[meteorite-list] Lost packages

[stan .]

>Let's get something strait now. Almost every customer in Europe wants their 
>packages to declare "NO VALUE" "GIFT" "For scientific study only" etc, to 
>avoid customs. Except there is a problem with that. When you declare no 
>value, then there is no possible insurance value either.


thats not true - at least for my post office.

i usually put no customs value or a small amount - say 20$ - but ALWAYS 
insure a package for what it's worth - and have not had a prob;em processing 
the one claim I had - nor have I had anyone calim that customs gave them a 
hard time even though the insured value is written ont he customs form - in 
obvious conflict with the dclared value.

basically the post office explained it to me that the customs declaration 
can be set at value of the transaction - but the insurance amount can be for 
whatever you can document your loss at should the package go missing..

so as a hypothetical example, if you sell your customer a several gram 
howardite slice @ 20$ - a killer deal because you want them to come back 
again and again - you can put 20$ ont he customs form for shipment to 
germany - but you can insure it for 200$ - the price some dude in germany 
recently bought the same material off of you for.

a convinient loophole i'd say