How do I tell if the package I bought was insured or not?

[InvstmntComcSuply]

I understood his comments to be in generality, not specific to your situation.

[ComicCollectorx19]

I understood his comments to be in generality, not specific to your situation.

 

He and I are... not seeing eye to eye as of late, but duly noted.

[youmechooz]

i use cis for my shipping insurance, but dont charge $25 for shipping.

[Beige]

Break it and put in a claim

[Bill1]

If it came in undamaged, good for everyone and successful end of transaction.

 

If you paid too much for shipping, don't buy from that seller-- was it not disclosed up front before you bid? If so, then you agreed to it by bidding.

 

If I don't agree with a seller's description or shipping pricing, I don't bid.

[Aweandlorder]

If this was NOT an overseas transaction, in other words if he/she sent you the comics in the 48 lower states and charged you 25.00$ for, say, 6-7, heck even 10 lbs worth of comics, which were sent through media mail, you SHOULD contact him and ask him whats the reasoning for the high shipping fees, unless the package shipped was worth more than $1000.00 than you really shouldnt complain, cause as someone said earlier, if hes willing to ship you comics worth that much without insurance, he/she is an insufficiently_thoughtful_person and you're just paying for his risk.

[mintcollector]

if the seller had a collectibles insurance policy as a dealer, then he would have $2,000 of insurance per package with just a pink signature confirmation label. So it could absolutely have been insured but you not seen it.

 

joey

 

So in that case there would be know way for me to tell correct?

 

Correct, and there are several other private insurances that would not show up.

 

I am not sure why it matters.

 

In 99.9% of online transactions, insurance is for the seller. If your books do not arrive in the condition described, it is the seller who is on the hook to make it right.

 

The inflated sense of buyer entitlement these days is absolutely nuts. Sellers have to cover packaging materials, cover the shipping, and now insurance. To say nothing of the situations where buyers want to pay the cheapest shipping rate possible, or ask that insurance not be used as it would contradict the low declared value they ask the seller to declare to help the buyer avoid paying duties. Let's blame the sellers in these situations as well.

 

Buyer is always on the hook to pay actual shipping, and 9 out of 10 times insurance is incorporated in the cost of the shipping service. IF the item requires additional insurance above and beyond what the shipping service offers, I don't understand this notion that anyone but the buyer should be paying for insurance coverage. If a buyer doesn't want to pay insurance for a high-end piece, they shouldn't be in the market for such an expensive item.

 

I agree with Joseph completely and it should be noted that he is highly ethical and one of the most honest and fair individuals I have met on this forum and others. There is nothing wrong with paying for private insurance based on dealer's rates (if you are a seller) and charging insurance to buyer's to help cover that cost. On Ebay it is generally factored into the cost of shipping; per ebay's policies. Call an insurance company like Collectibles Insurance Agency and note the extreme rate difference between the collector and dealer rates. There is a reason for that. Buying off of ebay and Amazon also has their risks as well. Any and all antique sites (and a lot of collectibles dealers sites as well) charge extra for insurance. They also in most cases, authenticate and guarantee their merchandise (good luck getting a guarantee on that rare 1800's piece of art pottery on ebay), offer FREE advice with a professional in the trade, and pack the item for shipment professionally as well. These are expenses that should be factored in by anyone buying these kind of items and the benefits provided by vetted auction houses, ethical dealer sites and the like; should not be taken lightly.

 

In conclusion, one of my most recent transactions with a board member on this forum involved a $1000+ comic book. Shipping and insurance were extra. I had no qualms paying it (as it was expected). I did not check the package to see if it was insured as I really didn't care how he or his business chose to ensure it. I was just thrilled to get the book at a great price. At auction I would have paid much more; not to mention a buyer's premium. Needless to say I have all the confidence in the world that if the book arrived damaged this particular individual would have made it right; much like I would for my customers.

[Bosco685]

Geez! What did they charge for shipping and insurance that warranted all this discussion?

 

 

it was $25

That's quite the sum. A few more questions to help determine if this was high or not.

 

1) You stated this was sent via Media Mail. What was the weight on the package?

 

2) What did you buy, if you don't mind me asking? The USPS caps out at $5,000 in insurance, so if we are talking about some key Golden Age or Silver Age books, I can understand if the price was higher than normal.

 

I just ran a test using PayPal Shipping. Sending a package from Virginia to New Hampshire via Media Mail weighing 8 pounds and valued at $500 with signature confirmation, the total cost would be $15.26 which breaks down to:

 

- $5.66 shipping with delivery confirmation included.

- $2.20 for signature confirmation.

- $7.40 insurance to cover $500 in product.

 

I hadn't realized insurance had gone up this much until I ran this test, as it used to be in the $4-$5 range. So if what you bought had a much higher value than $500, then the cost is starting to approach reality. Otherwise, you overpaid.

 

But like has been pointed out by others, then I would have been asking questions in advance to understand the costs better. Even things like packing supplies start to add to this cost if they are buying boxes, bubblewrap, packing peanuts, tape, etc.

[thirdgreenham]

If it came in undamaged, good for everyone and successful end of transaction.

 

If you paid too much for shipping, don't buy from that seller-- was it not disclosed up front before you bid? If so, then you agreed to it by bidding.

 

If I don't agree with a seller's description or shipping pricing, I don't bid.

 

+1

 

If the cost of shipping and insurance is listed in the listing, then you shouldn't question anything, just be happy that your package arrived.

 

If it all came as a surprise after the auction was over, then that's potentially not quite fair.

 

Give us all if the details, if you don't mind. (thumbs u

 

Andy

[comicwiz]

if the seller had a collectibles insurance policy as a dealer, then he would have $2,000 of insurance per package with just a pink signature confirmation label. So it could absolutely have been insured but you not seen it.

 

joey

 

So in that case there would be know way for me to tell correct?

 

Correct, and there are several other private insurances that would not show up.

 

I am not sure why it matters.

 

In 99.9% of online transactions, insurance is for the seller. If your books do not arrive in the condition described, it is the seller who is on the hook to make it right.

 

The inflated sense of buyer entitlement these days is absolutely nuts. Sellers have to cover packaging materials, cover the shipping, and now insurance. To say nothing of the situations where buyers want to pay the cheapest shipping rate possible, or ask that insurance not be used as it would contradict the low declared value they ask the seller to declare to help the buyer avoid paying duties. Let's blame the sellers in these situations as well.

 

Buyer is always on the hook to pay actual shipping, and 9 out of 10 times insurance is incorporated in the cost of the shipping service. IF the item requires additional insurance above and beyond what the shipping service offers, I don't understand this notion that anyone but the buyer should be paying for insurance coverage. If a buyer doesn't want to pay insurance for a high-end piece, they shouldn't be in the market for such an expensive item.

 

I dont have an inflated sense of entitlement, you young troll.

I was taken aback when I received my package that I paid 25 dollars for and it had a MEDIA MAIL stamp on it. Taking all things into consideration unless hes using gold foil as packing material its not costing him 25 bucks to ship.

 

And the BUYER pays the shipping not the seller.

 

 

The comment was made as a general statement, and actually directed toward grinin's comment, not yours. All the best working out your situation, and while I can understand your concern about shipping/insurance profiteering, the only person who can get answers on your particular case is you. See if you could contact the service company who delivered your parcel with tracking info and they should know if it was insured or not. There might even be some postal workers on these boards who could do that check for you. As for your "troll" comment, get your facts straight before you start calling people out for a response not directed at you.

[comicwiz]

 

In 99.9% of online transactions, insurance is for the seller. If your books do not arrive in the condition described, it is the seller who is on the hook to make it right.

 

The inflated sense of buyer entitlement these days is absolutely nuts. Sellers have to cover packaging materials, cover the shipping, and now insurance. To say nothing of the situations where buyers want to pay the cheapest shipping rate possible, or ask that insurance not be used as it would contradict the low declared value they ask the seller to declare to help the buyer avoid paying duties. Let's blame the sellers in these situations as well.

 

Buyer is always on the hook to pay actual shipping, and 9 out of 10 times insurance is incorporated in the cost of the shipping service. IF the item requires additional insurance above and beyond what the shipping service offers, I don't understand this notion that anyone but the buyer should be paying for insurance coverage. If a buyer doesn't want to pay insurance for a high-end piece, they shouldn't be in the market for such an expensive item.

 

It is not a "notion". It is simply part of the contract you have agreed to as a seller with virtually every third party selling platform: Ebay, Amazon, etc.

 

It also makes perfect sense:

Seller is responsible to get item to buyer in advertised condition

Seller packs the item

Seller contracts with the carrier

Until it arrives in agreed condition, it is the responsibility of the seller. They can choose to insure it or not as far as I am concerned, if I am the buyer.

 

It also evens the playing field for all sellers as many unscrupulous sellers used to attempt to add insurance after the fact to an already agreed upon price. If everyone better understood where ownership lies, there would not be as many issues.

 

Actually, the notion of passing the buck on who should pay shipping/insurances originates from PayPal's protection system, which hinges on a imperfect evidence-based framework of tracking and sig confirmation.

 

How it evolved to sellers offering free shipping for their wares is based more systematically through online listing sites (the examples you used), and unconventional selling channels (these boards and other online free-listing marketplaces).

 

The unconventional selling channels could have an entire thread devoted to them on their own, but suffice it to say that when a seller accepts PayPal methods which revoke seller protection (i.e. gift/personal) this is pretty much the anomolous example of what would otherwise be a transaction where PayPal's protection framework would track both parties fulfillment obligations.

 

However, where this "notion" of passing the buck probably first started taking flight is likely from this idea that sellers were bypassing fee-based listing services on forum marketplaces like these boards, and to make their wares more attractive to buyers who probably felt sellers were already saving money listing their goods on a forum site, started incorporating shipping fees into the price. The insurance is totally do-able in on lower value transaction scenarios as the shipper I use offers $100 of insurance with their delivery service, but would not adequately cover transactions for higher value goods.

 

My point however is that you cannot take such situations as the cookie cutter and apply it in every situation, and certainly nowhere near the percentages you suggest. More to the point, if my choice of shipping method incorporates a flat insured amount which doesn't properly cover the full value of the item being shipped, and the buyer does not agree to pay for the insurance, the buyer would either need to assume responsibility if the item gets damaged, or I would probably cancel the transaction if I determined dealing with such a buyer were a flight risk. That said, I have had buyers with legitimate concerns having valuable items shipped in parts of the world where there is a high amount of corruption in the flow of goods entering into the country, and in such cases, I have requested alternative payment methods.

 

But aside from the latter situations, let's be perfectly clear - in a transaction for high value goods where tracking and signature confirmation is used, and the item arrives damaged, it is not the sellers fault if the buyer decided to skimp on insurance, or insisted insurance not be used to contradict a request to have a lower value declared for shipment.

[Bosco685]

Geez! What did they charge for shipping and insurance that warranted all this discussion?

 

 

it was $25

That's quite the sum. A few more questions to help determine if this was high or not.

 

1) You stated this was sent via Media Mail. What was the weight on the package?

 

2) What did you buy, if you don't mind me asking? The USPS caps out at $5,000 in insurance, so if we are talking about some key Golden Age or Silver Age books, I can understand if the price was higher than normal.

 

I just ran a test using PayPal Shipping. Sending a package from Virginia to New Hampshire via Media Mail weighing 8 pounds and valued at $500 with signature confirmation, the total cost would be $15.26 which breaks down to:

 

- $5.66 shipping with delivery confirmation included.

- $2.20 for signature confirmation.

- $7.40 insurance to cover $500 in product.

 

I hadn't realized insurance had gone up this much until I ran this test, as it used to be in the $4-$5 range. So if what you bought had a much higher value than $500, then the cost is starting to approach reality. Otherwise, you overpaid.

 

But like has been pointed out by others, then I would have been asking questions in advance to understand the costs better. Even things like packing supplies start to add to this cost if they are buying boxes, bubblewrap, packing peanuts, tape, etc.

 

I checked the USPS Calculator, and it appears insurance has really taken off.

 

- $5,000 = $59.15

- $2,500 = $30.40

- $1,000 = $13.15

 

So depending on the package value, insurance can be the high-expense item to protect your purchases.

[ComicCollectorx19]

If it came in undamaged, good for everyone and successful end of transaction.

 

If you paid too much for shipping, don't buy from that seller-- was it not disclosed up front before you bid? If so, then you agreed to it by bidding.

 

If I don't agree with a seller's description or shipping pricing, I don't bid.

 

+1

 

If the cost of shipping and insurance is listed in the listing, then you shouldn't question anything, just be happy that your package arrived.

 

If it all came as a surprise after the auction was over, then that's potentially not quite fair.

 

Give us all if the details, if you don't mind. (thumbs u

 

Andy

 

I disagree, you should ALWAYS question, my friend.

[ComicCollectorx19]

 

In 99.9% of online transactions, insurance is for the seller. If your books do not arrive in the condition described, it is the seller who is on the hook to make it right.

 

The inflated sense of buyer entitlement these days is absolutely nuts. Sellers have to cover packaging materials, cover the shipping, and now insurance. To say nothing of the situations where buyers want to pay the cheapest shipping rate possible, or ask that insurance not be used as it would contradict the low declared value they ask the seller to declare to help the buyer avoid paying duties. Let's blame the sellers in these situations as well.

 

Buyer is always on the hook to pay actual shipping, and 9 out of 10 times insurance is incorporated in the cost of the shipping service. IF the item requires additional insurance above and beyond what the shipping service offers, I don't understand this notion that anyone but the buyer should be paying for insurance coverage. If a buyer doesn't want to pay insurance for a high-end piece, they shouldn't be in the market for such an expensive item.

 

It is not a "notion". It is simply part of the contract you have agreed to as a seller with virtually every third party selling platform: Ebay, Amazon, etc.

 

It also makes perfect sense:

Seller is responsible to get item to buyer in advertised condition

Seller packs the item

Seller contracts with the carrier

Until it arrives in agreed condition, it is the responsibility of the seller. They can choose to insure it or not as far as I am concerned, if I am the buyer.

 

It also evens the playing field for all sellers as many unscrupulous sellers used to attempt to add insurance after the fact to an already agreed upon price. If everyone better understood where ownership lies, there would not be as many issues.

 

Actually, the notion of passing the buck on who should pay shipping/insurances originates from PayPal's protection system, which hinges on a imperfect evidence-based framework of tracking and sig confirmation.

 

How it evolved to sellers offering free shipping for their wares is based more systematically through online listing sites (the examples you used), and unconventional selling channels (these boards and other online free-listing marketplaces).

 

The unconventional selling channels could have an entire thread devoted to them on their own, but suffice it to say that when a seller accepts PayPal methods which revoke seller protection (i.e. gift/personal) this is pretty much the anomolous example of what would otherwise be a transaction where PayPal's protection framework would track both parties fulfillment obligations.

 

However, where this "notion" of passing the buck probably first started taking flight is likely from this idea that sellers were bypassing fee-based listing services on forum marketplaces like these boards, and to make their wares more attractive to buyers who probably felt sellers were already saving money listing their goods on a forum site, started incorporating shipping fees into the price. The insurance is totally do-able in on lower value transaction scenarios as the shipper I use offers $100 of insurance with their delivery service, but would not adequately cover transactions for higher value goods.

 

My point however is that you cannot take such situations as the cookie cutter and apply it in every situation, and certainly nowhere near the percentages you suggest. More to the point, if my choice of shipping method incorporates a flat insured amount which doesn't properly cover the full value of the item being shipped, and the buyer does not agree to pay for the insurance, the buyer would either need to assume responsibility if the item gets damaged, or I would probably cancel the transaction if I determined dealing with such a buyer were a flight risk. That said, I have had buyers with legitimate concerns having valuable items shipped in parts of the world where there is a high amount of corruption in the flow of goods entering into the country, and in such cases, I have requested alternative payment methods.

 

But aside from the latter situations, let's be perfectly clear - in a transaction for high value goods where tracking and signature confirmation is used, and the item arrives damaged, it is not the sellers fault if the buyer decided to skimp on insurance, or insisted insurance not be used to contradict a request to have a lower value declared for shipment.

 

Thank you for the in-depth reply.

 

Cheers

[Bosco685]

So what was/were the book(s) and the value of the overall sale that was mailed Media Mail? This can help determine if the $25 shipping was excessive.

 

[ComicCollectorx19]

So what was/were the book(s) and the value of the overall sale that was mailed Media Mail? This can help determine if the $25 shipping was excessive.

 

 

bout treefiddy

[Bosco685]

So what was/were the book(s) and the value of the overall sale that was mailed Media Mail? This can help determine if the $25 shipping was excessive.

 

 

bout treefiddy

 

 

That's what I thought.

[ComicCollectorx19]

So what was/were the book(s) and the value of the overall sale that was mailed Media Mail? This can help determine if the $25 shipping was excessive.

 

 

bout treefiddy

 

 

That's what I thought.

 

You good!

[InvstmntComcSuply]

 

In 99.9% of online transactions, insurance is for the seller. If your books do not arrive in the condition described, it is the seller who is on the hook to make it right.

 

The inflated sense of buyer entitlement these days is absolutely nuts. Sellers have to cover packaging materials, cover the shipping, and now insurance. To say nothing of the situations where buyers want to pay the cheapest shipping rate possible, or ask that insurance not be used as it would contradict the low declared value they ask the seller to declare to help the buyer avoid paying duties. Let's blame the sellers in these situations as well.

 

Buyer is always on the hook to pay actual shipping, and 9 out of 10 times insurance is incorporated in the cost of the shipping service. IF the item requires additional insurance above and beyond what the shipping service offers, I don't understand this notion that anyone but the buyer should be paying for insurance coverage. If a buyer doesn't want to pay insurance for a high-end piece, they shouldn't be in the market for such an expensive item.

 

It is not a "notion". It is simply part of the contract you have agreed to as a seller with virtually every third party selling platform: Ebay, Amazon, etc.

 

It also makes perfect sense:

Seller is responsible to get item to buyer in advertised condition

Seller packs the item

Seller contracts with the carrier

Until it arrives in agreed condition, it is the responsibility of the seller. They can choose to insure it or not as far as I am concerned, if I am the buyer.

 

It also evens the playing field for all sellers as many unscrupulous sellers used to attempt to add insurance after the fact to an already agreed upon price. If everyone better understood where ownership lies, there would not be as many issues.

 

Actually, the notion of passing the buck on who should pay shipping/insurances originates from PayPal's protection system, which hinges on a imperfect evidence-based framework of tracking and sig confirmation.

 

.....

The insurance is totally do-able in on lower value transaction scenarios as the shipper I use offers $100 of insurance with their delivery service, but would not adequately cover transactions for higher value goods.

 

My point however is that you cannot take such situations as the cookie cutter and apply it in every situation, and certainly nowhere near the percentages you suggest.

 

I disagree. My percentages are extremely close, especially for comic books. Virtually every website allowing transactions between third parties requires transactions to be FOB delivered. Meaning ownership and risk of loss for the item is on the seller, until it is delivered to the buyer. Any retailers website that takes credit cards or paypal is also dealing with the buyers on an FOB delivered basis. Every CC company will reverse the charge for non-receipt or goods damaged in transit. FOB destination is for all practical purposes universal with all consumer sales.

 

The only time you will see terms that are NOT FOB: destination for consumer transactions, are In situations where a buyer and seller are dealing directly with each other, such as the sales forums on this site. In these cases (which are minimal compared to the number of standard ecommerce transactions) the two can agree to whatever terms they like. However, once again, if credit cards or paypal are used for payment, the terms of the card are incorporated into the agreement and again ALL of them will enforce FOB destination. Good luck getting the money back after a credit card company has pulled it from your account.

 

 

 

[Aweandlorder]

if its 350 you can rest assured he didnt insure if sent through mediamail