If a parcel’s value falls under $200 I send via registered airmail automatically. The parcel is given a registered number and a barcode that can be scanned. On my post office receipt is your name and your parcels number. It can be tracked a bit through the countries, but they don’t log the scan of the parcels barcode at each sorting center, so it’s a vague tracking system, it is only usually used as a general idea of where it is, what day it was posted and what day it was received by customer. Your parcel isn’t left in your letterbox, it is taken to your door and hand delivered and anyone at that address can sign for it, if you aren’t home for a few attempts of delivery, a card is left in your letterbox, telling you where your nearest post office pick up point is, and that your item can be picked up and signed for there.

Yes, just ask, no problems, if you’d rather your parcel delivered to and  left in mail box, and you know your letterbox is secure, or signing for parcel is inconvenient, like you are at work each day during business hours and can’t go to post office to collect after a failed delivery, or  any reason, just request your parcel be sent ordinary airmail.

Insurance is a minefield that isn’t a path I recommend going down, allot of insurance companies will take a payment to insure up to a certain value,you then must declare the true value on outside of the bag, if anything goes missing, the insurance company, I have heard from many people in the gem trade, won’t pay out as we ‘aren’t meant to post valuables in the mail’ – in some fine print that is sometimes dragged out by some insurance companies.

But don’t let all this worry you, I’ve been posting from many countries over the years, and discuss postage with many other gem dealers on latest trends , I am able to do. But find its best not to poke that hornets’ nest.

I do insure items in parcel for posting if absolutely requested, through FEDEX along with an insurance company here, for any value – FEDEX is $50 and the insurance is an extra cost – my diamond dealer friends use them for parcels over 10 grand all the time. The cost of insuring is with the buyer ontop of the $50 FEDEX fee

Express Mail Service – A fast efficient well trusted courier service that works in with each countries postal system so this service reaches even remote areas. The registered tracking number is scanned regularly at each point of sorting and every stage of movement through its journey to you. If your items are over the total of $200 I upgrade to this service free of any extra charge, it is a bit costly but the efficiency and reliability of this company is worth the peace of mind. I have been posting valuable items with EMS for over 14 years now and I do believe they are the best way to receive gems and jewellery in the mail. My favourite way to send parcels and the most reliable

No. Only a few countries have import duty tax – not all. Some countries have trade agreements with various others, and the countries are always changing who will charge import tax duty from which country and who won’t. My system with EMS Courier allows safe transit with no extra costs into every country so far.

If  however you request special Insurance for large sums through FEDEX, one or two countries will ask for tax / import duty, as an insured parcel often has its contents and value displayed on the outside of the parcel.

Ask me and I’ll gladly give your tracking number, some folk like to see their parcel  go through the stages and get scanned as it travels towards them and some folks don’t. But if you need to know where your parcel is, it’s no trouble to give the number and webpage to track your parcel.

Sorry I post so many items, each day that I don’t automatically email everyone’s number to them, but it’s easy for me to email them through at any given time. I have all receipts for registered mail and EMS Courier with the corresponding tracking number ready to email through if requested.

I know the anticipation of waiting for an item in the mail that is so look forward to. I myself do believe that in this day and age that the mail system could be faster.

Registered airmail postage – 14 days delivery time from me to Australia for registered mail is about the average and about 12 days to US

Sometimes it arrives much faster than this – often the mail is great, but if there is heavy snow, or bushfires, or postal workers have all got the day off, like public holidays or you live in a rural area, it can slow things down a bit. In Queensland Australia, for some reason it is the slowest state to deliver mail, sometimes 16 days, while Victoria and NSW are the fastest at around 10 to 12 days on average to arrive.

EMS International Courier takes about 5 days to arrive – but if rural or there is a hold up with your local sorting center, it can sometimes take around 7 days.

Other countries like in the UK – China, Spain and a few other countries– all about 12 days average for registered airmail and 5 days for EMS typically.

I live all over the world selecting gems personally, our online website business allows for this, Im in Bangkok at present . When I am based in Australia the mail is quicker to Australian address’s .

As a matter of interest – I found posting from Germany had the fastest mail time to any country.