tessagin

No matter what I send it all goes Priority Mail with all the bells and whistles that come with it. I make copies of the address and secure any and all seals with shipping/mailing tape. I tape the address on the outside and seal the flap of a PM envelope. Also before packing, take multiple photos of the quilt or product you send. My cousin sent a quilt through the mail and did everything right. One last thing she did was just do a 6" running stitch along the binding. Same color as the binding but with large knots on both ends. Her recipients neighbor tried to steal the package and signed her name to it. The mailman ( a sub) said it was signed for and described the gal. She tried to pass it off as hers in a quilt show. The woman was charged for theft of mail. The detail was in that simple 6" running stitch with the knots on each end.

annette1952

This post really amazed me. I had no idea all that you had to consider to ship a quilt overseas. Or even within the states for that matter. The expense is also mind blowing. Good luck to you & I hope you don't have any problems. Your quilt is just gorgeous.

Jeanette Frantz

I have sent things to my cousin in Oklahoma, only to have the post office make a serious mistake. Instead of sending it to Cleo Springs, Oklahoma, it was sent to Hiawassee, Arkansas. I sent it out on December 1, but it was the 18th of January before she got the box (it wasn't a quilt, thank God!), but the box had been opened and certain things were taken from it. My cousin did eventually get the box. One clue on shipping a quilt. The last time I sent a quilt top to my cousin for quilting, had I been asked, the contents of the box would have been described as "fabric", very expensive "fabric". I insured the quilt top and the backing for $500. The package got there in 2 days, which I think is remarkable. My philosophy is -- a completed item, such as a "quilt" is more likely to be stolen than simple "fabric" because not too many people know how to make anything from the "fabric". But, a "quilt" is easy for anyone to use! It cost me $35 to ship a quilt top and the backing from Ocala, Florida to Cleo Springs, Oklahoma! It was worth it. You see, the blocks in that quilt were hand-embroidered 30+ years ago by my 89-year old aunt. That makes the quilt VERY VERY VALUABLE TO ME, but it wouldn't have a sentimental value to anyone else. Jeanette

Bree123

Basketman,
UPS is usually cheaper internationally than USPS. In addition, the maximum that USPS will allow you to insure to is $2500 & I can't imagine your quilt being worth so little. Packages are rarely lost or damaged. FedEx, UPS & USPS are all about the same with roughly 1 in 200 packages lost. About the only risk of damage to a quilt is from exposure to liquids which is why other posters recommended the plastic. Depending on the packaging & declared value, you might be able to ship UPS for as little as US$300. I put in 9 lbs in a tube with a Declared Value of $7500 (I'm just guessing since you said maybe you're undercharging clients). While $300-400 seems astronomical to me, I have found that experienced buyers understand & consider that cost when purchasing foreign art.

As for the AQS appraisal, I personally have always found them to be fair. They don't care how much time I put into the quilt. For an insurance appraisal they primarily consider one question: how much would it cost you to obtain (price, tax, S&H) a equally satisfying quilt? In my experience, insurance appraisals typically value the quilt slightly higher than what you charge. There are specific criteria that appraisers are trained to look at. It is not so subjective like juried shows. They document the materials, design & details of your quilt and then use their training and expertise to find quilts of a similar quality/material/design as a reference for the insurance value. You can usually get a recommendation for a good local appraiser through your LQS or you can look up a list of AQS appraisers in your state.

But even if the appraised insurance value is less than the amount you charged, it will still be more than the amount you'd get otherwise. USPS only refunds you the shipping cost unless you can prove value. UPS & FedEx refunds shipping cost + $100 in the event of damage or loss. I don't know how much you charged for this quilt, but I really can't imagine how devastating it would be to lose that entire amount in the VERY rare event that something happens in transit. At $0.90/$100 that means for a $10K quilt, it's $90 in insurance and I'd pass that charge along to the customer.

Jingle

A few years ago I shipped by UPS 6 quilts. To Tennessee in a cardboard box, labels outside and inside and they were received on time and just like they were sent. I didn't insure them or say what was in the box.
Could have been dumb luck but no problems.

Needles

Shipping domestically and internationally are two different things. We've had exchange students from Brazil years back. When on graduated from high school, I boxed up a hand knit large afghan. When I went to mail it, the clerk told me, she will only get an empty box. Asking why, she told me sending things such as this to most foreign countries, was pointless. She had family in Mexico and Peru and said after three boxes arrived empty, she now wires money for weddings, graduations, etc.

Seems there is heavy corruption in many foreign countries and boxes are undone, resealed and sent on their way to be delivered. Our USPS is good and only one package was lost. However, was probably because I insured it for $300.
So I had my receipt for the underwater digital camera and claimed my loss after 30 days. Priority gets tracked and it was received in Honolulu. There it stopped. (I believe someone hid it thinking maybe no one will claim it, and they will retrieve it from it's hiding place after some time went by.) Well, they were wrong, I'd filled out the paperwork, had my receipts, etc., and USPS didn't want to part with $300, so the investigation began. Surprise, 3 days later the recipient received his Christmas present, 5 weeks late.

So if you do send to New Zealand, be sure to have all your p's and q's in order as chances are good, it won't arrive. The domestic shipper's really have no control in foreign countries. Your quilt is gorgeous

AZ Jane

Let's stop and think about the wisdom of sending, even a small quilt, in an envelope.

AZ Jane

In addition to the fees, you will need to fill out a Customs Form. On the form, you must list what is in the box. Try to be as vague as reasonably possible. For instance, I would write fabric VS custom show stopping quilt. Now that is an exaggeration but you get the drift. I have sent 100's of boxes to soldiers in the war. I have never had one stole or lost.

Maureen NJ

Have you thought about trying to sell it locally? How about to a museum? It would be safer than shipping.

Basketman

I guess I am too new at and uniformed about quilting to know what I am really doing? I am bowled over that you think a museum might even be interested! Perhaps I need to rethink this sale a bit…not so much from a money issue, although VERY important, but from a worst case scenario viewpoint.