Pack with loss prevention in mind

Having confirmed the proper and adequate limits of shipping insurance coverage are in force, as well as having established the discipline of maintaining a log, you’re now ready to examine your shipping materials and packing practices.

Sturdy unmarked boxes are the preferred material for packaging jewellery shipments. Envelopes are notoriously unsafe, as they’re easily torn and more likely to be lost. Be sure you have boxes in various dimensions to accommodate shipments of different sizes. The recommended technique is to place the jewellery item(s) in an envelope, bag, or container of some sort and then pack that container in a small box. Next, pack the small box inside a larger box that is no smaller than a shoebox. Inside the boxes, packing materials should be easy for recipients to unwrap.

Interior boxes should be labelled with the recipient and return addresses, as well as the tracking number, if possible. Then pack the interior box snuggly within the larger exterior box. By protecting and labelling the interior box, you may avoid losses due to damage in transit.

Once the boxes are secured, seal the exterior shipping box with gummed, reinforced paper mailing tape or pressure-sensitive shipping tape. Do not use string, cellophane tape, or masking tape to seal boxes, as these materials are easily compromised.

Planning the timing of your shipments can also be a factor in achieving a successful delivery. Consider scheduling your shipments so packages do not sit in a shipping hub over a weekend or holiday, and refrain from sending packages by ground service on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Remember, your recipients may not be open or available for Saturday delivery.

Knowing how to receive packages can be just as important.

Disguise your shipping label and plan for the destination

As you create shipping labels, do not use language that identifies the contents of the package as jewellery merchandise. Avoid all words associated with jewellery. If you’re sending a package to J. Jones Jewellers, for instance, consider addressing it to ‘J. Jones.’ Disguise the return address in a similar fashion.

Another best practice is to address the package to the name of a business associate (with the recipient’s permission, of course) at the destination, rather than to the jewellery business generically. Doing this may also help avoid issues of fraudulent signatures and employee theft.

Also, consider whether the address itself, even stripped of any jewellery-related terminology, could suggest a likelihood the package contents could be valuable jewellery. Is the address and postal code commonly associated with a widely known jewellery district? If so, you might consider arranging to have the packages delivered to the shipping carrier’s nearest service centre or another agreed-upon location.

Train your employees

The efficacy of your shipping security is in the hands of your trusted staff. Jewelers Mutual has tools to help you share this valuable information with your associates. Print off a two-sided ‘Safe Shipping’ poster or share a link to Jewelers Mutual’s two-minute video called “Shipping Safely and Securely.” The tips and tools for safe shipping are simple, and more importantly, they are effective in helping make your company shipments more secure.

David J. Sexton, CPCU, is vice-president of loss prevention at Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co., in the United States. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Sexton serves on the Underwriters’ Laboratories’ (UL) Security Systems Council, where he is a corporate member of the insurance category. He also sits on the board of directors for Jewellers Vigilance Canada (JVC), and worked on the Central Station Alarm Association’s (CSAA’s) Insurance Liaison Committee that assisted in the development of the UL burglar alarm modular certificate program and revised UL standard. Comments and questions can be sent to lossprevention@jminsure.com.

For training resources regarding safety and security when carrying or working with jewellery, visit JM University at JewelersMutual.com. Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company is the only company specializing exclusively in jewellery insurance in the United States and Canada. It is licensed in all 50 U.S. states and Canada.