USPS not paying insurance claims

[kd_401]

I have not been paid for ANY insurance claims I have submitted to USPS in the past year.  They keep sending me letters saying I need to take the item to a post office for inspection.  Since I do not want to pay return shipping on a broken item, I have posted in my listings that the buyers must keep all packaging and broken items until the claim is paid.  They are not doing this and eBay is refunding them anyway - then I am stuck with no way to get my money back.  I even tried to require the buyer to file the insurance claim and eBay tells them I have to since I paid the shipping.  Since I charge for shipping - shouldn't the claim be the buyers issue?  Any suggestions???? 

[dbfolks166mt]

     There is not much you can do about refunding the buyer so best to do so and close that loop. 

     While either the seller or the buyer can open a claim with USPS it is MUCH easier to solicit the buyers assistance if they are willing to do so. It has been quite awhile since I filed a USPS claim as the buyer but once I took the package to the PO they approved the claim although it took them about 6 weeks for them to get me the money. Once the claim was settled the seller refunded me the postage which USPS will not do as part of the claim. 

     I have filed a USPS claim twice as a seller because the buyer was not willing to take the item to the PO. They were however willing to provide me pictures. USPS denied one of the claims because I could not get the package to them to look at but the other one they approved just on the pictures I sent probably because the truck tire marks were still on the outside of the package running right across the shipping label. 

     Probably not a good thing to mention but ironically as the buyer once the seller has refunded you I don't believe there is anything stopping you from still filing a claim with USPS and in essence getting your money back twice. 

[ekmadonna]

You CAN'T Have a buyer return a item to the seller if they are claiming SHIPPING DAMAGE. A return from the buyer to the OP VOIDS ALL INSURANCE.

[kd_401]

First of all - I do not pay for shipping, the customer does which makes the shipping insurance theirs NOT mine.  Second, please read my ratings, I package my items extremely securely so the issue is not that I do not pack correctly.

You would think that other eBayers would be supportive of eachother.  I was trying to get a solution for the USPS issue, not nasty comments about how I conduct my business.  

It is my belief that if insurance is purchased and an item is received in a smashed box that had FRAGILE ON EVERY SIDE and bubble wrap and other packaging items clearly posted in the pictures then there should not be an issue with the claim.   Why do they require extra proof when you send them tons of pictures to support your claim - THAT IS MY QUESTION.

[kd_401]

SInce I require my buyers to pay for shipping legally the claim IS theirs to make but eBay - being so NON seller friendly - tells me I have to file it even if the buyer does not take care of the requirements to fulfill the claim - like take the box to the post office to be inspected.  It is just not right.

[kd_401]

Legally if the buyer pats for shipping then the insurance claim is theirs.  I checked with an attorney.  ebay is the one who doesn't support the seller.

[kd_401]

I can make any claim I want in my instructions and legally if a buyer pays for the shipping, which is the case in my store, then the insurance is something THEY purchased, not me.  I already checked.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@postingid7659 wrote:

Priority Mail includes $50 insurance when bought over the counter and $100 coverage when bought through eBay (at a discounted rate to boot).  There is no reason to NOT insure the items.  

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eBay postage includes $100 of insurance coverage for Top Rated Sellers, and the regular online rate of $50 of coverage for other sellers.

The original poster is a TRS, and all of their Sold items (except maybe one) sold for under $100, so they are not purchasing extra insurance, they are just using what comes with their eBay Priority Mail labels.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@kd_401 wrote:

Legally if the buyer pats for shipping then the insurance claim is theirs.  I checked with an attorney...

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You might want to get a second opinion on that.  And be sure to show them eBay's buyer protection policy, which they call the "Money back guarantee" (MBG).

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy...

[otow_18]

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@kd_401 wrote:

Legally if the buyer pats for shipping then the insurance claim is theirs. I checked with an attorney. 

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How then does your "attorney" explain that when tracking doesn't show delivered, the seller refunds the buyer? Doesn't sound like the buyer is responsible for shipping after all.

[goaldeelocks]

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@1tuna wrote:

I guess I forgot about the free insurance with priority

thats a whole lot better than paying for it.I rarely use priority mail

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Only my (unverified) assumption, but I generally use Priority for fragile items because of expected less time in transit.

Just seems to me that the less time the item is in transit, the less chance for damage.

I read somewhere that you should pack a fragile item carefully enough that you would be comfortable dropping it from a height of 4 feet and follow that advice. So far never had anything I shipped broken.

[ed8108]

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@kd_401 wrote:

Legally if the buyer pats for shipping then the insurance claim is theirs.  I checked with an attorney.  ebay is the one who doesn't support the seller.

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Did counsel also inform you that a carrier can pay the insurance claim to the buyer but require your permission to do so as the shipper ?

[donsdetour]

Things you need to KNOW:

One the shipper has the right to exam damaged items and packing for a claim to be found for you.

Two: the buyer getting a damaged item is:   "Item not as described: Since this is so they will get there money back even if you do not go with return for refund.

Three: You are the shipper and they are the recipient: they do not have to aid in a claim, you or eBay if they are the purchaser has to file a claim.

 The buyer get there money back no mater what you do.

Oh and fire your legal advice.....Just saying...

[buyselljack2016]

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@kd_401 wrote:

First of all - I do not pay for shipping, the customer does which makes the shipping insurance theirs NOT mine.  Second, please read my ratings, I package my items extremely securely so the issue is not that I do not pack correctly.

You would think that other eBayers would be supportive of eachother.  I was trying to get a solution for the USPS issue, not nasty comments about how I conduct my business.  

It is my belief that if insurance is purchased and an item is received in a smashed box that had FRAGILE ON EVERY SIDE and bubble wrap and other packaging items clearly posted in the pictures then there should not be an issue with the claim.   Why do they require extra proof when you send them tons of pictures to support your claim - THAT IS MY QUESTION.

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Because the carrier has grown a bit smarter over the years, and has chosen to cut their losses by eliminating some of the false damage claims by requiring the damaged item, and packaging to be presented for inspection rather than just accepting some "photos" that have been provided.

You purchased the label.

[femmefan1946]

@katzrul15 

Most sensible sellers will accept pictures-- an actual return can be requested/required but it is not necessary.

Aggravating that your seller was not sensible enough to understand that she would need to deal with a box of broken glass if it were returned.
BTW- was there anything on the package that indicated that the shipper /USPS took responsibility for the damage? Because usually, short of tiretracks on the box, they will not pay out for "poor packaging".

[femmefan1946]

To give some idea of what the carrier is dealing with, these are pictures, mostly preCOVID of various USPS and CanadaPost terminals.

I was told in an eBay seminar given by a Canada Post officer that we should be packaging for survival of a two foot drop and landing under the next package which weighs 50 lbs.

Does your packaging meet that standard?