Advice on insured shipping service
Summary: The thread concerns a discussion about advice for an insured shipping service. Several participants are involved, including irraziel, sika700, and others, but no specific details are provided about the comments or advice offered. Participation is spread over an extended period, with repeated replies among some members.
Good morning everyone. I’m asking the community for advice on an issue that’s a bit thorny for me regarding insured shipments.
I mainly sell old refurbished notebooks, some ten years old and some twenty years old.
I always use eBay’s shipping manager; so far I’ve made about 20 shipments in about a year, without major problems. I should mention that I always pay for insurance, for the full value of the item.
However, looking at Packlink’s prohibited items, it also lists antiques and vintage, and I quote: "technology dated 20 years or more".
Since sometimes I sell notebooks that are more than 20 years old, that means I can’t ship those with eBay’s shipping manager.
In that case I wouldn’t be able to claim the insurance in the event of damage or loss.
On the other hand, computers that are less than 20 years old (15 or 18, for example) I can send without any problem, with the peace of mind that the insurance will cover me, as far as possible.
As early as next week I’d like to list a nice computer from 2001, which therefore I can’t ship with eBay’s shipping manager. So I wanted to ask which alternative service I could use, considering that I want to insure a used item.
I contacted eBay for clarification because it seems a bit strange to me to put vintage technology among prohibited items alongside alcohol, ADR and firearms... and rightly so, they point out that they only have a partnership with Packlink and that it’s another company, with its own rules.
I was thinking about Poste Delivery Web, which I used in the past, and which is certainly more expensive (I would pay 12 euros including insurance and with a delivery time of 3 business days) but I didn’t understand whether the insurance covers used items (I called the Poste Italiane call center, and they couldn’t answer me).
Also, another thing that isn’t clear to me: I sell a product on eBay, I ship it insured for the sale price... and is the eBay sale considered valid proof of the item’s value to show in case of an insurance claim?
I know that insurance in case of damage is of little use, because they may perhaps claim poor packaging, but at least it covers loss or theft.
Thanks everyone and sorry for the long message, but I have a lot of doubts
vonbalden
·1 year agoI sold a used Dell laptop a few years ago, on which I had replaced the screen at considerable expense. No refurbishing. The idea was to offset the cost of the screen I had incurred. A guy with 2000 feedback asked me if it worked. I told him the only problem was the battery. It only works on mains power. Price 400 euros. He paid me 300 euros by mutual agreement. I never even dreamed of insuring anything knowing that insurance companies, besides a whole standard procedure, pay you in that case a millionth of the insured value. I took my Dell, packed it in heavy cardboard, and went to the usual post office. Four days later it had arrived at that guy's place. He told me that if it hadn't been for the battery he would have paid the full price. I don't know how many computers you sell a month and don't get mad if I don't reply regarding insured shipments. But I would do what I did. No pack link, no puk puk fast collection, no pickup point, no ebay global expedition, no insurance. Just you, the PC, the packaging and your post office. Even though I don't really count when it comes to consumer electronics. P.S. Best wishes for productive sales on the site.
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoI have sold various notebooks over the years and I have never insured them.
If they’re packed properly and carefully with suitable materials, without reducing the size to save those 2 or 3 euros on shipping, they arrive intact even if they get thrown up/down from the van or kicked by the stressed-out operator of the moment.
Pickup with reservation is accepted only if the package is visibly damaged and often the courier doesn’t even mark it as such but simply says yes verbally.
An insurance policy would hardly cover a notebook that is aesthetically intact but, according to the buyer, won’t turn on or has malfunctions caused by the courier’s lack of care.
If you insure it and the packaging isn’t compliant, they won’t accept the claim anyway.
If you insure it and the buyer isn’t willing and cooperative, the claim gets stuck.
Then there’s also the fact that above a certain amount it’s better to avoid selling remotely with the various buyer protections.
ritorno_al_passato_85
·1 year agoUnfortunately, I have to disagree with you, it always depends on what’s being shipped. I’ve had problems with VHS players and radios, obsessive packing with layers of bubble wrap, polystyrene, and rolled-up paper to create a layer that absorbs impacts, stuff that in some cases even took me 2 hours to pack..but once they arrived it happened that they complained about "broken items moving around inside" which means the package was thrown or dropped from a certain height, externally it suffers no damage but inside the various components still take the hit, so a well-done package unfortunately is not a guarantee of a safe item, the only thing is to find a safe shipping alternative that with insurance keeps you calm in case of damage..I know, easy to say..
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoHi ritorno_al_passato_85
In fact, you’re right about this.
Even when items are packed very well, some types of items (like the ones you described) can get damaged in the event of excessive bumps.
Considering that bumps are the norm, some types of items are more at risk than others.
If you go to a provincial sorting center you’ll notice it, because the couriers bring the parcels on a cart already sorted and selected for the area they have to cover, up to their van, then they throw the parcels into the van without any particular care and this could damage an item inside even when the outside / the appearance of the parcel remains intact.
The same goes for parcels that fall on top of other parcels during transit or for the continuous moving of parcels around in the van to look for the one to be delivered at that moment.
In these specific cases, if you’ve insured the parcel and open a support ticket, you need the buyer’s cooperation, since they have to describe the problem and take photos of the labels, the packaging and make statements.
Receiving compensation is by no means simple because, besides the buyer’s cooperation, you then have to prove that the damage was caused by the courier, and if the box and packaging are intact the situation becomes quite complicated.
Definitely using a UPS or DHL courier helps reduce this kind of inconvenience, also because they have a better insurance service than others and shipping rates that are only slightly higher than other couriers.
In that case it may be worth using this kind of service for particularly delicate items.
ritorno_al_passato_85
·11 months agoYou're right, but to be able to have the security of insurance on these items, you have to ship outside the various brokers (packlink and others) because in 99.99% of cases they don't fall among insurable items, and do it directly with the courier itself, like UPS or Poste Italiane, in this case there should be full insurance coverage
heavenwelkin
·11 months agoYou don’t even have that guarantee if you do a direct shipment through a UPS, DHL, etc. branch.
You would pay MUCH more to get a high percentage of rejected claims for compensation.
Couriers often make a fuss about packaging; in many cases they refer to ISTA standards, so rejections for inadequate packaging are common.
Then there’s all the bureaucracy that STRICTLY REQUIRES the buyer’s cooperation, and they could refuse to cooperate once they’ve received a refund from eBay, or they might initially cooperate by providing photos of the items, keeping the packaging and labels, responding to various other requests during the claim process, which could take 2 or 3 months, providing a statement or other documentation, but then get tired of having to keep up with a whole series of bureaucratic and procedural delays.
If you sell expensive items remotely and problems arise, as the seller you have to take responsibility for everything; for this reason you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons of, for example, selling a €1000 computer on a marketplace where there’s always the risk of losing both the item and the money, rather than selling it with an in-person handoff.
Regards
etnacoins
·1 year agoToday I just found out that for Packlink, collectible coins are also prohibited items. The thing is, I found out after a lost package and after asking for a refund because I had paid for insurance, declaring the type of goods and the value. So they took the money, shipped it, and then made a fool of me.
sika700
·1 year agoNot just for Packlink... you need to find out beforehand... not after!
Good afternoon!
etnacoins
·1 year agoAll true. If it weren’t for the fact that Packlink itself pre-fills the label by writing "collectible coins" on it. Why accept the shipment of content that isn’t allowed?
Fact is, I filed a complaint with PayPal and they refunded me at least the shipping costs.
Proof that the service isn’t as transparent as they say and the rules (a million of them) aren’t clear and/or easy to understand.
ortofantastico
·1 year agobecause it just does a plain copy and paste with no interface at all.
heavenwelkin
·1 year agopacklink doesn’t “MAKE” the label; it just provides a graphical interface (which connects directly to the label generation page that the various couriers make available) where the seller does everything independently without the help of a physical packlink operator.
It would have been different if we had had to contact a packlink operator to have the label made for us (in this case, responsibility would have fallen on the packlink operator).
So if a prohibited item / one not covered by insurance is shipped, the responsibility is the seller’s, who filled out the waybill without knowing/understanding the regulations on prohibited / uncovered items.
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoJust imagine paying a lot of money to insure a €2000 item and then finding out that in the various terms and conditions of broker xyz there are several limitations and your shipment isn't covered....
For expensive items, I ADVISE going directly to an UPS or DHL location and doing everything there, even if the shipment may be costly, but it's better to avoid any broker in these cases.
Best regards.
irraziel
OP2 years agoOk sika700, thanks. Let's see if some other user can recommend something to me.
At the moment I’d lean toward using Poste Delivery Web with insurance (at a cost of 12 euro to ship a computer weighing less than 5kg, which is usually what I need).
Also because this way I wouldn’t go through a broker in case of claims and I’d deal directly with the shipper (and I think that’s better)
Anyway on eBay, in my sales, if I go into the summary of each order I’ve seen that there’s the "Print Invoice" button which actually lets me have an "Invoice/Shipping document" in hand. I don’t know if it’s valid anyway for certifying the value of an item shipped for insurance claim purposes, but it should already be something reliable, I imagine
irraziel
OP2 years agoThanks for the reply, sika700.
Yes, I already searched online and since a ton of brokers popped up, I was asking whether maybe you, who have more experience, could recommend me a serious and reliable one.
I wouldn't want to trust "the first one that comes along"
In fact, I have some doubts that the eBay sale proof can be taken into consideration; in that case, the insurance wouldn't be useful for anything (at most as a deterrent for the courier handling the package)
Yes, regarding damage, I know it's essential that the recipient accepts with reservation. But lately it often happens that packages are left even when the recipient isn't home, and in that case you can't accept with reservation.
I know that a claim for a damaged package would be a lost cause, but at least being covered for the package being lost would be fine with me too.
I always pack everything carefully precisely to avoid transport damage
sika700
·2 years agoYou're welcome... but I can't help you much more than that because personally I have a subscription directly with Poste Italiane.
Maybe another user will be able to give me more information.
Kind regards.
sika700
·2 years agoGood morning,
on the web there are lots of other brokers that handle shipments, have you tried doing some research and getting some quotes?
Remember that for insurance, in the cases where I had to use it, it requires a document that proves the value of the item, so a purchase invoice... I don't know whether proof of the sale on eBay is enough.
Also, it is essential, in case of damage during transport, that the buyer also does their part, signing with reservation and immediately reporting the non-conformity.
Kind regards.