I don’t ship a lot of stuff, but as the result of various postings
here, I decided to go with Fedex the next time.
So, when I went there with a package this morning, I learned that
they would indeed insure for up to $500 for a normal jewelry
shipment, but ONLY if you send it via air. Otherwise the limit is
only $100!
This seems like crappy customer service to me, and an unfair
discrimination against jewelry. What difference could it make to
them? A $500 item is a $500 item, no matter what it is. Are they not
confident of their service? Is this just a bogus way of forcing
jewelers to opt for much more expensive air delivery? USPS and UPS
are looking better again!
learned that they would indeed insure for up to $500 for a normal
jewelry shipment, but ONLY if you send it via air. Otherwise the
limit is only $100!
This seems like crappy customer service to me
This has nothing to do with customer service. Insurance is the
business of taking risks. The risks are higher the longer a package
travels and the more hands it passes through. When using their
express system the packages move much more quickly through the system
eliminating a certain amount of risk. It’s also easier for them to
track them. If you read up on shipping packages with jewelry, you’ll
find that most jewelry insurance companies recommend things like not
shipping a package over the weekend. Why? Because the packages tend
to sit around for too long, leaving them subject to more attention
from criminals. It reduces the risk if the package only travels one
day. It’s all about risk.
Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
Allen, I believe it has much more to do with security for your
shipment. Ground packages would be in the pipeline longer and
probably handled by more individuals in the process, increasing the
risk for disappearance.
I’ve been using Parcel Pro for several years (heard about them here
on Orchid) and though I am definitely not a high volume shipper, I’ve
had zero complaints. Check out their site to see if it would be
workable for you.
I believe UPS also limits jewelry to $500 and must be a guaranteed
service. An option for insurance is to use an outside insurance
source that is designed for jewelers such as ParcelPro (they insure
both FedEx and UPS). Right now UPS is their preferred shipper and you
can use their account number which can give you a better discount. If
you ship FedEx you use your account number and just report the
shipment to ParcelPro. I know with FedEx ParcelPro requires Priority
Overnight or 2Day service…and you have to double box. USPS
registered mail is also a good option, especially if you do not do
much shipping.
learned that they would indeed insure for up to $500 for a normal
jewelry shipment, but ONLY if you send it via air. Otherwise the
limit is only $100
I was told some years back that Fedex had changed their policy about
insurance, and that any amount is available. The catch is that you
have to have a fedex account, and the details are buried in the fine
print - you have to jump through some hoops to do it. I was told this
by people who had used it - I have never really looked into it
personally. What I was told is yes, the basic, up front insurance
limit is $500, but if you go deeper there is a way to get real
insurance - I don’t know details beyond that.
I was told some years back that FedEx had changed their policy
about insurance, and that any amount is available.
I’ve written about this before, but let me review it one more time.
Yes, Fed Ex has a special insurance program that they call DVX (I
believe it stands for Declared Value Fed Ex). This is NOT available
unless you sign a special contract with them and agree to a variety
of terms and conditions, including but not limited to: types of
shipping service, method of packaging, time frames for declaring
losses, using a computer for creating air bills, when you can ship,
etc. They will insure up to $50,000 under certain circumstances if
you follow their rules and regulations. You MUST sign a formal
contract with them. You CANNOT get it if you just walk up to a Fed
Ex place and ask for it. As it happens, even a lot of Fed Ex
employees don’t know about the program (I believe they do this on
purpose so less people know where the high value packages are
traveling from and to). They will NOT pay out more than $500 to
someone, on a normal basis, if you have not signed a contract. In
order to get a contract you must contact your local Fed Ex account
manager and ask them. They will have someone from the DVX program
contact you and set everything up.
Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
my setting client has his own “Jewellers Mutual” insurance mailing
plan. this method avoided all the uncessary paperwork from any
courier…it was covered from the moment it left the Fed-Ex dispatch
office, till finally arrived at his store…gerry!
Thank you Daniel for providing this detailed email! I saved it for
good reason. I would not use USPS— I’ve had many problems with
shipments being lost. And USPS tracking is nothing compared to UPS or
Fedex.