chickenscratch 1,136 Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 My husband and I are watching the evening news. There was just a story about a lady who mailed a handmade quilt and paid extra insurance for $500 coverage. The quilt never arrived at the destination. A year and a half later the lady is still fighting with the postal service. They say it is not covered by insurance because it is a handmade item. Does anybody have any thoughts on this? I mail quilts all over the US, with insurance. Now I'm scared to. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cagey 766 Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Teresa: I was told by an instructor in order to have your quilt insured while being mailed or shipped, it needs to be officially appraised by a person that does that type of thing. You need to have documentation with photos and the appraisal of the quilts value before being shipped. Otherwise, it is anybody's guess what it is worth. To the maker, it is priceless. To the shipper it is maybe worth the actual fabric/batting cost, or even less. You might have paid or charged $1000 bucks to quilt it, but under the same thought a thousand dollar paint job does not make a $100 dollar care worth eleven hundred dollars. It all is in the eye of the beholder, without an appraisal. I would check with you insurance company or some well known quilter to get their more learned opinion. Best of luck to you. Cagey Now you have me all worried about mailing my sister her Christmas gift quilt I am working on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Quilting Heidi 1,398 Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 My understanding is you can only be reimbursed for the cost of the materials in it, unless you have an official appraisal of value. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zeke 287 Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 There should be no difference between handmade or factory made items. Sure, handmade items have hard work & love into them, but someone had to figure out how to make the machine that can do the same thing without the love. What I'm saying is that the insurance company should have to pay what it was insured for plain & simple. Zeke JeannieB 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mamu 151 Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 My friend worked for the USPS and she said that they will only pay for actual cost of materials used in the quilt and only if you have all of your receipts to show what materials used/cost. She also said that it does take a very long time to get any funds released by USPS insurance as they will fight you on it. Not right I know and has actually made it where I seek other carriers before shipping. It is a good thing to research what carrier will actually pay when it comes to purchasing insurance. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gator 470 Posted October 6, 2015 Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 Zeke I agree but the gov't doesn't as always. I agree with the other ladies, they'll only pay for the materials unless the quilt was appraised. If appraised, you can fight for the value. This is a very good question considering a lot of the quilters on here do business over the internet with quilts being shipped back and forth. Does anyone have a "lost in shipment" clause on their inventories? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mary Beth 840 Posted October 6, 2015 Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 That is crazy! I told a girl at work this story. Then I said how crazy I thought it was. Like the Mona Lisa only insured for the paint and canvas. yankiequilter 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LucyPrairie 6 Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 Mamu & Quilting Happy are correct. I work for USPS. When it comes to filing claims you have to have your paperwork in order. I keep receipts for each quilt so that when it comes time to mail it, I know the exact amount it cost me to make it. That way, in the event of a loss, I've got everything I need. It's been my experience that as long as your paperwork is in order and you have proof of the amount being claimed, you won't encounter any problems. And remember that the Hope diamond was sent via USPS. Given the volume of mail that's handled on a daily basis, it's pretty impressive that the claim rate is as low as it is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
QuiltGuy 250 Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 What are the UPS and FedEx policies on this? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Enchanted Quilting 885 Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 Appraisals are the key. I have a good friend who is an appraiser. She says if you have a fire (or other claim) and don't have the quilts appraised they will be counted as blankets and valued at about $15.00. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chrisquilter 372 Posted October 28, 2015 Report Share Posted October 28, 2015 Here is a very good article. Just google "insure quilts" and you will find more. If I do not have an appraisal on a quilt of my own that I ship to a show, I do not waste my money on buying insurance. That being said, I pray a lot! LOL http://www.quiltweek.com/insuring-quilt-might-enough/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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