Declared Value Is Not Insurance
On most carrier labels, declared value is a limit of liability. It raises the amount a carrier may pay if it is responsible for a loss, up to the carrier's own cap for your type of goods. It is not an insurance policy, and paying a higher declared value fee does not lift a cap that applies to your category.
Insurance is a separate contract that covers the declared value of the shipment. Full-value insurance with Unival covers the declared value, up to $150,000.
Carrier Limits at a Glance
The table summarizes what each carrier publishes about protection for valuables. Terms change, and these figures come from published carrier terms at the time of writing, so check the current terms for your service and goods before you ship.
| Carrier | What it offers | Published limits | For valuables |
|---|---|---|---|
| FedEx | Declared value, not insurance | Default limit for jewelry is $1,000 per package | A program for enrolled shippers allows up to $100,000 domestic for jewelry |
| UPS | Declared value, not insurance | $100 default liability, up to $50,000 declared value | International terms limit packages containing jewelry to $500 |
| USPS | Insured Mail and Registered Mail | Insured Mail up to $5,000, Registered Mail up to $50,000 domestic | International Registered Mail indemnity is very limited |
| DHL Express | Limited liability, Shipment Value Protection at extra cost | Cover depends on the protection purchased | Terms treat cash, bullion and loose precious stones as unacceptable |
This page summarizes published terms for information only and is not legal advice.
What the Limits Mean for Your Shipment
Take a piece of jewelry worth $20,000. At a carrier whose default limit for jewelry is $1,000 per package, a loss leaves $19,000 uncovered. At a carrier that caps jewelry at $500 in its terms, the gap is larger still.
Even where a higher limit is available, it applies only under the carrier's own terms, which can exclude indirect loss and delay and can require specific packaging, paperwork or enrollment. Full-value insurance is designed to cover the declared value of the shipment itself.
Goods Some Carriers Will Not Accept
Some goods are not simply capped but refused. DHL Express's published terms, for example, treat cash, bullion of any precious metal and loose precious or semi-precious stones as unacceptable, and other carriers restrict valuables in their own ways.
If you ship cash, bullion or loose stones, ask how the shipment will be carried before you pack it, because a shipment a carrier should not have accepted can be refused or excluded from any payout. Read more about our secure transport services and secure transportation.
Special Programs and Higher Limits
Some carriers offer programs with higher limits for eligible shippers. One major carrier, for example, lets enrolled shippers declare up to $100,000 for domestic jewelry shipments, and USPS Registered Mail carries insurance up to $50,000 domestically.
These programs have their own eligibility rules, packaging requirements and costs, and they do not remove the carrier's terms. Compare them with the value of your shipment and with the cost of full-value insurance before you choose.
Where Unival Fits In
Unival combines full-value insurance, secure transportation and hands-on support, so the protection does not depend on a single carrier's cap. Every shipment is quoted before it moves, and you are told how it will be carried and what coverage applies.
See our overview of insured high-value shipping, our guides to insured jewelry shipping and high-value parcel shipping, and our page on shipping insurance cost.
Questions to Ask Before You Ship With Any Carrier
Before you rely on a carrier's protection for valuable goods, check the following:
- Do my goods fall into a category the carrier treats as extraordinary or unusual value?
- What is the default liability, and what is the highest value I can declare for this category?
- Does the carrier accept my goods at all?
- What losses are excluded, such as indirect loss and delay?
- Is declared value insurance, or only a limit of liability?
- How big is the gap between the carrier's limit and my shipment's value?
