Really depends on the value of the watch and where your sending it
Hi guys,
I have just sold a watch, and need to post it to the buyer. I looked on Royal Mail website, and they do Special Delivery which arrives next day before 1pm, for £30. However, the maximum that you are covered for is £2500.
Is there a better option that people use?
Thanks
Simon
Really depends on the value of the watch and where your sending it
I think it only £30 if it weighs more then 2kg? Less than that will be £14 and I imagine most watch parcels weigh less than 2kg.
Special Delivery is very reliable. The parcel goes inside a tamper-proof bag and it signed by every person who handles it throughout its journey. Unless the watch you are sending is worth considerably more than £2500 I would go with RMSD every time.
yes - the value is greater than £2500 , and I would like to be certain that if anything did go wrong, that I am covered
If it's worth more than £2,500 you won't be covered at all.
Apparently there have been cases where RM will fork out the maximum £2,500 for missing/damaged items valued at more, but I personally don't believe the stories and wouldn't risk it. If it's worth more than £2,500 I would suggest you need a courier that will insure beyond £2,500, but the costs start getting silly.
That said, RMSD is extremely safe and I've never had any RMSD item go missing. It's up to you protect against damage though so plenty of bubble wrap and strong boxes.
There's some useful info here
No - you are "under-insured" RM see the risk and security suitable for up to 2,500 but if to take an extreme example you sent 1m in cash the risk to RM of theft (if the contents were known) is far higher.
It happened to a friend with his business insurance and isn't where I would like to take a risk - unless prepared to take it on the chin.
Try Mail Boxes Etc https://www.mbe.co.uk/
Won't be cheap, from memory they charge 2% of the declared value for insurance plus the carriage charge.
Hi All
ok RMSD do NOT cover an item worth over £ 2500 at all if it goes missing
so if you post something you sold for £ 2700 and it goes missing if you try to claim they will ask for proof of sale and.... copy of the financial transaction
so if you show them a bank statement showing paid from MR T Bloggs £ 2700 ... they say hey its over the limit we set of £ 2500 payout = ZERO not heres £ 2500 you've lost £ 200
I know the service is very good however stuff does go missing like - watches its only a small % but knowing my luck I would be the 0.01%
Thanks all - great info... appreciated!
Just need to sell my 16610 and then the D Blue will be mine!
Someone questioned this fairly recently with the Royal Mail and the RM employee didn't think this was the case and thought it was an old regulation.
I have looked under insurance terms and there is no statement on this.
It would be interesting to see this condition in black and white if it does exist.
I'm not saying it is not the case but would like to see it if anybody has it.
Come in Mark London!
With the greatest of respect, believe nothing that a Royal Mail employee tells you unless they give it to you in writing on Royal Mail letterhead.
Or believe if it you wish but do not rely on it because, unless it is in writing, it won't count.
(a) Yes, the limit is in the Ts&Cs.
(b) Go look at where I have previously documented this. One day I'll update and consolidate everything I've written on this subject and post it in a blog but, for now, the documented and referenced facts are available here on the forum.
I have seen no substantive evidence that anything has changed.
In short, if one sends an item valued at over £2500 via RMSD then one has no valid Royal Mail compensation cover whatsoever. If RM choose to pay out £2500 in the case of loss or damage then one should consider oneself lucky but one should never rely on this.
P.S. I am more than willing to change my view on this for Royal Mail 'Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm' but I really need to see written evidence.
Last edited by markrlondon; 16th January 2018 at 22:10.
(1) Via Royal Mail.
(a) For UK: Royal Mail Special Delivery (at basic compensation level) or other reliable courier with ParcelPro compensation. (New accounts are business customers only).(2) Mailboxes Etc. (send via one of their partner couriers; must send via a MBE shop).
(b) For international: Royal Mail International Tracked and Signed (at basic compensation level) or other reliable courier with ParcelPro compensation. (New accounts are business customers only).
(3) DHL. Check with them first. Max value £4000.
(4) www.ifs-inforsure.com. This was founded by Jeroenusa of this very forum (a former employee of ParcelPro). Until recently they had a confusing clause in their Ts&Cs but according to this thread, http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...=1#post4415650, they are improving their Ts&Cs.
You might want to do face to face unless it is totally impractical. As others have said the costs of a courier with suitable insurance are usually pretty steep
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
This is a reply from Royal Mail on the £2500 limit
Ill post up a reply I got from Royal Mail if I can
What does an AD like Fraser Hart do when they send your Daytona off to Rolex uk?
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Thanks for posting. That’s very useful. I took a chance and posted last week. It arrived safely so no issues this time!
So my thoughts on the wording of that is that you are covered upto the value of £2500 even if the actual value is greater.
Another myth debunked?
The reply from Royal Mail is very interesting. I owned a Post Office until last May and was of the understanding that you would not receive any compensation for items valued at a different value to the declared amount on your certificate of posting. The maximum that you can declare is £2500 so if a £3000 watch went missing you would have to argue your corner with Royal Mail.
Yes I read the reply but I find it strange given what I know from my time with the Post Office. They must have recently changed things.
No myth whatsoever, I assure you. Researched and documented.
But if you have Royal Mail's assurance in writing that things are otherwise then go for it if you are willing to take the risk of a partial financial loss in the case of loss of or damage to an item valued at over £2500. Personally, whilst I do not doubt the reality of the reply that Hood received, I still would not rely on a screenshot. I'd only rely on signed and written confirmation on physical Royal Mail headed stationery.
As I said in #14 above:-
(Where "written evidence" is on physical medium, not an online chat. Or was it email?)
Last edited by markrlondon; 22nd January 2018 at 05:37.
Note that there are in fact two separate and distinct questions there:
(1) Will you be covered up to £2500 for an item valued at greater than £2500?
(2) Will you be compensated if the value of the item is different (presumably significantly different) to the sum stated when purchasing the service? This question can of course be relevant at a range of values, not just when the value of the item is greater than £2500.
Last edited by markrlondon; 22nd January 2018 at 05:09.
The UK Post Scheme that covers Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm was last updated in January 2017 and came into force in April 2017. However, this document also relies on online documents such as the 'Royal Mail’s retail compensation policy for lost items' which is seemingly more malleable.
I must find the time to read all the applicable documents and find my old documentation on this.
The enquiry and reply were emails
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Has anyone posted a watch with DHL and if so how does their compensation work?
Do you get £4K of cover regardless of the value of the watch you are posting?
Cheers
Ross
When I worked with RM, I used to spend an average 2 days a week working with the RM Solicitors office in Croydon and as such picked up many snipets along the way.
Mark is , unfortunately, 100% correct in what he says, nothing that he has said is wrong.
The RM will not hold itself to anything unless it is written on a dated RM letter headed stationary with a signature. Nothing else counts.
My understanding is that RM will not payout anything on say a £4000.00 claim because the costings are based on all claims being below £2500 and they do not want to encourage people sending stuff through the post, claiming £2500 when they have only paid a similar premium for someone sending a £500 product through the post.
It is possible that things have changed since I left but since privatisation, the RM is more concerned with doing blanket deals with large companies than messing around with one off transactions with private customers.
I would echo Marks comment, be bloody careful because RM has thousands of addendums attached to every contract in existence.
Also the response to Hoods enquiry seems to relate to business customers and private customers were advised to familiarise themselves with another set of conditions.
Last edited by Mick P; 3rd April 2018 at 12:35.
Sent a 4k with the above 3 years ago. It cost me £147 which I split 50-50 with the buyer.
They opened up the packaging in front off me to ascertain exactly what was in the box and then professionally sealed it up again in my presence. I was fully insured for the exact stated value. It arrived the next day and signed off by the recipient.
If the costs are still the same and you split the postage, then for peace of mind it’s worth it. Budget it in to your sale price.
I would not like to try and claim 4k from Royal Mail using their product that stipulates £2500. I for one would have a few sleepless nights.