Shipping insurance on Personal Goods

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Pyramid_Party

Pyramid_Party

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Aug 6, 2008
4,916
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68
Monterey, CA
Hello,

I just found out that USPS, UPS/Fedex, and 3rd party insurance companies do not cover personal goods with insurance. The only way to collect on claims is having proof of what items were shipped and their worth. I find this a little tricky, but I guess if you sell something on ebay or through paypal you would have some kind of receipt. But even then I think its a little tricky still.


Anyone know a good way to get around this? How do we ship personal goods and insure them? Say I am shipping a guitar and a few boxes of videogames and DVDs, I would hate to send this and be in fear that it could be stolen or lost.


Im shipping items to another state and dont want to do so until I figure something out. I have already sent several boxes and bought insurance, but little did I know the insurance didnt cover anything, because they were personal goods! I feel pissed cause I paid like $7/$8 for insurance on some boxes. USPS should refund me since I was not covered.

Anyway, anyone got any ideas?
 
yes, most insurance claims via carriers are bogus. I usually ship without insurance but ship in a smart way. Try to avoid services that don't have accountibility like priority services. Send with signature verifications or with more reliable carriers like UPS. Also pack well because most claims are voided due to improper packing. If you pack in such a way that their insurance would kick in, there's no way your item would be damaged in the first place. Air expedited shipments tend to have more reliable handling vs. ground shipments.
 
Yeah I am not worried too much about damage. My biggest concern is it being lost/stolen. I really don't trust shipping companies they steal stuff way too often. Its just driving me crazy cause I feel so scared to send expensive items knowing they could be stolen. So you say UPS is more reliable? Im not too familiar with UPS. How are they better compared to USPS and fedex?
 
There is no way to determine value on used goods as its subjective. Most shipping companies offer coverage that only covers used goods at .10 to .20 per lb. Additional insurance riders are useless on used items..

If your selling goods on EBay or transferring title on used goods.
Ensure your freight is marked "FOB Origin", it puts all the responsibility with the buyer, as goods changes title and responsibility as soon as carrier signs the BOL. FOB origin is only good for shipments within the cont USA.

If your moving your personal goods , such as moving stick with a carrier that deals in used personal property , such as United Van lines .
 
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