posted on August 15, 2001 04:22:05 PM new
Well.....
Here's what I do: I always "offer" insurance on ALL the items I ship. If the buyer refuses, then I have to decide (as Dirty Harry said) "Do you feel lucky?"
In other words, if the amount is "absorbable" by me then I'll pass -- but if I can't afford to EAT the amount, then I'll spend the $1.10 - $2.00 out of my own pocket for the insurance!
I'll do just about anything to avoid this kind of situation that you have now! My goal is to make the buyers happy...my goal is not to "win" a point of "principle" -- ya can't eat it!
posted on August 15, 2001 04:46:32 PM new
I know it won't help in this case, but what I've been doing is insuring everything through UPIC- no other options offered. In the auction listing, I state:
$1.55 insured delivery
and with my EOA notice, I list the amount due like this:
$24.95 Total Due ($23.40 Bid + $1.55 Postage/Insurance)
Since I started doing this, I have sold over 400 items, and not a single bidder has asked to have their item shipped uninsured. Previously, I did as hepburn did in this case, and probably 3 out of 10 decided they didn't want insurance. Now, no more worrying about a buyer declining insurance and later expecting me to make good on a loss.
If you do go with UPIC, it is not nearly as expensive as USPS insurance- $0.60 for up to $50 coverage, $1.00 for $50 to $100 coverage, and $0.60 more for each additional $100 of coverage. There is also the added benefits of being able to insure to Canada for the same cost as US delivery, international insurance is available for $1.00 per $100 of coverage (not every country is covered, however), and you can actually insure items being sent to you.
[ edited by tomwiii on Aug 15, 2001 04:22 PM ]