USPS Insurance claims ?

Jack O'Neill

Jack O'Neill

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Any one ever file a USPS Insurance claim and what were the results ?

From what the postmaster has told me and from the rules I have read , it is my understanding that they will only reimburse you the cost of materials ( once you provide the proof of that cost ) not the actual sale price of the knife .

Am I correct on this or have I missed something ?
 
If you have a receipt of the purchase price they are supposed to reimburse you for the cost of the item. This is the way I understand it. If you sell it and have to refund the $$ they should cover that cost. What about when you purchase something on line. They reimburse the seller the cost of the item. So I would think it would be the same for the seller of any item. Now I have not had try my theory and I hope I never have to.
 
some stuff my dad purchased off ebay got lost in mail. They were going to pay full cost he was out and authorized the check. Didnt take long to complete paperwork and if you get the right person they can be very helpful. We did have to provide receipts. Fortunately my efforts to locate where it got lost at proved fruitful along with an e-mail to facility that lost it that I was going to request an investigation in what I beleived to be an actual theft and not lost item. Showed up next day at his doorstep overnighted from 3 states away! It was lost in mail for about a month. If you dont like answers your getting call agian and hopefully youll get someones else. It was an easy process still sucks. sorry you gota go through it.
 
A C Richards said:
If you have a receipt of the purchase price they are supposed to reimburse you for the cost of the item. This is the way I understand it. If you sell it and have to refund the $$ they should cover that cost. What about when you purchase something on line. They reimburse the seller the cost of the item. So I would think it would be the same for the seller of any item. Now I have not had try my theory and I hope I never have to.
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I am referring to a hand made custom knife . I was told that what the seller is willing to pay does not establish the value of that knife as it is a custom and not a production knife that has established an average cost .
 
ONeill said:
Any one ever file a USPS Insurance claim and what were the results ?

From what the postmaster has told me and from the rules I have read , it is my understanding that they will only reimburse you the cost of materials ( once you provide the proof of that cost ) not the actual sale price of the knife .

Am I correct on this or have I missed something ?
Click to expand...


I filed two claims over the past 5 years. Was the buyer in both cases. Both knives were handmade customs. One was damaged in shipment and the other was lost in shipment. IIRC, in both cases the seller was reimbursed for the full purchase price by USPS. In one case I was shipped a replacement, in the other case I was issued a refund.

With all due respect, your local Postmaster is a idiot. What, he thinks that a custom knife sold at $300 is only worth the cost of the steel and scale materials? With logic like that a laptop computer would only be worth ten bucks.
 
All the postmaster told me was keep a copy of the receipt. That is what the value is based upon. If you OVER insure you will not be given the extra value just what was paid.
 
The way I read it is, you made a knife for uncle Joe. You were not paid for the knife. You will be reimbursed for the material value of the knife. If you look at Paragraph 3.2.a it reads: a. Sales receipt, invoice or bill of sale, or statement of value from a reputable dealer.

Once the item is sold for cash it is now a resale item. You are eligible to receive the value paid for the item up to the value of the insurance. The Handmade clause is for crafters or hobbyists who give the items as gifts. Also the reputable dealer aspect can be used if the receipt is not good enough.

If you don't feel the USPS will provide actual value then don't ship with them. Use UPS through a UPS store. Let them package it then UPS cannot come back at you for improper packaging.
 
Chuck is right I just went through this last fall. I had a sales receipt and was reembursed for the full value of the knife.
 
Bill Burke said:
Chuck is right I just went through this last fall. I had a sales receipt and was reembursed for the full value of the knife.
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That is good to hear , I always have and keep all receipts , payment,shipping delivery confirmation and Ins. paid for . I've just heard all the horror stories and wanted to know if I was reading the rules correctly .
 
Most of the shippers will try to get out of paying by attempting to say improper packaging or just try to make it a real pain to collect. Just be persistent and have your documentation, ie receipt, and you should be OK.
 
I hear it's much harder to get your money from UPS.

I use Collectibles Insurance, my knives are covered every where.
 
It's been my experience that the post office will not entertain paying a claim until the package has been missing for a long time. Possibly several months. It's been years since I have had to go through it and it was a real PIA.

Hopefully it is better these days since they are trying to compete with UPS and FedEx more than they used to.
 
I said I did it I didn't say it was easy. I had to produce the shipping box and packing material. It ended up taking about four months.
 
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