posted on October 2, 2000 06:26:41 PM
I can't believe it. Has anyone had this experience with UPS? I properly packaged an antique rocking horse which sold on E-Bay for $400.00 and brought it to a UPS Customer Counter. I wrote "Antique Rocking Horse" in the item description and requested $400.00 insurance. After waiting in line for 30 mins., I dragged my box to the counter where the clerk asked me (I assumed for insurance purposes) "Is this item one-of-a-kind or irreplaceable"? I honestly replied "yes", expecting I might possibly have to pay a higher insurance rate...no problem. The clerk refused to accept the item claiming "UPS does not accept one-of-a-kind or irreplaceable items for shipment. "What is insurance for?" I asked. "Sorry", was her reply. I took my (giant) package and left. At home, I searched the UPS website for this rule/provision and couldn't find anything (other than a paragraph on "Articles of Unusual Value". What's up with this? Can anyone elaborate? UPS is no help.
posted on October 2, 2000 06:38:49 PM
It's hard for me to imagine packing something like that *properly* for UPS. Is it in a wooden crate?
My son works for UPS and when I was getting ready to sell (glass) on ebay, his advice was, don't use UPS, or if you do, be sure and double-box EVERYTHING. And he had some horror stories to share.
BUT, you didn't ask advice or input about all that. I'd call UPS. I'm sure there are phone numbers for customer service. Or, try taking it to the counter again and don't say it's irreplaceable. After all, what IS that insurance for? I can assure you they ship things all the time that are one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable.
Finally, there are shipping companies around the country that specialize in antique and similar valuable merchanidise. Vintage Transport in Atlanta is one such company. But there are others. Don't know about the rates, tho.
posted on October 2, 2000 06:55:03 PM
Absurd! If I ship something, whether it be irreplaceable or not, and insure it for $400, then that's all they (or their insurance carrier) are on the hook for (and that's how insurance works). If I insure a $10,000 item for $400 (to save money) and it gets flattened like road-kill, they're STILL only responsible for $400! It's MY loss, not theirs.
I am going to bring the rocking horse to another customer counter and omit the "antique" designation. When asked if it is "irreplaceable" or "one-of-a-kind", I'm going to respond HECK NO! I HAVE A DOZEN MORE JUST LIKE IT OUT IN MY TRUCK!!!
posted on October 2, 2000 07:11:48 PM
it is a rather silly poilcy or rule there is only one of everything even if I had a dozzen of something and I was shipping just one even though there is a 11 more there is only one exsactly like the one Im shiping.
If I sold trees even and a buyer bid on a particular tree and it got damaged there is not another just like it and that is a renewable resource.
Regardless, I just would like an explanation of this policy (preferably from UPS), so I can sleep at night. I have been an insurance fraud investigator for the past 15 years, and I am dumbfounded by this policy. I WILL eventually get my rocking horse shipped, but I WON'T ever understand their reasoning.
posted on October 2, 2000 07:53:33 PM
FedEx? I dunno...my buyer didn't say they "Positively, Absolutely Have to Have it Overnight". USPS won't take it because of its size.
A man without a country? No...a rocking horse without a shipper. A new UPS motto...instead of "We Cover the World", how about "We Won't Ship Your Antiques (unless they are reproductions and you have more in your closet)".
posted on October 2, 2000 08:05:30 PM
As far as the extra insurance goes, check out www.u-pic.com. They won't have a problem insuring it and it will probably cost you less to do so. You can insure that single package online. Also, if you ship a lot of packages, they have the best program around.
posted on October 2, 2000 08:30:05 PM
Auctionee, could you post that link again? I can't get this one to work. Or you could just tell me the name of the company and I'll go look for it.
posted on October 2, 2000 11:33:10 PM
FedEx has the same asinine policy. I was refused by UPS Canada last year when attempting to ship an antique teddy bear, FedEx gave me the same B.S. story.
When I called UPS & spoke to a supervisor I was told "unless it's something easily replaceable, as in something from WalMart, we will not insure it"
posted on October 3, 2000 07:26:54 AM
Michigan experience:
I took an old clock to a pack and ship ups *store*. I put it on the counter, and said How much? He looked and looked at it and finally said you better insure this it's realy old. I told him I met a clock guy at ebay and he bought it. He packed, I insured $250, customer recieved it in a week. (double boxed mucho foam panels etc.)
I'd say keep trying the ups. Or maybe a mailboxes etc. I took a huge sofa size painting there once packed it myself to save on costs.
edited cuz I cant spell
[ edited by Pandoras_Trinkets on Oct 3, 2000 07:29 AM ]
posted on October 3, 2000 09:13:04 AM
I haven't used UPS for over 5 years since I used them mucho for a bricks-and-mortar wholesaling operation. Now I'm in another city, their warehouse counter is many, many miles away, and MailboxesEtc type counters double UPS rates to make money, so it's mostly USPS for me. Howsomever, I can speculate on recent policy changes like this;
possible factors that come to mind:
1)Very real damage to truly rare items where the damage might *appear* to be rather trivial, thereby leading even to litigation that UPS or their insurer would LOSE once the facts were fully explored. Keep in mind especially that some types of collectibles, if initially in "extremely perfect" condition, might lose a huge percent of their market value from apparently "trivial" damage, and it would take expensive expert consultations to verify that in fact had happened.
2) *Apparent* damage to items *claimed* as being one-of-a-kind rare collectibles, but actually either honestly mis-valued by their owner, or shipped pre-broken as an outright scam. Even if exposed by investigations, such attention is expensive and a reason to discourage the situations from arising.
I would guess that both of the above circumstances started cropping up for UPS more and more, especially as individuals started shipping widgets around more with the expansions of online auctions. Note that individuals getting into online selling without first having run "real businesses" would tend more towards incompetence in both packing and evaluating their merchandise. Certainly frustrating for those who know how to pack well, have evaluated their merchandise correctly, and are reasonable about dealing with damage and insurance claims... but I can understand UPS overall having to set policies to deal with the lowest common denominators among their users, if that's what they're doing here.
posted on October 3, 2000 10:26:32 AM
USPS has the same size and weight parameters that UPS does. If I were you I'd ship by the post office and insure for final bid price. I have always had good luck with the p.o. but NOT with UPS!
posted on October 3, 2000 11:40:22 AM
Post Office wanted $108.00 to ship my rocking horse. UPS charged $47.00 (finally shipped today after lying to them!).
As to the earlier (very informative) post explaining UPS's situation: I understand, but...why are they attempting to cut their risk only on "irreplaceable" items? Aren't they making tons of money/profit on items that are insured and arrive safely (no claims). They'll take our money on the "easy" stuff and forego the risk on the "expensive" stuff. BS!! Do what the auto insurer's do...raise your rates! I don't care if I have to pay another $2.00, I just want this damn rocking horse out of my van! Individuals shipping "pre-damaged" items in hopes of collecting? Then they should follow their own rule (as posted inside their customer service office): Items subject to inspection. Seems they are too lazy or don't want to cut into their profits to do this (opening/examining every insured item would take a lot of man-hours every day). Oh, well...my rocking horse has been shipped and I have learned my lesson. Don't sell anything on E-Bay that can't go USPS!
posted on October 3, 2000 12:10:33 PM
Is this a new UPS policy because after being told the same thing by FedEx Ground regarding antiques I checked the tarriff agreement on ups web site. This was several months ago but I do not remember that clause only that insurance maxed at $50,000. I would also look into upic because I have used and I don't think they have a similar clause in there terms.
RB
posted on October 3, 2000 12:16:16 PM
U-Pic or any other "outside" insurer wouldn't have helped in this instance...UPS REFUSED MY ITEM BASED UPON ITS "IRREPLACEABLE" STATUS...WOULDN'T ACCEPT IT WHETHER I DESIRED INSURANCE OR NOT.
. What's up with this? Can anyone elaborate? UPS is no help.
I told him I met a clock guy at ebay and he bought it. He packed, I insured $250, customer recieved it in a week. (double boxed mucho foam panels etc.)