Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Who pays for shipping insurance? Opinions wanted

I had a rockwell milling machine on Ebay shipped DHL.
It fell over and broke into pieces half way here.
I had no shipping insurance, so I was out of luck.
I got someone to MIG weld together the pieces.

Seller's responsible to get the buyer their item, period. If the buyer wants insurance, they pay for it, IMHO. Been buying, selling, shipping for 25+ years and have never lost a package yet, knock on wood.

I try my best to package securely, but I've seen some stupid stuff over the years. Just recently had a dipshit ship a Holosun red dot mounted on an aftermarket mount that wouldn't fit back in the factory box with the mount attached loose in a USPS flate rate envelope. The factory box from Holosun is similar to a Pelican case and is bomb proof.

Would've taken two minutes to remove the four mount screws and put the optic inside the case. Instead it bounced around clear across the country banging into the hard plastic case (yes, the case was in the envelope). No bubble wrap, nothing, on the optic.

Had a guy ship a rifle once wrapped in a blanket. That was it. No box. Nothing. Duck taped blanket.

If it's the seller's sole responsibility to get it to the buyer wtf would the buyer ever purchase insurance? If that was the case, the shipper would be buying insurance and passing the cost onto the buyer. To me, that obviously shows the buyer owns the item in transit and takes responsibility, assuming correct labeling and packaging by the seller. Expecting every online seller to self-insure like the big guys is too much to ask. Interesting topic.

I have paid for insurance a few time and its necessary. It's good for expensive packages. mostly when shipping with USPS.

Because that's their choice. Did you read the part about never losing a package? WTF would I pay for it? If something got lost, I'd make it right, but I'm not giving the shipper anymore money than I have to. The odds are in my favor.

If the buyer feels more comfortable having the package insured, they can pay for it.

Smart!

If the package is lost due to no fault of the seller, your premise seems to dictate the it's solely a loss on the seller to remedy, period. If you wish to cover it when you are the seller, so be it. Do you expect the same from others?

Just killing time. No big deal.

It appears that there are 2 very different and distinct schools of thought here. Thank you.

If you bought a $1000 scope from Doug and it was lost, you'd just say "Oh well".

The shipping company said they only paid 10 cents a pound for the used cast iron in my mill.

I am not getting in a legal snit over a few thousand dollars with a big company that has already played that game over and over.

I went through that with Allstate insurance when their drunk driver policy holder totaled my MGA in 1974. They offered pennies on the dollar.
It is not just that they have attorneys on retainer, it is they have professional A hole claims adjusters. In my case i was a phyco black man.

You can win, but they will make you wish you had not.

It's pretty easy to see it's an issue to be considered as a part of the total transaction. It'd be foolhardy to assume anything, especially in a peer to peer transaction.

I ship many knives ,obviously . On my website it clearly states my terms ,that is ,if you want insurance on your shipment ,ask for it ,and there is an extra cost . I state I will reimburse the funds they pay out,when they pay out . And I state it that way because the USPS is notorious for not paying out.
My take on this is ,I own a knife ,you buy it ,now you own it . I hand it to another outfit to ship it . If they screw up,why am I responsible ? Tell me what big firm assumes the responsibility of another firm's negligence ? Sorry I can't do it . Now with all this said I have a very successful delivery rate.

If a business asks if you want to pay extra for insurance, are they implying you're on your own if something goes awry? It's been a while since I've ordered anything from Camera Land but if I remember correctly, I was asked that. I'm not suggesting Camera Land wouldn't make it right if I hadn't.

From an attorney who no longer posts on the fire:



And I did not pay $1k/hour to get that statement.... it was a freebee:)

My only personal experience is with Amazon. They paid, no questions asked. I think maybe Cabela's did as well, but can't remember for sure. My internet search indicates the seller is generally responsible for lost or damaged items.

It is my OPNION that the seller hasn't completed the transaction until it is delivered to the buyer and meets their satisfaction. If I buy a rifle and it has a big gouge in the wood how do I know it happened in transit and that it wasn't there before it was ever boxed up? I find it interesting the differences in perspectives on this.

+1. In other words - the seller.

FWIW, I've sold some items online. I ALWAYS insure the shipment. I may or may not pass this cost on to the shipping charge, depending on the deal. I'd expect to make good on any lost or damaged item. BTW, USPS insurance cost is very high for the amount of coverage it provides. If I were a gambler, I'd probably come out ahead to self insure instead. If I shipped often, I probably would.

Don't waste your money with USPS insurance... BTDT, and NEVER AGAIN...

Buyer pays