Questions about shipping camera equipment

W

Way

Guest
I'll be sending my M8, 50 lux asph and 90 cron to DAG for focus adjustment. I've never mailed this kind of equipment before and was wondering what you fellow rff folks do, especially for insurance. I went to FedEx today and they said they are only responsible for $500. Any advice would be appreciated!
 
If you go to a UPS Store, they will insure it for full value. It won't be cheap, but you won't have to worry.

I've shipped a number of valuable lenses – including a Noctilux – that way.

Regards,

Tony C.
 
US POSTAL SERVICE

I`ve shipped really rare stuff like IIIC K Leica`s and other rare old stuff and have NEVER had problems, just ship and insure for replacement costs + 10%

But be ready to pay a NICE SUM for what you are shipping it will be $60+ one way.....but with the big dollar value items, you pay to play and it`s NEVER wise to ship it without insurance, many European customers DON`T want to pay or claim value amounts on cameras so they can beat the IMPORT TAX, that`s why one reason I don`t ship to Europe unless it`s 100% VALUE INSURED

Good Luck!

Tom
 
Thanks for the interesting replies. I would probably go the USPS route but would still be interested in hearing from folks who had to claim a loss (if there are any of you in the forum).
 
Way said:
Thanks for the interesting replies. I would probably go the USPS route but would still be interested in hearing from folks who had to claim a loss (if there are any of you in the forum).
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The M8 is "new" equipment and go the USPS route with signature confirmation, insurance everything :) there should`nt be a problem

I guess after I hit the lottery I`ll just go ahead and "fly in" to pick up my IIIC K with a Grey MOOLY and Black Summarex personally *Camera West get ready!*

I think a camera that`s worth $15,000+ is just that a collectors item and should be moved just like an old car is by a trusted mover, if I ever get into that position again to sell/deal/trade with such high dollar pieces of equipment I think I would personally transport items like that to and from whatever locale it needs to go, what better excuse to have a short vacation :)

Tom
 
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Registered Mail

Registered Mail

Use what the Jewelers use. Not very expensive either.

"When you’re sending valuable or irreplaceable items through the mail, protect them with Registered Mail™.

Items you send with Registered Mail are placed under tight security from the point of mailing to the point of delivery, and insured up to $25,000 against loss or damage. And you can verify the date and time of delivery and the delivery attempts online.

You can use Registered Mail with:

First-Class Mail® - Letters, envelopes, and small packages weighing 13 ounces or less.
Priority Mail® - Cost effective delivery in an average of 2-3 days."

Talk to your local post office for more info.
 
Maybe this thread is more about insurance but as a side note having ordered a lot of stuff from fellow RFF members all around the world (Nikon lenses and a S3 bag from Californa, Nikon S3 camera from Taiwan, Nikon S3 2000 camera from Japan, Yashica Electro 35 CCn from Australia, Kiev 4 from Russia, meeter from the UK etc) I must say that I am surprised how easy it has been and I have never had any packages lost or destroyed. People who love cameras are usually very good in making sure it will be well packed.

Also worth remebering is that shipping cross countries with a high value might trigger VAT payments.

/Jon
 
Avoid USPS totally. I've had two recent bad experiences. They lost a REGISTERED shipment with two rarity 8 Leica items. (Registered is kept in a safe and is signed for by an individual every time it changes hands.) Sure they paid. But the items are lost forever. USPS also delivered a parcel to a wrong address. We got no compensation for that one. They didn't know where they delivered it. "We have a signature." Too bad it wasn't ours.

If you can't stand losing it, get a cheap airline ticket and hand carry it. When I can't carry it, I use Federal Express.
 
For the price, convenience and transit time it's hard to beat insured priority mail. Pack it well and insure it for what it will take to replace it. If it's irreplacable, perhaps you should find another way.

UPS always wants to blame someone else for loss or damage. FEDEX is good too, but as you've read, they have their limitations on what they will pay and what they won't.

Never mark the box itself with the contents.
 
spyder2000 said:
Never mark the box itself with the contents.
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It is absolutely necessary to mark packages with the standard green customs form containing a list of the contents and their value. Refusing to do this with cross-border shipments, at least shipped from Europe, simply means that the shipper will immediately refuse to accept the package. Similarly, saying the item is worth 20 euros when it is much more may well be discovered at a spot check and then the addressee will be prosecuted for defrauding the local tax-collection authorities.
 
Well marking the box with the contents and indicating contents for customs on customs forms are two different things.

It's always a good idea to obscure what you are shipping. If a driver/delivery person sees that you are shipping an Apple laptop, they just might decide to hang on to that package. This happened to two laptops that my company shipped to Canada a few years ago. The shipping department was scolded for not shipping the Apple laptop box inside of a plain box.

Also, it's a good idea to use fiber reinforced paper tape (the kind that needs water for the adhesive to work) when sealing the box. Clear plastic tape is quite easy to cut, and drivers have been known to cut thru the tape, take out the contents, and tape the box back up. This cannot be easily done with the fiber based tape (at least, not in a few seconds by a driver in a truck with a tape gun.) Any cuts in the fiber will be quite obvious, especially if it's taped again with clear plastic tape.

In a prior business, we had many instances of pilfering by drivers. We were shipping computer memory (high dollar, low weight) and often the boxes would arrive with some (or all) of the memory removed. Pilfering stopped when we switched to the fiber reinforced paper tape.

Lastly, if you own a business, get freight insurance, it's FAR cheaper than the rates Fedex, UPS, and USPS charge.
 
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I will add that in 15+ years of shipping via Fedex, literally thousands of packages, they permanently lost only one shipment, which was when one of their planes burned up at Logan Airport in Boston, destroying the contents. We got a check a couple of days later. They temporarily lost maybe 4 or 5 packages (always located within a day or so.)

I haven't shipped nearly as much with USPS to get a fair comparison. UPS has pretty much caught up to Fedex in their tracking ability; for many years they were far behind, especially with ground tracking.
 
digitalintrigue said:
Also, it's a good idea to use fiber reinforced paper tape (the kind that needs water for the adhesive to work) when sealing the box. Clear plastic tape is quite easy to cut, and drivers have been known to cut thru the tape, take out the contents, and tape the box back up. This cannot be easily done with the fiber based tape (at least, not in a few seconds by a driver in a truck with a tape gun.) Any cuts in the fiber will be quite obvious, especially if it's taped again with clear plastic tape.
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This is also required by USPS for Registered Mail. Plain boxes is also excellant advice.
 
Way said:
Thanks for the interesting replies. I would probably go the USPS route but would still be interested in hearing from folks who had to claim a loss (if there are any of you in the forum).
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Just so that you know Don uses UPS for his returns. I actually asked him to use insured USPS with signature confirmation on the last package and he said he would but it was left on my doorstep by UPS. Inside was an M7, Noctilux, 50 Summilux & a rigid Summicron. :eek: I'm sure he ships a lot of stuff but it did concern me that there was no signature required, and to be honest I still don't know if the package was insured.
 
I've had good experiences with UPS with recent ground shipments, their tracking system is far superior to the 'track & confirm' system that the USPS uses, which often is not updated until after the box has been delivered.

There is a 'signature required' option if you fill out a UPS waybill using their online system; if this is not chosen, they can leave the box at a residence without signature.
 
If we understand you situation.....you are shipping an M8 and 50/90 summicrons from california to DAG . These are replacable items with easily established values. The best value is the USPS Registered Mail. You can insure for replacement value and you will get the best security of the options. We had postal employees post that they take registered mail very seriously and someone will have their name associated with the shipment until it is signed for by DAG. You get excellent tracking information . Cost should be about $20-25 for each item. Check one of the UPS stores they will be more than double that .
 
If you do ship something via UPS and they screw it up, have fun processing the claim. Still waiting for mine...
 
peter_n said:
Don uses UPS for his returns. I actually asked him to use insured USPS with signature confirmation on the last package and he said he would but it was left on my doorstep by UPS. Inside was an M7, Noctilux, 50 Summilux & a rigid Summicron. :eek:
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Well, if he wants my business he`ll ship it USPS - that was BULL**** that`s not a kool thing to hear about someone who`s supposed to be the "best" CLA person around, now I`m having second thoughts about sending anything to him after I read this.......

THIS IS WHY I DON`T USE UPS OR FEDEX THEY ALWAYS LEAVE THE PACKAGES IN FRONT OF THE DOOR AND ANYONE CAN COME AND PICK THEM UP.......

Tom

PS: I`m still waiting for an ebay item from Australia, which is like
been 18 DAYS now in transit, I`m SURE that it doesn`t take a package that long top get to the USA from Australia - it`s lost or the seller didn`t even bother sending it...... :(
 
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Way said:
Thanks for the interesting replies. I would probably go the USPS route but would still be interested in hearing from folks who had to claim a loss (if there are any of you in the forum).
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Do NOT mail USPS. They nearly lost a purchased M6! Their tracking system is 30 years old. My camera finally arrived after 3 weeks (instead of one week) with water damage to the box (but not the camera). The USPS can track your package to a truck that it is on to be delivered to a postal station, but if it falls out of the truck or it is delivered to the wrong postal station, they have NO WAY to find it. Trust me, I suffered through this. I put in request after request and found that it is so easy to lose a package in USPS. UPS or FedEx can tell you what truck and street the package is on. My vote- do NOT use USPS.
 
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