Why Insure
It seems there are many threads which state that insurance claims are often denied by the carrier because the item was not packed properly.
Other than for lost items, if the above is generally true, why insure?
7 comments
It seems there are many threads which state that insurance claims are often denied by the carrier because the item was not packed properly.
Other than for lost items, if the above is generally true, why insure?
bdmh-enterprises
·4 months agoI almost never add extra insurance. Comes down to the math of it. For a seller that regularly sells $100-$500 items paying for insurance is usually just not mathematically sound. USPS has never lost or damaged a package of mine. I'd have spent likely close to $1000 to have fully insured everything I sent over $100 last year. USPS would suddenly have to start losing 3-5 expensive packages a year to make the insurance worth it.
kibble-net
·4 months agoFedex and UPS will deny insurance claims routinely. I'm not sure what the trick is with Fedex since I don't use them much, but with UPS you need to pay them to pack your item with their "fragile packing service". It costs an arm and a leg. I've used it a few times in the past for very bulky items.
Alternatively, you can buy your insurance through a third party insurer like ShipCover. I've only had to file two claims with them, thankfully - and both were quickly approved.
I have no experience with USPS insurance claims, so I defer to other commenters when it comes to that.
stainlessenginecovers
·4 months agoBecause the insurance is for LOST or DAMAGED PACKAGE; not what's inside a package.
Many try the 'damaged claim' because it arrived 'broken' but shipping a 'breakable' takes extra special care by the seller.
bonanza125
·4 months agoI can only speak for myself. I only use USPS. Whenever an item gets damaged I file an insurance claim and they approve it within days. I believe that a lot of FedEx and UPS claims do get denied because of poor packaging. You should still insure anything you feel you don't want to pay out if something goes wrong. There is a risk if you don't pay for insurance.
stainlessenginecovers
·4 months ago@bonanza125 curious: Is this for damaged items you received or shipped? From what I know, if shipped, the 'buyer' needs to 'hold' the item while the seller 'files' in case USPS wants to inspect. If for received, supposedly only the seller can file, and either way, USPS stopped 'just issuing' insurance claims for damaged without having to show at nearest postal service (and package needs to show damage)
bonanza125
·4 months ago@stainlessenginecovers
As a seller which I shipped off the package I just provide USPS with a photo of the damage and it was approved. No local inspection at all. I provided a refund to the buyer upon receiving the damaged item back. If worthless I just issued a refund. As a buyer I just provided the seller with a photo of the damage and they issued me a refund immediately or upon receiving the item back. So when you say "USPS stopped 'just issuing' insurance claims for damaged without having to show at nearest postal service (and package needs to show damage)." Not from what I've gone through. Now I am not saying they could ask cause yes I could imagine that one of these days the USPS will ask me to bring the item in for inspection however I never had to.
stainlessenginecovers
·4 months ago@bonanza125 I haven't experience either, but from what was posted here many many times a couple three years ago when Dejoy took over, USPS was NOT accepting ANY pictures.