The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Otto's thread about sending watches internationally from Australia spurred me on to write this little rant.

Basically I just wanted to say that the UK is a total pain in the backside when it comes to international postage too, but the issue in this country is one of insurance.

Royal Mail will only insure up to £500 on international mail, and ALL of the other major couriers (and that includes FedEx, UKMail, DHL, etc) will only insure watches/jewellery up to £1000. And most of them (UKMail for example) need you to be set up as a business user which involves a face-to-face meeting with one of their reps to "configure our service to your needs". Errrr.... what about if my "needs" are to be able to send ONE watch on this ONE occasion???? What a pathetic service.

And of course, since this is the good ol' backwards UK, there are obviously no insurance companies here that offer 3rd party coverage for postal packages.

It really does put you off international transactions for high value items. I have no clue how expensive items manage to make their way round the globe from the UK.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Doesn't the Parcel (if I spell it right) insure for the full value?

Unfortunately not. You tell the Post Office guy how much it's worth and then he tells you that they can only insure it for £500. Or you speak to a courier and they (in this country at least) tell you that, as it's a watch, they will only insure it for £1000.

Watches worth more than £1000 are generally on UK courier's "Prohibited Items" list, under pain of anything from voiding the insurance, to "heavy fines", so I for one am not prepared to lie about the contents.

It's a ridiculous situation.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

That is ridiculous, I agree.

I envy the ease with which collectors in the USA seem to be able to buy, sell and swap.

well there is a new business...an insurance company for postal goods!! There I just made you a multi millionaire Driver8! Good deed for the month done! haha

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SA-Baton White Dial/ProII
Tissot Le Locle

There are insurance companies that will insure high risk items during transit. You need to talk to a specialist freight insurer or freight forwarder, they will also advise on the correct shipping documentation to avoid lengthy customs proceedures.

Small independent freight forwrders also use the big courier networks, UPS, DHL, TNT etc....
but can recommend the best and most secure method of shipment.

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STAFFWOLF - NAVITIMER

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4090

I'd be interested if you had some specific on this one Staffwolf, as I've done the rounds on the net and all the freight insurers I've found are for business sending large numbers of packages. I've not found a single one that will insure a single package on a one-off basis. As I said above, most seem to get very twitchy when it comes to valuable watches too. I guess lots have "gone walkies" as a result of light-fingered postal workers, so they all seem to restrict insurance to something like £1000.

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Driver8

Site Moderator