you wrote, "Unfortunately you have to choose to best of a bad bunch…unless you are super wealthy and have the time to deliver/ or pick up the watch in person :)"

I have never explored the subject, but am told that there is a "middle path", between the FedEx / UPS channel (say, $200 for the express to Europe from the US), and the price of an airplane ticket, meals and perhaps hotel (say, $1,000 to $1,500 along the same route, not valuing the time in transit), and that is the "armored delivery" service. Here in the US, major armored couriers are companies like Brinks and Loomis . . . I am told that there are dealers who use these services for the high-end watches or collections of watches. For example, how does a dealer in Los Angeles take his $3 million of watches to the show in Miami? I am guessing that they are not in his carry-on or checked baggage, but taken by an armored delivery service.

Jeff

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

: I have tried all three and this is what I think.

: I currently have been waiting two weeks on items to arrive from the
: States using United States Postal Service (USPS). Their online
: tracking system is horrible / archaic, with the only message
: appearing on their website being "your item has been
: accepted", meaning that the sender successfully gave them
: the package to send. Apparently you don’t hear anything else
: until package arrives at your door. I won’t use this service
: again. I will insist to senders never to use this service again
: in sending parcels to me.

: UPS tracking system was excellent, however their staff are rude and
: incompetent as is FedEx's. So make sure you fill out the
: labels/documents completely (and I mean completely) and take
: your time doing so, and don’t be pressured and take short cuts
: at the behest of their lazy counter staff who couldn’t care
: less if your watch is received or not. I suggest including the
: end users phone numbers, as often the parcel gets stuck
: somewhere and customs/courier company will need to get in touch.
: For example I had a situation that the courier company
: wouldn’t deliver as they needed the end users Social Security
: Number for customs purposes, and I hadn't included their contact
: details. Also make sure you know the end country's
: "harmonized codes" so that the customs department will
: be able to categorize your item for taxes and duties. Harmonized
: codes that I use most often include from Australia to the US
: include:

: 910221 Other wrist watches With automatic winding
: 910229 Other wrist watches, Not Automatic Winding

: The only other point of note concerns insurance, which i believe
: has been covered in posts prior to mine. I won’t bother
: mentioning quality packaging, as this is a given....

: Unfortunately you have to choose to best of a bad bunch…unless
: you are super wealthy and have the time to deliver/ or pick up
: the watch in person :)

: Regards
: Eyal