Prove value before you ship it
An appraisal, an invoice or the listing and payment record decide a high-value claim. Photograph the item, the packing and the sealed box, and file all of it with the tracking number the day the label prints.
High-value goods
What a carrier will actually cover on a valuable parcel
A gold chain weighs nothing and costs almost nothing to post, so the interesting number is never the postage. USPS will cover a parcel to $5,000 through declared value and to $50,000 through Registered Mail, FedEx holds jewelry and precious metals to $1,000 whatever you declare, and UPS refuses raw bullion and loose stones outright.
Ceilings by carrierRegistered Mail ladderOur own restricted list
Weightless, and expensive anyway
The postage is trivial. The ceilings, the fees and the refusals are the whole decision.
A featherweight parcel, and the ceilings above it
Our anchor is a padded envelope, 9 x 6 x 1.5 in at 0.6 lb, quoted 2026-07-28 from Newark, NJ 07102 to Atlanta, GA 30303. USPS Ground Advantage came back at $8.86, the whole checkout amount. That is what it costs to move the parcel; everything below is what it costs to be able to claim on it.
SMKlog rates for the anchor parcel, quoted 2026-07-28
| Carrier | Service | Price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $8.86 | 8-9 business days |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $10.06 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $10.31 | 2-3 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $15.13 | 5-6 business days |
| UPS | 2nd Day Air | $15.38 | 2-3 business days |
Where each carrier stops
Ceilings from USPS Notice 123 on pe.usps.com effective 2026-07-12 and usps.com/ship/insurance-extra-services.htm, the UPS Tariff/Terms and Conditions of Service, United States, and the FedEx Service Guide 2026, all fetched or re-checked 2026-07-28.
| Route to cover | Ceiling | What it costs at the top of the range |
|---|---|---|
| USPS declared value on a parcel | $5,000 of indemnity | $9.05 covers to $600, then $1.50 for each $100 or part of $100 above it |
| USPS Registered Mail | $50,000 of indemnity | $40.50 at $5,000 of value, rising $3.10 per $1,000 to $50,000 |
| UPS declared value | $50,000 per package | $1.70 per $100 of declared value, $5.11 minimum |
| FedEx declared value, jewelry and precious metals | $1,000 per shipment | $4.95 covers the whole range, since the cap sits inside the first fee band |
| SMKlog shipping protection | $500 of declared item value during the pilot | Shown in checkout before you pay |
The Registered Mail ladder
USPS Notice 123 on pe.usps.com, prices effective 2026-07-12, checked 2026-07-28.
| Declared value | Registered Mail fee |
|---|---|
| No value declared | $20.90 |
| $0.01 to $100 | $21.50 |
| $100.01 to $500 | $25.00 |
| $500.01 to $1,000 | $28.10 |
| $1,000.01 to $2,000 | $31.20 |
| $2,000.01 to $3,000 | $34.30 |
| $3,000.01 to $4,000 | $37.40 |
| $4,000.01 to $5,000 | $40.50 |
| $5,000.01 to $50,000 | $40.50 plus $3.10 per $1,000 increment |
| Above $50,000 | $180.00, with indemnity still limited to $50,000 |
Set that against the $8.86 postage and the shape of the decision is obvious. Registered Mail on a $2,000 ring costs $31.20 on top of the postage, roughly three and a half times the label, and it is still the only USPS route that reaches five figures of indemnity. Registered Mail also travels under signature and lock the whole way, which is the other half of what you are paying for.
Where FedEx and UPS draw their lines
Jewelry, including, but not limited to, costume jewelry, watches and their parts, mount gems or stones (precious or semiprecious), industrial diamonds, and jewelry made of precious metal.Item 7 of the goods limited to a maximum declared value of US$1,000, FedEx Service Guide 2026, fedex.com, fetched 2026-07-28
A watch worth $4,000 is a $1,000 package on FedEx, and no fee changes that. UPS goes further in a different direction: its tariff classes any article more than half gold or platinum by weight in raw form, including bullion, bars and scrap, as an article of unusual value that shippers are prohibited from tendering at all.
What SMKlog will and will not take
Our own restricted list is stricter than any of those tariffs. Cash, coins, banknotes, bullion, gold, silver, platinum, loose diamonds, gems and precious stones cannot be shipped through SMKlog checkout at any value. Finished jewelry in an ordinary parcel is a different case, and it is the one worth pricing: small, light, and cheap to move, with the money going into a signature and a declaration rather than into postage. Our optional protection is capped at $500 of declared item value during the pilot, so above that figure you want a carrier route with a higher ceiling, not ours.
Anonymity is free protection
Nothing on the outside of a valuable parcel should suggest what is inside. Plain outer carton, no jeweller branding, no descriptive tape, and a return address that is a business rather than a home.
Signature, then declaration
On a valuable parcel the signature is the cheaper half of the pair and the one that settles disputes. Buy it first, then decide how much declared value the ceilings will actually honour.
High-value shipping questions
What is the most USPS will cover on a parcel?
$5,000 through declared value on ordinary parcels, and $50,000 through Registered Mail. Above $50,000 of declared value the Registered Mail fee is $180.00 and indemnity is still limited to $50,000, per Notice 123 effective 2026-07-12.
How much does Registered Mail cost for a $2,000 item?
$31.20 on top of postage, from the $1,000.01 to $2,000 band in USPS Notice 123. Against the $8.86 Ground Advantage rate we quoted on 2026-07-28 for a 9 x 6 x 1.5 in parcel, that is roughly three and a half times the label.
Why does FedEx cap jewelry at $1,000?
The FedEx Service Guide lists jewelry, including watches, mounted gems and precious-metal pieces, among fourteen categories limited to a maximum declared value of $1,000 per shipment. Declaring more on those goods has no effect.
Can I ship gold or loose stones through SMKlog?
No. Bullion, gold, silver, platinum, loose diamonds, gems and precious stones are on our restricted list and cannot be bought a label here. Our optional protection is also capped at $500 of declared item value during the pilot.