After all is said and done, one should NEVER send off something of value, unless one is prepared to immediately replace it or reimburse it if it becomes "lost." I generally decline to send off even a cheap item (without insurance) to someone I don't know. I can speak from experience in saying that if you don't insure something then the odds of it getting "lost" is MUCH higher than it arriving insured. If you ship a lot of things, the cost of insurance versus no insurance (and reimbursing "lost" items) may come out approximately even, but nsuring your goodies guarantees satisfaction on both sides 99.9+% of the time!