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How do I file an insurance claim?
How do I file an insurance claim?

Information on USPS®, UPS®, or 3rd party package insurance claims

Updated over a week ago

There are three different processes for insurance claims, depending on what service and insurance you purchased. If you’re not sure which one your package has, just ask! We’re happy to help 😉

USPS Insurance (Ground Advantage, Priority Mail, & Priority Mail Express)

Through Pirate Ship, all domestic Priority Mail services include $100 of free built-in insurance coverage from USPS. Similarly, international Priority Mail services include $200 of coverage. USPS Ground Advantage labels include $100 of coverage, as well.

To process a claim for a USPS-insured service, such as a Ground Advantage, Priority Mail, or Priority Mail Express package that had a declared value of $100 or less, you’ll need to file the claim directly with USPS at https://www.usps.com/help/claims.htm. We’re happy to help answer questions, but cannot directly assist with the process. If USPS approves the claim, they will mail you a check.

For Priority Mail and Ground Advantage claims, the shipper or recipient can file a claim with USPS through their portal.

Does USPS cover my postage as well as my product cost?

Whether or not USPS will compensate you for your product cost and the cost of your label will depend on the type of claim you file.

For missing packages, USPS does provide compensation for the postage cost along with your product cost for missing package claims. When filing a missing package claim with USPS, there will be a field available in the claims form to declare your postage cost. There, you'll need to enter the value you paid for postage in Pirate Ship, and must use your Shipment page as proof of payment.

For claims for damaged packages, USPS does not provide compensation for the postage cost. This is because USPS has fulfilled the underlying service that was paid for (transit and delivery of the package), even if the contents were damaged in the process.

UPS Carrier Liability

When you use Pirate Ship, every UPS label you purchase comes with $100 of carrier liability. If you need to file a claim for a lost or damaged UPS shipment, you'll need to contact Pirate Ship customer support so we can file the claim on your behalf. You can click the button to live chat with us, or send us an email at support@pirateship.com.

Does UPS cover my postage as well as my product cost?

On top of paying out for your product cost, UPS will always also refund your postage cost regardless of whether you file a claim for a damaged or missing package. For example, you could claim $100 in product costs and receive a total payout of $110 if your label was $10.

In order to submit a claim, our team will ask you for the evidence that we need to present to UPS. Here's what we need:

For missing shipments

  • The recipient's name, address, and phone number

  • The UPS tracking number

  • Invoice/proof of value

  • Proof of payment

  • Pickup/drop-off date to UPS

  • Number of lost items as well as total items in the shipment

  • Screenshots of any correspondence with the recipient

  • Whether you've sent a replacement item (we don't recommend doing this until the claims process is complete)

For damaged shipments

  • The recipient's name, address, and phone number

  • The UPS tracking number

  • Invoice/proof of value

  • Proof of payment

  • Pickup/drop-off date to UPS

  • Number of damaged items as well as total items in the shipment

  • Detailed description of the damage

  • Screenshots of any correspondence with the recipient

  • Photos of the damaged item

  • Photos of all the packaging used, including external packaging and any internal packing materials (make sure your recipient doesn't throw any of this away)

For more info on UPS claims, check out our guide:

3rd Party Insurance (Shipsurance)

To file a claim for a 3rd party-insured service, contact Pirate Ship customer support to begin the process.

For claims filed with Shipsurance, only the shipper can file a claim as they are the individual who purchased the coverage policy.

To file a claim, you will need to provide the following:

  • The tracking number (including a screenshot of a tracking scan from USPS proving they accepted the package)

  • An invoice or proof of value of the items

  • Proof of a payment transaction for the item (i.e. credit card, PayPal, CashApp, Venmo receipt, etc)

  • If you've refunded the customer or sent a replacement, proof of that (but we do recommend waiting to refund them until your recipient has cooperated with anything the insurance company asks for, if possible)

  • Screenshots of messages or emails you’ve had with the recipient

  • For damaged claims, you'll need to submit: 1) a photo of the entire damaged item; 2) photos of the external packaging (aka the outside of the box/envelope); 3) photos of the inside of the box/envelope with any packaging materials you used

Please note that this evidence is necessary in order to begin the claim filing process 👍 Shipsurance may or may not request additional evidence based on the circumstances of your claim. Please review their Terms & Conditions here. Keep in mind not complying with Shipsurance’s additional requests may result in a denial of your claim!

For missing USPS shipments, you'll need to wait 20 days from the shipment date for a domestic shipment, or 40 days from the shipment date for an international shipment before you can file an insurance claim. That said, if the package has already been scanned as Delivered and you need to file a claim, there is no minimum waiting period.

UPS packages, on the other hand, may be filed for loss prior to the 20-day mark for domestic shipments and the 40-day mark for international shipments.

In some cases, Shipsurance is asking for even longer wait times for delivery due to COVID-19. As seen in their Terms and Conditions, the deadline to file a claim and provide Shipsurance with everything they need is 120 calendar days from the date of your shipment.

If the claim is approved by the 3rd-party insurer, the credit will be applied to your Pirate Ship Account Balance. We can also issue the credit via PayPal, or mail you a check 😃

Note: For insurance claims to be valid, Shipsurance requires proof of a USPS acceptance scan. End-of-Day SCAN Forms and scans from the self-service kiosks at Post Offices aren't considered proper proof, in this case.

Does Shipsurance cover my postage as well as my product cost?

The cost of postage is not automatically reimbursed through Shipsurance unless you specifically included it in your total declared package value, as seen here:

Whenever purchasing extra insurance for your package, we recommend always insuring your shipment for the item cost AND the cost of shipping 😊

Where do I send this info?

Starting a chat with our Support Crew is the preferred process for beginning a claim. You can send your evidence to any of our crew members via live chat, or email us at support@pirateship.com 📩 (email is the preferred contact method when you need to file multiple insurance claims at once)

We can also send you a form that walks you through all the evidence we need - just chat in if that’s something you prefer!

If you’d like to simplify the process, you can also create a Google Album with all of your evidence here, and then send us the album link. This way, you just have to send one link instead of several different attachments 😎

Contacting Pirate Ship's insurance team

Once we file a claim on your behalf, our insurance team is only available to contact through email. Our live chat support team doesn't have access to claim information, so if you'd like to request an update, please reply to the original email you received notifying you about your claim.

Also, don't worry if you don't hear from us for a little while - our insurance team will always proactively email any claim updates once we get them from the insurance company! We’ll always aim to get back to you within 5-10 business days tops 👌

Additional Resources

Any questions? Chat with our Support Crew and we'll lend a helping hook 😊

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