Sending jewellery and watches by courier

Can you use a courier service to send jewellery and watches? Yes – but you’ll need to be aware of some restrictions.

There can be a lot of different rules for shipping jewellery, depending on which service you choose. Here’s what you need to know.

Carrier restrictions

Jewellery and watches are restricted by courier companies for a number of reasons relating to their value. The most obvious is that they may contain precious stones and metals, or fetch a high price as luxury or designer goods.

Some couriers have a blanket ban on all jewellery and watches for this reason, while others have restrictions depending on value. With UPS, for example, you can ship jewellery and watches valued up to £300. Some companies allow jewellery regardless of value.

Others may specify that costume or high street jewellery is allowed, but luxury or designer jewellery, or jewellery containing precious stones or metal, is not.

Jewellery may also be considered priceless or irreplaceable for its sentimental value, and some carriers even specifically prohibit such items because this is so common and cannot be accounted for should anything happen to your shipment.

We provide a list of jewellery and watch restrictions for all our services.

Insurance cover

You'll need to be sure to take out sufficient insurance to cover the full value of your shipment. Courier companies may allow you to ship jewellery whose value exceeds the coverage offered, but they will be classed as ‘no compensation’ items—to be shipped at your own risk.

Customs restrictions

You'll also need to be sure to check the customs rules around jewellery for the countries you are shipping to and from, if you’re sending internationally. Restrictions may apply, as well as duties and taxes.

There are different commodity codes depending on whether your jewellery contains precious stones or metals, base metals, or just wood, glass and other 'imitation' materials.

The UK's official online tariff database is a good source of information and provides descriptions and exceptions for each code—just search for ‘jewellery’ to see them all.

Watches are also divided according to precious and non-precious metals.

Need some help?

If you’re looking to ship some jewellery and you’re still not sure which service to choose, get in touch and we’ll help you find the right one.

You can call us on 0345 145 1212, email [email protected], or speak to us on Live Chat. Our office hours are 8:30am-6pm Monday to Friday, 9am-1pm Saturday (excluding bank holidays).