Buy insurance for expensive stuff

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.

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

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

Lesson: 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.