Buyer Beware When It Comes to Shipping Insurance for Things You Buy Through eBay and Other Online Services 8/28/2006 - 2,209 views, 6 Comments
|
Previous Article « Hometown Favorites - Would You Like Phish with Your Candy?
Read Next Article » Get Free T-Mobile Hotspot Wifi Service for Your… Wifi Camera?
You may not be aware of this, but when you purchase something through eBay or, really, any online service, and you pay for shipping insurance, that insurance does not actually go to you if anything happens to the item. That’s right. Shipping insurance protects the sender - also known as the seller in the case of an online purchase. You are still out the money you paid for item! Here’s how it works. Let’s say that you purchase an antique vase on eBay for $100.00. And because it’s an antique you decide to pay for insurance, just in case anything happens. Or maybe the seller requires that you purchase insurance, as some do. Now let’s say that the vase arrives, and as the delivery person drops the box onto your porch, the vase breaks. Now what do you do? Well, if you don’t know any better, you think “Well, darn, I really wanted that vase, but at least I got insurance, so I’ll get my $100.00 back.” Right? Wrong. Because when you contact the shipping company, and file a claim, the claim money is going to go to whomever actually purchased the insurance and insured the item at the time of shipping, and that is the sender - the seller. Now the sender has $200.00 - your $100.00, and the $100.00 from the insurance! And you’re out $100.00 and have nothing to show for it but a broken vase. If you are lucky, you have done business with an ethical seller, and they will refund your $100.00. If you aren’t, well… as the title says, buyer beware.
|
|
Email the link for this page to a friend! |
Read more:
» eBay Selling Shipping Problem Causes Sellers to Send Items to the Wrong Addresses
» eBay to Stop Sellers from Posting Negative Buyer Ratings
» Amazon and eBay Account for Huge Revenue Injection for United States Postal Service
» Ebay Gets Into Postal Service, or USPS Gets Into Online Auctions - Which Is It?
For additional similar stories check out our archives on eBay
This is not true when dealing with the USPS. I sell on eBay and pack very carefully but occasionally something will happen. In this case, all I do is send the receipt to the customer, they take the broken item and packaging to the post office in their city and file a claim. Then then receive the money for the amount the item was insured for plus postage. Linda
Comment by Linda — 8/28/2006 @ 6:48 am
Does Internet Patrol have any actual cases to cite?
I think Linda above is correct - the broken item remains with the seller, and one would need to present the evidence as is (broken item and packaging) to get reimbursed for it. As such, the seller might as well send the insurance claim to the buyer.
Comment by Walter — 8/28/2006 @ 9:17 am
Actually I have had this exact thing happen. I bought insurance. The figurine arrived cracked. I tried to claim it, and was told that even though I had the broken item, because the seller had purchased the insurance, the money would go to them and I would have to get it from them. I never ever heard back from them (so I think they sold it to me broken). So I didn’t file the claim because why should I put even more money in their pocket. Some sellers like Linda are probably honest and would send the money but this one wasn’t.
Comment by The Internet Patrol — 8/28/2006 @ 9:24 am
no
Comment by FIKIRTE — 8/28/2006 @ 11:12 pm
Recently purchased a bicycle on EBay and it was properly packaged in a bike box and shipped UPS. When it arrived it was badly damaged from items being sstacked on it . You could even see wher somene had walked on the box, resulting in a bent hydraulic brake assembly.
It was the Seller who had to file the claim and who ultimately, was paid the money. Fortunately, he was an upstanding individual and covered the cost of repairs.
Comment by RRegene — 9/1/2006 @ 6:57 am
Nope. With paypal and ebay you get back exactly what you spent. This is stupid.
Comment by odran — 6/25/2008 @ 1:32 pm