As a seller, is there any point in insuring collectibles anymore?

[azurepred]

Anytime I sell a piece that arrives broken, when I packed it safely and securely, the buyer immediately either goes to ebay or paypal for a full refund or wants a huge partial refund. What's the deal with this? So, whats the point of insuring these things anymore? Right now, I have a seller that received a broken Predator LSB, and the damage is fixable. The guy wants a $135 refund or he threatens me with attitude to go to paypal. I had it fully insured, what are sellers to do anymore?

 

[Adolfo]

not worth it anymore and Paypal could give a ***...

 

[Tabula Rasa]

The only thing insurance covers is if the box is lost or damaged. It's up to the seller to make sure that the item is packaged securely enough that the item doesn't break during shipping. It's an unfortunate risk / side effect of this hobby.

 

[thenammagazine]

Don't be cheap. Insurance is no more than $5, and if you pack everything correctly, there should be no breakage which would mean USPS is at fault. Also, an insured package is more likely to get treated good than one that isn't. So definitely insure... unless you somehow like paying people to break your stuff?

 

[azurepred]

insurance can be a lot for expensive pieces, way more then $5. If the box isn't damaged though, I don't think they will accept a claim in the buyer/sellers favor.

 

[youbastards]

Anytime I sell a piece that arrives broken, when I packed it safely and securely, the buyer immediately either goes to ebay or paypal for a full refund or wants a huge partial refund. What's the deal with this?

If this is happening to you frequently, then you aren't packing your items carefully enough.

If you insured the item for the full value, kept the receipt, can show proof of the value, then you can file a claim through the shipping service.
Depending on the situation, the buyer may need to take the item to their local office (UPS, FEDEX, USPS) for an inspection.

Do not have the buyer do anything with the item until you have spoken with the shipping service to determine how to proceed.

 

[azurepred]

If this is happening to you frequently, then you aren't packing your items carefully enough.

If you insured the item for the full value, kept the receipt, can show proof of the value, then you can file a claim through the shipping service.
Depending on the situation, the buyer may need to take the item to their local office (UPS, FEDEX, USPS) for an inspection.

Do not have the buyer do anything with the item until you have spoken with the shipping service to determine how to proceed.

no, it doesn't happen often, but it seems very unlikely from what I've heard, that the courier would refund the money back unless the box is damaged itself. I've had my last 2 items arrive damaged, and I felt I packed them securely, and the buyers are just *******s about everything.

 

[ProgMatinee]

I don't buy stuff I don't intend to keep. Selling, shipping, etc is just a drain.

 

[azurepred]

I now see that. I've sold a ton of stuff, but now I'm having issues with broken stuff. I already except the fact that everything will be sold at some point, but now I feel like I shouldn't buy anything that will be super fragile to ship, or else I will end up with more crap like this. I'm basically going to try and get out of this hobby, sell off a small chunk, and only buy pieces I intend on keeping for awhile. This hobby has just turned into too big of a pain in the ass.

 

[karamazov80]

One thing that bugs me and that you can't fully protect yourself against is Sideshow's packaging for statues. Unless you put their massive boxes inside even more massive boxes with padding inside (often not feasible), then you have to rely on Sideshow's styrofoam packaging plus maybe a little extra help here or there and hope it does the trick. But sometimes that's not enough to ensure that a piece won't get damaged in transit. And of course, a package can be dinged without damaging box, but the USPS insurance policy is what it is. I'm always fearful shipping statues out for this purpose, and that's a reason I often hold off on selling them.

 

[The Ween]

How is the insurance with different shippers? Like USPS, UPS, FedEx. Are you pretty much screwed with all of them?

 

[a-dev]

An post in Ireland requires you to choose their most expensive, pain in the ass shipping option in order to get your package fully insured to the sale value. And even then it only goes up to 350euro. Anything over that and you're $h!t out of luck.

 

[azurepred]

How is the insurance with different shippers? Like USPS, UPS, FedEx. Are you pretty much screwed with all of them?

I've never filed a claim before, so I don't know, but UPS and Fedex will charge an arm and a leg for insurance alone on pricey pieces. I know sometimes, UPS will require they pack the item themselves to fully insure sometimes.

 

[thenammagazine]

I've never filed a claim before, so I don't know, but UPS and Fedex will charge an arm and a leg for insurance alone on pricey pieces. I know sometimes, UPS will require they pack the item themselves to fully insure sometimes.

It's worth it though, in comparison to replacing a piece the UPS driver used as a soccer ball because it wasn't insured. That is, of course, unless you're just moving so much volume that in the long run the cost of replacing an entire piece pales in comparison to what you'd save not getting it.

 

[Lejuan]

I don't buy stuff I don't intend to keep. Selling, shipping, etc is just a drain.

Same here. I have a couple of pieces I wouldn't mind offloading, but it's just too much effort and potential stress for the return.

 

[a-dev]

Would any of you guys sell to a total unknown on the forum with no feedback and hardly any posts - who came out of nowhere offering you a substantial sum for a figure you weren't otherwise even considering selling?

 

[ifrack]

For items over $50.00 I insure them...
UPS has insurance built into their pricing.
USPS you pay and must show proof of value.
i.e. does not do you any good to over value an item.
Fedex also has insurance built in.
Remember whatever you do. If the item is expensive then use tracking and signature confirmation.
It may cost you but it beats being told they never received the item.
Paypal readily sides with the buyer and you must have the paper trail to defend yourself, Also reserve the right to cancel bids on buyers who have negative comments relevant to receiving items missing or broken. It does happen but this should send up a red flag.

 

[DiFabio]

Would any of you guys sell to a total unknown on the forum with no feedback and hardly any posts - who came out of nowhere offering you a substantial sum for a figure you weren't otherwise even considering selling?

NOOOO!!!!!!

 

[user 1190]

Never had a single issue with an insurance claim, be it ups, USPS, FedEx.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

Would any of you guys sell to a total unknown on the forum with no feedback and hardly any posts - who came out of nowhere offering you a substantial sum for a figure you weren't otherwise even considering selling?

Hell no