Precious Metals: Why Convenient Shipping Is Not Always the Safest Shipping
We love the convenient shipping that Amazon and other online retailers are offering these days. You place an order and before you know it - sometimes on the same day - a box lands at your door. It’s great, but is the convenience making us overlook the security issues?
We know a young woman who recently ordered some items online. Her order was delivered the next day and dropped on her front stoop. But when she got home from work at the end of the day, the box had been ripped open and its contents were stolen.
Here are some precautions to take when you are ordering or receiving smaller precious metal items through the U.S. Post Office, FedEx, UPS or any other carrier.
Precaution One: Require a Signature
When you are ordering or shipping, require a signature to confirm that your shipment will be received by the right person. The same holds true when you are sending gold and other precious metal items to Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners. (We don’t mind signing for shipments - why would we?) Make sure your precious materials end up in the right hands.
Precaution Two: Have Deliveries Made to a Secure Location
Because front stoops and porches are not secure, have shipments delivered to your place of business. Some people resist this idea because their work locations are closed on weekends, so the carrier will have to attempt delivery on the following weekday. But we ask you, isn’t getting your shipment a day later better than not getting it at all? We are sure you will agree that it is.
Precaution Three: Use a Courier for High-Value Items
Couriers are best used when you are sending or receiving high-value items within a metro area. Are they costly? Yes, but when you are sending big-ticket items like jewelry, bullion or gems, it can be worth spending the extra money. To find a service in your area, search online for “courier.”
Precaution Four: Don’t Forget to Insure the Items You Send
Whether you are sending something via FedEx, UPS or the U.S. Post Office, ask about insurance. Chances are that your shipment will be insured up to a certain value, but ask what it is. And ask how much it will cost to obtain additional coverage, up to the actual replacement value of what you are shipping. Even in today’s world of parcel tracking with bar codes and other new technologies, packages still disappear.
To Learn More, Call Us Today
How will you ship your precious metal items to our precious metals refinery for processing? We are here to answer your questions, so give us a call at 800-426-2344.
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