I've read other guides by people about postal insurance and how it is suppose to work such as they will not pay claims if item was improperly packaged. Which in itself is true. But guess what people they won't pay for most items even if it was properly packaged or for most items if they lose it as they claim they will. How is this you ask? Well first off the Post Office will insure any package for any amount just about with no questions asked. The problem is when you attempt to file a claim. What the Post Office doesn't tell you is it only insures for the actual proven value of the item, which is not necessarily the price paid for it. How an items value is proven is by a recent written appraisal of the item prior to shipping by a reputable dealer of such items like jewelery appraised by a reputable jeweler or coins and stamp collections appraised by a certified dealer of such items or art by a reputable art dealer. Brand new items insured may go by the manufacturer's suggested retail price but still you have to have proof that it belonged to the seller to begin with such has a receipt or wholesale invoice. So what does this mean in the long run? That most items bought and sold on ebay are not insurable or at least no claim will ever be paid on them if they are damaged or lost no matter how well packed or not. So unless the item you are buying is really expensive and can be legally appraised and is in writing to a value more or less than what you paid then postal insurance is a waste of time and money. So what's the good news? The good news is as far as the item being lost in the mail this actually rarely occurrs. Considering the volume of mail the Post Office handles daily it has a phoenamenal record and if the seller adds a delivery confirmation for $ .75 items can be tracked and actual helps in locating if they do become lost. As far as damaged I tend to agree with another writer that it is up to the seller to pack the item well especially if its a fragile item. Generally bubble wrap and lot of packing peanuts are suffcient for most items some others might take a little care. How do you tell if the seller is going to pack right? A Couple of ways is to check the Sellers feedbacks especially those items that might be considered fragile and see how other buyers liked the service. Communicate with the seller ask how he plans on packing the item or offer suggestions on how you would like it packaged. If what you request is reasonable the seller should have no problems. If you want added protection beyond normal packaging then you may have to pay a little more handling fee so seller will comply. The key here is good communication and understanding between buyer and seller and the reputation of each cause in the long run that's all either of you will have as the postal insurance is all but worthless.