Just slightly a year ago, buyers preferred to rummage through their favorite jewelry shops and touch and feel the items they fancied. They tried them on to see if they’re a good match with their dress, personality, or skin.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed all that—as it changed every aspect of our lives.
Jewelry Shipping: How Does It Work?
At the onset of the pandemic early last year, almost everything came to a standstill. Schools, government offices, and businesses were closed, or partly-closed. The financial and opportunity losses were gargantuan. Businesses, specifically, were in the doldrums. Some came up with inventive ways to stay afloat while a lot stopped operating altogether. The jewelry business, in particular, suffered an 82% drop in sales when people were quarantined.
Things have eased up a bit since then. The initial panic has worn off and people have become more conscious of their responsibilities to stem the spread of the disease. And everybody started to exploit the power of the Internet. They have started shopping online, instead of the traditional way.
To appreciate how things are (compared to the pre-Covid-19 era), below is a chart showing the impact of the pandemic on the jewelry industry. As you can see, there is a notable revenue decline in 2020.
This is a far cry from the sector’s 2018 revenue, where 42 jewelry retailers tracked by the Internet Retailer registered more than $5 billion in e-commerce sales. And in 2019, the global market for jewelry was approximately $229.3 billion.
That’s a lot of jewelry items to ship, right?
So the overarching questions now are:
- How to ship jewelry?
- What is the cheapest way to ship jewelry?
- Best way to ship jewelry internationally.
As a seller or buyer, these questions, and more, may circulate in your mind for endless hours, affecting your sleep.
Fortunately, this article intends to answer all that. It intends to clear the clouds of jewelry shipping, take away trial and error that could result in expensive mistakes.
So here goes…
Jewelry Shipping: How Does It Work?
Jewelry shipping is not a simple matter of getting it from point A (your shop) to point B (the buyers’ doorsteps). The package you are sending out does not only carry a purchased item but your name, reputation, and brand as well.
Take note that accessories/jewelry account for 30% of e-commerce returned products. And any return will have an impact on your day-to-day activities.
Here are the most common returns for product returns. These will serve your business well if posted on your shipping area:
- 20%, damaged
- 22%, product received looks different from ordered
- 23%, wrong item
- 35%, other reasons.
Be sure you are covered on these—especially the last. Some customers are fond of playing nasty tricks on vendors. The consolation is that 92% of consumers will buy again from you if your return policies are easy.
Now that we’ve laid things down pat, let’s start packing.
Packing
Jewelry items are expensive and beautiful items. They deserve shopping boxes that give a “Wow” effect when customers rip out the outer shipping container.
But that’s not all. It must be safe and undamaged when received. So here are some simple things to do the trick:
Have a system:
Remember that you are shipping an expensive and fragile item. You cannot just pack them like an after-thought. Have a system. Keep your packing area:
- Clean, well-kept, and comfortable to work in
- Has first-in-first-out mechanism in place
- Has all the packing materials nearby
Then follow these steps:
- Check if it is the right SKU (stock keeping unit)
- Clean and carefully lay it down on a clean and flat surface in front of its respective box or pouch.
- Put jewelry items in small plastic bags to prevent potential scratches during shipping.
- Then place it carefully and safely in its respective box or pouch in a manner that will give the customer a good impression when unwrapped from the package. For added protection, wrap the item in soft material like tissue paper or thin foam.
- Close the box or pouch then attach a label containing such information as order no., recipient, state or country, city, etc.
- For added protective measures, wrap the box or pouch in soft foam and move it to the shipping area.
Be careful not to use too much heavy protective materials to avoid additional shipping costs.
Shipping
After packing the jewelry items, prepare them for shipping to your customers. Here’s how it is done:
- Line the insides of the shipping box with protective materials like bubble pack, old newspaper, peanuts, or styrofoam.
- Carefully place boxed jewelry items into the shipping box according to destination. Note: Make sure all sides are adequately protected.
- When the shipping box is full, put a layer of protective material on top and securely seal it.
- Put appropriate labels on top and all sides for easy identification. Note: Don’t mark “Fragile” or “Valuable” to avoid possible pilferage.
- Insure the package.
- Choose a shipper/cargo handler, or forwarder to deliver the package to the customer.
- Once one is chosen, turn it over to them. Be sure to get a signed acknowledgment of receipt to avoid potential problems in the future. Keep track of the shipment’s value and tracking number.
To get the best cost for your shipment, use a shipping calculator app to have a good estimate of your freight and handling costs.
Not all shippers are created equal. Choose one with a track record of safely delivering valuables. They also have different restrictions in shipping valuable items.
What is the Cheapest Way to Ship Jewelry
There is no definite answer to this.
If you are a jewelry hobbyist or are selling jewelry from Amazon or Etsy, the cheapest way to ship jewelry and the best way to ship high value items in the United States. is through the USPS First-Class Package Service – the most popular shipping service for light items with short time frame
On the upside, here’s what you will get:
- 1 to 3 business days delivery
- Free door-to-door tracking
- Maximum package weight of 15.999 (roughly 1 pound)
- Maximum dimension of 22x18x15 inches
On the downside, USPS does not provide insurance. So you have to insure your jewelry items yourself. It also does not provide shipping boxes and the necessary stuffing materials. In a sense, just like making your own jewelry, it is more of a DIY shipping mode.
But if you are a big-time jewelry dealer shipping hundreds of boxes regularly, these four tips will be more suited to you.
- Try different carriers. Most people always feel cozy with someone or something they know. But you might lose out on some cost advantage if you have this mindset. Don’t sacrifice your bottom line for familiarity, explore other options.
- Do not use more packing materials than necessary. But use enough to suit the value of the merchandise set.
To put your mind at ease, do drop and vibration tests on a number of packing combinations to see what works best—and cheapest.
- Explore carriers that don’t require an adult signature. An adult signature requirement increases shipping costs.
- Use software to help you compare choices. There are several apps available in the market that can help you get the best and cheapest shipping costs.
Keep in mind, however, that shipping is not always about costs. It is, first and foremost, having your products reach your customers on time and undamaged.
What is the Best Way to Ship Expensive Jewelry
Expensive jewelry shipping can take both ways elaborated in the preceding section—either USPS or the method recommended for big-time retailers.
On top of those, people who have been doing it have these to add:
- Don’t make your shipment too obvious. This will attract attention.
- Do not over-insure to discourage dishonest people from pilfering it.
- Clearly indicate the name and address of the recipient with your return information.
- If asked for the contents, just say it’s personal effects.
Can I Ship Jewelry via FedEx?
Yes, you can. In fact, Fedex is one of the main couriers for international jewelry shipping. Its FedEx Declared Value Advantage program allows a shipper to declare a value of up to $ 100,000 (normally $ 1,000) on jewelry gemstones and other precious metals. And this program is available in 58 countries around the world.
But you cannot just come into any Fedex office to ship under this program. To qualify, you need to have a Fedex account and meet some qualifications based on your length of relationships with the company, as well as your loss and revenue history.
To get a full grasp of what services you can get from the company it is best to visit their website.
Can You Ship Jewelry with UPS?
Like the Fedex, UPS also does jewelry shipping. But in very different conditions. It will not ship items valued at over $50,000 and jewelry over $500. Should your shipment gets lost or damaged, UPS will only assume a maximum liability of $100.
It also has restrictions on gold and other precious metals and personal effects.
To fully know the company’s conditions should you be left with no options but the company for shipping jewelry items, visit its website to fully understand how it operates.
Best Way to Ship Jewelry Internationally
Aside from Fedex and UPS, there are other jewelry shipping companies that handle local and overseas shipments. In their own right, they claim to offer the best way to ship jewelry internationally.
The top five are:
They all have their strengths and weaknesses and their preferred areas of operation. In choosing the “best” way to ship jewelry internationally, you must consider the following:
Delivery speed
For fast deliveries, use a carrier that can handle overnight shipping or air freight. For slow deliveries, use shipping companies with excellent ocean or LTL (less-than-truckload) capability.
Of course, having your cargo delivered fast also comes with a price. If this is a tie-breaker use one with a lower premium rate on delivery speed.
Shipping restrictions
As seen in the sections Fedex and UPS, they have a slightly different set of restrictions. Choose a carrier with fewer or no restrictions on your shipment destination.
Weekend delivery
Look for carriers who deliver on weekends so people who are expecting the delivery of the shipment, which could fall on a weekend, will not agonize for two days of waiting for the arrival of their purchase.
Insurance coverage
The risk of a shipment getting lost or damaged is more prevalent in international shipping than domestic. So check this out with your chosen shipper.
You may have to buy your own insurance to cover your shipment or an additional policy if you think the company coverage isn’t enough.
Tracking
This is an essential part of customer service more crucial in international shipments where delivery takes a longer time.
As a shipper, be sure to have a tracking system that you can share
with your customer so both of you will know the shipment’s progress.
Shipping rates
In this very competitive world, shipping rates can make or break your bottom line. But in the course of looking for the cheapest shipping rates, be sure not to compromise the safety and timeliness of delivery.
Customer service
This is placed last not because it is least important but because at the end of the day, customer service is one branding factor companies can never neglect.
Yet, a lot of companies take customer service for granted. They operate as if people will come the moment they open shop. Maybe during the horse-and-buggy days, this way of doing business worked. But with competition sprouting up every day and customers getting more choosy and demanding, it has to be up there in front of any company’s strategic planning.
Vince Lombardi said, “It takes months to find a customer…seconds to lose one.”
So don’t.
Now, that you know how jewelry shipping works, you might want to brush up on jewelry-making. Check out our article “DIY Jewelry-Making: Types, Techniques, and Materials.”
