Shipping an expensive item: What is the most secure method for seller?
 

I was wondering what the most secure method for shipping an expensive item would be. Which service (USPS or UPS or other) would be best and what insurance confirmation should I use? Just curious to see what some of the experienced sellers here recommend.

Thanks.

bat
 

I sold a mantle signed bat on eBay for $2750.00 a few years ago and I used UPS Ground. w/ insurance it was about $45 - 50 w/ signature confirmation tracking etc. I felt comfortable . I hope this helps

I would say USPS registered mail.

ditto!!!

Another vote for USPS Registered

Registered is the way to go, but as a caveat it does take quite a bit longer for the item to arrive. So if you ship this way I would inform the buyer of the added time.
-Rhett

Registered is definitely the most secure, but it can take a long, long time. The Hope Diamond was delivered to the Smithsonian via registered mail.

From the postal museum site:

" Henry “Harry” Winston, a leading American jeweler and gem dealer, bought the diamond from Mrs. McLean’s estate in 1949. In November 1958 Winston donated the diamond to the Smithsonian Institution, intending it to be the foundation for a National Jewel Collection. With his years of experience in shipping jewelry all over the world, Winston chose to have the diamond delivered by registered mail. He told a reporter for the Washington Post that “ . . . [registered mail is] the safest way to ship gems. . . . I’ve sent gems all over the world that way.”

The diamond was placed in a box, wrapped in brown paper, and sent by registered mail, traveling down from New York in a Railway Post Office train car. In Washington, it was immediately taken to the City Post Office (the building that now houses the National Postal Museum), where it was picked up by postal carrier James G. Todd.

Todd drove the package to the National Museum of Natural History. The diamond was handed over in a ceremony including Leonard Carmichael, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and Mrs. Harry Winston. The transfer was completed when Carmichael signed the receipt for the registered package. The price paid for shipping the gem, valued at $1 million at the time, was $145.29, most of that for package insurance. "

Another vote for registered mail. Have sent more than a thousand registered packages over the years and not one was ever lost.

I would go with registered mail as well although I did have an issue several years ago where I had bought a PSA 4 T206 Demmitt (St Louis) that was sent registered mail. Apparently there were two packages in the system with the same tracking number and it caused mine to get sent to the post office where the other package was going. When it arrived there they got it back on track and it arrived safe and sound although it ended up taking about two weeks. Had it not been sent registered mail it's possible that it may not have been caught and ended up getting lost.

Doug- do you know how two different reg packages could have the same tracking number? The first thing the postal clerk does is put a red label on the box, then scan the bar code. Every package should be unique. That is a very odd error.

you could ship overnight from the post office with up to $5,000 worth of insurance.

I prefer it..... figuring less transit time = less time for me to sit and worry about it getting lost.

Apparently it was just an issue where there were two labels printed with the same tracking number. When I tried to track my package I got a message saying that there were two packages with the same tracking number and that mine was misrouted so they were attempting to correct the problem. I'm guessing that they both got sent to the same post office and when mine was scanned in the computer caught that another package with that number had already been scanned in leading them to catch the mistake.

That is an extremely strange error. I guess nothing is infallible.

It's the only time I've ever heard of it happening, but with my luck if it was going to happen to anybody it would be me! :rolleyes: I guess I should also add that it occurred close to 10 years ago and I haven't had an issue sending or receiving a registered mail parcel since.

USPS Registered.
JimB

I have had Fed Ex leave very expensive signature-required packages at the front door on multiple occasions. I don't trust the reliability of their service at all.

One more vote for USPS Registered.

Andrew

shipping
 

registered, and ins for 1000-- slow-- but all under lock and key-- the best

At least FedEx leaves your expensive signature required packages at your house. They usually leave mine at the Nursing Home across the street instead of my apartment building which they have to drive past to deliver my packages to the wrong place. :mad:

the answer is usps registered with insurance.

the package is under lock and key and has to be signed for by those holding the key...no way it gets "lost" as one poster implied above.

Postal employees take registered mail bags very seriously...and the "tracking number" is for internal use only.

I had a clown claim he never got a 3k package sent this way and within the hour my postmaster had confirmation that he had gotten 3 notices to come and sign for his package..I guess he wanted his postal delivery guy to leave in on the front stoop...which will not happen....ever.

I heard the Hope Diamond story some time ago and wondered how they did that. The USPS caps insurance for registered mail at $25,000, so the Smithsonian must have lined up some private insurance.

Brian is correct in the registered mail can be very very slow. One expensive package took over three weeks to go from California to the East Coast. We knew the registered package was secure, but to have the package float around out there for three weeks made me very uncomfortable.

I prefer USPS overnight with additional insurance.