Posted By:
Josh EvansTom Bobblit has the most realistic (and accurate) view on the shipping services
I truly believe the good old post office is the safest way to ship
As Tom said, their “registered” packages have to be signed for every step of the way
As far as the tracking feature which they do not supply (I did not know that) that might not be for the faint of heart
But who cares if you cannot track where it isn’t?!?!
As far as insuring your packages it is a complete waste for the most part
These guys simply do not pay claims (or very, very few)
Years ago they used to
Now they could care less
A third party insurance carrier is the best way to go
But that might not be practical for the infrequent shipper (sounds like a sequel to The Accidental Tourist)
Self insurance is one way to go when you figure over time you lose so few and you save on the insurance
This only works if you ship a lot of stuff
But remember if it’s lost you gotta pay your client
So be careful with the "bigees" (heavily valued stuff) as that throws off the averages
As far as damage, make believe an elephant will step on it
That part is on you
No easy answer
In the end its one of the prices of doing business