Insured Postage

peter_the_piper

Looking at some items on E-bay I see that some (based in UK, registered in Hong Kong in this instance) offer insured postage for extra cost. As its down to the seller to ensure delivery to the buyer, what extra benefit is this insured postage to the buyer??

soolin

None, insurance is for the sellers benefit not the buyers. However many non Uk sellers add compulsory insurance on rather than include it in the p and p figures as it looks more reasonable on a quick glance. It isn't until you complete check out that you see exactly how much you are going to pay.

However, the case is entirely different if you don't use paypal, so be very aware that if NOT using paypal you must take all the optional insurances as otherwise you cannot do an ebay claim for item not received.

This is definitely a two tier system which favours buyers who use paypal, so don't be tempted into using any other payment method and refusing insurance. It is also well worth remembering that for ebay claims as for items not received you only get the item cost back and not p and p and insurance. So for a non paypal purchase overseas where the item cost is 1p and the extras are £30 you will only get 1p back if you don't get the item.

Soo

bleugh

i'll back up soo here,

if you use paypal, dont bother paying for insurance

if you use any other method, YOU MUST PAY FOR INSURANCE

peter_the_piper

Thanks, thats pretty much what I expected. I'm paying by P/pal anyway as I've got some spare cash floating there which is useful for xmas pressies. Not normally as organised as that.
Peter

soolin

Peter, do use a credit card to fund the paypal payment though, just in case.

Soo (ever cautious)

peter_the_piper

Thanks for the advice, the value is well below the C/C minimum so its not enough to worry about. The information on insurance may well be of use to others as well.
Peter

zappahey

<confession>

I offer optional insurance on my auctions but, since I always send insured anyway, the optional insurance is pure profit.

</confession>