Frequently Asked Questions

GrailGuard is a white-glove hand-carry courier service specialized in the secure, personal delivery of high-value items. Unlike traditional shipping services, our professional couriers physically carry your items by hand, never placing them on conveyor belts or in distribution centers. Every delivery is a direct, personally tracked handoff from pickup to final delivery, with declared-value coverage included. We're the trusted choice for sports cards, luxury watches, fine art, jewelry, and other valuable collectibles that demand the highest level of care.

GrailGuard handles a wide range of high-value items including: sports cards and trading cards, luxury watches (Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe, etc.), fine art and paintings, fine jewelry and engagement rings, collectible memorabilia, vintage sneakers, cryptocurrency hardware wallets, documents and contracts, and other valuable collectibles. If you're unsure whether your item qualifies, please contact us and we'll let you know if we can accommodate it.

We serve the entire United States, plus international routes on our International and Elite tiers. Delivery-speed options at checkout are next business day, 2-3 days, and flexible — subject to courier availability and the specific route. Next-business-day on Metro and Nationwide carries a $250 rush fee; 2-3 day and flexible windows do not. Enter your pickup and delivery cities at checkout to see what's available for your route.

The key difference is personal hand-carry delivery. Traditional carriers place your items on conveyor belts, through sorting facilities, and into trucks with hundreds of other packages, creating risk of damage, loss, or theft. With GrailGuard, a dedicated professional courier carries your item by hand and delivers it directly to your recipient. Your items never touch a conveyor belt or spend time in a facility. Every delivery is tracked in real time via GPS and documented with photos at the chain-of-custody handoffs. Coverage is anchored to the value you declare accurately at booking — we publish coverage up to $500,000 declared value, and items above that are welcome with a quick reach-out for a custom quote. Our couriers are trained specifically in high-value item handling.

Pricing depends on the tier you choose and the specific route. Our published starting prices are: Metro from $999 (short-range ground courier, up to 200 miles), Nationwide from $2,999, International from $4,999, and Elite (custom-priced, contact us). Metro pricing scales with distance — the first 50 miles are included in the base, and longer routes add a per-mile surcharge that's shown transparently in your instant quote. Picking next-business-day on Metro or Nationwide adds a $250 rush fee; 2-3 day and flexible windows do not. You'll always see a fixed quote in checkout before you confirm — no surprise charges. Coverage fees for higher declared values are added in checkout the same way.

Metro availability note: Metro is currently being built out — full Metro coverage is available in CA, with WA and MO coming soon. If your route falls outside CA, email support@grailguard.io with the region you'd like served — we use those requests to prioritize the rollout.

We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) plus Apple Pay and Google Pay, all through our secure Stripe payment processor. Payments are processed at the time of booking. For high-volume relationships, reach out via our support page to discuss.

There's no hard minimum item value, but our white-glove service is built for items where the cost of hand-carry is small relative to the value being protected. If you're moving something well below our published starting prices, standard covered shipping is usually a better fit. If you're unsure, reach out via our support page and we'll point you the right way.

Yes — we offer custom pricing for businesses, collectors, dealers, and anyone planning multiple deliveries. Volume discounts typically apply at 5+ deliveries per month. Reach out via our support page to discuss pricing tailored to your needs.

Yes — refund tiers depend on how close to pickup you cancel:

• 24+ hours before scheduled pickup — full refund.
• Within 24 hours of scheduled pickup — 75% refund (we keep a 25% cancellation fee for dispatcher time + courier scheduling already committed).
• Within 1 hour of scheduled pickup OR after a courier has been dispatched — 50% refund (the courier is en route or already at pickup, and the slot can't be reassigned).
• Once your item is in the courier's custody — non-refundable, except documented service failures or confirmed loss (which go through the claim process).

Non-refundable third-party charges (e.g., prepaid flight segments) are deducted on top of the tier above and itemized on your refund receipt. See our full Refund & Cancellation Policy for details, including how "dispatch" is timestamped in your account dashboard.

Damage or loss claims are separate from cancellation refunds. Claims for visible damage must be filed within 7 calendar days of delivery; claims for concealed damage not reasonably discoverable at delivery may be filed within 30 days of delivery; and non-delivery / loss claims must be filed within 30 days of the scheduled delivery date. File at our claims page.

Yes — coverage is included with every delivery, and the maximum amount we can reimburse is anchored to the declared value you provide accurately at booking. Our published coverage scales up to $500,000 declared value per shipment, with the appropriate coverage bracket and a transparent coverage fee added in checkout for higher declared values. Items above $500,000 are welcome — just reach out via our support page with the details and we'll provide a custom quote. Coverage is active from the moment our courier takes possession until the item is delivered and signed for, and covers loss, theft, and damage in transit. Important: if you under-declare an item's value at booking, your maximum payout is capped at the value you declared — accurate declared value at booking is what protects you.

If damage occurs, file a claim through our claims page with photographic evidence of the item's condition. We investigate the claim and, if approved, reimburse you up to the declared value you provided accurately at booking. Reimbursement is anchored to that declared value — under-declaring caps your potential payout. Claims are subject to our Terms of Service . We work with you to resolve any situation quickly and fairly. Note: if your item is delivered but damaged, you get the declared-value coverage for the damage; the service fee is not refunded because the delivery was performed.

For a total loss or non-delivery — the item is never delivered — you get back both the declared-value coverage for the item and a refund of the service fee. We charged to deliver and didn't deliver, so we return the service fee in addition to paying the coverage for the lost item. (This differs from a damaged-but-delivered item, where you get the coverage but the service fee is kept because the delivery happened.) File through our claims page: the coverage claim window for loss / non-delivery is 30 days from the scheduled delivery date, and the service-fee refund follows the deadline in the Refund & Cancellation Policy §3.

Our couriers capture timestamped condition photos at pickup and delivery as part of the chain-of-custody record. The pickup and delivery photos are viewable in your tracking dashboard (verify with your booking email), and we retain the full record internally as the evidence packet that supports any potential claim — it isn't auto-sent after each delivery, and the complete packet is made available as part of a claim review.

Chain of custody is the documented record of who has your item at every stage of the trip. When our courier takes possession at pickup, they log the handoff with timestamped photos and the sender's signature. During transit the courier maintains continuous custody. At delivery the recipient signs and the handoff is logged again. The pickup and delivery photos are viewable in your tracking dashboard, and we retain the full records internally as the evidence packet that supports any future claim — the complete packet is made available as part of a claim review rather than auto-sent after each delivery.

Real-time tracking is available 24/7 at grailguard.io/track. Simply enter your tracking number or order ID to see your courier's live GPS location, estimated delivery time, and delivery status updates. You'll also receive SMS and email notifications at key stages: when the courier is en route, when they're nearby, and when the delivery is complete. The tracking page includes photos and courier information for added confidence.

We offer four delivery tiers — Metro, Nationwide, International, and Elite (custom-priced). Choose a delivery window at checkout: next business day (Metro and Nationwide add a $250 rush fee), 2-3 days, or flexible. Availability depends on courier coverage for your specific route, and the booking page also enforces a 40-mile service radius around the airport you select for flight-based tiers — addresses outside that radius will need a custom quote from support. You'll see the available delivery window at checkout before you confirm. Coverage is continuous from pickup to delivery regardless of route.

On International and longer Nationwide routes that involve air travel, courier flight delays can happen. If one does, you're notified via SMS and email and we coordinate with you in real time on next steps — rerouting through a different leg, adjusting the delivery window, or arranging interim secure storage if needed. Your coverage stays active continuously throughout any delay.

Yes — our Person→PSA tier hand-carries graded-card submissions to PSA in California. Pricing is by card count: 1-10 cards $2,799, 11-25 $2,899, 26-50 $2,999, 51-100 $3,299, 101-300 $3,499. Out-of-state pickups add a $200 surcharge. We deliver to either PSA's official drop-off in Burbank or to our partner Jest.Cards, who files the submission and hand-delivers it to PSA on your behalf. When you pick Jest.Cards, you'll acknowledge at checkout that the submission lives under their PSA account and that ongoing communications (tracking, grading status, etc.) go through them.

Yes — at delivery the recipient signs and provides a one-time verification code that we send to them by SMS or email. The signature plus code complete the chain-of-custody handoff and serve as proof of delivery. If the recipient won't be available, you can authorize a trusted third party in advance through your booking. We can also accommodate photo-confirmed handoff in specific situations — reach out via our support page to discuss.

Apply to join our courier network at grailguard.io/deliver (or use the "Become a Courier" link in our navigation menu). The application process includes a conditional offer, a Checkr background check, a motor vehicle record check, verification of personal auto insurance meeting our minimum coverage, and signed acknowledgment of GrailGuard's safety, conduct, and operations policies. We accept applicants in states where GrailGuard currently operates. Once approved and onboarded, you can start accepting deliveries through our courier app. New couriers complete required safety and security training (safe handling, vehicle and device use, and chain-of-custody procedures) before their first assignment.

Couriers earn competitive pay per trip, with performance bonuses on top. You set your own schedule and choose which deliveries to accept, so earnings vary based on your availability and the trips you take. Pay is sent to your bank account. Exact rates, route minimums, bonus structure, pay schedule, and tax treatment are set out in your Courier Agreement and confirmed when you're hired.

Reliable transportation is required for most routes. Your vehicle must be in good roadworthy condition and carry personal auto insurance that meets our minimum coverage requirements ($100K/$300K bodily injury, $100K property damage). Personal cars and SUVs both work — what matters is that you can move safely and present professionally at handoffs.

Two important things for couriers:

• Disclose business use to your personal auto carrier. Most personal auto policies exclude commercial / delivery use by default — driving without that disclosure can void coverage on a claim that happens during a delivery. Ask your carrier about a delivery or rideshare endorsement (typically $15–30/month) and confirm coverage applies while you're working a delivery.
• How coverage works for work-related driving is set out in your Courier Agreement and confirmed at hire. You are responsible for maintaining valid personal auto insurance that reflects how you actually use your vehicle.

How vehicle, mileage, and travel costs are handled is set out in your Courier Agreement and confirmed at hire. Vehicle maintenance and fuel for personal use are your responsibility.

All new couriers complete required initial training before their first assignment, covering: proper item handling and protective-case usage; photo documentation standards at pickup and delivery; chain-of-custody procedures including recipient identity verification (government ID plus one-time delivery code); GPS milestone events in the courier app; the core security and chain-of-custody standards; safe driving and device use; and not working while impaired. Training is delivered before your first paid assignment and refresher training is provided annually. Ongoing coaching is provided by Ops as needed.