Question about insured shipments
Summary: k-energy_shop opened a discussion expressing a concern about insured shipping. heavenwelkin joined the conversation, but it did not develop further into details or specific resolutions.
Good morning, dear users, I have a concern that I’d like to share with you, also stemming from a situation that recently came up.
I sell items of not exactly low value -not super high either- (for example air conditioners, boilers, electric vehicle charging stations, which can be up to € 1000) and, among the various shipping options to choose from, I also offer insured shipping. I also include in the description that if insured shipping is desired, the customer must communicate it in advance, also because it has to be calculated based on the value of the item.
If the customer, even after I’ve explicitly asked them (but even without asking), decides to do without it, when the package is eventually lost/damaged, why does all the responsibility fall on me? I’m offering you the option to select and use the service, which is paid and therefore subject to your choice... Why does the seller have to pay the price (as in 90% of cases)?
Thank you and have a nice day.
heavenwelkin
·7 months agoPersonally, I would tell you to change your approach toward the customer.
What I mean is that after years and years of bad habits (Amazon), the customer feels completely relieved of responsibility when buying.
Asking the customer whether they want insured shipping seems to me like a relic of the past, since the customer knows they are always right when they buy online.
So all they care about is receiving their item intact; if it arrives broken, it is not their problem because eBay protects them.
If you sell items you want to insure, make an estimate of the insurance cost for 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros and then automatically calculate the shipping rate for that item to apply to the listing.
But I advise you to avoid spending money insuring a package with a shipping broker, especially eBay shipping Packlink because they are full of clauses and procedures that make you mess up or lose the desire to keep up with it.
But above all there is a long list of "not covered" items.
If you decide to insure something, go to an MBE mail box ect center and have them give you a shipping quote.
Forget shipping brokers because they always find a way to get around the problems.
Anyway, eBay shipping with UPS and DHL has basic free insurance that covers up to 75 euros included in the price.
While with BRT and Poste Italiane the free basic insurance is 35 euros.
Maybe check the list of restricted items
https://support.packlink.com/hc/it/articles/208328585-Articoli-proibiti-e-soggetti-a-restrizioni
Maybe in the case of a package that gets lost, Packlink will definitely reimburse you without too much fuss if the item is eligible.
Best regards
k-energy_shop
OP7 months agoHi heavenwelkin and thanks for your opinion; I know it very well, from my own experience, since they didn’t want to hear any of it when it came to a boiler that arrived with the frame bent, insured, and shipped in the manufacturer’s original packaging (so how it has traveled all over the world, arriving intact at every step).
Off-topic question, can they invoke the packaging even in case of loss? What’s the connection?
So far I’ve relied on packlink for all the shipments I’ve made; overall I love the simplicity and speed with which you can organize a shipment, but I’m aware of what you described above, even if so far I’ve been pretty lucky.
Isn’t there a more reliable one?
heavenwelkin
·7 months agoAs for packlink, as well as other shipping brokers, in case of damage to a parcel you have to:
Follow the guidelines on proper packaging
Follow all procedures to the letter
Respect the deadlines
Be prepared for long times to resolve disputes.
But above all, the buyer’s cooperation is necessary.
Which is not always a given, since in these cases once the buyer has gotten their refund from ebay they disappear.
And anyway, even if you manage to convince a buyer to cooperate with the seller throughout the whole process, it is not said that they will be able to put up with all the procedures until the end, since they would be contacted at various moments and repeatedly.
For example:
-they should keep the packaging and labels.
- they should provide photographic proof of the damage to the items
they should provide photographic proof of how the item was packed and what materials were used.
they should produce statements.
In short, let’s just say that from experience I can tell you that in the event of damage you have to be really patient and lucky if you manage to find a buyer willing to undergo this TORTURE.
Instead, in the event of a parcel being lost, the buyer is not taken into account, the packaging is not taken into account either, so if the item falls within the permitted items it would not be difficult to obtain a refund.
From my experience I can tell you that the various brokers are more or less similar to each other; perhaps packlink is really OVER THE TOP when it comes to “prohibited” items such as vintage, but it offers the lowest shipping rates and insurance included of 35 euros for poste and brt and 75 euros for ups and dhl.
Other brokers don’t even come close, but they may allow fewer restrictions on items not covered by insurance.
Best regards.