Is there a need for insurance on ebay even if you're paying through Paypal?

Question

Whenever I purchase an item on ebay, I always check to see if the item is covered under the Paypal protection policy; usually it is. However, there have been cases where an item that has been covered by Paypal, has not been handled very well by the postal service. Fortunately, my items were not damaged, but it made me think about my need for additional insurance. Here are my questions: 1. What are your thoughts to my above situation, and my possible need for more insurance, even though I pay through Paypal, and the item is covered under their protection policy? 2. Some sellers post that "Insurance is not offered". Does that mean that there is no way I can pay the extra fee to get that item insurred, or what? Thank you. Any additional information on ebay & insurance that you can provide, would be helpful also.

Answer 1

1. If you buy the insurance through the post office, it does not cover items damaged in shipping, that were not packaged adequately. From a practical point of view - if it's something fragile, and it broke, by definition it wasn't packaged adequately, therefore, the insurance won't cover it. The ONLY way the insurance covers DAMAGED items, is if there is obvious fire damage, or a truck ran over it three or four times. The insurance is mainly geared towards mysterious disappearance. AND, it only covers until the package leaves the US. It is useful, in a very limited way.

2. I think some sellers that post "insurance is not offered" do it because they understand how limited the insurance coverage is, and don't want to deal with clients unhappy because the insurance didn't cover more.

You can ALWAYS email the seller, and ask, is there any way I can get you to ship this WITH insurance? Some shipping services, like UPS, automatically give you insurance up to, I think but am not positive, $100.

Answer 2

When sellers post that no insurance is offered, it's not a final decision. Most of the times they do that are: the item is not expensive, is not fragile or they want to make their item look cheaper. You can e-mail a seller a let him know that you are interested in his item but that you want insurance. There is no reason to deny it because the buyer will pay for it. If he still does not want to insure it just don't bid. If is not insured and you get it broken, it's yours and if you don't receive it you loose your money. A cheap way to also protect yourself is with delivery confirmation.

Answer 3

Troho,

"Insurance is required"

if you mean by ebay, you are wrong.

the best way to pay for anything on ebay is through PAYPAL with a CREDIT CARD!

if for some reason PAYPAL can't or won't get your funds back, you have the option of going to the CC company and filing for a chargeback.

smart sellers self insure. insurance is for the benefit of the SELLER, not the buyer.

Answer 4

I always insist on insurance - if they don't offer it then request it before bidding. Make sure you get a quote for the insurance before you bid.