posted on December 25, 2002 09:07:31 PM new
it came from the "what do you think" thread...what do you think? I am most intersted to understand this more. Perhaps i am throwing money or more like it ,,,the buyers money away. Ever filed a claim with the post office? night mare....and,,,UPS is no better,,,they have a limit to claims,,,,then they start finding reasons not,,to honor claims...
posted on December 25, 2002 10:32:34 PM new
I have filed only one claim and it went really smooth. So I have no complaints about that.
I have only one item I sell that I don't put insurance on and I pay practically nothing for it. I don't ask for insurance but if something would happen to that package I will refund. I had to refund only once, and I have sold many. If I purchase an item for auction that needs insurance I include in my TOS. I only charge actual shipping and actual insurance charge so I make no extra money on that. If I over charge an item for shipping I will refund if the amount is over $1.00.
I will not bid on auctions that either don't state their shipping charges or charge an outrageous amount. I will not email the seller and ask any questions, I just don't bid.
posted on December 25, 2002 10:59:43 PM new
I am curious also about this "self insuring" thing??? I have never heard of it.
As I stated in my other post, I sell also and never make money from shipping or insurance. Libra, I also refund the money if it is over $1.00 and always insure if the buyer pays for it. As a seller, more than once I have paid more for shipping than my auction stated as that is the only fair way to go.
posted on December 25, 2002 10:59:55 PM new
Libra: I'm with you on charging actual shipping etc. We seem to be in the minority, though; so many sellers are trying to make extra money on the shipping charges. It just doesn't set well with me, and I, too, won't even bid on something with excessive shipping charges.
However, I am not trying to support myself or my family through my ebay selling. And most of the items I sell are either yard sale stuff or family stuff, so I don't pay a lot for my items.
It has just seemed to me, reading threads here for a couple of years now, that we sellers are divided into those two camps. I have, however, begun adding the cost of those bubble envelopes to media mail shipping charges. And I suppose it's only a step away from figuring up my gas and mileage, my time (yikes!!!), the staples and tape, etc. So far, though, I'm content with selling and getting something for this neat stuff.
Edited to add: I'm leery of the self-insuring idea; don't know why! But are there really sellers who charge for insurance and then "self-insure", not buying the insurance they've charged for? Seems shady somehow. . . .
[ edited by Roadsmith on Dec 25, 2002 11:02 PM ]
posted on December 25, 2002 11:23:19 PM new
If you add up all the money you have spent on insurance and then compare it to the claims you filed you will probably see the post office got a lot of money for nothing. You could put that money in a box and then pay it out and you don't have any claim garbage to deal with. How do you think u-pic works? They make money and don't charge as much as USPS so it shows who is really the rip off...
I would much rather pay someone to self insure than for USPS insurance. I have seen several threads about sellers not paying because USPS denied the claim. If they didn't waste the money giving it to USPS then they would be able afford to just pay up.
posted on December 26, 2002 12:17:43 AM new
When I was first selling on eBay in the late 1990s, I self-insured. I stated in the TOS that I self-insured. When potential bidders contacted me to inquire about it, I explained that self-insured meant that if the item arrived broken, the buyer got an immediate refund from me for the the cost of the auction plus shipping and insurance costs.
I never had anything break. Eventually I switched to USPS manadatory insurance because I was getting tired of the time it took to explain self-insurance to all of the email inquiries. Also the blue slip has an additional number that the post office says is useful for tracking, along with the delivery confirmation number.
For the past few years I have made insurance mandatory and it is stated as such in my auctions. It is effective for me because my fragile items sell well, and buyers want to know that the seller will insure. It gives me an edge over the competitors who do not state shipping and insurance costs in their auctions.
posted on December 26, 2002 01:13:36 AM new
Well, lets not say I self insure but I don't charge insurance but I will pay if something happens. i.e. one tie not delivered. I pay very little for my ties and they are used. I don't purchase them if they are not clean, that is without stains. I do not dry clean them so I sell them as I find them. I will, if the buyer can prove that the item is damaged in anyway or it doesn't arrive I will refund the money. This is the only item I do that for. The reason I do not dryclean them is that it costs and I can't build that into my opening bid as the buyer doesn't pay much so therefore they either wear them as is or clean them. I figure I save money in the long run so therefore I will refund. I hope you understand what I wrote. I do charge insurance for a Versace or Hermes though because I can't refund that much. All other items I sell I require insurance as most of it is Jewelry.
Everything I sell has the eDC label on it from the USPS.
[ edited by Libra63 on Dec 26, 2002 01:15 AM ]
posted on December 26, 2002 02:55:12 AM new
I buy as well as sell on ebay...I have had sellers self insure for $25.00 or less item..Some of them put a little slip in the package explaining their self insure policy...none of them that I have dealt with have mentioned the self insure in the auction..this is fine with me
There used to be a poster here that put 25 cents of each sale in a jug..he charged this 25 cents as insurance in the shipping...if something happened he would take the amount needed out of the jug to pay the refund...any buyer would rather pay a 25 cents for immediate refund than pay $1.10 for a 2 or 3 month wait for a refund.
I make insurance optional on small items and always use UPS on larger items...I always use delivery confirmation though.
posted on December 26, 2002 05:06:47 AM new
The subject of 'self-insuring' has been the topic of many threads over the years here in AW EO.
I wrote to our state Insurance Commissioner's Office and asked if 'self-insuring' was legal. OUR state Ins. Comm. Office legal department replied that in most states it is required than anyone selling insurance is required to be licensed and bonded by the state they are selling from. They also suggested one contact the USPS webtsite if one was charged for insurance and it was not purchased.
Being fully aware that many sellers do 'self insure', doesn't mean they are doing so legally. Best to check with your own states Ins. Comm. office before doing so. Someone just might report you.
I do charge insurance for a Versace or Hermes though because I can't refund that much. All other items I sell I require insurance as most of it is Jewelry.