I used to work for a large trucking company, and I can tell you, things get damaged in transit. This is why buyers want insurance and the shipper should also want insurance on any item they ship. Our company had it's own insurance, or I should say, it was self insured, which certainly is under strict guidelines and the customer pays for it.
Dan is correct, that once an item is paid for, the item belongs to the purchaser. However, improper packaging is a fault of the shipper. Abuse to a package in transit, is the fault of the shipping company. This is where the problem lies. Who caused the problem? When it comes to a company parting with "Insured value" monies, blame is going to be placed on someone and they will end up paying for it, either directly, or through their insurance.
Elizabeth is exactly correct, the seller is responsible for taking care of the mess, if something goes wrong and the item gets damaged. This seems backwards, since the buyer is actually paying for the shipping, just look at any manifest (The buyer is actually the owner) but the carrier, like UPS, FedEx and USPS, require the shipper to make the claim and the payment for the insured item, will go to the shipper. It may be wrong and it is a hassle to the seller/shipper, but that is the way it is.
Unfortunately, I have had an experience with this, through FedEx and a pair of speakers that arrived damaged. The seller wasn't going to do anything and it took many calls and emails to get him off his behind to take care of it, but I was told by FedEx, the shipper is the one who will need to follow up, and he was going to receive any payment, if they decided the speakers were packaged properly. This is something that Dan touches on, but I feel that the seller is ultimately responsible for the packaging. It is an item that no longer belongs to him and it is in his/her charge. He didn't pack right, but did the right thing and return my money. He ended up eating the speakers, but that wasn’t my fault or FedEx.
I have been on the other side, with USPS and an expensive golf club. The postal worker broke a $500.00 driver into 4 pieces! The buyer told me of the condition imediately, since he was going on vacation with his new club, and I refunded his money. It took 4+ weeks to get the Post Office to give me the money, and then they wanted to give me less than it was insured for. That is a whole other kind of mess.... but that is for the insurance types to discuss.
My thinking is, the seller is responsible for the packaging and it is part of the "risk" that the seller incurs by selling and accepting payment for an item and then arranging shipping. It is a hassle if something goes wrong, agreed, but the shippers are going to hold the seller responsible for the claims and the packaging.
If a seller is saying, "I'm not going to be responsible for any shipping problems", or something to that effect, stay away. They are going to be a real problem for you, and this will make a bad situation even worse. No one wants damage to occur, but lets face it, we all live in the real world, and the shipping companies have it set up that the seller/shipper is the responsible party for the claims.
Dan makes a good point, in discussing the packaging with the seller. I agree; if it is an expensive or heavy item, pay for the proper packaging. But all sellers out there, be aware of the responsibility that the shipper is dropping on you, when you ship an item, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CLAIMS. It may not be a fair world, but I’m sure you parents already told you that. There is risk in both buying and shipping.
Dan is correct, that once an item is paid for, the item belongs to the purchaser. However, improper packaging is a fault of the shipper. Abuse to a package in transit, is the fault of the shipping company. This is where the problem lies. Who caused the problem? When it comes to a company parting with "Insured value" monies, blame is going to be placed on someone and they will end up paying for it, either directly, or through their insurance.
Elizabeth is exactly correct, the seller is responsible for taking care of the mess, if something goes wrong and the item gets damaged. This seems backwards, since the buyer is actually paying for the shipping, just look at any manifest (The buyer is actually the owner) but the carrier, like UPS, FedEx and USPS, require the shipper to make the claim and the payment for the insured item, will go to the shipper. It may be wrong and it is a hassle to the seller/shipper, but that is the way it is.
Unfortunately, I have had an experience with this, through FedEx and a pair of speakers that arrived damaged. The seller wasn't going to do anything and it took many calls and emails to get him off his behind to take care of it, but I was told by FedEx, the shipper is the one who will need to follow up, and he was going to receive any payment, if they decided the speakers were packaged properly. This is something that Dan touches on, but I feel that the seller is ultimately responsible for the packaging. It is an item that no longer belongs to him and it is in his/her charge. He didn't pack right, but did the right thing and return my money. He ended up eating the speakers, but that wasn’t my fault or FedEx.
I have been on the other side, with USPS and an expensive golf club. The postal worker broke a $500.00 driver into 4 pieces! The buyer told me of the condition imediately, since he was going on vacation with his new club, and I refunded his money. It took 4+ weeks to get the Post Office to give me the money, and then they wanted to give me less than it was insured for. That is a whole other kind of mess.... but that is for the insurance types to discuss.
My thinking is, the seller is responsible for the packaging and it is part of the "risk" that the seller incurs by selling and accepting payment for an item and then arranging shipping. It is a hassle if something goes wrong, agreed, but the shippers are going to hold the seller responsible for the claims and the packaging.
If a seller is saying, "I'm not going to be responsible for any shipping problems", or something to that effect, stay away. They are going to be a real problem for you, and this will make a bad situation even worse. No one wants damage to occur, but lets face it, we all live in the real world, and the shipping companies have it set up that the seller/shipper is the responsible party for the claims.
Dan makes a good point, in discussing the packaging with the seller. I agree; if it is an expensive or heavy item, pay for the proper packaging. But all sellers out there, be aware of the responsibility that the shipper is dropping on you, when you ship an item, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CLAIMS. It may not be a fair world, but I’m sure you parents already told you that. There is risk in both buying and shipping.