Hi, my partner insists on using US Mail and we have had 2 claims
this year which is a low percentage, but try to get them to pay,
it is a nightmare that you could spend countless hours on, our
last claim I went to our Congressman and our Senator and Although
they tried to no avail,I was given 3 different reason at 3
different time for not paying, at the end it was because the lady
who received the broken item send it back to us from CA instead
of turning t in there and the post office in CT. lost it, 2nd
Excuse was because we insured it for retail replacement and not
what item sold for (because they is what is actually would have
cost us to replace being a limited edition colletible that would
have to be purchased on the seondary market) 3rd Because the Post
Office could not locate the item, that right they lost it and we
were told by our Senators Dodds Office that The Post office is a
private sector NOT governed by the government that they
unfortunately make their own Rules and they here these horror
stories all the time, So when you turn in a item to Post Office
don’t just get a claim for GET a Receipt that you turned it in!
Sincerely chris http://www.tace.com/glitters Selling Antique &
Estate Jewelry & Antiques
We mail loose gemstones every day. Here is our formula for the
Post Office:
Any item $50 or less is green slipped. That is the lowest form
of insured. It’s cheap. Delivery time is 3-5 days. This kind of
box averages $1.50 (postage and insurance).
Any item(s) between $50-$450 go insured mail (numbered insured).
These are the white and blue insured slips. Any item above $450
is cheaper to send registered mail. Delivery time on insured mail
is generally 3-5 days also. For some odd reason insured mail is
slower in larger cities and faster to smaller towns than
registered.
Any item between $450-$25,000 goes registered. These take a
little longer but are the safest way of shipping.
Express mail can now be insured for up to $5,000 It is expensive
(90 cents per hundred over the initial $500 automatic coverage)
but they do insure loose Fedex and UPS do not insure
loose gemstones…you’ll need outside coverage for insurance. We
too have used Parcel Pro and find them excellent; they will also
insure packages in access of $25,000
One final hint. About a third of the time your Express Mail
packages will not arrive on time. The Post Office will refund
your entire expense (up to $55 for a $5000 package) if it is even
one minute late! Get in the habit of checking every time you use
Express Mail, either on their webpage or by phone (there is a
1-800 number on the bottom of your Express Mail form that will
take you through an automated check feature). During the
November/December Christmas rush we claimed enough refunds from
Express Mail to bring the average cost down to about $6 a box (a
substantial savings over the $10.75 standard charge!) By getting
refunds on late Express Mail the cost of that service was much
closer to our average registered box.
We’ll gladly answer any questions off-line you may have.
Greg Fisher
Martha Simmons
Gemsources
Austin, TX.
Still hot here…
Re: Insured mail. UPS and Fed EX will only insure jewelry
and/or works of art for up to $500. NO MATTER WHAT you have paid
to insure it for. both of these shippers list these items as
being of unusual value, and will deny claims for over $500. if
they know, or you admit that the package contained jewelry,
and/or works of art. This includes both damage and loss.
As for the U.S. mail, you can fully insure the package for any
amount you wish. However, if the package is lost, they require a
three month waiting period,(ostensibly to allow time for the
package to arrive), before you can even put in a claim. Don’t
believe me? Ask them.
Lisa,(played hookey, spent the day at the beach) Topanga, CA
Terry Parresol mentioned not refering to jewelry on any package. That's worth repeating.
If you are not listing jewelry on the package as the item that
is being insured, wouldn’t that cause some problems if you ever
need to collect on a lost package? And what exactly do you list?
Merchandise? Make up an item and say you are shipping books?
Jill
@jandr
Jill Alessandra Jewelry
http://members.tripod.com/~jilk/
The United States Postal Service doesn’t even ask you what is
in your box when you mail it insured. They just want to know the
dollar amount you claim. If it were lost, and you made a claim,
more detailed info. would be asked for, I suppose. Then they
take your package and put it in a locked box, and it travels
locked to its destination. That’s the meaning of registered.
It’s a bargain for the service, I wouldn’t use anything else.
The High Value packages are stolen somewhat regularly from the
trucks of FedEx and UPS in downtown Chicago.
-Elaine
Chicago, Illinois
US
Great Lakes
when you send jobs out its best to abbreviate the store name
leaving out jewlry in the name . If you send registered mail,
just insure it and dont say eneything. always send an invoice and
keep a copy. with ups, just list the invoice numbers and dont say
eneything unless you lose one then take to the area supervisor.
good luck
Yukhan@aol.com
If you are not listing jewelry on the package as the item that is being insured, wouldn't that cause some problems if you ever need to collect on a lost package? And what exactly do you list? Merchandise?
G’day; I simply label my jewellery as “ornament(s)” or “Metal
and stone ornaments” or suchlike. But then my stuff is usually
sent as a a gift. Cheers,
/ \
/ /
/ /
/ /__| \ @John_Burgess2
(______ )
At sunny Nelson NZ (in mid- winter)
HI Elaine;
The only problem with US Postal or it should not be called US
but private sector post office, they take months IF and WHEN they
ever pay, at least with UPS you do eventually receive payment. US
Post Office makes a career out of not payment, that is why they
don’t ask the questions when you insure it, so they can tell you
afterwards you are not covered.
I took my claim to our congressman , his office told me that in
CT. alone they get so many horror stories and most people give
up. and they still didn’t pay for 4 Different reasons at 4
different times , each one was so ridiculous like, oh the
customer sent the broken package back to you and you turned it
in, (no objection when I did it in the first place) “Oh so you
don’t have a signed receipt for the broken item” " Well we can’t
find it" “So how can we pay you for an item that cannot be
located”
What a ZOO they are so unorganized and their rules only apply
when they want them to!
Have a Good Day!
Sincerely
Chris
http://www.tace.com/glitters
Karen: I send quite a few packages, by mail and by bus, Part of
the charges to the customer are insurance for full retail value.
Since the customer pays for it I insure everything !
Charles in Austin
Dear Jill,
I had to check with my staff since I haven’t been to the post
office in years…No they do not ask you what is in the package,
only declared value as others have stated. What I and others have
said refers to addressing, both sender and receiver…If package
goes to XYZ diamond company just use initials. Stay away from
indicating by name that the sender or receiver is in the jewelry
business. Check packages you get from other companies to spot
how they address.
Hope i made this clear .
Terry Parresol
I meant you shouldn’t make any reference to jewelry or jewelry
companies on the mailing labels or package itself. Why tempt
someone? Of course you should disclose what you need to to your
shipper and or insurer.
Dick
I disagree entirely! We have never been denied a claim, we have
always been paid within 60 days (usually within 30) and have
never experienced the run-around you speak of. Your experience,
while not unique, is not the norm…like any other business claim
if you package correctly, insure properly, follow up claims in a
timely fashion, and fill out all paperwork the Post Office will
reimburse any loss fairly. Again…it is a Federal offense to
tamper with the US mail; it is not a Federal crime to do so with
UPS, FedEx, Airborne or any other carrier. And although I am
being redundant, I’ll say it again: FedEx and UPS do not insure
loose the little “stone clips” do not count as
finished jewelry, and both companies do have the right to and
will open packages to examine contents. If you have not obtained
outside insurance to cover losses you are chewing ice…you’ll
probably get away with it for a long time but eventually you will
chip a tooth. Before you ship loose gemstones and/or finished
jewelry by any carrier other than the United States Postal
Service do yourself a favor and read the fine print. The
exclusions and reasons for non-payment are listed and explained
fully. Then the next time you are at the Post Office ask for
their claim forms and read them too…then ship as you wish.
Gemsources
Austin TX.
My suggestion for mailing jewelry…
Mail Boxes Etc. (and not just cause that’s my day job.)
This is stuff I know from experience, both because I work there
and because I have shipped through them.
If you need the item packed, it can be done there. (We’re taught
to pack as if it will be dropped from ten feet).
Insurance can go up to 10,000 US dollars on UPS or FEDEX.
Because you would be contracting MBE as your shipper, UPS tends
to pay attention a bit more if/when there is a claim or tracking
to be done, and we have fairly good turnaround on claims. (at
least at my store).
Every and any way you can ship jewelry, there could be potential
problems. Nothing’s perfect. But there are enough failsafes at
MBE that I’ll keep on shipping with them.
Elizabeth Schechter
Silverhorn Designs
silverhorn@home.com
I read this with interest as I am forever looking for safer
methods to export from the UK to the 'States. We have a very good
Registered mail system here with ample insurance rates for my
needs but it’s useless for mail going to the USA.
The reason? The Post Office informed me that the US mail
services were not prepared to track those packages and so the
Royal Mail would not offer any cover. Certainly, they would cover
the package up to the point of departure from the UK but not
thereafter.
How does the US mail system manage with your jewellery packages
coming from the US to the UK? Will they support any claim? As a
result of this apparent un-cooperativeness between our two
mailing systems I have to resort to a carrier. I have not had a
great deal of success with UPS but I have not, so far, had
problems with FedEx. They always ask me the value of the
jewellery and if I want them to insure it when I arrange for the
pickup. They also ask if it is costume jewellery or high value
and they also agree to insure it against loss. Hmm… Perhaps I
should tape those telephone conversations. [grin]
Just my 2 penneth.
Regards,
Kerry
Kerry McCandlish Jewellery - Celtic and Scottish styles
Commission/Custom Work undertaken…http://www.bennie.demon.co.uk
Katunayake, Creagorry, Isle of Benbecula, HS7 5PG SCOTLAND
Tel: +44 1870-602-677 Fax: +44 1870-602-956 Mobile: +44 850-059-162
...If you are not listing jewelry on the package as the item that is being insured, wouldn't that cause some problems if you ever need to collect on a lost package? And what exactly do you list? Merchandise? Make up an item and say you are shipping books?
I believe that Terry was referrring to not mentioning anything
in your name or the recipient’s name that sounds anything like it
might be jewelry, or even anything valuable. When I’m shipping
expensive goods, I use an alias for my name. When you insure
mail, you do not need to declare what it is you are shipping,
only the value.
Sharon
OK I’ll say it again: UPS and FED EX will happily take your
money,(Up to $10,000!), in insurance, but, in case of loss,
theft or damage, they will NOT pay your claim for any money
over $500. if they are aware that the package that was
shipped contained jewelry or Read all of the fine
print, or just call them. They are very helpful, and will be
happy to inform you of this contradiction in operating
methods. Hope I don’t sound too exasperated,(I do don’t I?),
but I found out the hard way, and would rather that none of
you face the same shock.
Lisa,(I had my second annual 40th birthday yesterday)
Topanga, CA, USAWell you are correct, but if you want to insure it for more
against loss, then insure the FED-Ex package through TransGlobal
insurance. 1-800-245-4852. They insure the packages that have
jewelry in them and are shipped Fed-Ex. They charge 1% of
insured value.
They tell you about what they need as a shippping carton, and
how to pack it, airbill fill-out and all that stuff. Call them
for insuring your more expensive items.
There may have already been enough comments on this but… For
25 years I have been sending jewels through the US Postal
Service. Insured.
Not really expensive stuff. $50 to $750 with most $100 to $350.
At the present time I mail about 20 to 40 packages a month. In
that time I have lost only one ring and I really think that
there was something karmic in that situation. It took a while,
but I collected the money for it. Other that that absolutely no
problems. Oh, except that once something got flattened. I pack
much more carefully now.
Jima Abbott / N. Calif./ @jica