General
Claims
GENERAL
What is InsurePost.com
InsurePost.com is a website that allows you to insure your shipments while they are in transit. You can ship packages via FedEx, UPS, USPS, and Canada Post and insure those
shipments with us! The best part is that our coverage is a fraction of the cost of the shipping carriers.
Just register, and start insuring your shipments. you can purchase coverage using a PayPal account or credit card.
Coverage is provided by Shipsurance, a leading provider of worldwide shipping insurance coverage. The insurance is underwritten by Voyager Indemnity Insurance Company.
Why should I buy insurance from InsurePost.com instead of Shipsurance.com
InsurePost.com is run by Shipsurance! If you are buying insurance for individual packages, InsurePost.com is a great option because it allows you to register for an account and it stores your purchase history. The purchase process is very quick and streamlined, allowing you to insure shipments in under a minute each. Shipsurance.com is meant for the frequent shipper who wants to insure many packages per month (50 - 50,000!). When you visit Shipsurance.com, you Request a quote for an open coverage certificate and you do not need to purchase coverage for each individual shipments as billing is done monthly.
If you are a regular shipper and want to insure 50 or more shipments per month and require higher limits, please contact Shipsurance directly. You can Request a quote here. If you get a direct policy from Shipsurance, the rates are much lower, the coverage is broader, and the insurance can be integrated in your shipping system.
Don't I receive free coverage from the carriers?
Some carriers provide you with the first $100.00 of coverage free of charge. This is for shipments sent via FedEx, UPS, DHL, and the USPS Express Mail (Domestic) Service. USPS Express Mail International provides $200.00 free of charge. In those cases we cover the amounts above the initial free coverage, only.
However, most non-Express mail shipments sent via the USPS (United States Postal Service) do not come with free liability insurance. This includes First Class mail and Priority Mail. We can even cover your USPS International First Class mail shipments. The USPS does not even offer that coverage!
How do your rates work?
Our rates are based on $100 units of coverage, per package.
For example: If your package has a value of $500.00, it contains five (5) $100.00 units.
Since the first $100.00 of insurance coverage is provided by some carriers at no cost (Not USPS, except Express Mail), we would be responsible for four (4) $100.00
units. If our rate for a particular shipment is $0.60 per $100.00 unit, your cost for this specific package would be only $2.40.
What are the carrier rates and how do your rates compare?
See the rate table, below.
Rates | ||
Carrier | Rate per $100 |
InsurePost.com Rates (Domestic / International) |
USPS | $2.45 | $1.05 / $1.60 |
FedEx | $0.95 with $2.90 min.
(FedEx raised their rates again in 2015) |
$0.60 / $0.60 |
UPS | $0.90 with $2.70 min. (UPS raised their rates again in 2014) |
$0.60 / $0.60 |
View our complete coverage rate chart here.
Argentina Australia Austria Bahamas Bangladesh Barbados Belgium Bermuda Canada Chile China Costa Rica Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dominican Republic Egypt El Salvador | Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Greenland Guatemala Hong Kong Hungary Iceland Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Korea, Republic of Luxembourg Mexico Morocco | Netherlands New Zealand Norway Poland Portugal Romania Samoa Singapore South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Turkey United Kingdom United States Uruguay |
In addition, we DO NOT cover shipments to any location that would be in violation of any U.S. economic or trade sanctions including OFAC Restricted Countries.
Coverage is available for shipments originating from the United States or Canada only.
What items can I insure?
The following list of items are NOT ABLE TO BE INSURED by InsurePost.com.
Accounts, bills, currency, cash in transit, evidence of debt, checks, money orders, COD payments, coins (collectible coins are not excluded), securities and other negotiable papers, tickets, deeds, notes, gift cards, manuscripts, documents, neon items, hazardous material (per UPS Hazardous Materials List), LCD monitors or screens, televisions (including LCD, plasma, CRT, projection, and similar), cell phones (including mobile phones, smart phones, messaging phones, iPhones, android phones, blackberry phones, and similar), laptop computers (including tablet computers, iPads, and similar), perishable cargo or similar property, eggs, any stone or ceramic slabs, automobiles, motorcycles, live animals, flowers, plants, seeds, cigarettes/cigars, cotton, guns (guns more than 100 years old are not excluded), tobacco, windows, plate glass, stained glass, float glass, and used household goods and used personal effects.
*Household goods and personal effects are items that are used in a dwelling. These include furniture, appliances, clothing, linens and other household items that are not involved in a recent sale or under commercial invoice. Items sold on eBay or via online store are not considered household goods or personal effects as they are under commercial invoice.
What is the most expensive shipment I can cover?
We currently offer coverage for packages valued up to $1,000.00 in value.
Please note: If the shipping carrier provides the first $100.00 or $200.00 of coverage free with the shipment, our coverage is for the balance. IE: If you declare a FedEx shipment for $1,000.00 of coverage, InsurePost is only covering $900.00 and FedEx $100.00.
Make sure to enter the full value when purchasing coverage.
If you are a regular shipper and want to insure 100 or more shipments per month and require higher limits, please contact Shipsurance directly. You can Request a quote here. If you get a direct policy from Shipsurance, the rates are much lower, the coverage is broader, and the insurance can be integrated in your shipping system.
What shipping carriers can I use?
InsurePost.com offers coverage for shipments sent via the following carriers:
Canada Post
DHL
FedEx
FedEx SmartPost
UPS
UPS Mail Innovations
USPS
Is purchasing insurance online at InsurePost.com secure?
All transactions are encrypted with a 256 bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate.
How do I pay for coverage?
We accept payments via PayPal or credit card.
I made a mistake when ordering coverage, how can I cancel the order?
Unfortunately, due to the nature of our online coverage system, once an order is completed a refund cannot be processed and changes to the order cannot be made. Please make sure to review the details of your order before remitting payment. If the details of your insured shipment change after you place an order, you can order coverage for the corrected shipment as well.
Can I insure my shipping costs?
Yes, you can insure your actual shipping costs when covering a shipment. You must declare that amount for coverage when insuring the shipment with us. If you do not include the shipping amount in your initial insurance declaration, it is not covered. Note: You will need to provide documentation of this cost, as well. You cannot insure your shipping costs without also insuring the item(s) being shipped.
What does the following statement mean for residents of California? The insurance policy that you are applying to purchase is being
issued by an insurer that is not licensed by the state of
California. These companies are called “non-admitted” or
“surplus line” insurers.
This insurance policy is issued by Voyager Indemnity Insurance Company, which is a NONADMITTED Insurance company. Shipsurance Insurance Services, Inc. is the administering insurance company and is licensed in the state of California. The "Notice" is a Non Admitted Insurer Acknowledgment.
If you are not based in California this does not apply to you. If you are in California, this does not mean you cannot insure with us. It is just a notice.
What type of proof of mailing do I need?
In order to insure a package with InsurePost.com, we need to be sure the package actually was mailed! Placing a stamp on a package or using a meter machine is NOT ACCEPTABLE proof of mailing. We need to see that the insured package was physically placed in the mail flow. This can be a receipt from the post office with an acceptance stamp, a tracking number with an acceptance scan, a customs number with an acceptance scan, or a stamped document from the post office indicating acceptance.
Canada Post shippers: We are aware that some Canada Post classes of service, like Small Packet, may not contain a tracking or customs number. In order to cover your packages with InsurePost.com, make sure that your shipments have some form of indication of acceptance from Canada Post. You can have your Postal Representative or Post Master provide an acceptance stamp on your shipping receipt that indicates their acceptance into the mail flow.
What are considered collectible coins?
Collectible coins are coins or currency that are not sold or transacted at face value.
What if I ship using the USPS Priority Mail service? I thought they provide free coverage.
Starting July 28, 2013, the USPS provides Domestic Priority Mail shipments with free insurance coverage. Most domestic Priority Mail shipments include up to $50 or $100 of insurance based on the payment method used.
InsurePost will not make any changes to the full, all-risk coverage that we currently offer. We will continue to cover the entire amount of Priority Mail shipments (plus shipping, if declared) for our customers. You will be able to file claims online with us for your packages and not bother with the USPS claims process. Your recipients will not need to bring damaged items to the post office and you will not need to speak to multiple claims representatives to process a simple $1-$100 claim. Most claims are processed and paid within 5 days and we can pay your claims via PayPal, if you choose (no fees to you).
A recap of some of the benefits of insuring your shipments with InsurePost:
If you choose to, you can insure the excess coverage (above initial $50 or $100) with us but we advise against it. Besides all the above mentioned benefits, you would be forced to file two claims. This can make the process more time consuming and cumbersome. We suggest insuring the complete amount with us and letting us be your one-stop solution for shipping insurance coverage.
Claims
How do I file a claim and receive payment?
Shipping insurance claims can be filed online, via fax, or via snail mail. Claims can be filed online by visiting www.insurepost.com/claims.
Our claims instructions page is located here.
If your claim is for a lost package, first try to contact the shipping carrier and file a tracer to see if they can locate the shipment. If your claim is for a damaged package, make sure the recipient keeps the package (item and packaging) as they received it. Do not discard anything or return the item(s) to the shipper.
How do I file a tracer with the USPS?
A tracer is the formal way to Request a package investigation with the USPS. The USPS will usually provide you with written documentation of their findings. You can call the USPS at (800) 275-8777. Specifically, call (800) 275-8777, Press "6", Press "4", Say "More Information", then once you reach someone Request documentation of your issue. More details can be found here.