Just a heads up if it’s not known already, as of November 1st 2021 FedEx does not offer insurance on shipments. I was sending out a piece of gear today and was told that I would have to obtain 3rd party insurance if I wanted my shipment covered for lost/damage. Does anyone have recommendations on who to insure gear with??
FedEx has apparently changed. Between 1995 to 2005 I shipped 200k of stereo products between amps, preamps, speakers and everything else with FedEx. Over 200 packages. Not 1 was delivered with any issue.
Between 2010 until present I’ve shipped 75 delicate archtop jazz guitars, each in their hard guitar case, and not one of them arrived damaged. Apparently FedEx is having issues, but how do you establish the fact that with 275 large and some very heavy packages not once was there a delivery issue?
Color me lucky. Now I very rarely ship anything as my resale days are over. But it was good while it lasted.
Everything changes. Remember when Audiogon was fast and furious with trading and a single web page which continually updated? That was 1996. Change, life’s constant.
jl1ny - Thanks for the false alarm! Both FedEx and UPS have package items for me and done an excellent job. I prefer FedEx for my stuff, been using both for 20 years.
Rega P8 table shipped FedEx(communicated) from Portland, Oregon up I-5 just 165 miles to Seattle business. 7 FRIGGIN' DAYS!!!!!!! Nobody at FedEx could even find it as it sat in Auburn, WA for 5 days. Full stenosis. The worst. Package was thankfully unharmed. That stereo store has now abandoned all business with FedEx. Hope FedEx stock falls out of bed.
I sent a package from Boise, ID to Seattle and 6 days later it ended up on MY doorstep. Well, that's pretty good time. In the medical field we refer to this as "suffering from full cranial rectal inversion". Hey, FedEx, return to your roots of service instead of delaying, losing and/or damaging things that do not belong to you. Troglodytes!!
I suggest that caution be exercised and care taken to insure that commitments being made by Fedex and paid for by the shipper will likely hold up in small claims court. Recently, I had abad experience with Fedex. I shipped a pair of stand mounted speakers by Monitor Audio as well as the Monitor Audio stands in late April. Because I didn't have the original boxes, Fedex associate packed them in their boxes. I valued the shipment at $1600. When they arrived the buyer emailed me to express his disappointment and included 14 pics of the damaged stands and speakers. I immediately filed a claim with Fedex that was denied by the manager after the Fedex investigator assigned to the case recommended that I be paid for the damages. I file a small claim law suit in Forysth county Georgia. Two weeks after the claim was file I received an email from one of their attorneys with an offer. I settled with Fedex paying for the speakers, cost of shipment which was $357.00 and the court filing fee. When I declared a value for the speakers I thought insurance was being included in the shipment cost only to find out afterward that it wasn't. Know what you are insuring with Fedex and be certain it covers lost/damage.
carlsbad it is important to get the facts before you open your mouth or you may look like a-well you know. Here are facts. We ship an average of 10 packages a week, taking into consideration only the last 30 years (and we have been doing it longer than that) and having filed 29 damage claims that comes out to a damage percentage of less than 0.2% How many pieces a year do you ship? How many pieces over 70lbs? What is your damage percentage?
One thing to consider is that UPS employees are paid a livable wage with a retirement and medical benefits package. Fedex on the other hand does not compensate their employees nearly the same.
As long as it's insured, I'd personally support the growth of middle class workers than the proceeds and revenue that fedex receives going to where?
As long as it's not DHL, it's OK with me - I use both FedEx and UPS and have had no problems with either. I didn't think that 'no insurance' thing sounded right - I'm glad the OP cleared that up.
It does not matter if it is FedEx or UPS they both have a proven track record for destroying audio equipment and not paying damage claims. We have filled 29 damage claims and have only gotten paid for 3 without going to court. All 3 of those claims were under $300.00. We pack our stuff like it is going to get droped out of a plane and it still gets damaged. We take pictures of the packing process and we still get denied claims. Most people do not get paid damage claims even when they go to court because they do not pack accourding to the shippers guidlines. If you can't pack acourding to the guidlines don't even bother buying insurance, you will NOT win in court. We have gotten to the point where if it is valuable and or over 50 pounds we build a wooden crate for it and strap it to a pallet and send it commercial freight. Yes it is more expensive to ship commercial and wooden crates are not cheap to buid either but that way the percentage of your equipment getting to it's destination undamage is much higher than ground. Another tip, the percentages of shipping damage increase around Christmas.
I had a pair of Harbeth speakers shipped via FedEx to Canada. They left perfect including the original factory boxes and arrived looking like one had been dropped on a corner, irreparably damaged. FedEx initially denied the claim, but a quick look at Bbb.org showed hundreds of complaints. So I filed a complaint and finally got a reimbursement. It was a four month nightmare. I don't yet have a sure fire 3rd party insurance, but am in the market. Also using UPS.
Up here in the North, flat rate is standard, but if you want to insure it for "value", you will definitely pay alot extra. Pretty much FedEx, UPS, DHL, Canada Post, etc, are quite equal in charges to the consumer. I have never had to claim for damages or loss, so no experience in that department.
So...if fed-x or ups does not pack the item themselves.. and it is damaged.. the result is... you get diddly squat for your so called declared value
money payola... What a racket!!!
I talk to the UPS and Fedex guys at my family business on regular basis. UPS drivers union, Fedex not, anything other than Fedex express are contract employees. Many companies we deal with ship via Fedex contract worker services (called Fedex HOME for consumers), we have great amount of packages delivered via this service on nearly daily basis. These contract workers need to hustle to make any money, none last more than a few months. UPS guy much less harried, he even gabs with me from time to time, still, even he sometimes bitches about his working conditions. USPS around me a disaster, they churn workers as much as Fedex. And Amazon, those guys just like Fedex contract workers. DHL seems most stable to me, have some items waiting for right at the moment. We'll see how it goes.
Shipping, logistics a mess right now, just in time business model not looking so good right now. I don't know for sure, but we may be transitioning into demand world vs. supply world. Workforce participation rates in demand countries at all time low levels (exception of depression), baby boomers retiring with wealth to spend, younger generations both too small and particular about jobs to service us old fogies. And don't think this is going to change anytime soon, USA will be demand country for the forseeable future. We've not been supply country for some time, and it appears we are transitioning into short supply for service workers.
Because UPS is owned by the managers who run the company, bonuses are in Class A UPS shares. Shares traded are Class B. Price is the same, but there is a 10 to 1 difference in voting rights.
For my shipment the buyer took pictures of the damaged item on arrival showing all the manufacturer's internal packaging in several pieces and the damage done to the item. He shipped it back to me and I refunded him in full. Fortunately I had pictures of my own prior to shipment. I surmised that my package had not been secured properly in transit and had probably hit the internal bulkhead of the van when the driver experimented with his emergency br(e)aking procedure. Courier firms have a duty of care, so threatening court action usually does the trick - it did in my case !!
USPS insurance is a joke. If you submit a claim, they basically require you to submit the item to them for review. Then they wait weeks and weeks and weeks until you lose patience and just demand your damaged item back. Others - let me know if you have experienced differently from USPS.
Fedex has gone way down in my estimation lately. I recently bought a Focal Utopia headphone (used, but still ridiculously expensive). THAT was the package they decided to lose for me. Signed-for by somebody who was not me, and delivered to my address...they claimed. At least they managed to retrieve it the next day and get it to me. But it almost gave me a stroke, I was so pissed-off.
UPS recently lost a Furman 15 PSI I bought used. Reported it was at a UPS store for pickup. Went there 3 times and called 3 more. Girl kept saying she was sure she had seen it but could never find it. It's a small facility. They refunded shipper.
Shipped some papers priority USPS mail to a buddy in St. Louis. Got to the main facility there in 2 days then sat 2 weeks before it was delivered.
@feldmen4, your issue is not exclusive to FedEx. I've had some wild tracking adventures with UPS and USPS. USPS being the worst at knowing where in the country your package may be.
I also take a pic of my packed items. FedEx and UPS use "declared value" as stated above. If there's damage or loss, you file a claim with documentation of value, that's easy because there's a bill of sale or PayPal receipt.
Next, from what I've heard and read, is a long, nightmarish process of trying to get the shipping company to pay you.
My PS Audio PowerPlant 15 is currently bouncing around the FedEx system (warranty work - another string). Was supposed to be delivered yesterday (Sunday) but went about 3 hours too far south. After sitting there for a day it’s now 3 hours west of its intended destination. FedEx rescheduled delivery for tomorrow (Tuesday) but my money’s on Thursday.
Sounds like we're not sure if anything changed at FedEx in regards to insurance. However, things don't look good for FedEx. Excerpt from Bloomberg last week -
The job crunch has managed to reveal some interesting things about how companies in America work—or don’t. Take Dave Helminski, a driver for United Parcel Service. Next year, he’ll retire after a four decade-career at the company with pension income equal to the $100,000 he makes right now. His employer has been flush of late, with more money tumbling in despite pandemic disruptions. But over at FedEx, the story is less cheery. The shipper has racked up $450 million in extra costs thanks to labor shortages. And while UPS easily beat earnings expectations and predicts even bigger margins, FedEx has signaled that its profits will keep falling. So what’s behind the divergent fortunes of these two U.S. delivery rivals?
Ok, just off the phone with FedEx…apparently the genius who I was dealing with was stuck on stupid. The “declared value” policy remains the same up to $50K. The 1st $100 is covered by FedEx, anything over 100 is an additional $1.15 per $100 I apologize for the false alarm.
I think the quality of service between UPS and FEDEx varies by location. I hate FEDEx in my area, while UPS is outstanding. FEDEx even at the national level has a very bad software tracking system compared to UPS.
Not sure you know what you are talking about OP I shipped 18 packages FedEx all of them insured. So whoever told you that if full of crap. Looking at my invoice now.
The last piece I shipped was in factory packaging but when the customer recieved it, the volume pot would stick between 10-2. Very frustrating. The customer chose fed ex because he had account and it was a little cheaper than my UPS quote. So, thanks for informing. I hope UPS does not follow suit.
FedEx is a train wreck, here. When packages sit in one place for a week or more, insuring them is likely problematic. Then again, so is raising your rates when it takes 2 weeks to ship a package 1000 miles.
I went to FedEx to ship a piece of gear today with $1500 insurance. They told me that as of Nov 1st they no longer insure items. Each package is covered by $100 loss/damage that’s it. If I wanted the $1500 I’d have to obtain the insurance from a 3rd party before it’s shipped.
Ok, didn't see your clarification prior to my first post. Ok, whats new, we always pay for insurance above some value. can't recall prior value, if this is new maximum for no extra charge.
Some clarification: “What Changed In FedEx Insurance Rates In 2021 | FedEx offers insurance cover for parcels that are worth $100. If the value of the parcel is worth more than $100, you will have to declare its value and pay for additional coverage before FedEx ships it.”
Another wrench added to making sure you get your order delivered safe....they deliver and handle the package Free insurance, just prove what's in the package....
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