Shipping Extortion

[tony]

As I look through all the July 4th sale emails, one thing that strikes is the increase in “protection insurance” ie, you don’t buy this insurance we are not responsible for your shit being lost or stolen. Fair enough from my porch as it was delivered there and that’s on me.
And the prices now. I was looking at viam, one of their quilts. $6.00 for “insurance”! Yeah no, I’ll buy somewhere else just on principle.
I’d venture 95% of packages make it to where they are supposed to go. So this is added income to these businesses.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Extortion?

Its an option. Dont want it, dont pay for it. Whats the issue?

 

[HuntHarder]

I get the OP's claim. It has always been that the buyer was not on the hook, unless the item was proved to be delivered. Now companies are trying to shift the cost/blame onto the buyer, in the event the item is NOT delivered. I'm yet to pay that extra fee and haven't had anything not get delivered. Surely, it is going to happen.

 

[Ucsdryder]

I get the OP's claim. It has always been that the buyer was not on the hook unless the item was proved to be delivered. Now companies are trying to shift the cost/blame onto the buyer, in the event the item us NOT delivered. I'm yet to pay that extra fee and haven't had anything not get delivered. Surely, it is going to happen.

I’m curious if anyone has gone down the road of a lost package, declining protection. If it’s a porch pirate, then I have no issue it being on the buyer, but if it’s lost in transit, then what? I’m curious to know what my credit card company would do if I did a charge back for a package that didn’t show up.

 

[Kyguy]

I can see it both ways.... porch piracy is at an all time high. It gets delivered, stolen before you get home, then you check the tracking that says delivered but no box.... you call the retailer all up in arms.... who then tells you that there's nothing that they will do, since the tracking says it's delivered. Then you get on the ole interweb and blow up every forum that you're on about getting screwed by the retailer.

OR

They offer you the insurance, you buy it, and your stuff gets sent out again instead of you having to buy it all again.

Are they making money off of it.... sure, at the end of the year it's going to the bottom line if there's anything left. Or maybe it offsets the extra cost of the retailer sending you merchandise that they lost money on by replacing what got stolen off your porch..... which cost them at least $6 to send to you in the first place.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Similar to warranties/returns/exchanges, folks would be wise to read the Shipping policies found on many sites.

 

[HuntHarder]

I’m curious if anyone has gone down the road of a lost package, declining protection. If it’s a porch pirate, then I have no issue it being on the buyer, but if it’s lost in transit, then what? I’m curious to know what my credit card company would do if I did a charge back for a package that didn’t show up.

Yeah, thats what I am hoping never happens to me. I honestly think signature required is better than shipping protection. As a company, I would roll that cost into my product and know that at the end of the year, chances are, the vast majority of packages will be delivered with no issues.

I often think about when I sell things on here. If I'm the seller and it says delivered, I am probably not going to by sympathetic to my buyer. If it gets lost in the mail and says not delivered, that's on me.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Yeah, thats what I am hoping never happens to me. I honestly think signature required is better than shipping protection. As a company, I would roll that cost into my product and know that at the end of the year, chances are, the vast majority of packages will be delivered with no issues.

I often think about when I sell things on here. If I'm the seller and it says delivered, I am probably not going to by sympathetic to my buyer. If it gets lost in the mail and says not delivered, that's on me.

I feel the same way. If it gets delivered too bad, so sad.

 

[Kyguy]

Yeah, thats what I am hoping never happens to me. I honestly think signature required is better than shipping protection. As a company, I would roll that cost into my product and know that at the end of the year, chances are, the vast majority of packages will be delivered with no issues.

I often think about when I sell things on here. If I'm the seller and it says delivered, I am probably not going to by sympathetic to my buyer. If it gets lost in the mail and says not delivered, that's on me.

The problem with signature required is that areas that no longer have UPS or Fedex customer centers can't go pick up packages if needed. The issue with the post office is that they're not open after people get off work. To add to that, I've had UPS signature required packages get dropped off anyway, one time while I was home. I even ran out and asked if he wanted my signature and he told me that they don't do that anymore, that just take pictures of the delivery. So signature required doesn't solve anything.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I’ll never pay that fee and I’d have absolutely no problem disputing the charge on the credit card if I don’t get what I paid for. I’m sick of businesses lowering their own responsibilities and asking for more money.

 

[Wrench]

If I sell you something, I don't spend the money until I know you're satisfied with the product. I have never been burned.

I basically gave up on kifaru because of the shipping issues. I can't swing getting a pullout shipped for 50% of what it cost me to get 10# of black powder delivered.

Places that get good reviews for their customer service usually get them based on product delivery times / price and accuracy of description.

If you're a retailer.....pay attention to that.

I blew up a nightforce scope and it was $45.00 to ship it 108 miles....I needed a part for my S&W 329 and they paid both directions and fixed it free.

 

[HuntHarder]

The problem with signature required is that areas that no longer have UPS or Fedex customer centers can't go pick up packages if needed. The issue with the post office is that they're not open after people get off work. To add to that, I've had UPS signature required packages get dropped off anyway, one time while I was home. I even ran out and asked if he wanted my signature and he told me that they don't do that anymore, that just take pictures of the delivery. So signature required doesn't solve anything.

I guess thats 1 positive to living in a big city , there aren't many. Signature required works every time. I can also designate to pick up at a ups store, Kohls or other stores. Upon pickup, I am required to sign.

 

[fmyth]

I’m curious if anyone has gone down the road of a lost package, declining protection. If it’s a porch pirate, then I have no issue it being on the buyer, but if it’s lost in transit, then what? I’m curious to know what my credit card company would do if I did a charge back for a package that didn’t show up.

I was an online merchant selling to a very specific profession for 15 years. I averaged 1-3% charge backs. I responded to them all and I still lost 90% of the cases. In the end the buyer would often admit to receiving the merchandise but claimed they weren't satisfied. CC company would side with the buyer even if i had proof of delivery.

 

[Kyguy]

I guess thats 1 positive to living in a big city , there aren't many. Signature required works every time. I can also designate to pick up at a ups store, Kohls or other stores. Upon pickup, I am required to sign.

Yes and no.... you can only designate pick-up or change delivery address if the original shipper allows that in their shipping contract. I've had a UPS account for 15 years and I can't change something that the original shipper doesn't want changed.

 

[Macintosh]

I help run a warehouse among other things, we ship hundreds of packages a day. We get scammed by customers all the time, for stuff that was delivered to the correct place etc—the cc companies virtually always give the $ back to the customer even though it has nothing to do with us, so we just have to eat that if the delivery confirmation is legit. Even with a decent discount from the shipping company, we still eat a big portion of the cost to ship because customers simply get sticker shock when they see the actual cost to ship, so we have to subsidize shipping to be competitive. Thats our choice. And, we just got another price increase on shipping a week or three ago. Sending stuff across the country is not cheap, and it isnt getting cheaper. We insure every package we send, because if we dont it costs us even more in the long run. The insurance alone adds a significant amount of money for a $$$ product, its been a while since I checked exactly but we pay something like a $1 fee for $100 of coverage plus .50 per additional $100 of value. At several hundred $200+ packages a day for 50ish weeks/year, thats more than $100,000 in expense that comes right out of our bottom line—thats a lot of money for a small business to just eat. So some companies dont buy the insurance unless you want it—you either pay less in shipping, or you pay for the insurance, and if you decline insurance and the package isnt delivered its on you to take it up with the shipping company…which is exactly how its supposed to work. Personally, I have zero issue with this, and it puts the accountability exactly where it belongs. If the item price including shipping works for me, great. If it doesnt, I always have the choice to not buy it. There is no scam here, the insurance costs money, its just a question of who is going to pay for it. There is also no extortion, no one is forcing anyone to buy a product and have it shipped to them. This is how businesses work…its a cost of doing business, therefore the consumer will pay it at some point, in some form. Offering customers a choice is just one way.

 

[tony]

Extortion?

It’s an option. Dont want it, dont pay for it. Whats the issue?

Yes I or anyone can decline it. And if it’s stolen off my porch, it’s my problem not the seller. Seems like the cost of this insurance had risen from a buck or two to $5.00 and 6.00 I’ve seen as of recently. And as a buyer I’m out that money. And it’s added income to someone, right?
I use pirate ship to ship items. USPS is raising priority mail up to 50% for some services.
Post office, fed ex, ups. They all pretty much deny claims. I have had stuff say delivered and it shows up a day later.
And yet me, you ,anybody has to pay more to make sure we get an item?
Items lost or damaged in transit should be on the shipper 100%. Not the guy buying it.
Again, it gets stolen at my residence that’s on me.

 

[SikaSeeker]

This is a marketing tactic to upsell. Airlines do it if you've ever tried using the damn apps, you usually have to go through multiple screens trying to snare you on extra charges for seat position , extra luggage etc.

Technology in theory should be more seamless and less stressful but the money to be made distracting eyeballs is just too good to pass up for these companies.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Yes I or anyone can decline it. And if it’s stolen off my porch, it’s my problem not the seller. Seems like the cost of this insurance had risen from a buck or two to $5.00 and 6.00 I’ve seen as of recently. And as a buyer I’m out that money. And it’s added income to someone, right?
I use pirate ship to ship items. USPS is raising priority mail up to 50% for some services.
Post office, fed ex, ups. They all pretty much deny claims. I have had stuff say delivered and it shows up a day later.
And yet me, you ,anybody has to pay more to make sure we get an item?
Items lost or damaged in transit should be on the shipper 100%. Not the guy buying it.
Again, it gets stolen at my residence that’s on me.

It’s getting absolutely absurd. I had a box delivered by usps. The box was open, and the contents were missing. I tried to file a claim and after several weeks I got something saying “we have investigated your claim and u fortunately we have found that we are not responsible”.

Now places are also using that shitty usps advantage which still isn’t cheap but often takes weeks. I’ve had multiple packages take 3-5 weeks, they just sit “in transit”.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

I’m curious if anyone has gone down the road of a lost package, declining protection. If it’s a porch pirate, then I have no issue it being on the buyer, but if it’s lost in transit, then what? I’m curious to know what my credit card company would do if I did a charge back for a package that didn’t show up.

This. If it makes it to my door it's on me. I don't buy any sort of insurance, if a product never makes it to my door my CC will gladly reverse the charges if the company wants to be a PITA and they'll also lose my business forever. This new shipping insurance thing is absolutely a scam.

Edit: If I sell something on here or other forums over $100 or so I'll typically pay for insurance, but that's to protect myself.

 

[roadrunner]

Items lost or damaged in transit should be on the shipper 100%. Not the guy buying it.

Or the guy selling it. You'd think the shipping company would do a better job at handling a package.