Insured Shipment? I no longer use eBay's PIP

[booth.four.tulsa]

Last month I had to file a claim on a lost package. Over the years I have used the "over $100 value" coverage offered by eBay Shipping - but this was the first time I ever needed to file a claim. Wow... what a joke!

First off, when you opt for extra insurance (sometimes called declared value coverage) you are not buying it from the carrier- it's provided by a third party called Parcel Insurance Plan in St. Louis. There are multiple horror stories on these forums documenting their underwhelming business practices. My claim is stalled because the buyer never responded to their email. 

I never realized any of this until I filed a claim with USPS and was only reimbursed $100 (plus the cost of postage). When I asked about the insured amount I was informed that I did not purchase any extra coverage. So now when I have a valuable sale I will deal with the carrier directly for shipping and coverage. 

Wish I had researched this topic here first! 

[shipcover]

Thank you for reaching out to us.  Our records show you submitted your ShipCover claim on 12/27 and it is currently waiting on your buyer to respond to eBay’s verification message.  Once the claim is verified, it will process in 2-3 business days.  As we mentioned in your chat this morning, if the buyer doesn’t respond within the 30 days they have to do so, we will send you an automated reminder on 1/27 and will look forward to manually reviewing your documentation at that time. 

[tobaccocardyahoo]

Unless they removed the option, you could have bought the extra coverage from USPS at a higher price when you bought the postage.

In these times of high costs and high fraud, everyone is tightening their procedures. In the past PIP was easier to get paid by than USPS.