6 Expert Tips for Shipping High-Value Items
When shipping high-value items, no matter their destination, it is essential that you take all the precautions necessary to make sure the packages arrive at the right destination undamaged. There is nothing worse than expecting to receive fine jewelry or a luxurious piece of art and seeing it destroyed once the package has been opened.
Or that item does not arrive at all, be it due to theft or mishandling. Whether you are sending a gift to a friend or running a business that delivers to customers, you should put safeguards in place to protect against loss or damage.
And that is precisely what this article will discuss – we will provide tips regarding high-value item shipping stemming from the experience we accumulated over the many years of providing logistics services.
As a side note, we will not discuss how packaging expensive items should be done because that is advice that is readily available everywhere (and should be very specific for the item you are shipping). In any case, let us get to the topic at hand – high-value item shipping.
What Qualifies as Shipping High-Value Items?
There is no hard and fast rule that specifies what a high-value item is. Jewelry, antiques, collectibles, and expensive electronics probably come to mind. And you would be correct. But a high-value item can be anything from an expensive pair of shoes to medical equipment.
Traditionally, any item that is worth more than $1,000 is considered high-value. But, you can also look at it from another perspective – for most major carriers, freight carrier liability automatically covers losses of up $500 in value. Thus, you can consider a high-value item anything that exceeds $500.
In essence, a high-value item can be any item that would be difficult to replace if it got lost or damaged in transit and that you need to take out special shipping insurance to cover. Now, let us discuss how you should ship expensive items.
6 Tips for Shipping Expensive Items
1. Be Sure to Track and Confirm Each Shipment
In order to ensure its delivery, you should track every phase of the package delivery process. When you ship high-value items, you should receive a tracking number that lets you track the package in real-time. You can track any package that you send and find out exactly where it is, correct any delivery problems if necessary, and confirm delivery within minutes.
If there is a problem, however, you can easily report a lost item to the supplier and you will be able to locate exactly where and when the delivery mistake happened since you were keeping track of everything.
2. Insurance for Shipping
Small package insurance is extremely important for any delivery, especially for high-value items. If something were to go wrong, not having insurance for shipping can be a nightmare. 90% of items that we receive arrive via ship and a lot could go wrong during the delivery process.
It is unlikely, but in this case, especially if you are dealing with expensive items, it is much better to be safe than sorry. Along with tracking the item, it is essential that you take out high-value item insurance for whatever you are sending.
3. Work with a Secure Delivery Service when Shipping High-Value Items
Because these high-value items you are shipping are so important, it is essential that you work with a shipping company that will make your items a priority. Utilizing a quality delivery service will ensure that your items are shipped in the most time-efficient, flexible, and reliable manner.
An added benefit of credible and experienced shipping companies is that they will provide excellent insurance for shipping whatever high-value items you are dealing with.
4. Be Careful with Labelling
Do not label your package as ‘expensive’ or specify what it contains if it could indicate that you are shipping high value items. Thus, do not label your package as gold, silver, coins, jewelry, watches, etc. to minimize the chance of theft. On the other hand, printing fragile on the label is perfectly fine and even desirable if the items you are shipping are easily damaged.
5. Insist on Signature Upon Delivery
To minimize the chance of theft further, always insist that the recipient signs the package if you are shipping expensive items. The delivery person is responsible for acquiring the signature and some couriers may charge a small fee for the service. However, that is a small price to pay to prevent the theft of your item.
In a similar vein, it is recommended not to send expensive items to locations where there is a high likelihood that the recipient will not be found – such as tradeshows or hotels – and, consequently, will not be able to sign the delivery. The better option is to ship to a local distribution facility where the recipient can pick it up.
6. Follow Your Carriers Guidelines when You Ship Expensive Items
Most carriers have specific guidelines that you have to abide by for your insurance claims to be accepted. It can be anything from packaging to labeling guidelines. The worst thing that can happen is that you take out shipping insurance, your item gets damaged in transit, but then your claim gets denied because you did not follow the carrier’s guidelines.
This mistake is easy to avoid by being diligent when packing and labeling and reading the carrier’s guidelines in detail. In case you are having trouble finding up-to-date guidelines, contact the carrier’s customer service representative and learn any important details from them.
To Avoid Additional Charges, Print Postage When You Need It
This is just a helpful tip to save a few bucks instead of paying shipping rate postage fees. You can either use a non-software solution like a postage meter to print out what you need or a software-based program via the internet. While postage fees are minor, they can add up if you run a business that regularly delivers to clients.
The Simplest Way to Ship High-Value Items
Unival Logistics is a logistics company that specialized in high-value item shipping and insurance. We offer end-to-end shipping solutions and you will be provided with real-time package tracking, multi-modal transport, and shipping insurance of up to $150,000 for domestic and $100,000 for international shipments at premium rates.
And if the worst happens, a simple and efficient claims process is fully supported by a dedicated insurance representative. There is no reason to spend time worrying about how your valuable package will reach its destination safely. Unival Logistics can take care of all your logistics needs.
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