Shipping Gold and Silver: Insurance, Carriers, and What Happens If a Package Disappears

Most people who buy gold or silver online never think about the trip. The dealer packs it, a box shows up, done. The trip starts to matter when you're the one shipping. You might be selling back to a dealer across the country, sending coins for grading, or moving metal between homes. That's when you find out the three big carriers have very different rules for precious metals, and that the wrong label can turn a $20,000 package into a $15 claim.

Here's how it actually works, based on the carriers' own published rules as of October 2026.

The short version

• USPS Registered Mail is the only one of the standard consumer options built for this. Postal insurance is included up to $50,000, and the item moves through a controlled, signed-for handling system.
• Ordinary USPS insurance (Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, Ground Advantage) can be bought up to $5,000. But the USPS indemnity rules cap claims for bullion at $15, except for Registered Mail.
• UPS lists coins, and articles that are more than 50% gold or platinum by weight in raw form (bullion, bars, scrap), as items it does not accept under its standard U.S. terms.
• FedEx caps declared value at $1,000 for packages containing precious metals (including gold and silver bullion) and collectible coins under its U.S. terms.
• Dealers ship large amounts through commercial high-value programs with their own insurance. That's why a dealer will usually send you a prepaid insured label when you sell, rather than letting you pick a carrier.

USPS: Registered Mail and the $15 trap

The rules live in the USPS Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), which is the binding document. The USPS's consumer FAQ explains them in plainer language.

Registered Mail

USPS calls Registered Mail its most secure service: items are held in safes, cages, sealed containers, and locked equipment, and delivery requires a signature. Under DMM 503.2, postal insurance is included in the Registered Mail fee for items valued up to $50,000. You can register something worth more, but the most you can recover is $50,000. Registered Mail can be added to Priority Mail, First-Class Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage. It isn't available with Priority Mail Express.

Points that trip people up:

• You must declare the full value. The DMM requires the mailer to declare the item's full value when registering it. Under-declaring to save on fees can limit what you recover.
• It's slow. Registered items are handled manually and logged at each step, and USPS says outright that Registered Mail isn't recommended when speed matters. Plan on extra days.
• Tracking is limited. People often assume Registered Mail has better tracking than Priority Mail. It doesn't. The USPS FAQ says Registered Mail generally can't be tracked through the mailstream the way other packages can. You'll see acceptance and delivery or attempted delivery. The internal receipt trail that documents custody exists, but USPS says it's accessed through the claims process.
• Packing and sealing rules apply. The DMM requires registered items to be packed adequately. Tape on registered articles must be the kind that visibly damages the wrapper if someone removes it and that absorbs postmark ink. Ordinary clear plastic packing tape generally doesn't qualify. Ask at the counter which tape they'll accept before you seal the box.

The $15 rule for everything else

This is the rule most likely to cost you money. Under the indemnity claims rules in DMM 609.4, the maximum indemnity for negotiable items, currency, or bullion is $15, except for Registered Mail. The same $15 cap is spelled out for Priority Mail Express.

Priority Mail and Ground Advantage include $100 of insurance, Priority Mail Express includes $100, and extra insurance can be bought on each up to $5,000. But those insured limits don't override the bullion cap. If you send a tube of silver bars by insured Priority Mail and it disappears, the claims rules say your recovery for bullion is $15. That's the trap.

Collectible coins are handled a bit differently. The claims rules value stamps and coins of numismatic value at fair market value, as set by a recognized dealer or current trade publications. Whether a given bullion coin counts as “bullion” or as a numismatic coin for a claim isn't something you want to argue about after a loss. For anything of real value, use Registered Mail.

Filing a claim

Under DMM 609, you can file a claim for a Registered or insured item no sooner than 15 days and no later than 60 days after mailing. For Priority Mail Express, the window is 7 to 60 days. You'll need proof of value, such as a sales receipt, invoice, or other record showing what the item was and what it cost. Claims can also be denied for inadequate packaging. Keep your receipts and pack properly.

UPS: bullion and coins are on the “not accepted” list

UPS's 2026 Tariff/Terms and Conditions of Service for the United States (effective April 2026) lists “articles of unusual value” that UPS doesn't accept and shippers are prohibited from sending. That list includes:

• Coins, cash, currency, and negotiable instruments.
• Any article that contains more than 50% gold or platinum by weight, or a combination of the two, in raw form, including bullion, bars, or scrap.
• Any package with an actual value above $50,000 (or $70,000 under UPS's Enhanced Maximum Declared Value provisions).

If a prohibited item is found in its system, the terms let UPS return it at the shipper's risk and expense, dispose of it, or charge an extra fee. The shipper also agrees to indemnify UPS. In practice, an individual who ships a gold bar through a UPS Store counter is shipping something the terms say UPS doesn't accept, and shouldn't expect a declared-value claim to be paid.

Silver bullion isn't named in that UPS list the way gold and platinum are. Coins are, whatever their metal. Don't read that as permission to ship silver bars with UPS on your own declared value without checking the current terms and any applicable claims exclusions first.

FedEx: a $1,000 ceiling

FedEx's U.S. terms take a different approach. Rather than an outright ban, the FedEx Express U.S. terms in the Service Guide limit any shipment containing “items of extraordinary value” to a maximum declared value of $1,000. That category explicitly includes “precious metals, including, but not limited to, gold and silver bullion,” and “collector's items such as coins.” FedEx's high-value jewelry program page also notes that coins and gold bars are excluded from that program.

So you can hand FedEx a box of silver Eagles, but the most you could declare, and the most FedEx would be liable for, is $1,000. Also note that FedEx describes declared value as a limit on its liability, not insurance. The terms language we cite comes from FedEx's published U.S. Express terms. FedEx republishes its Service Guide every year, so check the current edition before you rely on any specific number.

How dealers actually ship: commercial insurance

If carriers restrict bullion this much, how do online dealers ship thousands of packages a week? Mostly through commercial arrangements individuals don't get: carrier contracts, specialty high-value shipping programs, and their own cargo or “shipping” insurance policies that cover the metal in transit regardless of the carrier's liability cap.

One example is UPS's subsidiary Parcel Pro, an account-based insured shipping service for businesses that ship jewelry, watches, and precious metals, with coverage that UPS advertises up to $200,000 per shipment. Other dealers use private insurers or Registered Mail combined with their own policies. The details vary by dealer and usually aren't public.

That's why, when you sell to a dealer by mail, use their prepaid, insured label if they offer one. It means the dealer's policy, not your homeowner's policy or the carrier's $15 or $1,000 cap, is what stands behind the package. Before you ship, ask the dealer in writing:

• Is the package insured from the moment I hand it off, and for how much?
• What do you need from me if it's lost (photos, video, weight)?
• When does it become your loss rather than mine?

Our guide to dealer buyback programs covers what else to ask before you sell.

Who bears the loss in transit?

The answer depends mostly on the contract.

The general background rule for sales of goods in most U.S. states is UCC § 2-509. If a seller only has to hand goods to a carrier (a “shipment” contract), the risk of loss passes to the buyer when the goods are delivered to the carrier. If the seller has to deliver to a particular destination, risk passes when the goods are tendered there. That section also says the parties can agree otherwise, and dealers almost always do.

In practice:

• When you buy, many online dealers state in their terms that they insure the package until it's delivered. Read the shipping and risk-of-loss section of the dealer's terms before you order, and note whether the dealer requires a signature and what they require if a package is reported missing.
• When you sell, the dealer's terms decide when the metal becomes theirs. Some insure from pickup under their label. Some don't take responsibility until the package is received and opened. That difference is the whole ballgame if a box goes missing.

This is general information, not legal advice. If a large shipment is lost, the dealer's written terms and your documentation will decide the outcome, so get both before you ship.

Packing and documentation

The goal is to make the package unremarkable, and to be able to prove what was in it and what it weighed.

• Photograph and video the packing. Show each item, serial numbers where they exist, and the box being sealed, in one continuous clip if you can.
• Weigh the sealed box and record it. Make sure the acceptance receipt shows the weight. A box that's suddenly much lighter at delivery is strong evidence.
• Use plain, sturdy, snug packaging. No movement inside. Coin tubes rattle. Fill the space.
• Don't advertise the contents. No “gold,” “silver,” “bullion,” “coins,” or dealer names on the outside or in the return address. Use a plain address block.
• Don't use the carrier's free branded boxes for bullion if a plain box will do. You don't want it to stand out.
• Get a receipt at the counter. Don't drop high-value packages in a box or leave them for pickup at your door.
• Keep everything (receipts, photos, invoices) until the shipment is confirmed received and paid for.

International: usually don't

Shipping bullion across borders by mail is generally impractical. The USPS International Mail Manual's valuable articles rules (IMM 134) treat coins, currency, and gold, silver, and platinum as valuable articles that many destination countries prohibit or restrict. They can't go by Priority Mail Express International. You'd also have customs declarations, possible import duties or VAT, and destination-country rules to sort out. Check the destination's Individual Country Listing in the IMM first. For any meaningful amount, a dealer with international vaulting or a specialist secure-logistics firm is usually the realistic route.

A pre-shipping checklist

1. Decide who's insuring it. Dealer label, Registered Mail, or a commercial policy. Not an ordinary insured Priority Mail label for bullion.
2. Confirm the carrier accepts it. UPS's U.S. terms don't accept coins or gold bullion. FedEx's cap is $1,000 for precious metals and coins.
3. If you use Registered Mail, declare full value, use acceptable tape, and allow extra transit days.
4. Get the dealer's risk-of-loss terms in writing before you seal the box.
5. Document everything. Photos, video, sealed weight, serial numbers, and the acceptance receipt.
6. Package discreetly. No metal words, no dealer names on the outside.
7. Hand it to a clerk, not a drop box.
8. Know your claim window. USPS Registered and insured claims open at 15 days and close at 60.

If you'd rather avoid shipping altogether, selling locally is the simplest fix. We compare the trade-offs in online vs. local coin dealers. And if the metal is moving because you're rethinking storage, see where to store gold: home, bank, or depository.

Browse our dealer directory to compare pricing across dealers in your area.