Lost Packages to the Russian Federation
We have recently written an article to our blog that we believe all of our customers should read. The entire post is below:
Being the leading provider of shipping insurance coverage gives us unique insight into possible problem destinations when shipping worldwide. We want to alert everyone to the growing amount of lost packages being sent to the Russian Federation. We are seeing a growing trend of lost packages shipped via the United States Postal Service (USPS) to this destination over the past 6 months. Whether this is a customs issue, general delays, or packages being lost in transit, the smart shipper should take these details into consideration.
Our stats for shipments to Russia for 10/1/2012-4/1/2013:
There is a 205% increase in the amount of lost claims from the same time period last year. During this time period, the dollar amount of lost claims increased by 220%. Insured shipping volume has only increased by 33%. 98% are lost packages while 2% are damaged packages. 88% of these shipments were sent via First Class Mail.
These statistics are alarming and are pointing to a trend of lost packages to Russia. In order to improve these numbers, we suggest using the USPS Priority Mail or Express Mail service. We prefer the limited tracking of Priority Mail to the minimal, if any, tracking of First Class Mail. If possible, DHL, FedEx, and UPS are great options as well, although much more costly.
Regards,
The Shipsurance Team
