Another Insurance question..I am still confused..lol

[kashka]

I have been searching all the posts in SC and am still confused..lol..I have decided to use a 3rd party insurance company for items over a certain amount now that Canada Post has removed the $100 insurance from the Small Packet shipping methods (USA & International).My confusion is some of the insuring companies..in the case of a claim.. ask for proof that the post office accepted the item.Now does this mean I cannot use PayPal label shipping method now and that I will have write up my own labels..pay for the shipping at the PO and get them to stamp my receipt(like in the old days before I used online PP shipping)? As that would be proof that the PO accepted the packages? Can anyone shed some light on this?..Thanks!

[i*m-still-here]

You can use on line shipping for any TPI compay.

Shipsurance requires a stamp from the PO as proof of mailing.  

I think they want the cutoff portion of the shipping label stamped.

I have no idea how the clerk would react to that request as it seems that no one here has ever actually done things this way yet.

That would require a trip to the PO.......

Or....... you could ship from the PO and then use the receipt and buy shipsurance after mailing the package.

U-pic does not require the stamp but some may opt to get the stamp anyway.

All companies require a signed statement from the person receiving the item if something goes wrong.

That is not necessarily complicated.

It is a "Claim Statement" and I have a copy somewhere..............

However, if the person at the other end is being less than honest, then there might be a problem getting the signature.

There are the only two companies I'm familiar with.

There are many online venues offering TPI on and item by item basis, but so far I've found that they al funnel back to shipsurance or U-pic.

[i*m-still-here]

Ooops........ there is also InsurePost but I know nothing about them, but in any event they also require the stamp.

[kashka]

Thanks!..I was looking at the ShipInsurance and also Auctiva's insurance (which I think may be ShipInsurance also)..I am in a small town and my ladies at the post office are wonderful so I will go ask them tomorrow if they will stamp the cut-off portion of my online label.I will also check out U-pic.Thanks again for the info 🙂

[inuk_the_polar_bear]

Seems like a heck of a lot of work plus organization for a claim you will never make.

I know, I know, I know.

[pocomocomputing]

Insurepost is backed by shipsurance.

Here are the FAQs that explain the difference between InsurePost and Shipsurance.

(As posted above, Insurepost/Shipsurance require proof of mailing which means going to the post to get a stamped receipt if you use PayPal labels. U-Pic does not require this.)

http://www.insurepost.com/questions.asp#GEN1

What is InsurePost.com?

InsurePost.com is a website that allows you to insure your shipments while they are in transit. You can ship packages via FedEx, UPS, USPS, and Canada Post and insure those shipments with us! The best part is that our coverage is a fraction of the cost of the shipping carriers.

Just register, and start insuring your shipments. you can purchase coverage using a PayPal account or credit card.

Coverage is provided by Shipsurance, a leading provider of worldwide shipping insurance coverage. The insurance is underwritten by certain underwriters at Lloyds (Lloyds of London).

Why should I buy insurance from InsurePost.com instead of Shipsurance.com?

If you are buying insurance for individual packages, InsurePost.com is a better option because it allows you to register for an account and it stores your purchase history. The purchase process is also much quicker, allowing you to insure shipments in under a minute each. Shipsurance.com also allows you to insure shipments one-by-one, but it is a longer process and you must re-enter your information every time you buy.

Both websites are priced the same so it comes down to personal preference. InsurePost is run by Shipsurance Insurance Services, so you receive the same great coverage from both places. We ran a survey on Shipsurance.com asking how the online purchase process could be improved and InsurePost is the result of the great feedback we received.

If you are a regular shipper and want to insure 100 or more shipments per month and require higher limits, please contact Shipsurance directly. You can request a quote here. If you get a direct policy from Shipsurance, the rates are much lower, the coverage is broader, and the insurance can be integrated in your shipping system.

[kashka]

What can I say..I like to have my a$$ covered.If a $1.50 or so will buy me peace of mind,it's a cheap price to pay.And it's not a lot more work...I take my packages (as I would do anyways) and the bottom half copy of the shipping labels to the post office..and chat with the ladies while they stamp the labels..No sweat..and it keeps those red donuts away.If it's that easy..right on!

[kashka]

Thanks,Poco!..Great info..I will be checking them out also!

[inuk_the_polar_bear]

Kaska, I said "I know". Hum, $1.50?

That is $11,250 I have not paid out. That is $11,250 residing nicely in my pocket.

Buck and a half at a time is easy to do. Over my selling history, it adds up to $11,250. Is that cheap?

[pocomocomputing]

Be very careful with third party insurance. Read the terms as to what is covered. Read the terms as to which countries they cover. More important that just reading the terms, try to understand what they mean and that is the hard part sometimes. Most Third Party Insurers (TPI) do not insure what they consider high risk countries.  Russia is considered high risk for shipsurance and U-Pic does not have a problem with Russia.

To make claims, the official terms require a signed affidavit from the buyer if a claim is made. Some will waive the affidavit for low value items and accept emails as proof because some buyers may not cooperate. Know and understand the terms.

Do consider self insurance for low value items or for countries where you cannot get insurance. Self insurance makes sense for low value items. You may also want to restrict the countries that you will ship to if you cannot get insurance for those countries.

I based my countries I will ship to based on the shipsurance list of countries they will ship to.  Not because I use shipsurance because I was using Canada Post and had insurance from them for Small packet. I decided years ago that shipsurance knew which countries were high risk and would not insure because they would lose money insuring those countries. So I made my eBay shipping exclusions to remove countries that were deemed high risk by shipsurance. I have sold to many of the remaining countries without any issues so far.  I exclude countries not for the money lost and having to give refunds but for the bad feedback and lower DSRs from "lost" shipments that affect overall selling on eBay.

[tobyshitzu]

some of the threads here lately make me think I should forget about selling on ebay and  and get into the shipping insurance business taking other sellers money instead

[i*m-still-here]

kashka......... after you've shipped I'm hoping you'll come back here let us know how the clerks reacted to your request.

inuk:  I love your attitude and intellectually I know what you are saying is true.

Most of us buy insurance because we are driven to do so by fear.

Our emotions get the better of us but Intellectually/financially it makes no sense.

I did the math too and I know full well whenever I pay $ out for insurance it's money spend for nothing.

............ and yet I continue to do so.

Go Figure!

[i*m-still-here]

some of the threads here lately make me think I should forget about selling on ebay and  and get into the shipping insurance business taking other sellers money instead

You know something....... I have thought about doing just that.

Seriously!

[kashka]

mrelmwood,..I am not you,tho..My business is way different than yours.Good for you that you saved all that money..but I am looking at the way my business(if u want to call it that) model is  and not yours.. I can easily afford that peace of mind so once I find out more about it I will prob go that route.And no..it's not cheap in your circumstance but it's not your circumstance I am concerned about..

[kashka]

Poco...thanks again for the advice.Yes..I have spent most of the day reading the fine print and terms of the TPIs.I definitely would only be using it for items over a certain price and not for low end sales..There's alot to read..re: countries,items allowed,procedures for claims..etc but like I mentioned before it's the peace of mind I like and as I get most of my merchandise for next to nothing,the extra cost of insurance doesn't make that much of a difference in the profit aspect.If my turnover was $1000's/month then I would have to come up with a new game plan.

I*m-still-here,I'll let you know how it goes..:)

[inuk_the_polar_bear]

Kashka, just giving you an alternate point of view. Where would we be if we all agreed? Do what you think is best.

I have this deal with my Mrs: I would rather be wrong, saying too much, than be wrong for not speaking up.

I have always told folks: "Take what you like and throw the rest away, you are not hurting my feelings".

[cumos55]

The first thing  the TPI's, both Shipsurance and U-pic,  ask with a claim is to contact the postal service  and ask for a trace.

If you use Small Packet with Canada Post, and ask for a trace....

The only trace Canada Post can provide is the receipt issued at the time postage for  small packet was paid with delivery of the parcel to the post office.

With Paypal  the receipt from Paypal must be stamped by Canada Post to indicate the parcel was received...

Although U-pic does not directly ask for a confirmation of delivery to a postal service.... 

asking for a trace with a claim becomes an indirect request for a receipt showing that the parcel was received by Canada Post.

Beware of backdoor requirements  that can negate an insurance claim. 

[inuk_the_polar_bear]

Whatta ya saying Cumos? That our friendly OP is buying peace of mind for a claim they can never make?

Hum? A third party insurer would want proof that the parcel was never delivered. How does one gain such proof when tracking does not exist?

[tobyshitzu]

Ill never understand how anyone will find "piece of mind" buying this when they KNOW they'll pay more then they ever get back in claims.  Its not like insuring for an incident with catastrophic consequence.  Other insurance that doesn't make any sense is generally sold with a well trained, incentivized, salesperson putting people on the spot.  Like electronics warranties

This shipping insurance people are actually thinking about it on their own and deciding its a good idea is mind boggling to me

[i*m-still-here]

Supposedly that is where the Claim Statement comes in..............   

To me the question is not so much will someone in Russia fill the forms in.....

The real question is whether isomeone who isn't telling the truth will sign a sworn statement?  

Has anyone here who used TPI ever taken the trip to the PO for the stamp when using small and light and packets in the past????

The unanimous non-reponse very strongly suggests  that no one has.

Over the years sellers have been advising other sellers to use TPI over and over and over again.

However, I can't recall anyone posting a caution  that the "stamp" was required before a claim would even be considered even though some are now indicating that it always was.

If other posters knew about it why was it never mentioned?

Moreover, if it was actually required in the past, then none of our shipments were ever actually insured and the TPI providers were taking our money for nothing for all those years.

Doesn't that matter to anyone?