ShipCover vs USPS insurance

[fordyce_spots]

Just sold a used sell phone for $100 to a buyer in Puerto Rico. Definitely buying insurance because cell phones attract sketchy buyers and well...Puerto Rico. Buyer paid for USPS First Class postage. 

Can an anyone recommend which insurance to choose? And if I should require a signature for another layer of proof of delivery? PayPal is holding the funds until it’s delivered. 

[trbl13]

I would have shipped it Priority Insured via the US Post Office..for security and speed of Delivery as opposed to First Class Mail which is much slower and not as secure..in my view..especially out of the country...I use either Shipcover and USPS for Insurance at various times and both are good. Under $200 value a Signature is Not required for Delivery..so for peace of mind I might add Signature Confirmation..In the future I would Add the Cost of those items to the Listing...in advance..so you do not have to pay yourself for those often important services.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@fordyce_spots wrote: ... Can an anyone recommend which insurance to choose? And if I should require a signature for another layer of proof of delivery? ... 

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Another layer is not needed, and could serve merely to inconvenience the buyer.  The tracking scan that shows delivery is all that you need in order to get your funds released and/or protect yourself against a fake "Item not received" claim.  

There's no insurance that can protect you against a sketchy buyer who makes a fake "not as described" claim or who asks for a return and then doesn't send the actual same item back.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@trbl13 wrote: .... Under $200 value a Signature is Not required for Delivery..so for peace of mind I might add Signature Confirmation...

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The seller protection policies of both eBay and PayPal have a threshold of $750 for requiring signature confirmation for seller protection.  

What "peace of mind" does signature confirmation add, beyond what regular tracking/ delivery confirmation does?

[divwido]

I've used both with great results, so I'd just pick one.  Both refund pretty quickly although USPS sends checks and ship cover might refund back to PayPal.  I haven't done one those in a while.

[itsjustasprain · Accepted solution]

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@fordyce_spots wrote:

Just sold a used sell phone for $100 to a buyer in Puerto Rico. Definitely buying insurance because cell phones attract sketchy buyers and well...Puerto Rico.  

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Oh? What ABOUT Puerto Rico?

Just bump up the package to Priority mail and you get either $50 or $100 of insurance included.

[ce-9809]

Not Top Rated Seller eBay Pricing:

• $50 Free insurance.
• Commercial Rates.

Top Rated Seller eBay Pricing:

• $100 Free insurance.
• Commercial Rates Less a 3% Discount.

Pirateship Pricing:

• $100 Free insurance.
• Commercial Rates.
• Don't need an eBay account but you can import your eBay orders.
• Cubic pricing for smaller sized Priority Mail packages (this can be cheaper that even eBay's Top Rated Seller rates for certain packages)
• You should be using this for all non eBay packages and not PayPal.
• No fees unlike some 3rd party shipping label companies.

Please note that if a package has $100 USPS free insurance and you need $200 USPS insurance you don't get credit for the that first $100. You have to pay for the entire $200 as if the package had no free insurance.

These private insurance policies are not saving you any money in the long run. Insurance has been one of USPS's steady money makers. When you use eBay's private insurance you are denying revenue to USPS, which will make up these loses by raising rates.