5 times, you should not ensure your USPS packages

Here's how to execute a fast-rate cost analysis, explains an expert in shipping.


Whenever you send items via the United States Postal Service (USPS), you can ensure your package or add additional protective services. However, it may be difficult to know when it is logical to bring out additional expenses and the moment when your package is probably safe without additional protection. This is why we talked to Robert Khachatryan , CEO and founder of Freight Right Global Logistics , based in southern California. He shared five scenarios in which the addition of USPS insurance is not worth the cost, on the basis of an analysis of data on insurance complaints and risk assessment models.

"In cases where potential loss does not financially justify the cost of insurance, or when the probability of a necessary complaint is statistically low, insurance through the USPS may not be the approach More profitable, "he explains.

Wondering when you should skip insurance and keep this money in your pocket? These are the five main times that you should not bother to add insurance coverage via USPS.

In relation: 6 mailbox tips to protect your packages and letters .

You send a low value item.

Man's hands sorting through padded envelopes
Chizhevskaya Ekaterina

When you send a high -value item via USPS, the insurance cost worth your peace of mind. For example, sending a package worth $ 500 and $ 600 will only cost $ 12.15 to insure. For items of up to $ 5,000 in value, add $ 1.85 in insurance costs for each $ 100 of additional value of more than $ 600. If an expensive article disappears, it is a small price to pay. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

However, Khachatryan says that it is not necessary to buy insurance for low -value items. "For shipments whose value is less than the amount of standard USPS insurance coverage, additional insurance is often an unnecessary cost," said the director of maritime transport. This means that anything that is less than $ 50 can reasonably be sent without insurance.

In relation: 9 home delivery advice to ensure the safety of your packages .

The shipping route is very reliable.

USPS truck parked in front of house
Dropout

If you regularly send items - for example for an online company - you may be able to determine whether the insurance is necessary depending on the reliability of the shipping route. Although the USPS does not provide this information, you can collect your own data on where the packages tend to disappear or be damaged. "On the roads with success rates of historic delivery above 99%, the additional insurance premium may not justify the already low risk," explains Khachatryan.

You can also put a sketch the delivery time for priority mail using this USPS delivery card . The more time your article will spend time in transit, the more opportunities to get lost or damaged.

The carrier already offers coverage.

Close-up of US Postal Service (USPS) Boxes and Express Mail Envelope stacked together
istock

There are inclusive distribution plans in which USPS provides additional insurance or services such as signature when delivery, free of charge. "If the carrier already provides basic coverage which is equivalent or exceeds the value of the article, additional insurance becomes redundant," notes Khachatryan.

The advantage of the USPS soil, the selection of parcels and priority mail are all examples of distribution plans which do not require additional insurance for this reason.

Your items are at low risk of damage.

Above table top view of package being prepared for delivery
istock

Another time, you can ignore the addition of USPS insurance, it is when the item is at low risk of being damaged. For example, if you have a t-shirt company and you generally send your shirts in air difficulties, the chances are in your favor that your packages arrive unscathed to their final destination.

"Articles that are not fragile or at high risk and which have an impact rate of damage less than 0.5% may not require additional coverage," explains the expert in navigation.

There are prohibitive cost premiums.

United States Post Office building
istock

Khachatryan says that the last way to decide to add USPS insurance is to compare the insurance premium with the value of the article.

"When the insurance premium exceeds 10% of the value of the article, especially for low-margin products, it can be more logical for self-assurance," he said. This means reserving a certain sum of money to cover unexpected package losses yourself, rather than protecting the value of an individual package.

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