[meteorite-list] Dealers, Sellers: Please INSURE your shipments

[Martin Altmann]

Hello list,

maybe the Argentine problem is caused by the new legislation protecting
meteorites from there?

Shipping meteorites - nationally and internationally: 

It should be clear, what the receiver and the sender do want,
for finding a compromise between safety, costs and speed.

An insurance causes extra-fees.
If internationally sent, it is not plausible, if a parcel has a high
insurance value but a low or no value declared for customs.
In that cases the receiver has to pay often taxes.

A high value declared, can slow down the duration of the delivery
and it invites to theft more than if nothing is given as value for the
boring looking rock or lump of iron.

(I remember a country, where, before it joined EU, people having to mail
there, wrote even on normal letter: "Contains no money!"....).

Some carriers explicitly refuse to insure something so irreplaceable like a
meteorite. Although inconsistently, e.g. some firms refuse to do so from
Germany to U.S., but the same firm allows an insurance in USA to Germany.

Some firms refuse to insure parcels to certain countries.


My recommendation: 

- Send your meteorites always registered, if the value isn't insignificant.
Such shipments are better treated than standard shipping.

- A very good possibility for overseas-shipments for very valuable specimens
are the "courier" options, most carriers offer;
of that type: delivery to overseas within 2 days, as these are handled with
special care.

- And finally with very, very, verrrrry valuable specimens,
  there the best option is, to deliver in person.


Our experiences with shipping to U.S.:
In all these years a single shipment was lost (the collector had moved).
One parcel arrived after several months, but arrived.
In general all shipments (if not a faster option was chosen) arrive in +/-7
days.
One shipment out of 30-40 is delayed with 2-4 weeks for unknown reasons.

The other direction to Germany, there, many of you dealers will remember,
there was a period of troubles with German customs, where often shipments,
also minor ones, were held for several weeks, without the recipient being
informed, that the shipment is lying at their customs office.
So that some collectors suspected the US-dealers not having sent anything.
This situation seems to have improved now, as the recipients are informed
nowadays within few days.

So all in all I can say that at least the mail traffic between USA and
Germany is safe and timely.

Best!
Martin