Help - how should I ship?

[ihy138]

Hello all! I am currently in the process of returning a Victorian diamond brooch to an eBay vendor located in England. I went to the post office this morning to send it back, and they refused to mail it. I asked for insurance for the amount that I paid. They asked what it is, and I told them it was jewelry. They punch a few numbers into their computer and told me it is prohibited to mail diamonds/platinum/gold/etc. to the UK. They suggested UPS, but I wanted to see if anybody had advice. I would like it insured (I paid $1,700) and to be able to track its journey there. Please help!

 

[ruby59]

Yes, fine jewelry is on the list of prohibited items.

I suggest Fed Ex. UPS is an option, but you would only be covered up to $500. The last time I sent a fine jewelry piece to Australia through Fed Ex Global I believe it was covered up to $1,000. Call Fed Ex to see if anything has changed. It is expensive, though. It tracks the package every step of the way. I could log on and know exactly where it was on a given day. Also, it is fast. Fed Ex is able to zoom through even the slowest of Customs. And more importantly, you are able to get online signature confirmation, which is a must on ebay, in case the package gets lost.

You can cheap out, and declare it as costume jewelry, as that is allowed through the Post Office. But I would not recommend it.