morgantown
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posted on August 15, 2001 10:59:35 PM new
Sellers - get street smart. Don't offer shipping insurance as an option. Quote it automatically in every invoice. If you allow an insurance option, you will pay for it one way or the other/sooner or later...
Heck, don't get "street smart" get "business smart!" It's MO money in your pocket.
ps. quote it on the 1 cent items too! After all, you are insuring the postage cost along with item cost.
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doormat
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posted on August 15, 2001 11:12:38 PM new
Ahh...
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morgantown
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posted on August 15, 2001 11:24:05 PM new
Ahh...the power of cheese 
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jhowe
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posted on August 15, 2001 11:26:50 PM new
PO has told me that shipping cost would/will not be covered in case of claim; FWIW...
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morgantown
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posted on August 15, 2001 11:30:54 PM new
Well, you gotta learn one thing and quick. One PO, does not say what another PO says. MY PO pays claims including postage on damaged and lost items. At minimum, any PO will refund postage on lost items.
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nitrate
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posted on August 16, 2001 02:50:44 AM new
Thanks for the suggestion about not offering insurance as an option. However with about four years of buying and selling I have been offering it as an option and will continue to do.
morgantown "you gotta learn one thing and quick" that information depends on which clerk you talk to. One clerk will tell you one thing and the next clerk will tell you another. They can tell you anything but if it isn't in writing than you are s o l. Shipping is not refund.
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commentary
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posted on August 16, 2001 05:05:12 AM new
One thing you learn quick is not to trust everything you read.
So if you do not offer insurance as an option, who do you think truly pays for the insurance?
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jfpnatl
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posted on August 16, 2001 05:59:08 AM new
Shipping is refund, and I know this from personal experience!! You cant claim shipping if you insure a 5.00 item for 5.00, but if you insure emough to cover the shipping, it IS refunded..........
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skeetypete
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posted on August 16, 2001 06:07:14 AM new
morgantown, you say "Heck, don't get "street smart" get "business smart!" It's MO money in your pocket."
how exactly is it mo money if you actually purchase the insurance from the p.o?? are you charging more than the actual cost of insurance, charging for filling out the form or what. The only way my sleepy eyes can see a mo money grab for the seller is with self insurance
as for different p.o charging diffeerent and doing different things, man that sure is the truth. I just po's me when there is no consistency in postal locations..certainly adds to the theory of the post office being run genius's........
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mrlatenite
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posted on August 16, 2001 06:27:00 AM new
[message removed]
[ edited by mrlatenite on Sep 7, 2001 01:48 PM ]
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Triggerfish
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posted on August 16, 2001 07:31:25 AM new
I agree with morgantown on this one completely! If an item is breakable and/or valuable (for me I use around $20-$50 as a gauge) I automatically include insurance in my quote. No choices!
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loosecannon
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posted on August 16, 2001 09:43:55 AM new
I have started requiring insurance on items over $20. Under that amount is optional. Some will opt to insure a $5 or $10 item but most would find the notion silly, same as I do. But there are always exceptions.
I know one thing. I'm sick of paying for the insurance myself, as I've done on several occasions.
I also do not agree with the notion that I am responsible for a package that a buyer opts not to buy insurance on. Oh, I heard many say that I am, but if I pack the item correctly, address it correctly, safely deliver it to the Post Office and ship the way the buyer wanted then that should be where my responsiblity ends. After all, it's out of my hands from that point on. And what is insurance for? To cover losses if a problem arises for the buyer. Uninsured? Not covered, period.
OTOH, if the buyer pays for insurance and then a problem arises, I have a responsibility to initiate the claim, and do what I can to help.
Fortunately this hardly ever becomes an issue. We pack well.
[ edited by loosecannon on Aug 17, 2001 06:55 AM ]
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Mikecol
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posted on August 16, 2001 02:31:46 PM new
Have you ever tried to collect on a claim???
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loosecannon
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posted on August 16, 2001 03:24:38 PM new
Collect? No.
But I've had three buyers involved in a Postal insurance claim. Two were under $50 and relatively hassle free (both were glass items, both damaged). One was for $130 (lost package, not damage) and it was a lengthy process. The package eventually came back to me as the return addressee and this particular claim was voided before it was paid out.
[ edited by loosecannon on Aug 17, 2001 06:56 AM ]
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flynlizards
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posted on August 16, 2001 05:39:46 PM new
I, too, require insurance on every sale now. Funny, out of many sales, the couple "lost" were the low ticket items I didn't require insurance on! WHY am I not surprised?
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mballai
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posted on August 17, 2001 09:01:07 AM new
Insurance is only necessary for items you want the hassle of dealing with the post office claims. At a nominal $15 per hour, you are looking at least one hour to file a claim, more likely two. Add $30 to the insurance fee and is that an option you really want? Only if the item is real expensive is this something worth considering.
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twinsoft
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posted on August 17, 2001 01:48:49 PM new
Totally agree on this. On my more expensive items, I now require insurance. Recently a $50 package got lost and the customer wanted to pay the extra dollar for insurance AFTER THE ITEM WAS LOST IN THE MAIL. I replaced the item anyway. No more.
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bemused
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posted on August 17, 2001 04:22:06 PM new
Forget Postal insurance, go with U-PIC instead. U-PIC covers the TOTAL (bid+shipping), international shipments, and I was told they always pay USPS claims. They are also cheaper, I pay $0.60/per $100 value for shipments to the U.S./Canada and $1.00 for all other countries they cover. I add $1.00 to every shipping quote to cover insurance and Delivery Confirmation (domestic). Nobody ever complains, I let them know that their shipment is insured and they seem to be ok with that. I state $4.95 for insured Priority shipping, but I see a lot of sellers that charge up to $6.00 for priority and say insurance is extra, I like them because they make my shipping look like a bargain.
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stormsail
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posted on August 18, 2001 05:50:31 AM new
Postal regulations require the PO to reimburse the cost of postage if an insured package is lost or the contents are totally damaged (that assumes enough insurance was purchased to cover the postage fees).
You should always include the cost of postage in the insured value, especially if a package is large or heavy.
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NothingYouNeed
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posted on August 18, 2001 06:45:10 AM new
morgantown, as long as you make this clear in your auction TOS, that's fine. As a buyer, I will not pay for insurance on items under $20 as the rate is usurious and the I wouldn't put myself through the claims hassle for a $5.00 item. Standing in line for 30 minutes during a workday (my P.O. only does insurance claims from 9-5 on weekdays) isn't worth it to me. As long as I agree to release the seller from any claims for lost or damaged items, I don't see why I should be forced (especially when this is not disclosed in TOS) to purchase insurance.
When I sell, insurance is always at the buyer's discretion. If I sell an item for a high price that was more than I expected, and the buyer doesn't take insurance, I will insure it myself.
Gerald
"Oh but it's so hard to live by the rules/I never could and still never do."
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NothingYouNeed
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posted on August 18, 2001 06:48:20 AM new
As far as postal regulations go, I am beginning to think they are meaningless. Neither P.O. I use reimburses for shipping cost. They also won't consider an insurance claim unless the seller has completed and mailed me the claim form along with the insurance receipt. I have had sellers tell me I was wrong and to just take the box to the P.O. How do you argue with a seller who thinks every P.O. does business the same way?
Gerald
"Oh but it's so hard to live by the rules/I never could and still never do."
[ edited by NothingYouNeed on Aug 18, 2001 06:49 AM ]
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honaker5
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posted on August 18, 2001 12:03:14 PM new
Morgantown I agree with loosecannon on the fact that I will start making it mandatory on items over $20-25. I have been offering it as an option for awhile now with no problems so far. I also put a sentence in my TOS that seller is not responsible for uninsured items.
BTW..... "Go Hokies"!! 
Sorry, couldn't resist.... 
Tim
honaker5 on ebay and elsewhere.........
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BlondeSense
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posted on August 18, 2001 01:37:33 PM new
Heck, don't get "street smart" get "business smart!" It's MO money in your pocket.
Let's see now... I see an item on ebay for which I am willing to pay $15.00. If the seller says $4.00 S/H, I bid $11.00. But if the seller says $5.00 S/H/I, I only bid $10.00.
It seems to me that required insurance for small $$$ items is money out of your pocket and into the post office's pocket.
Otherwise I agree with NothingYouNeed's first post.
[ edited by BlondeSense on Aug 18, 2001 01:40 PM ]
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commentary
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posted on August 18, 2001 07:51:11 PM new
Gee - BlondeSense, you are the first to answer my question. Another point is that the higher S/H due to the insurance addon tends to discourage someone from bidding. Thus, there is higher chance of losing a bid from a potential underbidder.
But that's okay, these guys all can sleep at night knowing every one of their shipments is insured.
[ edited by commentary on Aug 18, 2001 07:51 PM ]
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