Archive tracking events for every high-value Pokémon slab shipment before the carrier deletes them. An archive is a saved record of acceptance, transit, delivery, attempted delivery, and signature events tied to one tracking number. Keep separate records for cards sent to a grader and slabs returned to you. These events can help establish who controlled the package during insurance claims, delivery disputes, or delayed grading intake.
Table of Contents
- What should the shipment archive contain?
- How long do USPS tracking events remain available?
- What does Registered Mail prove—and omit?
- Why carrier delivery and PSA intake can disagree
- Archive each return package separately
What should the shipment archive contain?
Create the record when the carrier accepts the parcel, then update it after delivery. Preserve carrier evidence alongside the grading order rather than relying on either system alone.
For each tracking number, save: Use one folder or record per parcel. If an order travels in multiple boxes, do not combine their histories into one file.
- The mailing receipt and acceptance event
- The complete tracking history with dates and locations
- The delivery or attempted-delivery event
- Available signature confirmation
- The carrier, service level, and insured value
How long do USPS tracking events remain available?
USPS says ordinary tracking records remain available for 120 days, while Registered Mail tracking and delivery records remain for two years. Collectors should therefore archive ordinary shipment events soon after delivery, not months later. USPS explains these retention periods in its tracking guidance. For eligible packages, USPS Tracking Plus can preserve tracking history for up to 10 years.
USPS also says its tracking statement may serve as delivery evidence in claims, disputes, or court proceedings. USPS describes Tracking Plus eligibility and evidence uses here. Check eligibility while the original record is still accessible. A planned archive is safer than discovering after a dispute that the carrier's standard retention window has expired.
What does Registered Mail prove—and omit?
USPS identifies Registered Mail as its maximum-security service for valuable items. It includes insurance up to $50,000, requires presentation to a postal employee, and provides a mailing receipt. Delivery or attempted-delivery verification is available on request.
The tradeoff is limited transit visibility. USPS says Registered Mail receives manual security processing, is unsuitable when speed matters, and does not provide updated facility-to-facility scans. A Registered Mail archive may therefore show strong acceptance and delivery endpoints without a detailed journey between them. Treat missing intermediate scans as a service limitation, while still preserving every event USPS provides.
Why carrier delivery and PSA intake can disagree
PSA says inbound submissions are not covered by its insurance until it confirms receipt, unless the submitter separately arranges inbound insurance. That makes the carrier's acceptance and delivery evidence particularly important before PSA takes responsibility. PSA states when submission coverage begins. A carrier may mark a box delivered before PSA shows it as received.
PSA reports that Receiving is averaging 15 business days, and turnaround starts only after unboxing and system entry—not when the parcel reaches the facility. PSA explains the intake delay and "Find My Package" workflow. A shipment without a submission-ID label will not generate an automated arrival email or show "Arrived" until PSA assigns an order number and enters it. During that gap, retain the carrier delivery event, submission ID, and any package-search result together.
Archive each return package separately
PSA says domestic return shipments use its insurance and require signature confirmation. Returns may travel through USPS, FedEx, or an armored carrier, so preserve the applicable carrier's delivery and signature evidence with the PSA order events. PSA's return schedule says orders above $200,000 in maximum insured value ship as two packages.
Create a separate archive for each tracking number because the parcels can produce different scans, signatures, delays, or claim records. Where FedEx SenseAware is used, its records may add real-time location, geofence-deviation, and package-open alerts. Save those alerts as they occur; they provide a more detailed contemporaneous event record than ordinary tracking.
