Shipping, Insurance, etc.

[xdrx]

The "Cards You've Taken out of Existence" thread got me wondering about shipping damage and insurance. I've shipped fairly valuable electronics gear for years without issue, but was always concerned about insurance claims - would shipper honor claim or blame poor packaging; would they replace or provide some lower cash value...Lots of horror stories out there.

So, I have to wonder how it works with baseball cards. Does the USPS or Fed-Ex just trust your insurance value if the package disappears or is somehow damaged? Does it matter if you are shipping raw cards or graded? or if you packed them yourself or had them "professionally" packed?

Hoping to come away with some Best Practices here, as I know many of you regularly ship valuable cards.

Thanks.

[Leon]

Generally I will overnight expensive cards and skip the insurance, on a personal basis. I usually don't buy insurance on smaller dollar cards but always use delivery confirmation or signature confirmation. Unless an item is under about $50 and going to a friend, I always get some kind of confirmation.

For our auction company we use CIA insurance. We have had 1 small claim and it was fine.

[ValKehl]

Hi Dean - Earlier this year I had to file a claim with the USPS to obtain an insurance recovery for a card (actually a T330-2 Piedmont Art Stamp) that I sold to a fellow Net 54er that never reached it's destination. In addition to completing the required paperwork, I had to submit documentation to support the amount of insurance recovery I was claiming. I submitted the emails I exchanged with the purchaser, which contained the price he agreed to pay, and the USPS paid my claim on a timely basis. However, if I had insured the card for more than a value I could document, as I understand it, the USPS would not have paid me the full amount of the insurance I purchased.
Val

[xdrx]

Generally I will overnight expensive cards and skip the insurance, on a personal basis. I usually don't buy insurance on smaller dollar cards but always use delivery confirmation or signature confirmation. Unless an item is under about $50 and going to a friend, I always get some kind of confirmation.

For our auction company we use CIA insurance. We have had 1 small claim and it was fine.

Thanks Leon. I usually use delivery confirmation as well, as it at least lets you know if the package made it to the destination.

[xdrx]

Hi Dean - Earlier this year I had to file a claim with the USPS to obtain an insurance recovery for a card (actually a T330-2 Piedmont Art Stamp) that I sold to a fellow Net 54er that never reached it's destination. In addition to completing the required paperwork, I had to submit documentation to support the amount of insurance recovery I was claiming. I submitted the emails I exchanged with the purchaser, which contained the price he agreed to pay, and the USPS paid my claim on a timely basis. However, if I had insured the card for more than a value I could document, as I understand it, the USPS would not have paid me the full amount of the insurance I purchased.
Val

Thanks Val, good anecdote. I'm glad to hear that the USPS allows you to submit evidence to support your claim. Makes sense that they won't cover insurance above actual value. I was more concerned that they wouldn't believe a piece of cardboard was worth hundreds of dollars (or more).