We always tell people to pack their items to withstand the normal rigors of transit… at a minimum. This statement often gets passed over with the invariable “We know. Our company always packs well.”.  The problem is, when you plan to pack and ship an item via UPS, FedEx, or any other carrier, you must take into consideration the path that your package will be taking. It is easy to think about the big picture: [...]

Many Shipsurance customers forget that they must report their insured shipments in order to be covered unless they are on  a flat rate program. Every month, roughly five to ten times per month, we receive the following question: Question: Can I File a Claim on a Package I Did Not Insure With You? Answer: Unfortunately, no. If the shipment was not declared and reported for coverage with Shipsurance, it is not covered. Perhaps the shipment [...]

Our first article in the TLF series, we want to discuss a question that was recently asked by one of our mail & parcel center customers. The question will be paraphrased as it came in via telephone. Question: I have a customer that wants to ship a safe. We cannot open it, and they are not sure what is in it, but they want to insure it for $75,000.00 because there might be jewelry in [...]

Being in the shipping insurance business, we have become well versed in the questions that might be asked. We pretty much have an answer to everything, and if we don’t , we find it for you. We are here to answer your questions regarding packaging, shipping, coverage details, carrier requirements, and anything that has to do with shipping insurance and your business. However, sometimes we get some questions that make us do a double take. [...]

We understand the importance of great customer service. The need to satisfy your customers is often your number one priority. But when is bending over backwards a potential negative? If you are insuring your shipments with Shipsurance, or even with the carrier, do not have your customer ship damaged items back to you until a claim is complete. This can lead to further damage or potential loss in transit back to you. Here are a [...]

Did you know that FedEx and UPS are not required to get a signature to deliver a package unless you pay them to do so? This is a common misconception about the large courier services. Unless you request and pay for a signature service, all that your driver is required to do is deliver the package. By deliver, this can mean leave it at your front door, front gate, or other area deemed by the [...]

Track Your Packages This may seem rather obvious but make sure to track your shipments. If your package is due to arrive within 2 days and is late, make sure to contact the carriers. The faster you act the faster the carriers can react and find the parcel.

Double Boxing. More Than Strength Protection Most people double box items due to the increased stability and extra strength of additional packaging. This is the main reason for double boxing and saves thousands of packages every day from certain destruction. Another reason for double boxing that gets overlooked is to prevent the contents of packages from getting stolen by puncturing and taking the contents. If items such as jewelry and other small parts are placed [...]

Labeling Tips for Risk Management

Change the ship-to address to disguise the contents of your shipments.