Do you ship amps insured or not?
- Thread starter SQUAREHEAD
- Start date
it's the only way
Beyond Black
Well-known member
I always insure for the sale price when I ship. Were your buyers aware that you were shipping their amps uninsured? Because I most definitely would not be cool with that.I’ve never lost one yet, and over the years probably buying and selling somewhere between 35 and 40 Amplifiers, I only ever insured one, never had a problem, but I always worry that this one will be ‘it’…
I even had Larry ship me my new Dino uninsured, Because, with the shipping company, it was insane amount of money…
What do you guys do?
Insurance or not?
tonesfoyobones
Well-known member
Yeah what he said!
Scumback Speakers
Well-known member
I insure everything I ship for full replacement value. I've just learned the hard way it's when you don't insure that something goes wrong, then you're stuck.
zodiactone
Active member
I always have just to cover the “what if”
Mark Skid
Well-known member
Too lazy to pack. I don't keep more than I need, so selling isn't common. Two guitars, two amps and 3 pedals... Done.
glip22
Well-known member
Remind me not to buy from anything you LOL. Insurance is money well spent. If you do not ship insured you must be prepared to immediately refund your buyer in full when something goes wrong.(And it will) Plus, it is not worth the worry of loss or damage while in transit.
Make sure you know the rules as well. For example, if you pack, and drop an amp off at a UPS store, shipping on your UPS account, your insurance is immediately null and void.
When shipping on your account you must directly hand it to a driver or call a pickup in. That driver must also sign your receipt for anything valued over $1,000. If you do not follow these rules your insurance is null and void.
Make sure you know the rules as well. For example, if you pack, and drop an amp off at a UPS store, shipping on your UPS account, your insurance is immediately null and void.
When shipping on your account you must directly hand it to a driver or call a pickup in. That driver must also sign your receipt for anything valued over $1,000. If you do not follow these rules your insurance is null and void.
LOL. So everytime I shipped something out that I packaged myself and paid for insurance was for nothing?
IIBornotIIB
Well-known member
All true. Another option is to take the package and paperwork to a UPS Customer Service Center…( not a UPS Store ).
IIBornotIIB
Well-known member
UPS doesn’t need to pack it. The insurance isn’t valid unless you get them to sign the high value declaration for anything over $1K.So UPS will gladly take your money for insurance knowing they didn't package it and all then void your insurance?
glip22
Well-known member
Yes, This is the same thing as giving it to a driver.
To the others who paid insurance and generate a label on their own account, and then drop it off at a UPS retail store; you may as well not insure it. I have a friend who works in a major hub who gave me this information years ago. I confirmed this with two retail locations. One knew nothing about it. The other said this was accurate information. More recently a pop up window comes up in my account when I am finalizing a $1,000 + shipment where it states it must be handed directly to a driver who must sign also your receipt
On another note, always require a signature on anything of value. I used to hate when a sig was required and always asked my buyer if they needed it. Guess what, an amp I shipped delivered and sat outside in a good area on a porch for several hours. It was stolen off the porch. UPS proved delivery with GPS. It was now a Police issue and not their responsibility to pay a claim on the insurance. Ever since I require a signature no matter what my buyer wants. If they don't like it they can redirect it to a UPS store and pickup as I allow that option..
glip22
Well-known member
Because a UPS store is a privately operated entity who has their own shipper account. A UPS customer service location/hub is UPS. Trust me, what I posted is accurate.
glip22
Well-known member
True, , if you are shipping on the stores account. If you ship on your own account and bring a receipt in and ask them to sign; it means nothing. You have no insurance regardless they signed. UPS sees the stores as a separate entity. One may as well sign their own receipt. It holds no value for insurance.
I trust you, I'm just pissed I was paying for insurance that was probably useless. Is Fedex the same?
glip22
Well-known member
Fedex I am not sure about. I would imagine yes but I don't know for sure. They all make rules that benefit them and try to wiggle out of claims any way they can. They deny every damn damage claim. It then goes to a contracted outside firm on appeal you work with. Loss is a different story. I have had UPS pay two claims for loss directly. They cannot get out of that if you did everything right.
glip22
Well-known member
Not at all if you are paying the UPS store to ship it on their account with their insurance you pay retail price for. Some stores won't allow you to pack it and insure it with them. I think each store has their own policies. I had this happen once on an amp. I left with it.So UPS will gladly take your money for insurance knowing they didn't package it and all then void your insurance?
They said they had to use all their own materials and charge me for it when I asked them to just inspect my packing and make sure it was up to their standards. Funny because it was packed way better than they ever do with heavy foam.