I have heard debate on both sides of the argument.

• The item is purchased.
• The item is sent.
• The item either nver arrives or arrives broken. 
• The seller did or did not offer insurance. 
• The buyer did or did not accept the insurance if offered. 
• Seller says it was in good shape when it left his hands. Buyer says it arrived broken.

Enter into a dispute? 

Why?  Presuming the buyer is not a SCAMMER, and yes, I know they are out there, items do legitimately get lost in shipping or broken in transit.  This can NEVER be put on the shoulders of the customer.  They have paid for their item and I as the seller must get THEIR item to them.

Yes, to insure every item will add a healthy amount to already escalating shipping costs. And of course, the seller must recoup the cost of insuring the items, whether by selling the items for more, or for including the cost of insurance in the handling fee. 

Are there less costly options for insuring the items sold?

Some sellers use the Auctiva option to offer their customers insurance at better rates than offered through USPS.  Their customers pay $1.30 for up to $100 of coverage.  Auctiva charges the seller $1.05 for the insurance.  The seller gains a quarter for each item insured through this offering.

However, if you choose not to use Auctiva, and even if you do, you can offer insurance to your customers at much better rates.  I’m not trying to sell another person’s product.  I have enough work cut out selling my own.  But I wanted to let sellers and buyers alike know there is a less expensive way to insure your packages.  I read about this in another blog a couple of months ago and decided it made sense.  When I found out it is the same insurer that Auctiva  sellers offer their customers (getting 25 cents for each customer who accepts the insurance) I decided to give it a try.  I have been pleased.  The cost is much better than through Auctiva and the coverage is extended to all types of shipping, even internationally.

U-PIC -- how does it work?

You have to submit an application and the representative will call you with a quote.  Mine was well worth it.  One thing I find amazing is that I can insure packages sent to me from other sellers.  So I can pay 65 cents to insure a $100 item, rather than pay the seller $2.60 to insure the same item.  Basically, I need to use $20.00 worth of insurance per month to maintain my account.  If using USPS insurance, that would entail insuring about 15 $50.00 packages.  I can insure 30 $100 packages for the same amount with U-PIC.  Sellers, if you ship 30 or more packages per month, I highly recommend this cost saving, peace of mind solution.

If you are interested, do a Google search for U-PIC.  The first link that shows up will be the link to the site..  In the end, sellers are responsible for getting the product to their customers in good condition.  Since I offer 100% satisfaction guarantee, I certainly want to reduce the number of points of failure.  Good luck!