posted on February 11, 2001 12:51:50 PM new
I was just looking at an auction description and came across this phrase: "Insurance is extra. If you don't include it with your payment your item(s) will not be sent insured. I will include insurance information with my initial e-mail to you."
Is this smart or risky? With postage costs climbing, it looks like a way to keep a buyer's sh&i costs down--but then, if the item isn't delivered, what recourse does the seller have?
Or would sending it registered mail be any cheaper or smarter, if there's no insurance? I'm talking about items under $100, generally speaking. Adele
posted on February 11, 2001 01:09:34 PM new
When I was listing on ebay I made insurance a MUST if the price was over $50.00 and an option if under but I then included delivery conformation in the s/h charges if they chose not to insure. One way or the other I was gonna have a piece of paper showing that I mailed it and it was out of my hands and in the hands of the postal dept. If something happened it was then in the hands of the buyer not mine. I have helped buyers file claims but the ultimate responsibility is the buyers.
posted on February 11, 2001 02:58:47 PM new
I offer optional insurance, and make it very clear in my EOA and listings that by refusing to pay for insurance, the buyer agrees to accept all risk of loss and damage in shipment. I then ship any uninsured items with Delivery Confirmation, so I have proof that the item was shipped. Some people will tell you that this doesn't "morally" clear one of having to make good on a lost shipment. However, I feel that if a buyer is capable of choosing NOT to pay for insurance, then he is capable of accepting the consequences of that decision if the item is lost or damaged. Hasn't happened yet, though. Some sellers just avoid the whole issue, and the possibility of having to tell an unhappy customer that they aren't going to get their money back because they chose not to pay for insurance, by requiring that all items be insured.
