Insurance and Expedited in Canada

[sylviebee]

Does Expedited offer the option of purchasing additional insurance when shipping within Canada?

[vintagenorth]

Yes, I have purchased extra insurance for expedited parcels within Canada. Used to be $1.25 per $100 but it could have changed since the last postal increase.

[rose-dee]

Yes it does, up to $5,000.00 Cdn.  See page 7 of this guide: 

https://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/prices/SBprices-e.pdf

However (for future reference -- as of March 13), note the double asterisk referring to the bottom of the page: 

"** The purchase of the Signature option is mandatory and will be added automatically when Additional Liability Coverage is selected (effective on March/13/2017). Some conditions and exceptions apply."

In other words, CPC doesn't want to be paying out on insurance claims for valuable parcels, and is forcing senders to pay to ensure this doesn't happen.  I can only presume this is because doorstep theft has become a problem (parcel "delivered" but not actually received by the addressee).   

[rose-dee]

Yes, it's gone up to $2.25 per $100 for excess insurance.  Quite a leap. 

BTW, you can buy insurance (and signature confirmation) for Regular Parcel (at $2.25 per $100), but I find that Expedited is usually not much more expensive and a lot more reliable overall -- and of course faster.  

[sylviebee]

Thank You. That's what I thought.

I tried about half a dozen times to process the label with insurance but received an error message every time.

I finally just shipped without.  The system simply would not allow me to add extra insurance.

Haven't yet decided whether to buy TPI or not.

[cumos55]

Leaving a parcel in a community mailbox could also be considered a problem.

It was my experience that a parcel  was left in a community mailbox... but the buyer did not receive the parcel. .

Became a major insurance claim.

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There is only so much room for parcels  in a community mailbox.....

Adding signature  to a group of parcels worth more than $100 means that less parcels will be left in community mailboxes.

[sylviebee]

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@cumos55 wrote:

Leaving a parcel in a community mailbox could also be considered a problem.

It was my experience that a parcel  was left in a community mailbox... but the buyer did not receive the parcel. .

Became a major insurance claim.

-----------------------------

There is only so much room for parcels  in a community mailbox.....

Adding signature  to a group of parcels worth more than $100 means that less parcels will be left in community mailboxes.

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My concern with these community boxes is much greater with the receiving end than with the shipping end of the process.

That is, if I ship something and it's scanned upon delivery but dropped in the wrong box, then it's not my problem.  (Well it sort of is, but not really.)

If it's not shipped with delivery confirmation and it's expensive, then it will probably be insured and I'll have a valid claim in case it doesn't arrive.

Also, if it's a $100 sale I'll have paid much less for it so even in the worst case scenario I won't actually be out $100.

On the other hand with a community mail box, if it's something I bought and I don't receive it, then it's very much my problem if it was sent with delivery confirmation.

There's also the added concern that if sellers start insisting on signatures because Canada has gone to community boxes, then shipping costs will be too high to bother purchasing a lot of items.

[widgetc]

Why are community boxes an issue? Here there are compartments and the parcel is left locked up with a key put in your also locked mail box. Is that not always the case?

Here my issue is once those are full they drop the other parcels on doorsteps and don't even ring the doorbell
(assuming someone is home at all). Parcels can get stolen or wet if the weather is bad.

 I speak with them...all is OK for bit and then the carrier changes and it starts all over again.