Just my experience, registered mail is a good option when shipping items worth > $5K which is the limit for Priority Mail. But unless something has changed in the last year or so, the box goes subsurface once shipped and there's no way to track it, check on progress etc. Zero, nada. Also, delivery is exceedingly slow possibly because everyone that handles the box while in the USPS system has to sign for it. And the combo of the two often gets the consignee nervous. I have used it twice for shipping expensive C&R guns. One went from PA to CT and it took about 15 days and the consignee was emailing and then calling me every day, thinking she got cheated. Another C&R gun went to CA and that one took almost 3 weeks and the same thing happened with the consignee. If I ever use Registered Mail again I will make it triple clear to the buyer how it works and get his repeated assurance that's how he wants me to ship. The other option is for the buyer to agree to the $5K limit when using Priority Mail and to take the hit if the item is damaged or lost. So far no one has agreed to that and I wouldn't either if the situation were reversed. Realistically that leaves Registered Mail as the only option if an individual is shipping a gun worth > 5K to a FFL, or even if an "occasional shipper" FFL is shipping such a gun to another FFL. Sure, UPS etc will honor insurance claims by their large shippers like CSMC, etc. - but if anyone thinks the same thing will happen with Mr XYZ who is an individual or small dealer, I really doubt that. And especailly so if the gent shipping it doesn't specifically state it's a firearm when getting the insurance coverage. Often gents will show it's machinery, an antique, etc and that could be a problem if damage/loss is incurred while in transit. Again gents, this is just my take on it.
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