When you need to send jewelry through the mail or shipping company, either as a seller, or as a buyer returning an item, it’s important to take extra precautions to ensure that it arrives at its destination safely.
Many people don’t realize that, while there are several ways to ship jewelry safely, they can often choose the wrong method.
That said, when people buy jewelry from an online store, they do not even think to ask the seller about the carrier that is going to be used.
This can create problems, and you should know why.
In this article, we will discuss the safest way to ship jewelry, taking into consideration different shipping companies and services.
Table of Contents
The Perils of Shipping Insurance
You bought or sold a piece of fine jewelry online.
Hooray for you!
Was securing the sale or buying the piece the biggest concern that you had?
Nope.
It still needs to get it into the right hands without incident, loss or damage.
Case in point: We got ambitious and had pulled out a bunch of loose diamonds, gemstones and gold, went to work on it and then shipped over $80,000 dollars worth of custom jewelry to a GIA Graduate Gemologist who was located only two hours away to have the items appraised and graded all at one time.
The cost for Registered Mail insurance for that amount of goods was quite high, but we calculated that it was worth our time not being inconvenienced by spending the day driving the jewelry to the destination.
Registered Mail is under lock and key at every point of travel, and the package must be signed for at the destination so we felt it was quite safe.
And it really is.
Out of the blue, we started wondering out loud about how much we would really have been paid if it had been lost or disappeared into thin air, so we asked the USPS Manager at our post office for a specific answer and were horrified with what he told us.
To our dismay, we were told that unless we had written itemized receipts of the exact dollar amount that we spent to build each and every piece, itemized inside the package, then we would not be paid anything beyond those receipts in the event of loss or damage in transit.
Naturally, when an item is lost in transit going to a paying customer, we would refund the customer and then deal with the carrier we used.
But what we learned is that the reverse is not true unless we could prove every cent worth of materials, and every hour of labor that we put into each item.
We would get very little for our loss otherwise. Lesson learned:
- For those of us who are shipping as Sellers: Do not ship your items out for Appraisals or repairs unless you can provide proof of your cost and labor, and further, take note that you will not be compensated for the full amount of a lost retail sale, nor for the appraisal amount, but only for your proven investment cost for materials and labor.
- For you as a Buyer shipping a return: Keep your receipt for the full cost of the item that you paid, including your return shipping cost. You will need receipts to prove your own loss because an item will not be refunded to you by a seller unless it is returned to the seller and examined for damage first. You can actually be covered for your proven purchase price but only if you have purchased insurance and can show proof for both.
Shipping Jewelry: What Can Go Wrong
Although the story above did not result in a loss for us, it served as an important reminder of what can happen when shipping jewelry, and that we must always take precautions. Particularly since not all shipping companies are equal.
So it is important to understand what your options are when shipping jewelry before you hand over your beloved items to be delivered by anyone other than yourself.
Here are a few things to consider if you are shipping expensive jewelry and choose the wrong carrier.
Your Package Will Be Left In View
Using a shipping Company who is notorious for leaving packages on door steps or at a neighbor’s house, or even at another business down the street. It is very presumptuous of companies to think that everyone is honest enough to make sure that a misdirected package gets to the rightful owner.
And of course, if that is not enough, let’s add insult to injury in that they do not bother to leave you a door tag to inform you about what they have done with your package.
Do you know of such a company? We do, and we avoid them like the plague.
Btw, it is wise to ask the buyer or the seller before shipping, how they want to receive their item because each area has its own notorious carrier experiences.
Your Package Is Not Discreet
Writing the name of the Jewelry Company on the shipping label box (either to or from) rather than using a contact person’s name.
Why in the world would you want to advertise that the contents inside that box likely has jewelry inside?
That is like shipping a box marked “Solid Gold Coins” and thinking that no one would want to “acquire” it.
Your Package Will Be Late
Using the cheapest shipping method possible.
Sure, the package will likely get to the destination eventually, but it can first be routed across the entire country or even to Puerto Rico for a free spontaneous vacation like one of ours did.
What should have taken a maximum of 3 days to go just one State over, took 25 days simply because a dealer was too tight to pay an extra $4 for Priority Mail to get our package to us in a timely manner.
Failing To Buy Shipping Insurance
This world is not perfect.
Stuff happens and things can get lost, stolen or damaged.
We are thinking of the time when we let our full coverage car insurance lapse for a few weeks while searching for better insurance when our car was unexpectedly totaled by a huge 50 ft tall Bull Pine tree that fell on it during a light gale wind.
Yeah, that.
No coverage means no compensation whatsoever. Are you really good with that?
Failing To Give Customers Tracking Info
So you musta threw away the bag that had a copy of the shipping receipt inside it huh?
Days go by and you assume that the package made it to its destination because you have not heard otherwise and were too busy to even wonder about it.
Crickets.
No news is good news right?
Trash gets taken away, more days go by and then out of the blue the customer calls, sounding really miffed about not receiving their package.
Say WHAT?!
Although all is not lost (yet), and packages can eventually be located without knowing the tracking number (maybe), not providing your customer with a tracking number right away means that you will now have to explain to them why they did not get their item and also, why you didn’t bother to keep the tracking number either.
Very professional, right?
Do you think they will be a repeat customer?
Best Way To Ship Expensive Jewelry
You can ship any type of jewelry through the mail if you do it correctly.
Jewelry does not generally qualify as being fragile, explosive, liquid, or perishable. You can easily eliminate the fragile category as long as you package your items properly.
Call us paranoid, but we prefer to use USPS because they have a Registered Mail service that keeps packages under lock and key with a Chain of Custody.
It may take a few days longer to get to the destination, but we can see the handling of the package at every point along the way.
It also costs a little more than Priority, but the contents can be insured for up to $50K.
USPS Registered Mail has security as its main priority and feature rather than speed. A package will never be left on a porch, with a neighbor, or with another business.
The person to whom it is addressed must be the same person who signs to take delivery of it.
How Much Does It Cost To Ship Jewelry
The answer to this question is subject to:
- the cost of the insurance you bought (or not)
- the Carrier you used
- and mode of shipping
If you have an item that your customer paid $10,000 for and wish to fully insure it, as well as ship it, via Registered Mail (which we believe to be the most fail-safe way to go) then it might cost you around $40-$60 depending on the travel distance it needs to go.
We have never lost an item using this shipping option in 30 years. But we have lost items using USPS Priority Mail and even FedEx.
Packing for small jewelry items should consist of a rigid box inside of another rigid box. This is followed by wrapping the outer box with “gum paper” (adhesive paper) and then securing a shipping label.
The packing material is part of the total cost that is listed as an example above.
The first thing that you’d be thinking if an expensive item did not arrive to or from its destination would not be about how much it cost you to ship it, but rather if you bought insurance and if you could track the package to find out what happened to it.
Ask us how we know.
What Type of Insurance Is Available For Shipping Jewelry
You can generally buy enough shipping insurance to cover a loss from any shipping carrier service, but you will need to do your homework about coverage details for each company before assuming anything.
Jewelers who have a Jewelers Mutual Policy find that it covers items that are shipped out to their customers if they use a carrier that has shipping endorsements, but it becomes fuzzy very quickly about what happens when the loss is the result of customers shipping a return back.
UPS, DHL and FedEx do not provide shipping endorsements, whereas USPS Priority Mail Express and USPS Registered Mail do, and even so, you still would want to buy the additional carrier insurance above and beyond what your Jewelers Mutual Policy provides.
Why would you want to choose a carrier who can wiggle out from under the accountability of covering a loss due to their own neglect and without following proper shipping procedures?
A shipping endorsement is made by the shipper and it designates the specific name of the person who is allowed to receive packages when it arrives at the destination.
This is why it becomes rather fuzzy when the customer returns an item to the store, but this problem can be resolved if the store provides the shipping costs, carrier and label for the return.
Which Carriers Are Best For Shipping Jewelry
As noted above, we believe that your best carrier for shipping expensive jewelry is USPS Priority Mail Express and USPS Registered Mail. Both of these allow you to name an endorsement and packages are handled with serious security measures.
How To Package Your Jewelry For Shipping
Although jewelry isn’t necessarily fragile, you will still want to package it securely to avoid any damage that could occur during shipping. We also recommend shipping it discreetly in such a way that it does not appear to be valuable.
When you are ready to pack your jewelry for shipping, you will need:
- A small, rigid box that is just large enough to hold the piece of jewelry snugly
- A second, larger rigid box
- Packing material such as crumpled up tissue paper or packing peanuts
- Adhesive paper
- A shipping label
Tips For Avoiding Damage To Your Jewelry During Shipment
- Choose The Right Shipping Method. It is up to you to find out the different scenarios from the different carriers in your area. Never assume that all is well simply because you paid for insurance. Read the fine print for the shipping policies of each carrier before settling on the best one for the type of sales that you have.
- Package Your Jewelry Securely
- Take the time to choose the right packaging that will conceal what is inside it. We use gum tape which is a solid wide brown paper tape that is reinforced with nylon fibers and has adhesive on the back of it. Simply wet and wrap the box.
- Never put the name of your jewelry company on an address label, but rather, use a specific person’s name instead. Be certain to tell your customer the same if they are shipping back to you a return.
- Secure your shipping label with clear tape over the top of it because cold air and moisture can cause a label to fall off.
- Make sure that you use a box inside of a box with padding in between to protect the contents from rattling around. We have received jewelry that was broken in transit simply because the dealer did not use enough padding to compensate for very rough handling.
- If you choose to write a shipping label by hand, make sure that you use permanent ink that cannot run or smear or the package may end up in the Mail Recovery Center indefinitely.
- Use a Tracking Number. We cannot imagine why anyone who ships out packages to customers would not be interested in knowing about if or when it arrives. A tracking number is the only way that you can watch in real time the progress it is making on the way to the destination.
Do not cut corners by simply preparing a box and dropping it off in the post office as if it were the same as sending any other piece of mail. Get the tracking for proof of delivery. Regular mail does not have that feature. - Insure Your Package. This is not the area that you should want to cheap out on. The extra fee that you will pay for this insurance will be well worth it if the package does not arrive.
You may want to educate yourself about what has been happening to our shipping and transportation system lately and decide if your risks are going to be worth your neglect. You may also want to pay a little attention and find out beforehand if the area you are shipping to has a high crime demographic. Just sayin’. - Check The Weather Conditions. Yes. Weather. You may have nice weather where you are, but what about the weather in the destination that your shipment is going to? Are they having hurricanes, tornadoes, ice storms, snow storms, wildfires or lengthy power outages? These conditions will cause delays of time for package delivery and they also warrant the need for buying insurance.
Final Thoughts
The safest way to ship jewelry is by taking the time to package it securely and using a shipping method that offers Chain of Custody tracking and insurance.
Be sure to check the weather conditions in both your location and the destination before shipping to avoid any delays or damage caused by severe weather.
The shipping process is not difficult, but it does take some time to get everything ready. By following these tips, you will be sure that your package will arrive at the destination safely and on time.
