one question before you pay: “What do you pay if this is bullion?” The answer is the insurance, and it’s better to hear it at the counter than in a claim letter.
Sources
- Registered Mail insurance up to $50,000, full value declared, packaging and padded envelopes: USPS, Domestic Mail Manual 503, Extra Services (sections 2.1, 2.2, 2.3), read November 1, 2026.
- The $15 limit for negotiable items, currency and bullion, and collector coins valued by a dealer: USPS, Domestic Mail Manual 609, Filing Indemnity Claims (sections 3.2, 4.1, 4.2), and USPS, What are the limits for insuring cash and checks?
- Items UPS does not accept: UPS Terms and Conditions of Service (US), effective April 17, 2026, section 3.1.
- FedEx jewelry limits: FedEx, How to ship jewelry, read November 1, 2026.
- Dealer labels: APMEX, Seller shipping instructions and How to ship coins; JM Bullion, How do I ship my sell-to-us order?; UPS Parcel Pro.
- Outside the US: Royal Mail, Special Delivery Guaranteed; Post Office, What can I send?; Canada Post, Registered Mail features and Insurance coverage; Australia Post, Sending valuable items.
- Gold at $3,996.90 and silver at $54.05 an ounce on October 24, 2026: gold-api.com.
Worked out here, for checking: $15 ÷ $54.05 = 0.28 oz of silver; a pre-1965 dime holds $3.91 of silver, so $15 is 3.8 dimes. $50,000 ÷ $3,996.90 = 12.5 oz of gold; $50,000 ÷ $54.05 = 925 oz of silver. 70 lb × 453.59 g ÷ 31.1035 g = 1,020.8 troy oz; × $54.05 = $55,176. 500 troy oz × 31.1035 g = 15.55 kg = 34.3 lb.
Questions people actually ask
What is the safest way to ship gold and silver?
In the US, USPS Registered Mail with the full value declared. It is the only USPS service that pays full value for bullion, up to $50,000 a package. If you are selling to a dealer, use the dealer's prepaid, insured label.
Does USPS insurance cover gold and silver bullion?
Only Registered Mail does. On every other USPS service, the most USPS pays for negotiable items, currency or bullion is $15, even if you bought more insurance.
Can you ship gold coins through USPS?
Yes. Gold coins can be mailed in the US. Send them by Registered Mail and declare the full value, because other USPS insurance pays at most $15 for bullion.
Can you ship coins with UPS?
Not on an ordinary account. UPS's US terms, effective April 17, 2026, list coins, cash and currency, and any article more than 50 percent gold or platinum by weight, among the items it does not accept. Dealers ship by UPS under their own contracts.
How much does USPS Registered Mail insure?
Up to $50,000 a package. You must declare the full value, and above $50,000 USPS still insures only the first $50,000.
How should I pack coins for shipping?
Photograph everything, keep coins in full, taped tubes or holders, use a new sturdy box (a box inside a box for heavy loads), fill every gap so nothing rattles, and keep words like coins, gold or silver off the outside.
Can I use a padded envelope for Registered Mail?
No. USPS will not register a package presented in a padded envelope. Registered packages must be sealed with glue or with plain paper or cloth tape that visibly damages the wrapper if removed.
How much silver can I ship in one Registered Mail box?
About 925 ounces at $54.05 an ounce (October 24, 2026), because Registered Mail insures up to $50,000. A full 70-pound box of silver holds about 1,021 ounces, worth more than that, so split large shipments.
How do I ship gold and silver from Canada or the UK?
In the UK, Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed covers up to £2,500 for a higher fee. In Canada, Canada Post's Registered Mail accepts no liability for coins or precious metals, so use a dealer's insured label or a courier with third-party insurance.
