eBay Buyer Protection protects sellers . . . Insurance useless to us!

Bought two Lilliput Lane houses (fragile) from a seller with 100% FB of 1800+. Looked like a good transaction waiting to happen. Houses listed as NEW and MINT. We specially requested good packing. Insurance was included in the shipping cost. Received houses in good time, packed decently. Both chipped, one badly. Definitely not new. but we can't say for sure whether they were chipped before or during shipment. No problem. File a PO insurance claim. That's why we paid for it, isn't it? Guess again buyers. You can only file a claim if you have certain information from the seller's receipts (fees paid, transaction number, etc.). Our seller said that it wasn't her problem and that we should file our own claim. Repeatedly refused to send scanned copies of the receipt information OR even just e-mail the necessary information. Our Postmaster is stunned but helpless. Says that without the required information we can't even prove that the package was insured. After two weeks of her refusing to either file the claim or send the required transaction number, we opened a dispute with PayPal/eBay. Guess what? The seller immediately escalated it to a claim. eBay's final decision . . . If we ship the items back to the seller, we will receive a refund for "all or part" of the original purchase price LESS the original shipping LESS the cost of returning the items. She files a PO insurance claim and gets a refund. Huh??? Where's the Buyer Protection in that? We end up paying $18 for the privilege of looking at two chipped houses? Why should it cost us even $1 more, when we paid for shipping insurance to cover this possibility? So, lessons learned. But we'll never buy shipping insurance again. And we'll keep the chipped houses on the computer desk to remind us NOT to bid again on eBay.|||Insurance is for the seller's protection. They are required to get us the item in the described manner. If we have to return something - it is on our dime. Sometimes (not always) seller will reimburse us the return shipping. Return the houses with DC (delivery confirmation) and you'll get the original amount + original shipping back. Hope this helps. CandyA Veteran is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a check made payable to the United States of America for an amount of "up to and including their life"!|||If we ship the items back to the seller, we will receive a refund for "all or part" of the original purchase price LESS the original shipping LESS the cost of returning the items Where are you getrting that info.If the houses were bought on ebay they are covered completely.You will have to return on your dime with delivery confirmation(sig confirm if total over $250)but ebay buyer protection will refund the entire original payment when they are received back. And I am at a loss with you post office-they should let you start a claim with the info you have and they contact the sender for the other info.You can file online.Go to usps.com and put file insurance in the search boxIt may not be your fault but it is your responsibility Silver rule "do not do to others what you would not like to be done to you"|||I see you have negged the seller twice. Perhaps that will get her attention. If she refunds your money, I would strongly suggest you revise the feedback. And with the pattern of feedback you have left over the years, I suggest you may be more happy shopping in brick and mortar shops than on eBay: Link Thanks so much for posting.|||I see you have negged the seller twice. Perhaps that will get her attention. And will probably convince her NOT to pay return shipping. Sometimes revenge can cost you a couple of bucks.|||Paying for return shipping is a standard practice when buying online, including eBay. Many good sellers will reimburse your return shipping costs, especially if the mistake was theirs. As this issue is obviously important to you, check the seller's return policy to see who covers return shipping prior to bidding or buying. Neither eBay nor PayPal can legally refund more than was originally paid. eBay may voluntarily choose to send you a return shipping label at their own expense, if they wish. When I lived in the city and used public transportation, not one store reimbursed me for my bus fare when I went to return an item.friends Director,|||Wouldn't the insurance number be on the outside of the package? I think that is all the PO needs, aside from seeing the damaged items and all packing materials. OP, if I were you, I'd load up the houses and all packing materials and box(es) and take it all to your PO. It is possible the info they need is right on the shipping box. Be sure not to skimp on the packing materials (not that you would) to prove your point ~ the PO will not pay insurance claims on items that were poorly packaged.Lenore ..... Lenore ....|||OP: I looked at your sellers Feedback ,He or she sold many of those items ,without damged done. Why don't call that seller up first before giving feedback?|||"If we ship the items back to the seller, we will receive a refund for "all or part" of the original purchase price LESS the original shipping LESS the cost of returning the items" I'm betting that's what the seller wrote in the dispute as terms of a refund?|||Both eBay and PayPal require original shipping to be refunded. Only the return shipping is on you. Insurance is between the seller and the shipper. Buyers should not pay for it nor have to start the claim process though they should produce the package for inspection.|||My guess is the seller didn't buy the insurance.|||Our seller said that it wasn't her problem and that we should file our own claim. Despite other issues, this is incorrect. The insurance paid for the shipment is for their own protection and is on the seller to recoup. Reasonable buyers might allow the seller time to recoup this from the insurance claim, so those funds can be then refunded to the buyer. They (as stated) should also be willing to cooperate with the claim process so damages can be proved to the carrier. This helps expedite the process. But there's no requirement to do so in the end. But NEVER should it be the buyer's responsibility to make this claim unless they decide to buy their OWN insurance independent of the transaction. Where such insurance costs are NOT paid VIA the seller. And as OP notes, given buyer protection, this is normally redundant and un-needed.--------------------------------- Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it. - - Mark Twain|||Return the items with delivery confirmation and give Ebay/Paypal the D/C #. Once they confirm the items were returned to the seller, they will refund Item price and the Original S& H paid. The return Shipping is on your dime. Since the seller took the stand to refund upon return, made you jump thru hoops regarding the postal isnurance, let the Negs stand. Your seller was 100% wrong.|||My guess is with gracie's - sekller never bought the insurance. Seller had no right to charge you extra for it either. Paypal WILL tell you to return the items and wILL refund all of the money you paid, but not the return shipping. You could offer to revise the feedback if the seller refunds your return shipping cost. se_productions - are you still here and reading these posts?|||