Shipping quotes before listing item; not after item sold

[chupacabra2000]

Ebay's got their promotion with Canada Post until the New Year and I've been taking advantage of the break in shipping cost, printing my own labels and dropping off packages with shipping already paid... But how can I get shipping quotes before I even list the item?  I can even pre-package the item, measure and weigh it at home and enter those figures with my listing, but I don't get any shipping quotes yet. 

So, I miscalculated the discount due to the size of the parcel.  When I confirm the weight and box dimensions, only before I'm about to send, and long after I estimated shipping and factored that into my listing.  So, I got stung pretty bad.  Am I missing something?  Can I even get quotes as I'm listing?

Also:  shipping options provided only cover to a maximum $100, but my item sold for over $200.  I normally deal with a cross-border shippers, so I guess I'll have to skip the offer thru eBay this time.

[femmefan1946]

What are you insuring against?

If the package is lost in the mail? How often has that actually happened?

Damage? If the postal system damaged the parcel they will pay up, but if the contents only are damaged they will claim poor packaging.

Insurance doesn't make the shipment move faster or ensure gentler handling.

Your best insurance is excellent packaging combined with Cookie Jar Insurance, adding a few pennies to every asking price to cover the very rare (most report less than 1%) Claims for Not As Described or Not Received.

Most sellers using CJI report it eventually becomes a profit centre.

A penny saved...

[chupacabra2000]

The cross-border shipper I usually go to for US orders includes up to $300 coverage. I shipped a promo poster that I got signed by members of a band, sold for nearly $100 and it arrived with the poster tube INSIDE a similar size box, crushed and chewed open on one end. Contents were similarly wrecked. I reimbursed the buyer and filed a claim through the shipper.