[frankbmd]

It has always been my understanding that a deal isn't done until the buyer has the card or any other product in hand. I have almost always self insured the hundreds of lower valued cards that I have shipped. Had I insured them through the Post Office or other carriers, I would have spent thousands on insurance. I have had to eat less than $50 by self-insuring. Larger ticket items should of course be insured and/or registered and the seller should have a rough idea of when to do it, ie when the potential loss exceeds what you are willing to eat.

So, when I see a listing where shipping and insurance is included, does the fact that it is insured matter to me as a buyer. Need it even be mentioned? The cost of the insurance should be paid by the seller and not the buyer. In the auction house setting should there be a surcharge for both shipping and insurance above the winning bid? With an auction house the insurance should be paid by the buyer's premium. Shipping is usually but not always extra.

A seller is the only party in the transaction who is protected by insuring the item.
The buyer should receive a full refund if the item is not delivered. If a seller insures every package that he ships regardless of value, then the buyer can be certain that he is probably paying for it in the cost of a fixed price purchase or at least part of otherwise. The buyer will not benefit from the package being insured. He simply should get a refund in lieu of the product he purchased.

As a buyer do any of you request insurance and if so why?

As a seller are you comfortable with the cost of insurance relative to the amount of any claims you may have collected?

Insurance of any type is a hedge against catastrophic loss, but in the long run do you get what you pay for, particularly at the Post Office?