USPS Damaged

[kathimac05]

I need some help/update on current policies. Buyer reported a cabinet she bought from me on eBay was damaged in transit. She said she tried to file a claim with USPS and they said it was uninsured. It was shipped Priority Mail at great expense, nearly $80. I filed two claims with USPS before the item arrived. First because they said it had been picked up before it was ever set out for pick up. Second because they sent it to Florida, had it hung up for days past delivery date with no idea where it was. It was going from TN to NY. No reason for FL side trip. Any info will be helpful. 

[simba6]

All priority mail shipments used to include 50.00 of insurance.   You can call the 800 number on the USPS web site. They can pull up a lot more info than what is posted on line.  You will have to refund your buyer right away for that item. The buyer does not have to wait for any claims to be paid by the shipper. 

Packages can be rerouted through less busy shipping routes when the main route is filled.

[nobody*s_perfect]

Ask the buyer to hold onto the item and packaging, and file a claim online. $50 would be the maximum that you could collect, since USPS doesn't reimburse for the postage cost for damaged items.

https://www.usps.com/help/claims.htm

[titipeo]

Aside from what the other previous poster mentioned, I will add that spending $80 on priority mail shipping means absolutely nothing in regards to insurance. All Priority mail shipping includes a max of $50 insurance. Anything above an beyond that amount, will need to be purchased at the same time as postage purchased. All this information is easily available at the USPS website. So, don't get hung up on shipping cost as a measure of insurance coverage. 

Also, the buyer will need to be made whole ASAP, due to eBay's Money Back Guarantee all they have to do is submit a item not as described claim through eBay and they are refunded ASAP. Please have buyer submit pictures of the damage goods, along with taking it to its local PO for inspection and review. You, as shipper should be the one dealing with the insurance process since you are the one that will be out of the money once buyer submits a ITEM NOT AS DESCRIBED claim. Best to keep buyer happy and on your side in order for his cooperation regarding the claim. 

Good luck. 

[kathimac05 · Accepted solution]

Thanks everyone. That's what I needed to know. Cost of shipping was just info, no relationship made to insurance. 

[rfmtm]

Seller files the claim, buyer can only report the damage as a third party.

Priority has a minimum of $50., insurance, and can have up to $100., depending on whether you receive Commercial Plus rates.

USPS does in fact reimburse for postage, but only if the total claim plus postage paid is equal or less than the insurance limit.  They will not reimburse any amount that was paid towards purchase of insurance.

Be prepared for your initial claim to be automatically declined, but you can appeal.  Also if your shipment is inspected and you did not pack properly, your claim will be denied.

[gkn29]

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@kathimac05 wrote:

It was shipped Priority Mail at great expense, nearly $80. 

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$80 is WAY ABOVE where you should be offering local pickup only

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@rfmtm wrote:

Seller files the claim, buyer can only report the damage as a third party.

Priority has a minimum of $50., insurance, and can have up to $100., depending on whether you receive Commercial Plus rates.

USPS does in fact reimburse for postage, but only if the total claim plus postage paid is equal or less than the insurance limit.  They will not reimburse any amount that was paid towards purchase of insurance.

Be prepared for your initial claim to be automatically declined, but you can appeal.  Also if your shipment is inspected and you did not pack properly, your claim will be denied.

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Either party can file the insurance claim with USPS. This is clearly stated on the USPS claim page that I linked to above.

Also, see sections 5.4 and 5.5 of the Domestic Mail Manual link below regarding who can file, and the clarification that postage is reimbursed only if the package is lost.

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/609.htm#ep1097274

[rfmtm]

@nobody*s_perfect   Buyer can file a claim, but I thought only as a third party, as with other carriers.  However, correct me if I am wrong, only the shipper of record can receive the refund.  And if that's the case, what good does it do the buyer?  Besides buyer is protected by ebay.

Also I had just recently read a statement that postage will be refunded as long as the claim total including postage does not exceed the insurance limit.  It made no exception for what happened to the package.  I'll have to see if I can find that info again and will post it here.

[nobody*s_perfect]

Didn't you click on the link I provided, which shows the relevant policies in the DMM?

[rfmtm]

@nobody*s_perfect   Yes, I agree both can file a claim, I suppose I was thinking of UPS/FedEx.  However, this could leave the seller short, if buyer collects the claim and then buyer later goes to the payment processor and gets a refund as well.   So if I was the seller, I'd always want to make sure to file the claim for my benefit.

As far as lost or damage postage refunds, USPS often issues addendums, notices, and puts things on its website that may be in error or incomplete, so it may have just been an unofficial and/or incorrect note I read.  I didn't read it in the DMM so I know it may not be official, but it was from USPS.

[nobody*s_perfect]

The policy used to say that postage would be refunded if the package was lost or "totally destroyed." I suspect that USPS got tired of arguing about it.

[certifiedcitynet]

Our firm marks "FRAGILE" on all of our shipments, even if they are not. Doing that and using protective packaging has resulted in us never experiencing even a single damage claim out of tens of thousands of mailings sent to Ebayers and buyers on many other websites.