Let this be a lesson to everyone in this community. I recently sold a full 75 card modern Scapeshift deck here on DB for $600. I shipped the deck via USPS first class package in an cushion mailer that I purchased at the post office. The package arrived at it's destination completely torn open (including the pull tab having been pulled) and the deck missing.

I hadn't purchased insurance.

The fact that I used a mailer that they say is good enough doesn't matter. The fact that I can prove the deck was in the mailer, the purchase price of the deck, and that the deck wasn't delivered doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that I didn't purchase insurance. There's still a tiny chance that I could get reimbursed for my lost deck, but I'm not holding my breath.


[u]Result[/u]: I refunded the buyer and now I'm out the value of my entire deck.

[u]Take away[/u]: USPS doesn't take responsibility for the stuff they break unless you buy insurance for it.

[u]Lesson[/u]: Buy insurance for expensive stuff. It would have cost me $8.


Side note: Sending a PWE with an extra 21c stamp to make it non-machinable does NOT mean it will be hand sorted. From the mouth of the manager of my local PO "There is not a single operation in the Post Office any more that is dealt with mail by hand." So non-machinable items are still "machined," just in a different, slightly more gentle machine than regular envelopes.

We also wrote this at point number 6 of our How to ship cards page:

http://deckbox.org/help/how_to_send_cards

You should add that in order to be awarded an insurance claim by USPS you will need the original receipt for the purchase of the insurance. Simply purchasing it isn't enough.