Insured - Customs?

[McLoverly]

Hi there,

I've been talking to a seller about buying a $1200 handbag and having it shipped from Canada to the USA. The seller says they will be happy to have it insured for whatever amount I like, but I'll have to pay the duties. My post office said something about how having something declared for a high amount and having customs look at it is more likely to get my item messed up or stolen. What would you advise? In the past I haven't insured bags. Should I just skip insurance and let her declare it less than $20 so that it doesn't get opened? About how much would I get charged anyway?

Thanks in advance!

 

[BorsaBella]

You will get charged for the value of the insurance I believe. It is a risk to have it undervalued and uninsured. If something happens to the package, you may be out of luck.

 

[blinchik]

I suggest using Registered Express or Priority Mail. I was told by the post office Registered Mail practically never gets lost due to special handling. Also, it rarely gets opened by customs. As to declaring the value, I wouldn't undervalue it drastically, if Customs opens it - they are not that dumb, they'll figure the item isn't worth $20.