Before I make payment on this Ancestral...

[Tha Gunslinga]

Registered can get lost.  It also isn't tracked after it leaves the US.

[MarkPharaoh]

Just buy a Proof of Mailing from the PO for like 95 cents.

[CrashTest]

Registered is fairly safe, It is probably almost as safe as sending normal mail within the US, if not more. It's kept under lock and key, and depending on the country, they do track the progress of where it goes. (i.e when it is checked into customs, and into the local post office)

[Hi-Val]

I've shopped a lot online.

You're an idiot if you don't insure something worth $500. Seriously, it's less than five bucks to do so.

Registering mail is a good idea for things from like $50-$150 or anything you can lose. Dropping a $500 card in the mail and losing it because you're too stingy to fork $5 out demands that you pay for foolishness.

[Komatteru]

Insurance for international usually requires you to use expensive shipping methods, like EMS.  Registered mail is good for only $40 (plus change, it's a really random number) indemnity.

[Godder]

If you're worried, make it a condition of the auction that cards shipped to international buyers will be insured and sent using some form of shipping that complies with that insurance (if that's by a courier company such as FedEx, so be it), mention customs a lot, and say that the buyer pays for all that.

That said, if Americans selling cards can't be bothered with that, even if it means an extra $50-$100 in their pocket for the extra work, I suppose those who can be bothered will continue to rake in the extra cash.

[CrashTest]

FedEx is pretty good, but more expensive. I sent a Beta Black Lotus via Fedex overnight, and it was around $30 or so - which is not bad for a big card.

        I found registered mail to be the easiest and most convinient option, for me it has been perfect.


   Do the research..the last thing you want is for a $500 card to go missing, and paypal to charge you for it because you can't provide a tracking number.