subject: Should I Insure My Shipment [print this page] The question of insurance with couriers is one that almost every customer has when they first start using a Denver courier service to move their goods for them. This is obviously a very legitimate concern. When another company has in their possession the fruits of your investments and labors, you want to make sure that nothing happens which is going to cause your company to lose money, and that means making sure that your shipment is adequately insured.
In almost every case though, this isn't going to require that you actually purchase insurance of your own to place on the courier shipment. In order to make sure though, there are some questions you are going to have to ask your courier directly about the insurance that they have in place. This is called courier insurance, and you want to know both what kinds of coverage that they have, and how much.
The kinds of courier insurance vary somewhat, but basically you want your courier company to tell you that their policy protects against as many different kinds of problems that might arise with a shipment as possible. A good courier policy should protect against damage to packages sustained both through vehicle accidents and weather or water damage, all of which are probably the most common types of damages to packages. They should also cover against theft and vandalism though, as these can also quickly cause loss.
The maximum amount that the courier has your packages insured for is something else that you really need to establish at the outset. A problem with this figure is the most common reason why people have to go and purchase additional insurance for their shipments. When you're shipping very valuable goods the courier company will often not have insurance which provides adequate coverage.
If you see that your goods are worth a much higher amount than the maximum amount that you would be able to claim through the courier's insurance policy should a loss occur, the first thing you should do is open a dialogue with them about their insurance options. Some courier companies have an agreement in place with their courier insurance provider that would allow them to sell you additional insurance to make sure that your goods are protected. In other cases, you may in fact be required to go abroad on your own and find an additional policy to insure your goods through.
by: Scott P Gallagher
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