How do I mail a bunch of money?

December 11, 2010 2:36 PM

What is the safest way to assure that a check for $25,000 arrives at its destination safely?

I'm mailing a check from my home to a business, both within the United States but in different states. I'd like to avoid paying over $30 to ship it, but am willing to do so if it means it arrives safely. Time is not of the essence, it doesn't need to get there fast. It just need to get there. What are my best options among the shippers? This information is notoriously hard to navigate on the 'net. (Grrr.)

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (19 answers total)

Do a wire transfer. My bank allows you do to one for a fee, usually around $30.
posted by Verdandi at 3:00 PM on December 11, 2010

I would do an online transfer from your bank to their bank. This way everything can be tracked electronically. It shouldn't cost you much either. It's a reliable way to safely send and receive money.
posted by ljs30 at 3:10 PM on December 11, 2010

This earlier post suggests persuasively using USPS registered mail.
posted by GPF at 3:11 PM on December 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

Heh, I mean the previous answer persuades me that using registered mail is a good idea. Not that is suggests you use registered mail -- BUT ONLY if you use it persuasively.
posted by GPF at 3:13 PM on December 11, 2010

My work regularly sends checks for a lot more than that by regular USPS mail. You are in some respects safer because a scummy check cashing place may not have that many safe guards for a $100 check but a $25,000 check? You're not going to cash that with just a thumb print. Since you probably don't send many checks this size it is probably worth sending it registered mail, just for your piece of mind.
posted by ChrisHartley at 3:14 PM on December 11, 2010

The way this has been done for at least the last twenty years is a bank to bank wire transfer, as 3 others have mentioned. There is no reason whatsoever to do anything else. In fact, this is a bit of a worrisome question. Sending a physical check for $25,000? Why? Who does that? What is the rationale for this?
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 3:19 PM on December 11, 2010

I have, for work, received cheques for much, much more than 25k, which arrived in regular mail -- unlike signed documents, which required a signature and used some kind of shipping service (DHL, or Fedex, or something).

There is no particular reason not to use registered mail for this.
posted by jeather at 3:51 PM on December 11, 2010

I work for in fundraising for a large non-profit. Most of the checks we receive over $5,000 come my regular old USPS. Including some well over $100,000. At my last job, I received a $1 million dollar hand-written check from one of the most famous philanthropists in the US by regular mail. While we occasionally get a Fed-Ex, I would say 95% of checks come by regular mail. Out of the thousands of check we receive each year, perhaps one or two might go "missing" in the mail.

So if you don't want to spend $30, just spend 44 cents. It will be fine.
posted by kimdog at 3:52 PM on December 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

At my old job, I would routinely send/receive checks (both personal and business) of this amount and higher via regular USPS mail. Sometimes it was picked up by our mail carrier when she came to drop off mail, sometimes I brought it to the Post Office, a few times I dropped it in the mailbox out front on the sidewalk. If you'd like a little more security, I'd recommend sending it UPS or FedEx or something so you can track it/it can be tracked in the event of loss.

Honestly, unless you write "HEY THIEVES THERE IS $25,000 IN HERE THAT YOU'LL HAVE TO LIE TO A BANK AND BE ON CAMERA TO GET!" no one is going to know what is in there if you fold it in another piece of paper. Even if you did, the chances are that it won't cross the hands of someone willing to take that risk for $25K. Hand-write the address, it won't look like anything important.

I occasionally had people call a few days after they sent a check to make sure it arrived. (In the off-season, I would make deposits every 1-2 weeks, so they didn't always clear quickly.) If they haven't deposited it, you could do that too, for piece of mind.
posted by AlisonM at 3:54 PM on December 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

I've shipped thousands of packages with USPS, UPS, DHL, and FedEx. If it were important, I'd always use FedEx. If I were sending a check for $25k, I'd sent it in a FedEx envelope priority overnight (10am delivery). Unless you know the place you're sending it to will be closed that early and then I'd send it regular overnight.

If you sign up of an account on FedEx.com you can get a discount off their regular rates. For my personal account I don't use often, the rate for an envelope would be $30 Priority or about $25 Regular overnight. Whether you sign up for an account or just drop it off at a FedEx Office (formerly known as Kinkos) you'll get a tracking number and can go online and track it every step of the way.

Although you say time is not of the essence, paying extra for overnight will give you peace of mind knowing the person received it.
posted by birdherder at 3:55 PM on December 11, 2010

If it just needs to get there, pop a first class stamp on it and mail it. Or if you must, put it in a regular envelope and then into one of the see-through priority mail envelopes designed for letters.

The postman isn't going to know there's a check in there. Just think about it like any other piece of mail. And nearly all mail gets to its destination in a timely fashion.

p.s. FedEx isn't always the answer - they once lost a COD return certified check for me.
posted by herrtodd at 3:59 PM on December 11, 2010

If you're sending it this month, use Fed Ex. The USPS isn't my first choice ever, but at Christmas, the sheer volume of mail means there's a higher risk of your check not making it.
posted by Ideefixe at 3:59 PM on December 11, 2010

Registered mail is the answer. Depending on how you fill out the form, you can specify that it needs to go into a specific person's hands. Delivery confirmation is solid assurance (legally or otherwise) that it was given to the right person. The USPS is pretty serious about registered mail.

(Just checked prices- registered would cost like $13. I would just use Priority Mail. It is a 2-3 day service, a standard letter pouch is like $4.95. You can see tracking info, and it's probably a dollar extra charge for signature confirmation.)

Or use FedEx or UPS's two or three day service. Not nearly as expensive, same tracking as the overnight service.
posted by gjc at 5:09 PM on December 11, 2010

It isn't cash, it's a cheque. Send it by mail, then call the recipient after a couple days to make sure they have it; if not, tell them you're cancelling it and will send another.

The occasional need to do this is precisely the reason cheques take a few days to clear. As long as the sending bank cancels it before the clearing period expires, it's of no value to any black hat who diverts it.
posted by flabdablet at 6:27 PM on December 11, 2010

In any sane modern financial system, an online bank transfer is free and instant and means you don't even need to go to the post office. If, for some reason, it must be done by cheque, regular post will be plenty secure enough. This is why you're sending a cheque made payable to an individual and not cash.
posted by turkeyphant at 7:17 PM on December 11, 2010

My employer routinely sends out large-dollar checks like this. We usually use FedEx -- or any service that will require a signature, will not leave a package on a doorstep if no one is home (if you're sending it to a residence), and will provide a tracking number. In my personal experience I have not found USPS tracking services to be reliably accurate. FedEx and UPS are much better at that.

I would add that, if you do use FedEx or something similar, to just be sure to leave specific instructions NOT to leave the package unattended if there's no one to sign for it.
posted by That's Numberwang! at 7:39 PM on December 11, 2010

If I were sending a check of that size, I wouldn't hesitate to spend another $30 to ensure it arrives safely.
posted by spinturtle at 9:40 PM on December 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

The care needed might depend on how hard it would be to replace the check if it goes missing. For example, if it is a cashier's or bank check in settlement of a lawsuit where the issuer would likely not cooperate in creating a replacement, then a high level of care is indicated; e.g. wire transfer or at a minimum registered with return receipt. If it's a check you wrote against your own account then regular 1st class is just fine, though I might do registered anyway to allow for tracking and for piece of mind. I am not your lawyer or banker, but if the bad guys get a hold of it and manage to deposit it, then it's your bank's problem, no yours. All of the forgoing assumes you are in the U.S.A and that the check is not made out to cash
posted by Kevin S at 7:45 AM on December 12, 2010

I needed to do a similarly large transfer recently --- couldn't do an online wire transfer (as some have suggested) for more than $1000 a day at my bank (probably to keep people who steal login credentials from doing much damage?). So I ended up just putting the check in regular first class mail.
posted by wildcrdj at 1:17 PM on December 12, 2010