Posting watches - insurance...

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Japanred

·Jun 16, 2020

Hi all,

I’ve got 2 watches that I want to send to Simon Freese for a service. Tried posting them via Royal Mail and they only insure up to £2,500.
I need £10,000 insurance. Can anyone recommend a courier or alternative?
Thanks. Rob

 

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w@tcher

·Jun 16, 2020

As far as i Know DHL can insure for much more money, but the shipping cost is higher...
You could ask by providing the dimensions & the weight of the packet.

 

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·Jun 16, 2020·schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collector

If you live in the UK, can’t you just drive there ??

Edited: Jun 16, 2020

 

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MtV

·Jun 16, 2020

w@tcher

As far as i Know DHL can insure for much more money, but the shipping cost is higher...
You could ask by providing the dimensions & the weight of the packet.

Yep, within European countries or Europe (I know, I know) they usually offer 2500€ or 25000€, the latter costing something along the lines of 20-30€, depending on the country. Haven’t checked for the UK in particular but it might be worth a try.

 

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Japanred

·Jun 16, 2020

w@tcher

As far as i Know DHL can insure for much more money, but the shipping cost is higher...
You could ask by providing the dimensions & the weight of the packet.

Watches and jewellery over £4k are on the prohibited items list for DHL.

 

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Japanred

·Jun 16, 2020

STANDY

If you live in the UK, can’t you just drive there ??

Haha. It’s 4hrs each way so 8 in total to take the watches. Then another 8 hours to collect a few weeks later. If it was half that I’d consider it.

 

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Syrte

·Jun 16, 2020

Unfortunately it is a well known fact that few insurers these days are willing to insure risk— even though it is their job. Most only want to insure when there is no risk and collect free money.
Thankfully there are a couple remarkable exceptions.
Professionals have some specific insurance, doesn’t Simon Freese have insurance accounts for those types of shipment?
There are many threads here where people refer to Parcel Pro- unfortunately not available in the country where I live.

 

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MRC

·Jun 16, 2020

Japanred

Haha. It’s 4hrs each way so 8 in total to take the watches. Then another 8 hours to collect a few weeks later. If it was half that I’d consider it.

I've done nearly as much driving with a watch now valued at well over insurable that I've owned for 50 years -- and how can I insure for that? My method is to pick out somewhere en-route to take a break that I want to visit. Newark Air Museum is just off the A1 if you're coming from the north and is a nearly unknown gem. If you like old aircraft of course 👍

 

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Evitzee

·Jun 16, 2020

Japanred

Haha. It’s 4hrs each way so 8 in total to take the watches. Then another 8 hours to collect a few weeks later. If it was half that I’d consider it.

Make a day of it, you can discuss with them what needs to be done and you have the immediate comfort that the watches arrived safely. I've driven more than 4 hours each way to buy/sell a watch. It's part of the ownership experience.

 

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stevec14

·Jun 16, 2020

Japanred

Watches and jewellery over £4k are on the prohibited items list for DHL.

Last time I looked, you could insure but it would cost an extra percentage of the cost. Might have changed of course as last time I used was a year or so ago......

but agree RM is a bit of a joke

 

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CJpickup57

·Jun 16, 2020

Evitzee

Make a day of it, you can discuss with them what needs to be done and you have the immediate comfort that the watches arrived safely. I've driven more than 4 hours each way to buy/sell a watch. It's part of the ownership experience.

I agree. I would definitely feel much more comfortable hand delivering such items. Granted my current financial status makes me look at £10,000 differently than some might though.

I’m looking forward to my first plane trip to collect a “special watch” at some point in my collecting life.

 

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Japanred

·Jun 16, 2020

Thanks everyone. If I didn’t have to make 2 x 8 hour trips then it wouldn’t be a huge issue. One trip and we could definitely make a weekend of it and visit somewhere local. MRC you make a great point. But doing that twice within the month, especially when pubs, restaurants and a lot of other amenities are locked down makes it harder. Plus we have 2 young children; a 7 month old and a 2 year old and it wouldn’t be fair to make them sit in the car for so long.

It’s a shame as I do like a road trip. I once drove a 12 hour round trip to pick up some alloy wheels for a car. I even drove from North of England to Belgium and back in a day to get an exhaust fitted to the Porsche.

Evitzee, id probably drive 4 hours each way to buy a watch, as there’s the excitement of the new purchase. I just can’t get excited about a service though....

Seems like too much effort for a watch service though, especially with kids and lockdown...

 

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Evitzee

·Jun 16, 2020

Simon Freese should have the ability to ship the watches back to you under whatever insurance cover he has as a normal course of business which would mean only one trip. I've used businesses in the US when I've sold or had watches repaired for them to send me a prepaid UPS/FedEx label and I send the watches to them, and they are covered under their insurance. Maybe that is an option in this case.

 

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MRC

·Jun 16, 2020

Japanred

But doing that twice within the month, .

Month? Simon's turn-around is way better than I see from my regular watchmaker, must start to use him!

 

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MtV

·Jun 16, 2020

Evitzee

Simon Freese should have the ability to ship the watches back to you under whatever insurance cover he has as a normal course of business which would mean only one trip. I've used businesses in the US when I've sold or had watches repaired for them to send me a prepaid UPS/FedEx label and I send the watches to them, and they are covered under their insurance. Maybe that is an option in this case.

Or you simply combine options. As often as I’ve read the name Simon Freese in the short time I’ve been registered here, I’d be surprised if they didn’t have the possibility to send back the watch fully insured. Make a trip to him, garnish it with a visit of some nice locations here and there and have the watch shipped back home so you’re not going there twice. 😀

 

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·Jun 16, 2020·schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collector

Japanred

Haha. It’s 4hrs each way so 8 in total to take the watches. Then another 8 hours to collect a few weeks later. If it was half that I’d consider it.

Is that all. 😉

So now you really have to look at what point you trust at least 10 other people having your watches worth €10k

I would be doing the road trip.

 

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palatine

·Jun 16, 2020

if you get intouch with simon he will send out a package to you that you then send back to him( prepaid ) it will be insured on his business insurance I think he has £20k cover
the cost is added to your service
assuming you are in the UK

basically ring simon and he will sort it out for you

 

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Dan S

·Jun 16, 2020

He may be able to send you a label electronically and add the cost to your bill.

 

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Japanred

·Jun 17, 2020

Thanks guys, I’ve spoke to Simon who’s confirmed that he has £30k cover when he posts it back to me but I need to arrange my own cover to take it to him.

Might see if we can take a weekend break in the caravan next month down his way and drop the watches off at the same time. Thanks for all the advice. Rob

 

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Davidt

·Jun 17, 2020

I'd send it RM Special even with just 2500 cover.