Trying to get gold shipped from Israel to the United States

August 19, 2020 7:56 PM

Hi. I have a small inheritance in the form of gold jewelry that is currently in Israel. I would like to get it shipped to me here in the United States. Should I check with customs first? Would I want to get private insurance on it, or is there a shipper in Israel that offers insurance on a shipment worth approximately $30K? Thanks, Hive Mind.
posted by macinchik to Work & Money (3 answers total)

I think you're going to want to contact customs, and probably also a lawyer. That's a lot of value and there are going to be a bunch of laws that intersect in terms of taxes, whether those taxes apply to estates/bequests, how international transfer impacts those, etc. Honestly I am quite surprised the lawyer for the estate isn't handling those questions for you; they should. If the estate has not yet closed and there is still a lawyer involved, that is where I would go first. It's their job to facilitate this.

Honestly when I see $30,000 value and "estate" on there, to me, that's not just pricey, it's priceless. I think you will likely need a specialty shipper who will personally guarantee it through customs on both sides, which will cost a big chunk of money. Right now, regular shipping internationally is a huge balagan because of Covid-19. Is there a world in which you could wait a bit? Is the jewelry safe where it is? Can someone in Israel store it for you safely?
posted by juniperesque at 7:36 AM on August 20, 2020

Not possible right now, but the only shipper I would trust with 30k worth of family gold jewelry is myself or a family member on a plane. And if you bring it yourself, yes, customs would want to hear about it.
posted by WeekendJen at 1:41 PM on August 20, 2020

Heck, shipping that much precious metal domestically isn't something I would look forward to. DHL specializes in international shipping of all kinds of things and they won't even accept jewelry in the amount of more than £4,000 per shipment. Note, not insure, they flat out won't accept it. Looks like shipping and insurance in that amount would run $80, but that doesn't include duties/customs. Maybe you could divide it up into several shipments. I think you're better off looking into a private or family courier, holding on for now, or else liquidating it.
posted by wnissen at 10:33 PM on August 21, 2020