USPS Advantage Shipping has Insurance Included for Seller Protection!!!

[handmadegiftsboutique]

I recently sold a brand new Safari Club Magazine.  Safari Club is a hunting and taxidermy magazine.

I believe the buyer intentionally destroyed the magazine claiming pages were stuck together along with pictures of water damage.

Ebay immediately started a refund for the item.  Ebay did nothing to help with the USPS Advantage Insurance Claim that would be connected to this sale.  Here is the information that all sellers need to be aware of for protection of false claims and not having to refund monies for merchandise that was damaged after shipping to the buyer.

USPS Ground Advantage

USPS Ground Advantage™ service includes up to $100 insurance in the price. For more valuable shipments, additional coverage is usually available.

Qualifications

USPS Ground Advantage domestic shipments must have an applicable USPS Tracking® barcode to qualify for included insurance.

USPS Ground Advantage Insurance Details

Claims

Keep your postmarked mailing receipt and proof of value of your shipment in case you need to file a claim. When your mail item is lost, you should file a claim no later than 60 days from the date of mailing. If your item is damaged or missing contents, you should file a claim immediately but not later than 60 days from the date of mailing.

 

[hartungcards]

Of course eBay "did nothing to help with the USPS Advantage Insurance Claim."  They didn't sell you the insurance.  And shipping is the seller's responsibility, not eBay's.

[mtgraves7984]

Ebay did nothing to help with the USPS Advantage Insurance Claim that would be connected to this sale. 

@handmadegiftsboutique 

Respectfully, eBay and USPS are different entities. At this point, eBay has followed policy. If you have a USPS claim, that's between you and USPS. And to be quite honest, it's hard to win a claim for damage during shipping and you'll need the buyer's help. Would your buyer be receptive to carrying your package to the PO for inspection?

[hartungcards]

And wouldn't filing a USPS Advantage Insure Claim after just stating that, "I believe the buyer intentionally destroyed the magazine," constitute mail fraud?

No wonder eBay doesn't provide any "help" in these matters.

[12345jamesstamps]

USPS is the post office. It's a mailing service not owned by eBay. And it does rain so it's very possible the item got wet being delivered en route. A lot of items are put in a large bin with wheels outside the post office before loaded on a truck to and from post offices. It probably rained before it got loaded onto the truck. I suggest refunding the buyer. USPS insurance is for item usually lost in the mail...not damaged.

[dbfolks166mt · Accepted solution]

     Ah if it was only that simple and that was all you needed. First either the sender or the recipient can file an insurance claim with USPS. Since eBay is probably going to refund your buyer that task now falls to you. With lost package USPS claims it is much easier for the sender to prevail since the onus is on USPS to find the package. Probably the biggest hurdle for lost packages is providing USPS with proof of value for the lost package. I just recently filed a lost package claim with USPS and they processed the claim in record time and I received a check in just a little over 3 weeks.

     Damage claims are MUCH tougher. There are other things you will need like the buyers email address since USPS will want to communicate with them regarding the package. The recipient will also need to retain the damaged item and the original packing since USPS will want the buyer to take it to their local post office for examination. If they decide the claim is warranted there are a couple of actions they may take based on recipients choice. You can look those up on the USPS web site but one of the options is USPS keeps the damaged item and the original packing.

     I have filed a number of shipping damage insurance claims with USPS over the years. Those where USPS has honored the claim have been those where I had excellent cooperation with the buyer and they actually took the item into the post office for examination. Those that I lost I had little or no cooperation from the buyer. The process is also very drawn out so download the information you need from eBay before it is removed. The last claim I had for a damaged shipment took a little over 3 months to get resolved and that was with excellent buyer cooperation and several calls to the USPS claims center in St. Louis. 

[hartungcards]

Uh, no....USPS Insurance covers damage in transit as well as lost mail.  I mean, it says that right in the "Claims" part that the OP posted.  This may also explain why the USPS doesn't leave "a large bin with wheels" uncovered outside the post office while it waits to be loaded on a truck.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Just to clarify—

Buyers don’t need shipping insurance, sellers do. Buyers have the eBay Money Back Guarantee to protect their interests. So in case of transit damage, or lost mail, shipping insurance is there to make the seller whole.

eBay holds sellers accountable for getting the item to the buyer in “as described” condition, mailed within the seller’s stated handling time. Therefore shipping failures are seller issues, not carrier issues.

What makes you believe your buyer deliberately damaged their item?

[hartungcards]

Maybe your buyer just wanted to use the magazine to stuff something that he hunted?  Oh, sweet irony.

[12345jamesstamps]

USPS insurance covers damage but I never heard anyone here posting they got it....usually means seller didn't package it good enough.

Most sellers can collect for a lost item. Its almost impossible to collect on something damaged in transit.

[hartungcards]

Well, you might want to check dbfolks' post just above.

[handmadegiftsboutique]

I don't know if the buyer would cooperate.  If the buyer was asked and they had intentionally destroyed the merchandise they may reconsider asking for a refund as to save face, as the saying goes.

I blocked the buyer so they won't be buying from me again.   And I reported the buyer to Ebay as to what I believed happened to the magazine.

Your answer about Ebay following their policy is true up to the point that USPS Advantage was offered to sellers and it included insurance for merchandise shipping when completed.  Ebay should have changed their policy on point (immediately) and just may because of this event happening and also because I am drawing attention to the issue.

I just got a pop up request from Ebay to take a survey and so I shall.

I hope Ebay will defend the sellers and not just jump on board for the buyer without due cause.

Stay tuned.

[hartungcards]

eBay doesn't "offer" any shipping method or service to sellers.  The seller chooses a shipping service or method.  This policy is not going to change.

[robbie31415]

Ebays policy on the matter is fine.

USPS isn't offered by eBay its offered by you.

Buyers don't have to comply with participation in insurance claims. That's one of the reasons insurance is for lost not damaged.

Also you admit you are making assumptions of the cause. Should eBay block returns and refunds on assumptions of the seller ? I think not.

Just gotta accept some transactions don't go as planned. Write it off and move on.

[inhawaii]

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@handmadegiftsboutique wrote:

I blocked the buyer so they won't be buying from me again.   And I reported the buyer to Ebay as to what I believed happened to the magazine.

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You have every right to block the buyer.  That's your decision.

Just curious though, what did the buyer do wrong?

Received a damaged item?

The nerve of him.

Do you really think ebay needs to know what you "believe" happened to the item?