Posting items internationally

[Bops]

Hi,
Does anyone have advice on the best way of sending jewellery internationally? I recently obtained a stockist in Asia and sent my first order through with Royal Mail Airsure for £9. It did not arrive and I am in the middle of processing my claim (but am not optimistic of getting any compensation).
I have sent my second order by Parcelforce for £70 but combined a few pieces together. I won't always be able to do this and can't afford a £70 delivery fee for individual items. I was wondering what the best way is of sending jewellery internationally without risking it going missing. Also, what do you list your items as on the description and do you put the correct value down? My most recent package was worth £1500 to me in wholesale value but I was nervous putting this on the form. Is this an irrational fear or do others under value their work when posting it?

[Dennis]

There is another thread above, which shows how members are struggling with this problem. Your best bet is to use another carrier entirely. Dennis.

[pearlescence]

Ask the person in the other country which is the best deliverer in their country - it does vary according to who has the best network and the best customs etc operation.
Check such companies as fedex. dhl, ups.
If you underdeclare you will get the value you declare in case of loss, and you are making a fraudulent declaration for customs purposes

[Gemsetterchris]

Not intending to be negative, but have you been to meet your "stockist" in Asia? are they legit?
I`ve had emails from far flung places wanting to buy lots of stock (one even wanted to set up a direct debit account) & to be honest, I just don`t trust this is a good idea.

Sending within EU is a different matter, I`m starting to get a little more work from the UK without problems...so long as receiver is notified of a parcel on route. I`ve managed to track things from other countries postal websites in the past.

Alot of horror stories emerge about lost parcels, but really the truth is it`s not bad at all considering the volume of parcels in transit...of course, where & who to can make a big difference!

[medusa]

On a plus note my £400 iten sent to Norway via international siged for turned up today. I'm a very happy bunny

[pearlescence]

I would be no more nor less suspicious about people from Asia or America or five miles up the road. Be sensible and not gullible. If you want to expand into selling overseas then use your head. Find reputable people to deal with either by recommendation or general word of mouth or by finding them on the net and poking around a bit to see what their reputation is like (study their website, does it make sense, is it owned by them and for how long has it been registered as a domain. How many other domains does the person own)- it isn't hard and the bogus and con merchants are generally pretty obvious. Most people in Asia are as honest as you or me and there is a big demand for recognisably English stuff (unfortunately I deal in pearls which come from there)