[NHCOLL-L:112] insuring shipments of specimens?

[Allison Anderson]

I'm wondering about other collections' policies regarding insuring shipments
of specimens.  Here at TNHC we ship exclusively via Airborne Express; we use
this company as opposed to FedEx, for example, only because the University
has a contract with Airborne.  I have had no problems at all with lost or
mis-delivered shipments.

It's preferable to hand-carry types, but sometimes shipping them is
necessary (for example, returning items to overseas institutions).  Our
policy is to insure all shipments, and types are insured for a higher value.
The problem is, I have found that insured values are completely arbitrary
from institution to institution--for example, a regular shipment may be
insured for $0-$250, and types for $500-$700.  Why these figures?  Can you
really stick a value on specimens?  It seems that there should be a better
way of dealing with a lost type than handing over a check for $XXX.

I am convinced of the following: 1) couriers do not treat insured packages
differently than non-insured ones; 2) insurance on packages is a big
money-maker for courier companies; 3) insured packages can cause big
headaches at Customs in any country because somebody may be charged import
duty.

What do others think about this?

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Allison Anderson
Collection Manager, Texas Natural History Collection
Texas Memorial Museum, University of Texas
PRC 176/10100 N. Burnet Rd.
Austin, Texas 78758 USA
aaa at mail.utexas.edu
(512) 471-8845