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Posted By: Eric Brehm

My understanding is that UPS and Fedex go back and forth on whether they will insure collectibles such as baseball cards or not. They want the business of people who are shipping these things, but they have to balance that against the number of fraudulent claims they get where the value of an item claimed to be lost or stolen is overstated. One shipping professional told me UPS may be willing to insure a baseball card if there is a formal appraisal submitted in writing, plus a viewing of the card in the open box by the driver, etc. A big hassle to be sure. For my part, I use USPS Priority Mail with insurance, or USPS Registered Mail if the value is over a certain amount (usually around $1000), which is slower but more secure and more cost effective for such items.

Dealers and auction houses who ship via UPS and Fedex typically have independent insurance policies on their inventory, which covers items while they are in transit to or from them, as well as ones in their possession. So they don't need to worry about purchasing insurance through the carrier.