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Fed Ex Shipping

berklee46

berklee46

Supporting Member
Dec 19, 2000
1,287
1,479
MA
#1
Has anyone ever come across a problem with their declared value when shipping via Fed Ex? The way I now understand it, many guitars/basses cannot be declared for, or covered by Fed Ex for over $100/$500.

I'd sent many high-end basses with no problems, but had this pointed out to me by a Fed Ex employee one day:

The declared value of any package represents our maximum liability in connection with a shipment of that package, including, but not limited to, any loss, damage, delay, misdelivery, nondelivery, misinformation, any failure to provide information, or misdelivery of information relating to the shipment. It is the shipper's responsibility to prove actual damages. Exposure to and risk of any loss in excess of the declared value is assumed by the shipper. You may transfer this risk to an insurance carrier of your choice through the purchase of an insurance policy. Contact an insurance agent or broker if you desire insurance coverage. WE DO NOT PROVIDE INSURANCE COVERAGE OF ANY KIND.

FEDEX GROUND WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES IN EXCESS OF THE DECLARED VALUE OF A SHIPMENT...

Fed Ex Ground:
Packages containing all or part of the following items are limited to a maximum declared value of $100:
Guitars and other musical instruments that are more than 20 years old, and customized or personalized musical instruments

Fed Ex Express:
Packages containing all or part of the following items are limited to a maximum declared value of $500:
Guitars and other musical instruments that are more than 20 years old, and customized or personalized musical instruments

So, unless I'm reading this incorrectly, if I ship a 1963 Fender Jazz bass and it's damaged, Fed Ex will not pay a claim for over $100 or $500 depending on whether I used Ground or Air?
I can buy my own insurance for the bass, but would have to arrange that on my own and not through Fed Ex.

I know Fed Ex is used quite a bit with guys here, so maybe you know some clause that supercedes what the above says?

(Here is the full text of what I posted above:
Invalid Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed )
 
#2
It is confusing to say the least. I recently shipped a bass with them via their website and input a declared value of $5300, which it accepted, but I did see those same issues mentioned. I brought the item to Kinkos and they said it was insured for the full amount. Luckily it arrived fine so I did not have to test the theory.
 
#4
My recent experience with fed was ;


I was not able to buy insurance but, I was able to claim a declared value of ,in my case, $800.00. I was told that if something happened to it I would have to be able to prove it's worth . So as not shipping an SX jazz and claiming $800.00 when it ends up damaged. I was told as long as I could prove it's worth it was covered. Sounds like I got bad information.

My problem with this is , I handed over a box that they never looked in , it could of had plywood in it as far as anyone knew.
How would I prove this? I felt uncomfortable to say the least.I did ship it and all was OK but, I feel FED EX is to vague on their rules and I can see someone getting burned.

They may be cheaper but I am hesitant to use them in the future . Anyone know the big brown truck rules? At least they sell insurance and so does USPS.


I tried searching ups to find any exclusions and couldn't . They do have thousands of documents to read but I couldn't come up with anything by searching. doesn't mean they do or don't have exclusions but , I couldn't find any.
 
#5
Jim Carr said:
How does Sadowsky do it? My bass came from them via Fed-Ex express (I think). It is worth well over $500.

I need to ship a bass of considerable value, soon. I guess I had better be sure it is on my insurance.
Click to expand...

Maybe Sadowsky does actually cover it or , as a commercial customer maybe they are excluded or have enhanced decalred value limits
 
#7
Sure there are. I believe Roger is in his fifties, and he has been in New York since the early 70's, and I vividly recall Will Lee using Sadowskys on the Letterman show since 84 or 85 at least.
 
#8
You must PAY for insurance if the item is valued over $100. FedEx declares anything over $500 to be "high value", and only ships 2-day or overnight on said items. We ship about 150 packages a day from our office FedEx, but aboue 3 times the amount UPS. It is much easier to recooperate money from UPS for lost packages, and the service is better in general.


Anyways, down to the nitty gritty -- if you don't pay to insure something for over 100 bucks -- when they lose it, you'll only get a hundred bucks back. We pay about $.80 per 100 dollars of insurance through UPS.
 
#9
The best thing to do is to have an ALL-RISK rider on your homeowners insurance policy or seperate coverage on your instruments. I can leave my '62 pbass in a cab anywhere on the planet and it would be covered. I pay about 6.00 per $100 in value, but that is what peace of mind costs these days. I also suggest that you update your appraisals every two years.

GM
 
#10
Yell03SpecV said:
You must PAY for insurance if the item is valued over $100. FedEx declares anything over $500 to be "high value", and only ships 2-day or overnight on said items. We ship about 150 packages a day from our office FedEx, but aboue 3 times the amount UPS. It is much easier to recooperate money from UPS for lost packages, and the service is better in general.


Anyways, down to the nitty gritty -- if you don't pay to insure something for over 100 bucks -- when they lose it, you'll only get a hundred bucks back. We pay about $.80 per 100 dollars of insurance through UPS.
Click to expand...

I'm confused, are you saying you have to pay for insurance thru fed ex or UPS . Or to get higher claim limits thru fed ex you have to upgrade the shipping method?


Fed ex told me they do not offer insurance in any , way , shape or form , only declared value which has limits.

UPS offers insurance and I buy it every time I ship valuables.
 
#11
Yell03SpecV said:
Anyways, down to the nitty gritty -- if you don't pay to insure something for over 100 bucks -- when they lose it, you'll only get a hundred bucks back. We pay about $.80 per 100 dollars of insurance through UPS.
Click to expand...


I'm not being argumentive, but the Fed Ex policy says that not only will they not sell insurance, a guitar (20 years old, or customized or personalized) will not be allowed to be declared for over $100 Ground/$500 Express. So where does the insurance come from?

It's not likely that someone is going to run out and buy an insurance policy or put it on their homeowner's policy to cover shipping after they sell a bass on eBay that happens to fit into one of the categories listed above...
 
#12
Indiana Mike said:
I'm confused, are you saying you have to pay for insurance thru fed ex or UPS . Or to get higher claim limits thru fed ex you have to upgrade the shipping method?


Fed ex told me they do not offer insurance in any , way , shape or form , only declared value which has limits.

UPS offers insurance and I buy it every time I ship valuables.
Click to expand...
I think it's partially a matter of semantics. FedEX and UPS do not technically offer "insurance" - you state a declared value and then you can submit a claim if it is lost or damaged. I'm guessing there are some legal differences between paying a customer for a declared value claim, and calling it insurance.

I think we typically call it insurance, or we say we are insuring the shipment but technically it's not "insurance"
 
#13
todd 4ta said:
I think it's partially a matter of semantics. FedEX and UPS do not technically offer "insurance" - you state a declared value and then you can submit a claim if it is lost or damaged. I'm guessing there are some legal differences between paying a customer for a declared value claim, and calling it insurance.
Click to expand...


Correct. If something is lost or damaged, you may submit a claim to recover the amount the item was "insured" for. They still use the term insurance -- on the screen, the field is clearly marked "Insured Value". Their wording is just confusing you.
 
#14
Has something changed? When I have shipped high dollar basses I have paid extra for insurance. Both from UPS and Fed Ex.

If I go to the Fed Ex site to get a quote, I find that the quote changes per the declared value. The itemized charges indicate declared value charge increases proporitionally.

Dave
 
#15
DavePlaysBass said:
Has something changed? When I have shipped high dollar basses I have paid extra for insurance. Both from UPS and Fed Ex.

If I go to the Fed Ex site to get a quote, I find that the quote changes per the declared value. The itemized charges indicate declared value charge increases proporitionally.

Dave
Click to expand...
I think the change is in the text of which musical instruments are excempt from being covered. It used to be very vague, not it's a little more specific.
 

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