[NHCOLL-L:114] Re: insuring shipments of specimens?

[James Cordeiro]

Here's my take on insuring specimens:

When an institution sends specimens, the ideal situation is for packages
to arrive on time with no damage or loss.

If, by some miracle, a package is lost- types included or non-types
included, is it truly of prime importance to receive a monetary value for
the specimens?  We all know specimens (esp. types) are irreplaceable
regardless of the level of insurance.

What we truly are after, is the specimens to be returned.  No amount of
cash can replace a holotype, be it $2 or $2 million.  Insurance inevitably
slows the arrival of packages.  The true benefit to insurance is the
ability to track insured packages once they become lost.  

You will find you can save your institution considerable funds on wasted
insurance by simply sending packages registered mail.  There is no extra
cost and packages can easily be tracked.  In addition, delivery times are
faster because there are no delays in processing insured packages.  For
the ultra-paranoid, send return receipt to guarantee knowledge of package
receipt.

- My two cents....

Jay Cordeiro
American Museum of Natural History
Dept. of Invertebrates



On Thu, 22 Apr 1999, Allison Anderson wrote:

> 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?
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> -
> 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
> 
>