I recently won an item on ebay. The TOS clearly stated "Priority Shipping, Insurance, & Tracking Is $9.00."
The Auction ended on the 16th and I got the Item today so the shipping was really quick.
The USPS label said $5.60, which was the first thing I noticed wrong. I also didn't see any information regarding insurance. I asked the postal worker if the package had been insured and she said no.
Now if the item had been insured I would have been fine with the fact that the seller made $3.60 because thats what was stated and I agreed to it when I bid. However, I am disturbed that the package was not insured.
I am curious how everyone thinks I should handle this.
posted on October 23, 2001 06:25:31 PM new
It could have been a harmless mistake. I accidentally sent an item out one time and forgot to insure it. I realized it on the way home from the Post Office. I refunded the difference to the Buyer and sent my apologies. Not to mention, I worried until the package arrived. Sometimes, we aren't perfect at everything we do.
If it is bothering you, I would contact the Seller and advise the item arrived safely and that you were sure you paid for insurance - is it possible they just forgot to insure. See how they respond first.
posted on October 23, 2001 06:30:11 PM new
some seller practices self insurance,so the money could have gone to a fund for replacements if needed.
why make the usps rich,plus they dont always pay the claim.
posted on October 23, 2001 06:35:46 PM new
I suppose some sellers "might" self-insure, however, the seller should have stated that. They certainly implied with there statement that the insurance was through the USPS.
Also, is this seller a licensed insurance company? If so, where is the license number. I would have been much happier then if the seller would have stated " If you don't get your item, I will refund your money personally. No questions asked."
posted on October 23, 2001 06:41:40 PM new
This happens to me once in a while. I do not do the actual packaging and shipping so my partner sometimes sends things uninsured when I have communicated less than adequately.
If damage occurs, I believe it is my responsibility to refund the entire purchase price, including all shipping costs.
In effect, this assures that the item WAS insured--just not by the Post Office. An informal version of self-insurance.
posted on October 23, 2001 06:47:17 PM new
1. Nowhere did his statement imply that it was USPS insurance.
2. May be U-PIC in which case there would not be any indication on your package.
3. Postal worker has no right saying the package is uninsured - they cannot know.
4. No license required to state that your package is protected against loss. Where did you get that idea?
5. Seller is guilty of not putting an "insured" sticker on the package but that is the only thing he might be considered guilty of. Some post offices will let you put your own "insured" sticker on, some will not.
6. Whole issue is totally moot as long as package arrived safely. Does seller's feedback indicate any history of problems with insurance?
7. It is probably not worthwhile to worry about what might have happened. What might have happened did not happen and there is no way you can go back and make it happen so it is fruitless to fret.
ie when you say red dogs, fences and barns,
its inferring that all items are red.
If the package had been insured by the post office, it would have been stamped. I have mailed out several items with insurance and it is always stamped by the post office. The price on the shipping label also is too low to have been insured by the post office.
Those are things the postal worker will know, granted if it was insured by alternate means the post office wouldn't know.
Again, if the seller used an alternate form of insurance, noting it in either an email or the TOS should have been done.
Yes the item arrived safely, but does that matter?
If it would have been sent 4th class and taken a month to get here, would that have been equally accessible.
Also, if I really wanted to argue the terms stated. Delivery Confirmation, which is what the seller used, is not the same as tracking. Delivery Confirmation offers NO tracking information or help whatsoever.
It just bothers me that the item didn't have any insurance paperwork with it.
Also, if the seller would have stated somewhere means of insurance, I wouldn't have be concerned.
posted on October 23, 2001 07:02:35 PM new
I would rather have the seller insure the package anyday over the PO. The PO too often denies the claim. What difference does it make if you pay 1.10 to the seller or the PO. Buyers don't mind paying the USPS for insurance, but somehow feel cheated when the seller self insures & takes on the risk. They deserve to be paid for that risk just as much as the PO does.
As for saying:
" If you don't get your item, I will refund your money personally. No questions asked."
One has to wonder how many packages would be safely delivered & the buyer said it never arrived if they knew you were self insuring. They are less apt to try that with the PO, so better not to mention it, just do it & follow through if need be.
Edited to say:
They should NOT have said tracking as that defineately implies insurance through the USPS.
posted on October 23, 2001 07:07:17 PM new
As far as the no questions asked part, I guess I am too honest and wouldn't do that. I see how some might abuse that.
My concerns are based on the principle of the whole thing.
posted on October 23, 2001 07:17:56 PM new
You stated Ins. & Tracking. Did seller give you a tracking #? As for Ins. maybe the P.O. forgot to stamp it! The other day I sent a package insured and the postman threw it in the bag unstamped. I made him dig it out and stamp it. Told him I didn't want customer to think it wasn't insured after he paid for it. It still would have been insured, just wouldn't have looked that way.
posted on October 23, 2001 07:23:22 PM newI LOVE FedEx!
There is no postage mark on the package; consequently, there is no way for anybody to find out what rates I pay FedEx to ship. My rates are negotiated with an inside FedEx representative and non-published.
posted on October 23, 2001 07:26:55 PM newYes the item arrived safely, but does that matter?
I would think so. Or would you prefer to persue an insurance claim on a lost item?
There are several (at least) reasons that the package may not have been stamped "insured". Some of them have already been posted above, and not all of them involve assuming the worst of the seller.
The Auction ended on the 16th and I got the Item today so the shipping was really quick.
This seller appears to have done a good job of getting the item to you. Until you have reasonable evidence that he was deliberately trying to cheat you, why not give him the benefit of the doubt?
posted on October 23, 2001 07:34:46 PM new
morgantown:
I am glad you love FED EX.
However, I am only using the rate to determine if a service was purchased from the post office.
If you said in your TOS that ship FED EX Next Day Air, and charged for it, then you shipped the item to the buyer FED EX GROUND, the seller might not know what you paid, but they certainly know they didnt get the service that was stated or paid for.
posted on October 23, 2001 07:42:00 PM new
When I insure an package using www.u-pic.com I am instructed not to write anything on the box that states that I have insured it
posted on October 23, 2001 07:51:26 PM new
mrpotatoheadd:
You Said:
Did you miss one of the posts above? Sometimes, the post office forgets to stamp a package.
This Package WAS NOT insured the post office, I can verify that by the price on the shipping label as stated earlier.
I am not saying that seller is fraudulent, however I am saying that the seller did not use the Post Office nor informed me of any other means of Insurance.
I have emailed the seller and if she tells me that she did not insure the package by any means, then she is negligent. That can then be proven.
Refunding my money and having the package insured is not the same thing.
Even if she self-insured, if she were to not have the money, then what? Her means of insurance are not regulated or underwritten.
If I get an email that states she used something else to insure the package, I will want proof that my specific package was insured.
posted on October 23, 2001 07:51:41 PM newI see how some might abuse that.
Excuse me? Abuse WHAT? There's absolutely NOTHING in the seller's statement which directly said he/she was insuring via USPS. And there's nothing to require a seller to insure solely through USPS if they send something priority.
You assumed it was USPS but it could well have been U-PIC & there's absolutely NO abuse associated with insuring it through a company other than USPS.
And it "infers" nothing but what you want it to.
So let me ask a question. If the seller comes back & tells you that the item was insured through U-Pic, is that going to satisfy you?
posted on October 23, 2001 07:56:23 PM new
Eventer:
I said then you said:
I see how some might abuse that.
Excuse me? Abuse WHAT? There's absolutely NOTHING in the seller's statement which directly said he/she was insuring via USPS. And there's nothing to require a seller to insure solely through USPS if they send something priority.
What I was referring to:
Abusing a TOS where the seller would give a refund no questions asked if the item did not arrive.
Then you said:
So let me ask a question. If the seller comes back & tells you that the item was insured through U-Pic, is that going to satisfy you?
Yes, it will satisify me as long as she can prove that my specific Item was insured. Is that too much to ask?
Tell me all, would you insure your home through BOB's Insurance Company, if Bob said that he was independent and self insured or would you use Allstate or State Farm or someone like that? Just Curious
posted on October 23, 2001 07:57:18 PM newIf I get an email that states she used something else to insure the package, I will want proof that my specific package was insured.
Let me get this right...
Seller tells you it will cost $9.00 to safely (and presumably, promptly) deliver an item to your door. One week after the end of the auction, your item arrives, in good shape.
And you want to make the seller jump through hoops to provide you with documentation regarding the shipment?
Can you say "high maintenance"? I knew you could...
posted on October 23, 2001 08:04:08 PM newWhat I was referring to:
My apologies. I read the posts out of order & I stand corrected.
Is that too much to ask?
No it isn't. But I will say I thought your letter was a wee bit on the accusatory side, especially the checking w/the PO part. And quite frankly, you GOT the item, so does whether or not it was insured by either USPS or U-Pic matter at this point?
Tell me all, would you insure your home through BOB's Insurance Company, if Bob said that he was independent and self insured or would you use Allstate or State Farm
Apples & oranges but many insurance companies ARE self-insured themselves. That's what insurance is. They collect premiums & pay out claims & hope like heck that the premiums are more than the claims. Thinking you are somehow getting a better deal going w/Allstate rather than State Farm isn't necessarily the case.
And I don't insure with either. I insure with USAA who does exactly that..collects premiums & pays out claims. Anything left over is returned to the members of USAA. Got a nice check from them last year, in fact.
posted on October 23, 2001 08:08:29 PM newTell me all, would you insure your home through BOB's Insurance Company, if Bob said that he was independent and self insured or would you use Allstate or State Farm
If the particular company providing the insurance for your item is important to you, I would think you should have verified this information before bidding.
posted on October 23, 2001 08:10:31 PM new
In regards to insurance, the big companies do not self insure. They are part of global consortium of insurance companies.
My neighbor works for one of the big insurance companies and explained it to me.
In regards to my medication:
I am not Mad, Upset or Angry over this. Just curious. I thought I would bring the topic to this forum and it would bring out an interesting conversation. It did
My letter to the seller was to the point. I wasn't going to beat around the bush in a winded letter.
I am actually a very good buyer. I always leave positive feedback when warranted and pay very quickly.
posted on October 23, 2001 08:13:22 PM new
mrpotatoheadd:
Tell me all, would you insure your home through BOB's Insurance Company, if Bob said that he was independent and self insured or would you use Allstate or State Farm
If the particular company providing the insurance for your item is important to you, I would think you should have verified this information before bidding.
The company ISN'T important, its knowing if it WAS insured that is.
posted on October 23, 2001 08:16:17 PM newThe company ISN'T important, its knowing if it WAS insured that is.
Win something else from the same seller, and when it arrives, toss it in the dumpster. Tell the seller it never arrived, and see what happens- then, you'll know whether or not it was insured.
posted on October 23, 2001 08:17:40 PM newThey are part of global consortium of insurance companies.
It's still the same whether it's a global consortium or Bob putting the money under the mattress. They take in premiums, they pay out claims from the money they take in. The "float" between the two, they invest. Bob could invest it as well if he didn't bury it in a mayonnaise jar in the backyard.
BTW, I self insure many items. I don't charge as much as USPS or U-Pic for this insurance but it's buried in my s/h fee. In those few cases where an item has been lost or damaged, the buyer either got a 100% refund, including shipping, or a replacement item at no additional charge (and I usually even throw in a small present for the inconvenience).
Now isn't getting your refund or replacement more important than WHO you are insured with?
