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Need to send a ring, a necklace, tennis bracelet, or some other type of flashy accessory? This guide is all about the best way to ship expensive jewelry, which carrier to use, and how to protect these shipments with insurance. Armed with this info, you’ll know exactly what you need to do when it’s time to send some pricey bling!
UPS is the Best Carrier for Shipping Expensive Jewelry
Bar none, the premier carrier for shipping expensive jewelry is UPS. When sending expensive items, UPS is the only carrier you should choose for one reason: the maximum declared value per package. UPS allows shippers to send packages up to $50,000 in declared value, which is more than enough wiggle room for most expensive jewelry pieces.
USPS, on the other hand, imposes a maximum declared value of $5,000 per package. FedEx offers similar high-value services to UPS, and a lot of shippers use them for sending expensive products; that said, their services will always be way more costly than shipping with UPS! That’s why UPS is the go-to carrier for shipping expensive jewelry and other high-value items.
Make Sure to Insure Your Shipment for the Full Value of Your Jewelry
This is the big one. Just because UPS allows you to send items up to $50,000 in value, doesn’t mean you should skip out on purchasing shipping insurance. When you protect your packages with shipping insurance, you’ll be able to file a claim for the total value that you declared. Shipping insurance only costs about a buck per every $1 of declared value, and while these costs can add up for high-value shipments, it’s still completely worth it.
At the end of the day, insurance covers you with full reimbursement if your package goes missing, or if any of the contents inside the shipment arrive damaged. Trust us when we tell you…these things happen every so often!
You May Need to Add Signature Confirmation Service
For high-value items, most carriers and insurance companies will require you to purchase signature confirmation service in order to accept the shipment. UPS has two different levels of Signature services: Signature Required, and Adult Signature Required.
Adult Signature costs more than Signature Required, and requires the person signing for the package to be 21 or older. You don’t necessarily need to spring for the adult signature, however. As long as you spring for some sort of Signature service, insurance companies will play ball and say that you shipped your high-value package the proper way.
Save Money on Shipping Expensive Jewelry with Online Shipping Software
As is the case with shipping all items, never go to your local UPS Store and pay for postage there! Instead, use shipping software to buy and print discounted labels online.
When you buy labels with online shipping software, you get access to special levels discounts that can save you tons of money. Shipping carriers typically reserve these discounts for huge commercial shippers sending more than 50,000 packages per year. However, the best shipping software companies hook their customers up with these discounts for free!
For UPS shippers, this level of discounts is known as the UPS Digital Access Program. In some cases, discounts from the Digital Access Program can save you up to 50% off of what you’d pay to ship the same package at your local UPS Store. When shipping high-value items and purchasing insurance, every dollar you can save counts!
Frequently Asked Questions: Shipping Expensive Jewelry
Below are three of the most frequently asked questions around shipping expensive jewelry.
Which Carrier Should I Use to Ship Expensive Jewelry?
UPS is the best carrier to ship expensive jewelry, since you can ship packages with up to $50,000 in declared value with their services. FedEx also offers similar services for sending high-value items, but always costs more than UPS does. USPS only allows you to insure packages up to $5,000 through third-party insurance companies.
Should I Buy Insurance for my Shipment?
You should absolutely purchase extra shipping insurance for your package. UPS allows you to ship items up to $50,000 in value, but most of their labels only come with up to $100 of carrier liability. By purchasing extra insurance, you’re protected for full reimbursement in case your package goes missing, or if the shipment arrives with damaged contents. This protection is crucial for sending high-value items such as expensive jewelry.
How Can I Save Money on Shipping?
You can save the most money on your labels by purchasing discounted postage through online shipping software. Shipping software solutions allow you to access special levels of discounts that carriers typically reserve for huge shippers. These discount tiers are Commercial Pricing for USPS, and the Digital Access Program for UPS. Most shipping software companies also sell insurance, so you can protect your high-value jewelry shipments when you purchase your label.
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Albert
Can i send jewelries amount 2,000 riyals to united state? How much the shipping charge from Saudi Arabia? Thank you
Fred
DO NOT DECLARE $50K for jewelry through UPS. The fine print on their policy limits covered jewelry value to $2k or so. But they’ll let you pay for the full $50
Marcel
With inflation it should be two bucks for every $1 if declared value.
A
UPS actually restricts shipment of jewelry and if the package is lost or stolen, they will not honor the insurance claim on it.
V Stine
The article stated insurance runs a buck for every $1 in value. Wouldn’t it be wiser to keep your money in case the shipment were lost vs spending $50k in fees to insure with a $50k policy?
Brenda
From paragraph 2: “insurance only costs about a buck per every $1 of declared value”…ummm…so the same amount? I think NOT!