How to ship something valuable?

Domenick

Domenick

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Domenick
I need to ship something valuable (1000+) halfway across the USA. I have a number of choices, USPS, UPS, and FedEx.
What is the most secure and safe way to ensure it arrives?
I've shipped insured items before and they need a description. It seems to me marking the actual contents of my particular package would be a STEAL ME! sticker.
Also, it's Christmas time with Hanukah close behind, hugely increasing the volume of shipped parcels and increasing the likelihood of loss and theft.
With the USPS I can ship overnight or 2-day, insured, certified, or registered or some combination. With UPS and FedEx I can get something like those with signature required.
Is there any insurance maximum?
What are the ramifications of lying on the contents? Say you're shipping jewelry and you mark it as legal papers, or fragile glassware?
Thanks in advance.
 
In my business we send a lot of packages with all those carriers. In our experience there is not a big difference between FedEx and UPS in reliability, in general. Though there are certain delivery areas that FedEx just cannot get it right. USPS is also a great value. And most of the time they do a good job as well. Though in the last 2 weeks almost all the lost / stuck packages were USPS.
 
A number of years ago we had an issue that a lot of our packages with one carrier were arriving broken. One day I observed said driver carry a box to the back of his truck and drop the box to the ground. In his defense the boxes were heavy.

If you have one of those drivers in the area you are sending to don't use that company. :)
 
I think it's regional, I have few problems with UPS but FedEx tends to beat up packages and be late. USPS does OK on not wrecking stuff but they're almost always at least a couple days later than their expected date.
 
In my experience? UPS is best. Fedex is about half as good. USPS is half as good as Fedex. My choice is easy. If you’re concerned about theft, require a signature for delivery.
 
I've shipped Avionics worth more than that FEDEX without issues. I also just bought a $4000+ camera that came FEDEX (the return address was one of the largest camera stores so it was pretty obvious it was a camera). Signature required/restricted delivery.
 
Do you plan to use a shipping counter or some service like PirateShip / Shipstation / etc?

Are you in a large package and in the dimensional weight category? Is the item fragile at all, or just valuable?

Are you willing to lose it and settle for the insured value?

I wouldn't falsify anything. If you use an online shipper, no one that receives the package is going to know what's in it, either. If the item is not oversize, not very heavy or fragile, insure it, pack it properly in a decent container, and hope for the best. If you have any doubts about your ability to pack it properly, pay the shipping counter place to do it and suck up the extra cost I guess.

Bicycles go cross country all the time, and they're anywhere from $2k-$11k, and *very* obviously a valuable bicycle when shipped, so I'm not sure I'd worry much about your package getting singled out for theft.

The one thing you should do, now that I think further, is consider if the receiver end is secure, and if it's not air tight, have the package shipped to, or held at the the depot on the receivers end. I think Porch Pirates are your biggest worry.
 
Depending on how big it is, I recommend making it as inconspicuous as possible. I had six large, cut loose gemstones mailed to me last week from a lapidary on the other side of the country in a normal usps bubble envelope, arrived no issue. I’ve also had many shipments of lead over the years arrive by usps for casting musket balls for one of my hobbies. Sixty pounds fit in a small “one postage price if it fits in the box” they are AlWAYS beat to crap, torn open, retapped, and it looks like it happened a few times every time. (Small heavy boxes draw attention). Normal looking mail is ignored in my experience.
 
Flatiowa said:
Depending on how big it is, I recommend making it as inconspicuous as possible. I had six large, cut loose gemstones mailed to me last week from a lapidary on the other side of the country in a normal usps bubble envelope, arrived no issue. I’ve also had many shipments of lead over the years arrive by usps for casting musket balls for one of my hobbies. Sixty pounds fit in a small “one postage price if it fits in the box” they are AlWAYS beat to crap, torn open, retapped, and it looks like it happened a few times every time. (Small heavy boxes draw attention). Normal looking mail is ignored in my experience.
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To the extent possible, stuff should be packed to be thrown, or at least dropped. Your lead is just being dropped, over and over again by people that don't expect that small package to weight that much...
 
bentmettle said:
To the extent possible, stuff should be packed to be thrown, or at least dropped. Your lead is just being dropped, over and over again by people that don't expect that small package to weight that much...
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Very possible, the first time I ever ordered some the mailman (I knew him, rural country route) drove right up to my front door, over the grass. I was in the backyard and walked around, he was heaving the first box out the car to put on my steps, when he saw me he said “I’ve got your damn boxes of lead”. First words out my mouth “how did you know it is lead”. If looks could kill… I’d have been dead. (250 pound order).
 
When I was in the freight Dawg business, at least half the packages where addressed to 'Fragile'. No idea where that is but we always stacked those boxes on the bottom. :p
 
If it’s really valuable, there’s always brinks!
 
If you claim a loss you will have to show proof of what it was. If you lied about it, that would be difficult. Especially if it it damaged rather than lost. They will use any excuse to not pay out, or reduce the payout. Also, lying about something you are insuring is probably considered fraud.
 
Domenick said:
I need to ship something valuable (1000+) halfway across the USA. I have a number of choices, USPS, UPS, and FedEx.
What is the most secure and safe way to ensure it arrives?
I've shipped insured items before and they need a description. It seems to me marking the actual contents of my particular package would be a STEAL ME! sticker.
Click to expand...
You could do like they did with the Cullinan Diamond (3100 carats) back in 1905.
en.wikipedia.org

Cullinan Diamond - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
Due to its immense value, detectives were assigned to a steamboat that was rumoured to be carrying the stone, and a parcel was ceremoniously locked in the captain's safe and guarded on the entire journey. It was a diversionary tactic – the stone on that ship was fake, meant to attract those who would be interested in stealing it. Cullinan was sent to the United Kingdom in a plain box via registered post.
 
Uninsured casual bubble envelope postal package I received last week getting ready for Christmas. 9735BDE3-6360-4200-B745-B22848E4C943.jpeg
 
You can look into a courier service if very important and irreplaceable.

Tools said:
Plane tickets are cheap… carry it yourself.
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That's how the photographer that took the picture that became the Windows XP did. Microsoft wanted the original negative, and the price they paid was rumored to be in the low 6-figures, so nobody wanted to ship it and insure it. So Microsoft just flew him to Seattle to deliver it in person.
 
FWIW - Every precious metal dealer I have seen ships either UPS or FedEx in an nondescript package. But if you're really concerned, USPS Registered Mail is probably the way to go as it can be insured up to $50K...
 
Tools said:
Plane tickets are cheap… carry it yourself.
Click to expand...

Depending on the item, this can be risky as well, depending on how attractive it is to LEO's seizing the item for civil forfeiture...
 
Hmmm… ya… kinda missed the mark on that one, diddeneye?

Victor route trip!
 
None of the above will blink at a $1000 insured value. I'd use either FedEx or UPS just because they're more customer-service oriented if something does go wrong. And if you lie, you'll only screw yourself. UPS once wrote us a check for over $40,000 because they left a server sitting on a loading dock in Houston. In Houston. Yeah it got rained on.... A jeweler friend regularly ships diamonds all over the place via FedEx. Tell them what it is and insure it. Unless it's irreplaceable, then use a private courier.
 
Domenick said:
I need to ship something valuable (1000+) halfway across the USA. I have a number of choices, USPS, UPS, and FedEx.
What is the most secure and safe way to ensure it arrives?
Click to expand...
*Looks meaningfully in the general direction of @Domenick's airplane*

That. That is the way. Especially if it's something that's truly valuable to you and you'd be bummed or worse if it was lost even with the insurance payout.

If it's too big to fit into your airplane, ask the person who's receiving it what is most reliable in their area. Personally, I've had a lot of issues with FedEx and actively avoid them these days - Several days late, destroyed packages, repeatedly unable to find an address because they don't update the navigation systems in their trucks, etc... Meanwhile, UPS can send me tracking updates and do a bunch of other stuff through their app or text messages; they seem to be the most technologically savvy as well as the most reliable.
 
Well, there’s always POA Monkey courier if you don’t mind it going by way of Key West, Alaska, and Hawaii.
 
Find previous threads here which include:

-heartbreaking stories of egregious misconduct by completely uncaring Fedex/UPS/USPS employees resulting in damage or loss to shipped item
-extreme anxiety in attempting to make a successful claim in those cases above, even with purchase of their "insurance"
-fine print which states the limit of their responsibility by state law is $0.30 per pound of shipped item (ie a $100,000.00 engine* which might weigh 500lbs will net you $150.00 in claims)
*I drove two days to pick my engine up after researching these things; in fact my aircraft insurer stated the engine would be covered if I flipped the truck or it was stolen out of the bed during the overnight so way better deal.
 
Thanks to all.
Unfortunately, not flying it myself.
It is replaceable and not fragile.
I plan to use a shipping counter.
The package weighs about a pound and is about the size of a half sheet of standard paper.
Destination is secure with a reliable, known concierge in the lobby. Other USPS Priority Mail boxes have arrived in good condition.

Warnings against lying and subsequent claims are well taken.
I'll post my decision and results.

Thanks again.
 
Domenick said:
I need to ship something valuable (1000+) halfway across the USA. I have a number of choices, USPS, UPS, and FedEx.
What is the most secure and safe way to ensure it arrives?
I've shipped insured items before and they need a description. It seems to me marking the actual contents of my particular package would be a STEAL ME! sticker.
Also, it's Christmas time with Hanukah close behind, hugely increasing the volume of shipped parcels and increasing the likelihood of loss and theft.
With the USPS I can ship overnight or 2-day, insured, certified, or registered or some combination. With UPS and FedEx I can get something like those with signature required.
Is there any insurance maximum?
What are the ramifications of lying on the contents? Say you're shipping jewelry and you mark it as legal papers, or fragile glassware?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
I'd call it a fuel injection pump. They are pricey, greasy, and nobody wants one.... unless you have an engine that needs it.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Find previous threads here which include:

-heartbreaking stories of egregious misconduct by completely uncaring Fedex/UPS/USPS employees resulting in damage or loss to shipped item
-extreme anxiety in attempting to make a successful claim in those cases above, even with purchase of their "insurance"
-fine print which states the limit of their responsibility by state law is $0.30 per pound of shipped item (ie a $100,000.00 engine* which might weigh 500lbs will net you $150.00 in claims)
*I drove two days to pick my engine up after researching these things; in fact my aircraft insurer stated the engine would be covered if I flipped the truck or it was stolen out of the bed during the overnight so way better deal.
Click to expand...
Yeah that one guy looked for his missing engine for months in one thread
 
Lessons I've learned:

Requiring a signature is meaningless. At my last employer, we shipped a few dozen laptops to new employees. FedEx, UPS, and USPS ALL lost at least one. Two were lost with no signature having been obtained despite shipping them with "adult signature required". One had a simple scribble, and no actual indication of whose name it was supposed to be. USPS even they admitted that they had delivered to the wrong apartment building, but had no idea to whom it was delivered. None had a recipient's name recorded. So requiring a signature is of little or no value. Some drivers are good about getting signatures, some just ignore it or don't care whether the signature they get is meaningful.

Don't expect to actually get paid anything whatsoever for a loss, insurance or no. Despite insuring ALL of the packages for their documented actual value, and despite providing the shippers with documentation for said value, not a single one ever paid us a penny. Not even a refund of the shipping charges. We got an endless string of bald-faced lies, outright denials, and infuriatingly obtuse delaying tactics. I suggested we have our corporate lawyers pursue it; the head shed didn't think it was worth the effort. FedEx probably still to this day shows that the box we shipped from Charlotte to Atlanta a few yeas ago is in a FedEx distribution center in GA somewhere.

Don't ship from a retail location. I shipped a package from a branded UPS Store location that ended up not getting delivered - they didn't even attempt delivery - and eventually, a week later, ended up back at the UPS store I shipped it from. When I demanded a refund of the shipping charges (over $200), I had to get into a discussion with the owner. Turns out they're a franchise that is actually in no way affiliated with UPS. UPS refused to refund anything (they don't actually guarantee delivery at all, let alone on time). I eventually got him to write me a check for the shipping amount, though he moaned that it was "coming out of his pocket" because UPS wouldn't reimburse him for it. Told him that was between him and UPS, he could write me a check or I could dispute the credit card charge since they never actually provided the service I'd paid for. I don't know if the FedEx ex-Kinkos are the same, but it wouldn't surprise me at all.

And then there's the thieves who will steal anything the delivery person leaves unsecured (whether you paid to have it delivered otherwise or not) - with impunity, apparently zero chance of pursuit or prosecution. If there's good news to be had, I don't know what it is.
 
Like mentioned above for small volume high expense items like gems, I have had them shipped to me USPS, uninsured (the seller was assuming the risk). The first time was from an emerald dealer (the one who was hired by Mel Fisher's group to place valuations on the emeralds found on the Atocha) in Key West. She shipped them to me to my home to avoid local sales tax as the value was significant. She said that small, highly insured packages were frequently 'lost'. Fast forward 20+ years and purchased a loose cut emerald out of NYC; the package arrived uninsured, non-descript and safe. Go figure.

That being said, I am having a T210N shipped this coming Saturday; I'm going to deliver that one myself. :cornut:
 
Went with UPS.

Thanks for the advice and horror stories.
 
My wife a few years ago got a seasonal job at FedEx unloading boxes out of the belly of freight trailers for few days.
She was 50+ years old working with college aged men. She said they threw the boxes the full length of the trailer unloading them.

After about the 3rd day she had bruises all over her body. I was shocked and asked her to quit which she did.
She said less than 25% hired stayed on the job.
 
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