Domestic shipments sent via the Express Mail service continue to receive $100.00 of free coverage from the USPS. This change is only for International Express Mail shipments.

The complete updated USPS price list with coverage matrix is available here: http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm

As is becoming a yearly tradition, FedEx and UPS have raised their rates for declared value protection effective December 31st, 2010 and January 7th, 2013, respectively. Their shipping rates and other auxiliary services are increasing, as well.

An even bigger hit is seen to their minimum charges for declared value coverage  The minimum charges will increase from $2.40 to $2.55. If you want coverage from FedEx or UPS for a shipment valued at $150.00, they will charge you $2.55 to cover it!

Here is a list of all the rate changes in the past 9 years:

*Rate for $100.00 of coverage, per package.

If you have thought about shipping insurance with a private insurance company like Shipsurance, now is the time to take another look.

Our pricing has not changed with the carrier increases. In fact, we have lowered our pricing over the years.

Why Shipsurance?:

• Low coverage rates.
• Broader coverage. You do not have to keep track of what FedEx, UPS, USPS, etc will or will not cover.
• Rapid, FAIR, and paperless claims process.
• Insurance integrated with most major shipping systems.
• Friendly customer service. If you have a claim, you will be dealing with one Representative not passed around to restate the issue.

As expected, UPS followed up the announcement from FedEx and has announced their 2013 rate changes. The changes will take place on December 31, 2012, as opposed to the FedEx start date of January 7th, 2013.

Since we offer shipping insurance coverage, we always focus on the declared value fees.  The declared value fees have been raised for the 8th year in a row; a 243% increase over their 2004 rates.:

Other UPS Rate Changes for 2013:

• An average net increase of 4.5 percent on all UPS Air and U.S. origin international services.
• An average net increase of 4.9 percent on all UPS Ground services.
• The charges for Delivery Confirmation Signature Required and Delivery Confirmation Adult Signature Required will increase $0.25.
• The Residential Surcharge for U.S. Ground Services will increase $0.25. The Residential Surcharge for U.S. Air Services will increase $0.20.

For a complete list of rate changes, visit: http://www.rates.ups.com/

When sellers ship their merchandise, Ruby Lane requires that all shipments be insured unless declined by the buyer using the Decline Insurance option during the Checkout process (http://kb.rubylane.com/question.php?ID=339).

Shipsurance offers full, all risk shipping insurance coverage to Ruby Lane sellers at great discounts to the shipping carriers. Click here for more details or visit http://www.shipsurance.com/rubylane

If you only insure a few packages here and there, check out InsurePost 

If you MUST ship to Brazil we recommend sending your shipments via a service like FedEx, UPS, or DHL as the tracking systems they offer are better than First Class or Priority Mail.

Update: This may be a big reason for the problems. See here: http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/ab_028.htm.

Excerpt:

Observations 

1. First-Class Mail International items may not contain dutiable articles.
2. Import licenses are required for many kinds of goods and senders should ascertain from the addressee before mailing that the necessary documents are held.
3. Imports are allowed by mail, including mail order catalog shipments, up to a value of U.S. $500 (U.S. $1000 for computer software) without the requirement of an import license provided the item is not for resale. Shipments valued at no more than U.S. $50 are duty free and are delivered to the addressee; shipments above U.S. $50 can be picked up at the post office upon payment of import duties. Imports that are prohibited or subject to special regulations must comply with applicable Brazilian government provisions. Identical shipments from the same source to the same person or address in Brazil within a 90 day period are considered part of the same shipment and may be subject to confiscation. Other merchandise that usually enters duty free includes items such as newspapers, maps, books, and magazines.

 

So, First Class shipments are not allowed if they are dutiable.

UPDATE: 3 months later and eBay has chimed in - http://announcements.ebay.com/2012/06/longer-delivery-times-for-imports-entering-brazil/. Also read about Operation “Red Tide”.

In order to further clarify what we do and how we can help you or your company, here is a nice video to sum up our offerings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saAGLEMbikc

We are often asked why 60 days from the shipment date?

Other shipping insurance providers request that documents are submitted by 60 days from the date on the shipping carrier liability check. It you wait that long, there might be problems completed the claim requirements.

To explain why, here is a scenario: Your business ships a widget to a customer and the widget is damaged in transit, 6 days after shipping it. You file a claim with FedEx and they send someone to “inspect” the package. The inspector arrives 10 days later and submits their findings. FedEx “loses the paperwork” internally and processes the claim for their $100.00 of free liability coverage in 70 days. Now, 76 days after shipping, you file a claim with the insurance company and they request an invoice, photos, and a repair estimate. However, unknown to you, the recipient has discarded the item and the packaging because 70 days have past and FedEx already sent someone to review the packaging and the damage. At this point, you cannot provide the supporting documents to the insurance company.

Since Shipsurance requests that a claim is filed immediately and completed earlier, there is a much better chance that the claim will be completed quicker. The recipient will be able to assist in providing whatever is needed to substantiate the loss as they are immediately made aware of what is needed.

The sooner a claim is filed and documentation requested, the smoother the process is. And trust us… it is a smooth process when everyone is informed and communication occurs quicker.

Once again following UPS, FedEx has announced their 2012 rate changes. The changes will take place on January 2, 2012; the same day that the new UPS rates take place. Below is a list of some of the changes

FedEx Rate Changes for 2012:

• Rates increased an average of 5.9%. The rate increase was partially offset by adjusting the fuel price at which the fuel surcharge begins, reducing the fuel surcharge by 2%.
• Minimum rates for FedEx Express services changed.
• SmartPost rates increased.
• Additional Handling Surcharge increased from $8 to $8.50.
• Delivery Area Surcharge - The surcharge for commercial and extended commercial shipments increased from $1.85 per package to $2 per package.
• FedEx Express and FedEx Ground services- The surcharge for residential shipments increased from $2.75 per package to $3 per package.
• FedEx Express and FedEx Ground services – The charge for Direct Signature Required increased from $3.25 per package to $3.50 per package

The rate change that Shipsurance can help offset is the  annual raise in Declared Value cost:

• Declared value fees for FedEx Express and FedEx Ground services – Increased from $0.75 to $0.80 per $100 of value. For U.S. package services, the charges apply to shipments valued in excess of $100, and the minimum charge increased from $2.25 to $2.40.

Once again, the surcharges take a big hit, especially their declared value fees. Charges will increase from $0.75 to $0.80 per $100 of value. U.S. package services charges will apply to shipments valued in excess of $100, and the minimum charge will increase from $2.25 to $2.40

• Declared Value will increase $0.05 per $100 to $0.80 per $100 of the value declared, with a minimum charge of $2.40.
• The On-Call Pickup Area Surcharge for extended residential addresses will increase $0.25.
• The charges for Delivery Confirmation Signature Required and Delivery Confirmation Adult Signature Required will increase $0.25.
• The Residential Surcharge for UPS Ground Services will increase $0.10

Once again, Shipsurance is not raising our shipping insurance for UPS shipments with the new year, so even more savings will be realized!

For a complete list of rate changes, visit: http://www.rates.ups.com/

Remember, Shipsurance offers complete coverage for your packages in transit and our coverage is real, regulated insurance for parcels and packages shipped domestically and worldwide.

We apologize for interrupting your holiday shipping!