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Adding 3rd party insurance to my packages?
 

I'd really want to be able to ship my items overseas (ex. UK, Australia) to increase sales, however my items are often over $250, and to ship via Canada Post with tracking & signature confirmation it would cost $120-$180! Even with the package being relatively small (9x9x6"). Trust me, I've checked other couriers and they are just as expensive.

So the next cheapest option is Canada Post's "Air Small Packets" which would only cost me around $25 but without tracking or signature. (Comes with max. $100 insurance)

I'm really thinking about shipping with that option, but adding 3rd party insurance from this company I found (U-PIC.com). That way it would be fully insured in case the buyer claimed to never receive it or if it got damaged. I've used that "no tracking, no signature" service over 100 times before for smaller $50 items and I only had 2 or 3 buyers say they never received their package. (The delivery time would be 6-10 business days.)

Thoughts?

How much does it cost? Bear that in mind in relation to the possible (Likliehood?) number of claims and write your own equation.

Then you can decide

ive sold a ton internationally and use 3rd party insurance. it is well worth it. i NEVER skimp on my shipping or try to save $1,2,20 or 50. I put the shipping cost as very high on the auction so everyone knows what they are dealing with. i have sold items for $600 and the person has paid $150-200 for shipping. if it costs me $150-200 i am fine with it because i know it is getting there. if you are trying to build a legit name then do not mess around with shipping it is just not worth it. you can also up the poundage a little so that it will cover your costs

I asked them and they gave me an exact quote - only $9.97 to cover my package entirely. I don't mind that at all.

I usually put "Fragile" stickers on every package because for some reason I think that they'll handle it better and won't lose it lol.

$100-$180 for shipping is insane though. That would affect my profit a ton. Also, with that "no tracking no signature" service, if I lost a package or had to file a claim, I wouldn't lose anything money-wise. Would just cost me a bit of time to file the claim but that's it.. If anything, I could file a claim with the 3rd Party AND the original courier

you didn't read what i wrote. you charge the buyer what you are paying for shipping. do you really think you can file a claim with no tracking # or no signature? you are obviously just trying to scam which is not something i want to help you out with

WHAT!? Trying to scam? What the hell!? I'm clearly trying to charge an AFFORDABLE shipping price. DON'T even accuse me of trying to "scam". Nobody's going to want to pay $150 to ship such a small item(9x9x6" box). Obviously I can charge $150 or whatever I want - but do you think most people would pay that? Absolutely not. And the 3rd party insurance company says they cover packages with or without tracking. I'm trying to PREVENT MYSELF from getting scammed by a dishonest buyer who could try and use the no tracking thing against me and say they "never received it".

"If anything, I could file a claim with the 3rd Party AND the original courier "
what does that sound like to you? if it's such a small box and does not weight that much then why would it cost $150? have you ever used the ebay shipping calculator? you put in your box size and weight and the buyer will see exactly how much it will cost them. please let me know that insurance company if you don't mind because i have never heard of that before

To be exact, the package is 8x8x3 inches and would weigh 3 lbs. YES it would cost $150 to ship it. Why does it cost $150? I have no idea! It's overpriced. It's a 3-5 day shipping so it's really fast, but aside from that, all other options come without tracking & signature. And eBay shipping calculator never helps..it's always off. I calculate my shipping by entering info into the PayPal/Canada Post shipping tool which is what I end up printing my labels with anyway so the prices are exact. Bottom line is, I'm not going to charge $150 for shipping overseas. Nobody will buy from me.

And IF something were to happen - I'd be filing a claim with the 3rd party AND the original courier because the original courier covers up to $100 (automatically included) while I'd cover the rest by 3rd party. If one claim got denied, I could try the other and at least get part of my money back. Again, I'm trying to protect MYSELF here, NOT scamming anyone at all. And I've used the same shipping option over 100 times before (literally..except they were just $50 items) and assuming the buyers were honest by saying they never received it - I only had 3 problems. Aside from that, it's been reliable for me.

where are you seeing that a 3 lb package costs $150? you are obviously shipping from CA, where are you shipping to?

Lol @ a 3lb 9x9x6 box out of Canada costing $150. That is $40-45 express mail out the US. CA rates can't be that inflated up there.