Insure Your Items to Prevent Shipping Nightmares
Post offices will handle between 18 billion and 19 billion packages, letters and cards from Thanksgiving through Christmas Day, according to news reports. With so many parcels making their way to their intended destinations, the chances of items getting damaged or lost will increase.
Filling boxes with packing peanuts and wrapping items in bubble wrap and newspaper are good practices to prevent chips or breaks, but they don’t guarantee shipments will arrive as described when they reach a buyer’s doorstep. And unfortunately, sellers will also have to worry about possible thefts during the holidays, officials say.
Dealing with either of these scenarios is not only stressful, it can also be costly. So if you don’t already purchase shipping insurance for your products, now might be the time to start.
Product Analyst Rebecca Miller says shipping insurance is always a good investment, especially during these busy times. “The small price you pay is well worth the peace of mind you get in return. And the buyer will thank you for your forethought if something does happen to their package en route,” she says.
If you’re concerned insuring packages will add too much to your shipping cost, consider purchasing policies at a discount. Auctiva Shipping Insurance provides sellers with great coverage at up to 30 percent off compared to USPS. You can also get an additional 20 percent off your policies through the end of the year if you enable Auto-Purchase Rules. This new feature makes buying shipping insurance very easy by automatically generating policies for all your items, or just those that exceed the price threshold you set. You can even buy Auctiva Shipping Insurance if you are on our Free Plan. See this helpful tutorial to learn more.
Several eBay sellers told us they learned the hard way what an asset shipping insurance is, after living through their own shipping horror stories. Dawn Austin told us one of her shipments looked “like someone kneeled on it,” ruining the painting she shipped.
“I learned a very good, $500 lesson,” she says.
We’re sure you don’t want to find yourself learning a similar lesson. Cyber Monday is just around the corner and you’ll no doubt be very busy filling orders soon, so take a look at Auctiva Shipping Insurance to see if it suits you.
Happy selling!