Originally Posted by
Barb_MO
Priority Mail comes with $100.00 insurance, if the value of your quilt is more than that you have to purchase the additional amount.
Priority mail comes with $50 insurance. Express Priority comes with $100. All UPS comes with $100. You can purchase extra coverage with all services. (about $2 per $100). You can purchase "signature required" with all services. The postal service will also leave packages on your doorstep if signature isn't required. While we all feel that quilts are valuable, Fed Ex, USPS and UPS all ship many items with very high values. After all, they do all the Amazon deliveries. Cell phones, computers, IPADs would be much easier to steal and sell than a unique hand made quilt. They are all safe services. I only use UPS because they guarantee a delivery date even with ground services and if you need to file a claim, the postal service is much more difficult to deal with. Use a good strong box. Don't cram a quilt into a small flat rate box if it's a "surprise". The receiver could slice through it while opening.
One more thing, The value of the package and contents are embedded in the bar code. Drivers NEVER know the contents or the value. They WILL know if signature is required. If you lie about the contents and later have to file a claim, you will have trouble getting your money. I own a UPS Store. We handle Priority Mail AND UPS. We always give our customers all their options and ship many high value and hand made pieces of art (including quilts). Loss or damage with any service is extremely rare, but it does happen. Millions of packages are handled every day with all services. All services use automatic transport and sorting in their facilities.
The folks at a UPS Store OR the Post Office should only be giving you correct information. Please don't assume you know more than they do. We are ALL only trying to get your packages delivered in the safest way.