USPS insurance, is it worth it? Would like to hear some of your experiences.

National_Knives said:
Here is a link to USPS : https://www.usps.com/ship/file-insurance-claims.htm
This will give you a good idea of the time frames you have to wait to file, etc. Read through this link carefully. You want to have all your ducks in a row before filing a claim, heck, even before you send the package.

Rob
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Excellent post with great info........Thanks:thumbup:

Personally I now receive all my packages with Express Mail International INSURED. Fortunately I have never lost anything. However I don't mind waiting 90 days for the claim to process. It is a very reasonable service.

Steven
 
I ordered a North Face Wool coat for my wife over the holidays. The vender offered free shipping. The package arrived torn open with no coat. The vender refunded my money, but I don't know if they were able to recover their costs. I've also noticed that USPS has been very slow recently. A package from CA to KS took 12 days priority mail. I send things UPS if I need to insure, I can't rely on the post office anymore.
 
Personally, I don't want or need insurance. Never have I not received anything shipped to me, nor has anything I have shipped gone missing or arrived damaged.
Break even insurance would cost pennies, not dollars per hundred and I don't need to line anyone's pockets. ymmv

Rob
 
Gatogordo said:
On higher value items, use registered mail, insured. It is MUCH MUCH safer and considerably cheaper. For instance, this just came up, guy sold me a $5000 plus item, sent it express mail insured, cost him about $55. We had an ebay dispute, he lost, I sent item back registed insured for over $5000. Cost me about $27. You'd have to figure the break even point. Downside is registered mail is quite a bit slower but much surer of delivery. It is how almost all diamonds are mailed, for instance.
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Yep, registered is a great secure service. Everything that goes that method is in a locked box and has to be signed by everyone who touches it. And yes, they even shipped the hope diamond that way.
 
1 important fact is to know how your post office works if you are shipping with online labels.
My post office does not scan packages dropped off in the drop bin in the P.O. box area. If I print an online label with insurance, it does not scan and therefore the post office does not show receipt of it to file a claim against. I print and ship and the online tracking only acknowledges the printing of the label. I then will show it when it is delivered. anything that happens inbetween is not being scanned.
I will print an online label without insurance and then go to the counter to purchase the insurance. At that point I know my package is scanned and I can actually make a claim.
I have found that different post office practices may vary. When I am in another state, the local PO will scan my online labels. When I am at home, my local PO rejects scanning online labels.
That being said, I have successfully shipped a lot of packages with only 1% having the "delayed" delivery. I am happy with the service from USPS and even better now that I know I could actually file a claim.
 
I only insure stuff over $100.I take my chances with stuff under that price range,knowing full well that if the knife went missing I would have to refund the buyer,being out the knife & the money.
 
Out of the many packages I have sent using USPS I have only had one that didn't arrive in the condition I sent it. It did get delivered but looked like it had gotten caught in a thrashing machine. The blade was scratched and the tip was bent up pretty good. I filed the claim and received my money in about three weeks even though I stated the knife could be repaired but not returned to original condition.
I did not have a receipt other than an email to the buyer stating the cost. I would not ship anything I couldn't afford to lose without insurance.
 
You never know when you'll need it. I sold and shipped a knife to a member here a few months ago and he didn't receive it. I refunded his money and after the required wait period I put in a claim and got my money back. I always ship insured and always will. Yes it is worth it.
 
ooitzoo
I dont know how 2% of the insured amount can be used to deduce the % of lost packages. If you mean to say the difference between 2% and 100% is 50 times, thus USPS requires 50 insured packages to cover the loss of 1 is a bit silly imho. What if those 50 packages amount to $150~ of insurance and the package lost is worth $700-$1000?

The % of lost packages does impact the percentage cost of the amount insured. However the percentage cost of the amount insured does not deduce the percentage of lost packages.
 
Bringing this back up.

Wondering if anyone has filed a claim with an automatic knife? How did it work out?

Thanks.
 
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