Yes, I insure rifles for $100. more than I sold it for. If you file a claim on an item, they do not reimburse you for the insurance cost or the shipping cost, just $ for the replacement cost of the item.
Also I don't ship rifles with USPS cause the shipping insurance is too high. It normally cost about ? $55. - $65- to ship & insure a longrifle with UPS, depending on where it goes, and if in one box or two. Most buy my accessory kit & that is a 2nd box cost. Now if you ship from a shipping Store... it may cost more because the store is going to add in their charge for store markup.
I have had several things lost by USPS & they could not track them even tho I paid for the tracking.
One was a barrel I sent to PA. It made it to the Post Office in PA and they lost it from there. Took me 60 days to get my money back. By then the cost of the barrel had went up & I never compensated for that. (but that was my fault) Also they didn't reimburse me the shipping cost or the insurance cost, just the cost I insured it for. (my fault again for not compensating for those fees)
#2 was a book I sent to New Zealand. They sold me the tracking so I can track it. Then after it is gone for 3 weeks they tell me they cannot track things after they leave USA. Well, what good is the tracking then if they cannot track it ? 60 days later it still has not arrived, now they say they can track it to the coast & that is it... so they said.
Turns out it went to the coast & to a PO there & sat there....... then was returned to me 65 days later. Reason ? Wrong customs form. 3 part form & should have been 5 part form. Yet I filled out exactly what THEY told me to fill out. Also, the 3 parts is a Duplicate of the 5 part document, just 2 sheets less. Nobody in the postal service can run a copy machine apparently.... so it comes back for the new form 65 days later so I can make out a new form.
Plus all of this time, nobody can track it IN the USA as it never left here. AND.... they will not reimburse the initial shipping cost, I have to pay it all again just to get it NZ.
So this time I Air Freight it there & it cost more, and air freight to there took 10 days.. Slow plain I guess. Yet from NZ to here on regular service is less than 7 days..... go figure....
And Money Order issues are a whole dif story I won't get into as it is not relative to this post.
Personally, I prefer to use UPS to ship them. I have shipped thousands of items with them in the past 20 years I have owned this business. They have lost 2 items in those 20 years & damaged 3 incoming items. Of the 3 items damaged, two were improperly packed with no packing in them. The 3rd item was damaged from improper handling & UPS's fault. But all in all, I have had wonderful success shipping with them.
But....... I pack the livin H out of them, double box allot of things, use a tape dispenser with mylon in the tape, rifles in wooden crates packed in foam, I use packing paper, not newspaper, etc. I go to ALL ENDS to protect the product. My UPS guys say nobody packs things like I do.... Yes it is a Overkill.... but it works.... Nothing upsets a customer more than to get a damaged item. End result is YOU still have to furnish them a new item, whether you get paid for it of not. Yes it cost more & Yes it is more trouble to Overpack it... But it is worth it.
I want the good there Safe, Sound, and as described.... The customer may never appreciate what you may o thru to accomplish that. But they dang sure WILL remember it if it arrives damaged & they don't forget it either !!
End result..... A happy customer tells a few people. A disgruntled customer tells EVERYONE !!
Some like UPS, some like USPS, some like Fed-X. You have to decide who is best for You. Only FED-X I would use is the FED-X Air. The ground service is the old RPS guys here & they can't ship anything anywhere correctly (IMHO)
Keith Lisle
PS: No, Paul V. did not write this foe me.... :rotf: :rotf:
