UPS, Fedex and Ebay Shipping Insurance - Dodging practices

[arnaudevi-0]

Dear Ebay community,

my experience goes something like the following, please let know if it affected you too.

1) I sell an item to an Ebay buyer.

2) I ship the item with UPS Ground, supposedly covered by $100 shipping insurance (damage or lost)

3) Buyer receives item damaged. Takes and shares pictures.

4) Buyer request return on the grounds the item is damaged.

5) Ebay essentially leaves 4 days to the seller to refund the buyer.

6) I authorize said return (not like I have a choice anyway)

7) Ebay creates a shipping label for the return using USPS (no prompt, Ebay's decision)

😎 I receive the damaged item and validate the buyer's conclusion and issue full refund (again, not like I have a choice).

9) I file a claim with UPS for damage in shipping.

10) UPS calls me back

11) First question UPS asks, which carrier returned the item?

12) I answer USPS

13) UPS agent follows the script: "oh well, it was shipped back by USPS, not by us, so we can't possibly inspect the damaged goods to determine we are responsible" (I paraphrase here)

14) UPS agent recognizes it is a frequent occurrence with Ebay sellers' claims. I think it's the majority.

So my question is simple: are Ebay and UPS (and likely others like Fedex) colluding to make sure no shipping damage claim is ever accepted?

What is the success rate of shipping damage claims made by Ebay sellers to carriers like UPS? My guess is below 5%, when the standard Ebay operating procedure essentially "voids" UPS claim inspection process, with no input whatsoever from the buyer.

What has been your experience?

[jaja_2942]

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@devil337 wrote:

Anyway claim is filed and is completed. Says claim was paid but I didn't receive anything?? No email no mail, nothing. I called UPS and gave them my information, they say it doesn't match what they have on file

I found out the claim was paid to ebay through numerous phone calls. The check was dated for the 23rd of Dec. and the lady told me ebay has the check, gave me their address and everything.

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[certifiedcitynet]

The photos of the initial UPS-caused damage would need to be incredibly detailed and extensive but even they would not reveal internal damage, such as to the inner workings of a wristwatch that had been dropped or shaken too harshly.

While in the possession of USPS, additional internal (and/or obscure external) damage could have occurred, hence UPS's refusal to pay the insurance claim.  And making videos to verify contents whenever a package is opened or sealed is infinitely superior evidence of external damage and thus culpability.

Whenever you ship anything to any Ebay buyer, you assume the risk that the buyer will not cooperate with the claims process with the resulting lack of a payout.

Selling on Ebay has many other risks, too. You need to cover all of the bases. 

[lomb175]

I sent an Ebay package through UPS ground.  It arrived to buyer broken.   Do I contact UPS here to start the process?  Then I tell the buyer to take the item to a UPS store?

[arnaudevi-0]

Yes. You want to keep everything as is. Document and try to have UPS take ownership with their mistake.

If buyer is cooperative he may be able to visit a UPS facility for inspection (remember, keep as is, all packing material, etc...), but Covid and time suck.

If not, try at least to obtain the relevant pictures from him. Go by UPS's spreadsheet or call them.

If those two approaches fail, you are out of luck.

[gak2000]

FEDEX insurance is a scam!

Bought something locally and sold it for over 3000. Much much more than I paid for it.

Called FEDEX and asked how much insurance can I get on it as I want the full amount of insurance.

Was told that I can only insure for what I paid for it-not the 3000.

I asked why, in the past, I paid for incremental  insurance if I could only recover what I paid for it?

I'm now waiting for a call back from USPS as to their policy.

How do others handle insurance questions like this?