doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com FEDEX- Do not ship guns by them

From what I saw regarding all articles shipped except those specifically excluded, a customer with a commercial account can expect UPS to accept up to $50K liability (I'm sure that's reassuring to businesses like my friend's who ships a lot of parts for the major auto companies. For internet booked shipments, UPS accepts up to $5K liability. I did not see any reference to a firearm liability limit in the "liability limits" section nor the "firearm" section.

Ihave shipped several hundred long guns over the past few years, all by Fed Ex & I have yet to have one damaged or lost in shipment. Their tracking system works great. If you pack the gun well it might cost a little more to ship but it's highly unlikely that it will arrive damaged. But this is just my own experience.

George L

Kutters got it. I think we'd all agree that most of the guns we speak of here fall under this general heading. They lose your $30,000 Boss and claim it's irreplaceable (they're right). They'll deny the claim, give you your $500 and send you packing.

Now I know new guns get shipped all the time by UPS but a new Rem 1100 is hardley irreplaceable, you'll probably get paid in full on that. Probably the same with a new Arrieta. But an old Fox or Parker? No deal.

I was told that with UPS, if you insure a gun for $1,000 (magic dollar number)and the gun gets 'misplaced' that red rockets are shot up , lights flash, UPS-VP's snap to attention, and if an interstate shipment - the Feds also get involved very quickly. The Feds do not like to see guns 'misplaced'. I would think that some version of this drill also takes within FedEx.

In terms of liability, I'm not a lawyer - what do you lawyer types have to say in this area especially if a gun is insured for a specific amount and you have a receipt stating the shippers insured dollar value? I would think that this contract
would fall under Fed law for interstate shipments. Am I wrong here?

After reading the UPS T&Cs, I didn't note any statements about "insurance" but rather statements were about UPS's "liability". It appears that UPS "self-insures" the customer's packages. I can't recall for certain, but I don't specifically recall "insurance" charges. Anyone else?

I am not talking loss of a gun. I am talking about damamge. They will not cover more than 500.00.
Read FEDEX's website. They dont even mention firearms specifically but they fall under their list of comodities as they liek to say.
For all of you who have never had an issue with FEDEX or YUPS, wait till there is damage. All the false sense of secirty will go away when you try to claim repair costs .

Regardless of the liability accepted by the mentioned carriers, the best insurance will always be adequate protection of the gun. There has been many threads on guncases and their various attributes. Many say they won't travel with any case but a particular make/model etc, yet I'll bet some of them will ship you a gun that you purchased from them in a single cardboard box stuffed with newspaper.

My personal minimum is to pack a gun in at least 2 and preferably more layers of corregated cardboard (often I put 3-5 layers of flat sheet corregated cardboard in each side of the box) with plenty of polyethylene foam wrap (an inch or more) on the gun itself. I pack like I expect the box to be dropped from 8-10 feet high. But I think those cheap plastic Doskosil cases, boxed well, make great shipping containers for guns going out and back for service.

I tried to find a $500 claim limit in the Fedex Ground tariff at fedex.com and couldn't. According to the tariff for a surcharge they'll insure up to $50,000 except for antiques and other unique items, hard to price or delicate. The antique exclusion reads: "Antiques, or any commodity that exhibits the style or fashion of a past era and whose history, age or rarity contributes to its value. These items include, but are not limited to, furniture, tableware, glassware, and collector's items such as sports cards, souvenirs and memorabilia." Dubious applicability for non-antique firearms.
I've had MUCH less trouble with Fedex than UPS or USPS. I got an account online, get a discount, print my own labels, drop the packages at the customer counter without any backtalk from gun phobic clerks or ignorant supervisors. And no loses in over 100 shipments, unlike USPS and UPS.

If you're still worried, your insurance policy may cover shipping and you can save the insurance surcharge. See http://www.collectinsure.com/PDFMarch2007/Gun_Knife_and_Edged_Weapon_Collector_Brochure.pdf Collectibles Insurance will cover Fedex shipments, but not UPS or any USPS except registered and Express mail.