neatstuffusa
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posted on November 27, 2001 07:56:07 PM new
I read a lot of posts off and on about items that don't seem to make it from one point to the other in the postal system.
Invariably someone will post that the "buyer should have paid for insurance" like that's the magic wand that would make everything OK.
I've never tried to collect postal insurance for a lost or damaged item, but I understand that it's quite an ordeal.
Can anyone who has tried it and been successful (or unsuccessful) share their experience?
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Libra63
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posted on November 27, 2001 08:49:33 PM new
Sure I have tried it and collected on it.
I had a buyer who bought a book for $80.00, She wanted me to send it Priority Mail with delivery confirmation and without insurance. I didn't listen to her and put insurance on it anyway at my expense. I do that often. The book had to travel about 60 miles from my home to hers. It never arrived. I then filed for insurance. I filled out a form, gave them a copy of my green insurance form. they inturn wrote the buyer and asked for her cancelled check. The USPS waited 30 days to see if they could find it. Then it took 6 weeks after that and in the end my buyer got the check including postage. Good ending.
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stopwhining
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posted on November 27, 2001 09:18:04 PM new
usps asks for buyer's cancelled check????
thats new to me,they used to just ask for a written invoice from the seller.
are you sure the buyer did not receive the book??
packages seldom get lost,that much i know.
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LOONY
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posted on November 27, 2001 09:49:15 PM new
Yep!
I have successfully collected twice.(both times were for damaged shipments.)
Once was an old cobblers sewing machine that I shipped as 3 'crates' and marked shipment as 1 of, 2 of and 3 of 3.
It was over $300 value for the 3 boxes so I insured each box for $300.
In my claim I stated that the one damaged box rendered the whole shipment useless.
They paid the full claim, eg $300 + shipping costs as well. (totaled about $550)
The evidence was clear that a crate was dropped from quite a heigth! (and it was well protected, wood bracing + cross bracing + serious padding etc).
The other event was similar and successful.
Both took about 6 weeks to settle (with a lot of persistance)
They accepted a printout of the Ebay auction as proof af value and naturally my postal receipt.
One buyer was a real gent and easy to work with.
The other was a complete redneck ass.
I always insure and keep all receipts.
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mcjane
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posted on November 27, 2001 10:38:39 PM new
I bought some flood lights, on eBay, to be used for taking pictures. They arrived with two broken bulbs & the worst packing job you ever saw.
I don't see how he even made it to the PO without breaking a bulb.
My husband took the package to the PO along with a note from me with the amount paid plus postage. He came home with the money.
No questions asked.
We are known there, but I never expected it to be that easy.
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dixiebee
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posted on November 28, 2001 02:59:17 AM new
Since the type of items I tend to buy are glass, I have had several claims at the post office. All except the last one were paid on the spot by the post office. The last one took about 30 days for me to receive the money.
I do have the one seller who refuses to send me (or says he lost) the green post office receipt. I am filing mail fraud charges against him this week.
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toolhound
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posted on November 28, 2001 04:14:03 AM new
I have had 5 claims in over 5,000 insured packages. All 5 were paid right away with proper insurance form and a copy of the auction.
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stopwhining
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posted on November 28, 2001 06:15:14 AM new
usps will move fast if it is under 50,
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doubleo
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posted on November 28, 2001 07:20:50 AM new
Shipped $300.00 worth of coins to Atlanta by Priority mail. All that arrived in Atlanta was an empty Priority mailer that had been cut open along it's upper edge, the mailer was stamped that it had arrived in Atlanta that way. Had no problem collecting insurance with auction invoice and auction printout, it took about a month to get the money. I reimbursed the purchaser right after he received the empty mailer and sent me a photocopy of the mailer.
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sonsie
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posted on November 28, 2001 07:58:13 AM new
I collected my $25 claim the day I walked in with my eBay EOA and the insurance slip mailed to me from the buyer. No problem at all, though I'd hate to try to do that for a really large claim.
I've also had zero problems collecting from U-PIC (now PIC) for a similar small claim. Had a check within a week.
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stopwhining
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posted on November 28, 2001 11:34:36 AM new
please do not mail coins in mailer or envelope,usps workers can feel the outside and know there could be something like coins and jewelry inside.
also they are pretty good at feeling cash!!
once i shipped some mother of pearl buttons size of quarters,thats stolen too.
usps is a lot stricter now with insurance claims-asking for cancelled checks,invoices on stationary bearing business co name and address;compliance to usps packing guidelines,visible damage to outside box etc etc.
once shippers who insure small items always state 50 dollars insurance coverage,this does not work so well anymore
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willardj
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posted on November 28, 2001 03:45:18 PM new
$12.00,,IT TOOK 11 TRIPS TO THE PO AND 4 MONTHS...CHECK OUT ABOVE LINK ....USPS VS PAL PAL...USPS IS NOT VERIFIED PAY PAL ACC...GOOD LUCK...
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clancey99
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posted on November 28, 2001 04:07:59 PM new
If your claim is under $50.00 which is minimum insurance - your local postmaster handles it-If it is over that it has to be filed with all of the forms and it takes about 6 weeks
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jhf2662
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posted on December 11, 2001 11:46:54 PM new
Well sounds good, we had one claim, my grandmother bought a digital camera. All looked well, but the LCD screen was all fuzzy. Upon close inspection of the box, I could tell it had been dropped. Grandma took it to the USPS (I guess I should have, since I'm well known there). Anyways took 60 days, but sure enough a check came in the mail. And now the USPS knows me, my grandma & grandpa, since they often drop off my ENDICIA posted packages for me.
Grandpa worked at USPS for 28 years, so he's down there everyday out of habit, just to say hello I think.
Jon
PS I'm sure USPS re-sold the camera on Ebay auctions... Whoever got it, hopefully paid far less then I did, it worked perfectly except the "fuzzy" screen.
All that & a Bag of Chips Too!!
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toolhound
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posted on December 12, 2001 12:22:09 AM new
I have had 4 claims in close to 6,000 packages and all were paid with no problems.
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mrfoxy76
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posted on December 12, 2001 05:55:08 AM new
yes I sent a CISCO router to an APO box and the USPS totally Annihilated the box I aint got a clue what they done. anyway the buyer got his $750 back. No problems at all. Since then I started using Fedex find them much easier.
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mrfoxy76
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posted on December 12, 2001 05:55:35 AM new
yes I sent a CISCO router to an APO box and the USPS totally Annihilated the box I aint got a clue what they done. anyway the buyer got his $750 back. No problems at all. Since then I started using Fedex find them much easier.
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mrfoxy76
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posted on December 12, 2001 05:56:08 AM new
yes I sent a CISCO router to an APO box and the USPS totally Annihilated the box I aint got a clue what they done. anyway the buyer got his $750 back. No problems at all. Since then I started using Fedex find them much easier.
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vogeldanl
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posted on December 12, 2001 06:17:04 AM new
Have had no problems so far. Just document everything and save receipts etc.
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ezinkjetstore
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posted on December 13, 2001 09:27:22 AM new
I have only had one needed collection on a personal mailing and it was a little convoluted, but we did get the money. I think it was about 8 weeks start to finish on the claim process
http://www.ezinkjetstore.com
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llama_lady
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posted on December 13, 2001 11:12:17 AM new
If you have a postal claim 50$or under, you should be able to collect over the counter. This is what the postal guys told me where I do business.
If you are collecting insurance, make sure you have an invoice of some type - just in case. Some of the post offices require it, some don't . aaahh consistency within the government.
If you have only one item broken in the shipment of say three or four, sometimes they will prorate the damage, allow you to take the unbroken items (if you want them) and they will pay you for the one broken item. If you opt to take the entire refund, you will probably find those items listed on ebay the next week under the postal service. 
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belalug3
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posted on December 15, 2001 10:32:01 PM new
I wasn't aware that USPS covered shipping costs in an insurance claim (as stated towards the top of this thread). Does that mean I should add shipping to the "amount of insurance" on the form? Thanks.
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sulyn1950
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posted on December 16, 2001 07:01:51 AM new
I have had one item I purchased arrive with the bubble mailer inside a USPS plastic bag. There was a big rip in the mailer and of course it was empty. I was sick. I had been looking for an item like this for over 3 years! The seller filed the claim, but put me down as the person to pay. I received a form to fill out and about 6 weeks later I received a check from the USPS which covered my purchase price AND the postage!
Now, don't get me started on bubble mailers! Why anyone would send something that can be damaged or is expensive in them is beyond me. They are just too easy to have ripped open. By accident or NOT!
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