Hi David The postal carriers make it very difficult and time consuming for sellers to even attempt to make a claim on insurance. Australia Post puts the onus on the receiver to take the package to the Post Office for inspection, then fill out forms, etc before even considering a claim. It can then take weeks to process. I have heard that Australia Post requires proof of value which is pretty difficult to establish with movie posters.
Buyers don’t want to waste their time going this process. They just expect the seller to provide an immediate refund which is not unreasonable. The problem then is that the seller cannot make a claim on the insurance because the buyer hasn’t completed the necessary paperwork, etc. Thankfully, I have had very few problems with damaged packages but I am hearing more and more about the issues that sellers have with postal carriers so it is all very concerning. Regards John From: MoPo List <[email protected]> On Behalf Of David Kusumoto Sent: 31 March, 2023 9:23 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [MOPO] Paying global carriers for "insurance" that's worthless Really disturbed by this thread in that what you guys are experiencing feels like a total scam that has been carried out with impunity by global carriers for years. If I was a younger man back during my "reporting" days - I'd be using my old school contacts with desk editors and would be tearing out the floorboards and dry wall to investigate this nonsense. This is a legit news story. To learn small retailers like poster sellers - have been dealing with this crap forever is beyond the pale. Meanwhile, the lowly "spot consumer" is completely unaware of the dishonest / misleading practice of "taking money for insurance that's worthless." As I and others used to say, "Anything in Fine Print is NEVER Good News." Even Bruce H. used to tout the efficiency of UPS in relation to paying claims as a large customer - and I noticed this week that he's now qualifying those earlier recommendations on social media. Almost feels old USPS registered mail, which is slower - but what people still use to send $$$ slabbed comic books - must now be the "default" for domestic items - but is likely still useless for stuff sent overseas when the hand-off occurs to another carrier. And this is not going to be worth the trouble for one-sheets valued at $75-$200. Sorry to bring up eBay given their horrific sins harassing the Steiners - but what's it been like for dealers using its so-called all-inclusive "eBay International Delivery" or "Global Shipping Program" - whereby a "front of signage" presumption is made that eBay - (sort of like Amazon) - has taken overseas shipping "in house" - and is now responsible for point-to-point tracking and "insurance" coverage of all items sold on their platform? Rather than choosing "your own carrier" - there is now a voluntary option to let eBay handle overseas deliveries. I tried it a couple of times and I was surprised at how efficient it was for mid-range material. I sent some signed Broadway material to a buyer in Germany - and got real-time updates about progress. It was slower but still. It looks like eBay negotiated contracted rates with UPS, DHL, FedEx, etc. - to move those packages - even if those carriers end up sub-contracting to have Royal Mail or Deutsche Post / DHL, etc. or private people driving Ubers to deliver items the last few miles to a customer's home or office. -d. ________________________________ From: MoPo List <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> on behalf of Moviemem Original Movie Posters <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2023 1:46 PM To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Subject: Re: Postal Service handling issues Hi Caitlin It does seem that they all have that get out clause but leave it to the sender to read the fine print. However, it doesn’t seem right that they still accept your money for insurance when it is likely that it won’t be covered. As to the customs charges (GST etc) I have been told that they would not be refunded in Australia if the package was damaged. I think you are right in saying that the only way to be sure of safe delivery of a high end package is to hand carry it yourself!! Regards John From: Caitlin Graham <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Sent: 30 March, 2023 7:09 PM To: Moviemem Original Movie Posters <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Cc: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Subject: Re: [MOPO] Postal Service handling issues Hi John, I had an expensive poster go missing (I suspect stolen) in Fedex Memphis warehouse last Christmas when shipping UK-US. I had paid the Fedex insurance but subsequently discovered, like Helmut says, that their terms and conditions have a get-out-clause on anything 'unique' which includes all collectable items and even watches, jewellery, cellphones. So I had to claim on my own business insurance. All couriers seem to have a similar get-out clause so I don't even bother insuring shipments with the carrier any more and rely on my own transit insurance. Both me and the buyer were devastated as it was such a rare poster. If a poster arrived damaged, the buyer would simply need to return it to you and provide proof of the return export to obtain the import refund. Obviously that wouldn't work if they held on to the damaged poster - in which case they are not entitled to an import refund. There is definitely a big risk - I just avoid slipping into the USPS at all costs. I think if there was something extremely valuable and irreplaceable I would hand carry it myself! Best, Caitlin On Thu, 30 Mar 2023 at 09:30, Moviemem Original Movie Posters <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Hi Helmut I paid around $400.00 for insurance but I do agree that I might have wasted my money. I also get a lot of packages delivered from the US and UK and always have to pay the customs charges before the package even arrives in the country. I would say that there would be little to no chance of getting the customs charges refunded if the package arrived damaged. Bottom line is that there is a huge risk in sending high end posters internationally. It doesn’t matter how much you try to anticipate issues, sellers will always be at the mercy of the postal services. Regards John -----Original Message----- From: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Sent: 30 March, 2023 6:06 PM To: Moviemem Original Movie Posters <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>; [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Subject: Aw: [MOPO] Postal Service handling issues John, when shipping from Germany, there is no way to insure any collectibles beyond a value of €500 with any of the carriers. UPS in the US used to insure collectibles, but I don‘t know if they still do. For all I know, the Postal Services around the world do not. Chances are that you wasted the money on the insurance, as they would have never paid out anyway. In fact, if the value is over €500, you won‘t even get that amount, they simply pay nothing. UPS Germany makes this pretty clear in their Terms of Service. They also explicitly state out that they are under no obligation to tell you about this when they take your insurance money. All you could do is to get your own insurance policy, which is very costly. There are no custom duties on posters, only Import-VAT. As a business seller, it is easily refundable for me. For private buyers, I guess they have to prove that a shipment was returned and then file for a refund with customs. I never heard of anybody actually doing that. Helmut > Gesendet: Donnerstag, den 30.03.2023 um 01:09 Uhr > Von: "Moviemem Original Movie Posters" > <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> > An: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> > Betreff: [MOPO] Postal Service handling issues > > Hi to you all > There have been lots of comments on Social Media about an increase in damaged > packages, no matter how well they are packed. > > I recently sold some high end posters to a collector in Europe. Thankfully it > all went very smoothly. > > However, much as I tried to anticipate any potential issues there was always > some risk involved: > > 1. The package was fully insured but there is some fine print about what > is and what is not covered. > 2. The buyer paid with Paypal. If the package was damaged in transit and > the buyer had to be refunded, Paypal do not refund their fee which was > significant. > 3. The buyer had to pay customs charges BEFORE the package even landed in > the country. > 4. If the package arrived damaged, the buyer would quite rightly expect > customs charges to be refunded but how would that work? I would imagine that > there would be a lot of red tape in getting a refund. > 5. I think some buyers would expect the seller to cover all costs > immediately in the event of damage. > > Fortunately, I didn't have any problems but just curious as to whether > everyone here takes into consideration all of the risks that are involved in > International Shipping of high end items. > > Regards > John ________________________________ To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1 Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
