Insured shipping options?

Posts
33
Likes
36
Hi all,
Newish to this site with the purchase of a few more Omegas and was curious on an unrelated note about shipping protocols. I've owned/traded/sold dozens of rolexes over the years and with a sale I made last year learned you can now only insure with UPS or FEDEX up to around $5k. I tried to get a parcel pro account but couldn't. What do you all do other than ship USPS registered mail (which is PAINFULLY slow)?
 
Posts
4,834
Likes
12,223
Hi all,
Newish to this site with the purchase of a few more Omegas and was curious on an unrelated note about shipping protocols. I've owned/traded/sold dozens of rolexes over the years and with a sale I made last year learned you can now only insure with UPS or FEDEX up to around $5k. I tried to get a parcel pro account but couldn't. What do you all do other than ship USPS registered mail (which is PAINFULLY slow)?

I like the painfully slow registered mail. It feels the most secure for me.
 
Posts
33
Likes
36
I like the painfully slow registered mail. It feels the most secure for me.
I don't disagree but try calming a buyer's nerves who is watching tracking day and night for 6-9 days, lol. i don't know which is more painful
 
Posts
4,834
Likes
12,223
A little off topic here, but I was thinking about how long things take to deliver, and that we all have Amazon prime 2-day shipping expectations. Perhaps 6-9 days is not long if you went back 25 years. My daughters were dying because we ordered clothes from Kohl's that took a week to arrive. I seem to remember ordering from the Sears catalog and it so long to arrive that I had practically forgotten what I ordered when it did. I think 6-8 weeks was perfectly normal. Am I wrong and 2 weeks felt like 2 months when I was seven years old?
 
Posts
33
Likes
36
A little off topic here, but I was thinking about how long things take to deliver, and that we all have Amazon prime 2-day shipping expectations. Perhaps 6-9 days is not long if you went back 25 years. My daughters were dying because we ordered clothes from Kohl's that took a week to arrive. I seem to remember ordering from the Sears catalog and it so long to arrive that I had practically forgotten what I ordered when it did. I think 6-8 weeks was perfectly normal. Am I wrong and 2 weeks felt like 2 months when I was seven years old?
listen, i used to order things out of the back of magazines when i was a kid and IF IT TOOK LESS THAN 2 months to get i was beyond excited. i get it but the world has changed dramatically. you buy, pay, and now its expected in 1-2 days TOPS. especially with high $$ watches.
 
Posts
4,834
Likes
12,223
listen, i used to order things out of the back of magazines when i was a kid and IF IT TOOK LESS THAN 2 months to get i was beyond excited. i get it but the world has changed dramatically. you buy, pay, and now its expected in 1-2 days TOPS. especially with high $$ watches.

I completely understand that the perspective of the today's buyer is completely different. Good luck convicing them otherwise. I will follow this thread to see what others say.

It sounds like my memory serves me well, and I can keep telling my girls "When I was your age, I would have been excited if an order arrived in less than 2 months . . . and we didn't have tracking!"
 
Posts
33
Likes
36
I completely understand that the perspective of the today's buyer is completely different. Good luck convicing them otherwise. I will follow this thread to see what others say.

It sounds like my memory serves me well, and I can keep telling my girls "When I was your age, I would have been excited if an order arrived in less than 2 months . . . and we didn't have tracking!"
right?!?!? you had no idea where it was or when it was coming. hahahaha, man those were the days. i feel like we were all a lot less stressed
 
Posts
792
Likes
919
listen, i used to order things out of the back of magazines when i was a kid...

Onion gum, X-ray specs, sea monkeys, secret spy scope, jiu jitsu manual?

I even saw a stopwatch for 98 cents. Only stops once.

I read on another thread that collectors can get a Parcel Pro account, but you have to hound them for it. No personal experience.
Edited:
 
Posts
98
Likes
110
Hi all,
Newish to this site with the purchase of a few more Omegas and was curious on an unrelated note about shipping protocols. I've owned/traded/sold dozens of rolexes over the years and with a sale I made last year learned you can now only insure with UPS or FEDEX up to around $5k. I tried to get a parcel pro account but couldn't. What do you all do other than ship USPS registered mail (which is PAINFULLY slow)?

Why couldn't you get a Parcel Pro account?
 
Posts
24,613
Likes
54,656
Posts
33
Likes
36
Why couldn't you get a Parcel Pro account?
they said they only do accounts with businesses, not individuals. I called and spoke to 3 different people
 
Posts
24,613
Likes
54,656
they said they only do accounts with businesses, not individuals. I called and spoke to 3 different people

I have been told that you need to persuade them that you are a collector who ships a lot of high value items. I haven't tried it personally.
 
Posts
33
Likes
36
I have been told that you need to persuade them that you are a collector who ships a lot of high value items. I haven't tried it personally.
I called again today and was told you must have. a business. no exceptions., they stopped allowing individuals to register in 2019
 
Posts
24,613
Likes
54,656
I called again today and was told you must have. a business. no exceptions., they stopped allowing individuals to register in 2019

That's really unfortunate.
 
Posts
33
Likes
36
well i was finally able to get a parcel pro acct! just filled out the online form with my company's info, they called to verify and done!
 
Posts
1,441
Likes
3,809
well i was finally able to get a parcel pro acct! just filled out the online form with my company's info, they called to verify and done!

What is the max insurance amount you can ship? Are there insured amounts or price tiers or every customer gets a limit based on the business/request?
 
Posts
33
Likes
36
I think the max I was allowed was $75k. There are price tiers but it’s WAAAYYY less than I’ve ever paid for shipping insured.
 
Posts
1,441
Likes
3,809
I think the max I was allowed was $75k. There are price tiers but it’s WAAAYYY less than I’ve ever paid for shipping insured.

One last question: do you have to have/be a business or can you be a private collector?
 
Posts
33
Likes
36
One last question: do you have to have/be a business or can you be a private collector?
You have to register as a business. I am a private collector but used my business info and TIN