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USPS Ground Advantage and Insurance
I happened to be on the phone with the national USPS customer support center working an issue with a lost first class mail package. Of course as we all know, or at least most of us do, that first class packages do not have insurance coverage from USPS unless you purchase it at the time you buy the label. On a number of occasions I have shipped items using some form of priority mail that qualified for first class simply for the insurance included with priority mail. It was the cheaper option as opposed to purchasing insurance for the first class package.
While I had the customer rep on the phone I asked them about the information posted on their web site about the new USPS ground advantage and the $100 USPS insurance included with that service and whether it applied to all items shipped using that service including what would have been first class packages prior to its incorporation into ground advantage. She checked with several senior officers and confirmed that USPS ground advantage does include $100 insurance coverage both on the outbound and return shipment legs. You can also purchase additional insurance up to $5,000.
While this may not improve the battles with USPS over damaged shipments it certainly adds a new aspect to any lost shipments. I will have to make a few adjustments to some of my listings that I currently have as priority mail shipping to the new ground advantage once eBay has everything setup on Sunday 9 July.
She also provided me with a number for the shipping and mailing solutions support center that operates 7-7 central time. That number is 877-672-0007 which you can also find on the USPS site. The support officers are specialist on everything related to USPS shipping.
liawri-75
·1 year agoRegardless, IMO USPS doesn't pay insurance. They want you to fill out pages of applications, send photos, etc. and then they reject the claim. I don't even bother.
yetirips
·1 year agoAnything over a carriers insurance I always insure. I've had some very valuable books and cars go MIA or damaged. Luckily I've been using ebay for over 25 years so I know the mess this can cause.
mannaideals
·2 years agoI used USPS Ground Advantage to send $35 worth of items and purchase a shipping label via eBay for $3.86. It was shipped on November 25, 2023 and to date, it has been stuck near the distribution center of the buyer city. I was able to file a claim today on the USPS site, will they pay the amount? Any experience, please post.
sbtoyou
·2 years agoHow do you add insurance before printing shipping label? or after label at post office? I can't see anything about adding insurance. Thank you
liawri-75
·1 year agoYou have to cancel / void the label and reprint with insurance.
kh-laura
·1 year agoHi everyone,
Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.
Thank you for understanding.
gloryglorygifts
·3 years agoGreat to know! Thanks for sharing it!
monica-sells
·3 years agoThanks for the post/update....appreciated...
and as a courtesy to others, would the members who keep posting first class increases, they are not increasing first class rates...the NEW rates are not yet (as of 07/08/2023) incorporated into the ebay calculator. See the posts from @nobody*s_perfect ....... that member knows what they are talking about
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoAw, thanks. And thank goodness all this ranting will abruptly end tomorrow!
nuclearomen
·3 years agothe issue with ground advantage is higher cost to ship what use to be under 1 lbs for First Class by several dollars more in an economy that see's inflation on everything you can't even offer a cheaper method to customers. I was on the phone yesterday with a USPS rep and mentioned this as a feedback, which they are collecting atm on the new service rolling out this week. It would be better to just send Priority for the cost will take to send Ground Advantage, you get the insurance but you also get faster delivery with Priority. Depending on weight/size of package of course, but small light item that use to qualify for First Class would be pretty much same cost Priority as the cost under Ground Advantage. The other advantage to Priority is that if something does happen you can file a inquire on the package much sooner then you will be allowed to with Ground Advantage. Example here is I send Media, but in order to file an inquire on a package under Media the wait time to be eligible to do so is 15 days from package acceptance date.
buyselljack2016
·3 years agothe issue with ground advantage is higher cost to ship what use to be under 1 lbs for First Class by several dollars more
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Shipping up to 15.99 oz rates remain the same with Ground Advantage
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoAs noted in the other post, that is not true: the online postage cost for packages up to 15.999 ounces will be the same for Ground Advantage as the current online prices for First Class packages. You can see the new rates here:
https://pe.usps.com/resources/PriceChange/July%202023%20Price%20Change%2020230627%20-%20Notice123%20-%20PDF.pdf
The reason that you are seeing those high rates now is because the shipping calculator does not yet have access to the prices for Ground Advantage; it is showing you the current prices for Parcel Select Ground. So if you enter any weight less than 1 pound it shows you the rate for 1 pound via Parcel Select, NOT the new rates for Ground Advantage..
nuclearomen
·3 years ago@nobody*s_perfect I see what you refer to, if that's the case I'm wrong, but I believe those prices will not be for all, depends on origin to destination zone of course, but we'll see, perhaps it is accurate. Thanks for pointing the chart out.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoYes, the postage costs for First Class packages and for Ground Advantage do vary by Zone.
The above link is for the rates that go into effect tomorrow; here's a link which always shows the current rates, so right now it shows the "old" rates and tomorrow it will show the "new" rates. But for today, you can use it today to compare the fold and new rates, and verify that the rates aren't changing for up to 15.99 ounces. These are the official USPS rates documents.
http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/notice123.pdf
boo492
·2 years agoI shipped several items using USPS Ground Advantage. I was just notified a package arrived crushed with contents broken , I refunded buyer after asking for photos. I tried to file claim online but you can't because the site hasn't been updated to accept Ground Advantage tracking numbers for online claims. Keep this in mind when using Ground Advantage VS Priority Mail. I wished I had just used Priority Mail and I would be finished with filing a claim online
mozartbach1971
·3 years agoCan anyone tell me if I have a first class package weighing under 4 ounces, how much it would cost using the USPS ground Advantage?
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoThe same as the current prices for First Class packages: $3.59 - $4.13 online, depending on Zone.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoTL;DR: USPS customer support has confirmed that all packages sent via Ground Advantage will have $100 insurance coverage, even those under 1 pound.
jewelbiz
·3 years agoThank you for the much needed new post office information.
I’d like to share what happened to me last December with a fully insured $1100. USPS Package.
Buyer from Louisiana paid, I shipped sending eBay & her tracking number.
After the 1st scan when I sent out the package there was no further information on this package for 1 month. She was freaking out rightly so, and I assured her no matter what happened she was fully insured. I finally made a claim for the missing package and it then it popped right up in Queens New York having been originally sent from a different borough, Manhattan New York! And unfortunately after Christmas she received her diamond ring.
My point is I always have been insuring every single package I have ever sent out to an eBay buyer. Goodness knows with the usps being such a big sprawling company anything whatsoever can happen!
py_2132
·1 year agoI ask a lot of questions concerning unfortunate situations like this.
(Some interrupt my feedback the wrong way)
Interesting that the package vanished off the radar for 1 month. Putting full faith in the USPS now-a-days is simply insane. I've had tax refund checks delivered to my neighbors house. Packages blown of my porch by high winds. Packages thrown on to my porch without a care in the world by the shipper. ( caught on security camera )
I've had great feedback for being a newbie but I think from now on USPS insurance matching the items value is a absolute must.
Thanks.. Interesting read