Read this carefully boys, it's from UPS shipping regs, available online. UPS is not liable for more than $100 on any shipment REGARDLESS of whether Excess Valuation Insurance is purchased. It seems that when you purchase extra insurance it comes from a third party independant insurer.
" 17 537 EXCESS VALUE INSURANCE UPS’s maximum liability per domestic package or international shipment, regardless of the purchase of Excess Value Insurance for protection in excess of $100, shall not exceed the lesser of: (1) $100, (2) the lesser of the purchase price paid by the consignee (where the property involved has been sold to the consignee), the actual cost, or the replacement cost of the property at the time and place of loss or damage, or (3) the cost of repair of damaged property. If protection in excess of $100 is desired, insurance may be purchased from an independent insurer by showing a value in excess of $100 in the insured value field of the UPS shipping system used by the shipper. The insurance company’s premium charge for such Excess Value Insurance is available at each local UPS office. An insurance premium will be assessed for each additional $100 or fraction thereof of insured value specified in the UPS shipping system used in excess of $100 up to the Limits of Insurance, and the shipper will be automatically covered as an additional insured under a shipper’s interest insurance policy, provided the additional charge is paid by or on behalf of the shipper. Insurance is not provided for Prepaid Letters. The purchase of insurance is optional. The Excess Value Insurance policy covers a shipper for loss or damage to property tendered in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Tariff and the applicable UPS Service Guides from all risks of physical loss or damage from any cause, subject to the exclusions specified in the Excess Value Insurance policy (and as described herein), from the time of tender to UPS and continuously thereafter during the course of transportation by UPS between locations which UPS serves. UPS’s acceptance for carriage of a package for shipment bearing an insured value in excess of the applicable maximum insured value, or of any package that UPS does not accept for transportation or that shippers are prohibited from shipping, does not constitute a waiver of the terms of the Excess Value Insurance policy and no protection will be provided under the Excess Value Insurance policy for any such packages. The Excess Value Insurance does not provide any insurance protection for packages having an actual value of more than $50,000 even if a lesser amount is specified in the insured value field in the UPS shipping system used. The Excess Value Insurance policy does not cover or excludes coverage for: articles of unusual value (as defined in Item 460); Prepaid Letters; checks, phone cards, gift certificates, or gift cards; perishable commodities or commodities requiring protection from heat or cold; human remains, fetal remains, human body parts, or components thereof; loss or damage due to war risks (as set forth in the war risk exclusion clause in the Excess Value Insurance policy), nuclear damage, insects, moths, vermin, inherent vice (including, but not limited to, improper, inadequate, or unsafe packaging or wrapping that fails to meet UPS’s published standards related thereto set forth in this Tariff or elsewhere), deterioration, dampness of atmosphere, extreme of temperature, ordinary wear and tear, or that which occurred or arose prior to or after the course of transportation by UPS; loss of or damage to any article which shippers are prohibited from shipping, which UPS is not authorized to accept, which UPS states that it will not accept, or which UPS has a right to refuse; damages arising from UPS’s inability, failure or refusal to comply with a request to stop, return, or reroute shipment of a package after tender to UPS; and special, incidental, or consequential damages. Additionally, the insurance policy excludes and does not provide coverage for any damages related to providing, or the failure to provide, C.O.D. service, including but not limited to: failure to collect the C.O.D. amount; failure to collect the specified form of payment; collection of an instrument in the wrong amount; failure or delay in delivering the collected instrument to the shipper; or collection of forged, insufficient funds, or otherwise invalid instruments. The Excess Value Insurance policy provides that the insurer’s maximum liability is the lowest of: (1) the insured value indicated in the UPS shipping system used minus $100; (2) the lesser of the purchase price paid by the consignee (where the property involved has been sold to the consignee), the actual cost, or the replacement cost of the property insured at the time and place of loss or damage minus $100; (3) the cost of repair of damaged property minus $100; (4) $50,000 per package minus $100, except for (i) packages shipped via a UPS Drop Box, in which case the maximum liability is $500 per package minus $100, (ii) packages shipped as the result of a request for service made through the Internet by a shipper who has a UPS Internet shipping account only, in which case the maximum liability is $5000 minus $100, and (iii) packages returned via UPS Print Return Label, UPS Print and Mail Return Label, Electronic Return Label, or 1 UPS Pickup Attempt Return Services, in which case the maximum liability is $1,000 minus $100; (5) $500 for international jewelry (not including costume jewelry) shipments minus $100, or (6) $999 minus $100 per package when Shipper Release is selected.. For more information on the terms and conditions of this insurance, call UPS Capital Insurance Agency, Inc., at 1-877-242-7930 to obtain an Excess Value Insurance brochure or a copy of the insurance policy currently in effect, or write to UPS Capital Insurance Agency, Inc., 35 Glenlake Parkway, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30328. UPS’s maximum liability per domestic package or international shipment shall not exceed $100, regardless of the purchase of insurance for protection in excess of $100."
I used to think if UPS lost my gun I could sue them in small claims court for up to $3500 since they do business in almost every county. Not so. I'd have to go after the "third party" and who knows where that is.
I will never ship anything valuable by UPS again.
OTOH I always use the USPS, they have lost or damaged a couple of items and I had my money within a month.
