Postal System Theft

The USPS site is the same price as at the counter. You can use stamps.com with a free account.

Postal insurance from the Post Office is not a guarantee. Most times you need to fight to get paid. I finally received a check from them last week for a claim started in November.

Commercial Plus has nothing to do with ebay. Any large shipper can get Commercial Plus pricing.

 

If she can't print out the label, she probably needs to download the printer app right on the USPS website.

I used shipsurance for private insurance. It was $15 per month for all my packages without having to report each and every package. It just went up to $25 and I'm not selling enough items over $50 to justify the cost now. I only had a couple of claims but they handled them quickly. They cover for theft where the Post Office insurance does not. I had one claim where it was posted as delivered but the buyer claimed they never received the package and shipsurance paid the claim.

 

Thanks-had no idea-will do that this week.

 

It will be interesting to see what the PO can come up with regarding theft. I don't know if anyone on this board knows the inner workings of the system and I certainly don't but I recently did find out something I didn't know.

After the big snow last month we didn't have mail delivery for a week. During that time I had three packages that tracking showed had made it to town and actually two were showing as out for delivery which I doubted since they weren't delivering our mail. Anyway I went to pick them up at the PO warehouse that handles mail these days and they retrieved my mail and two of the three packages. They were having a hard time finding the third one so I gave them the tracking number. They entered it in their computer and it brought up a photo of the whole package including the label. I don't know if they routinely photograph packages and if so if it is done at all transfer points but I had no idea that they had such good detailed information.

I found it to be interesting and I'm wondering if it might play into investigations of theft and damage.

 

Gonna sound really dumb to everyone here, but I've had a similar problem a few times. Tried everything a computer dummy can, including making sure I had OK'd the transaction and the printer chosen was the correct one. In total frustration one day I held down the control key and clicked P. It printed.

 

Interesting, S.I.S. It does seem strange that they would photo every package. Maybe something special, or maybe routine?

Terry, where do you live? I can't agree with you on pricing, and have had no problems with USPS insurance.

"The USPS site is the same price as at the counter. You can use stamps.com with a free account."

I've had a no cost USPS account on-line for several years. My costs are identical to what I pay through eBay. Discounts are stated right on the USPS site.

"Postal insurance from the Post Office is not a guarantee. Most times you need to fight to get paid. I finally received a check from them last week for a claim started in November."

That will vary.
My last claim was a while ago. Involved a #7 priority box I carried into the P.O. and shook it. They peeked into the box to see the shattered glass. For proof of value I showed them my check book register showing a $425.75 payment to the name on the label as sender. I signed a form and had a check within two weeks. Over the years, talking to folks all over the country, I've come to strongly believe that it depends very much on which Post Office, and in which particular state it is located, how you will be treated.

 

Rates changed last month. Clik-N-Ship is now the same price as at the counter.

 

Well, Terry, I used to like you.

But, thanks anyway, for bringing the outdated guy up to the present.
When not home to print a label about a month ago I brought a package to the PO and commented that I usually printed out my own label. The clerk said, "Yeah, you would have saved $1.85."
Next time I'm at that PO I'll update her, too.

 

This makes it $100 insurance

If it says ComBas there it is $50 if it's Priority Mail.

 

A bit of good news is that customer is going to the postal IG since this same thing has happened before so he's convinced it isn't a random accident. We called usps complaint line and got a case no., and will also file a claim. We're disappointed in our local p.o. Which told us all that could be done was to ask the usps lost and found office.

 

As Terry mentioned, there is a free stamps.com app. It's supposed to be for eBay sellers so you need to give an eBay ID in order to sign up for it. I don't know if you have to actually have sold anything on eBay on that ID for stamps.com to let you use the free app. Probably not, though.

The free app gives Commercial Base rates by default. I believe if a seller has a Commercial Plus account, it will give those rates.

The free account can import eBay sales to make printing the label easier. But it also has an option to create a manual order that has nothing to do with eBay that gives you the same discounted rates. I've used it for personal shipments with no problem.