Is it now possible or are there any plans to have an insurance upgrade for buyers to select during checkout? I am currently offering this by changing the listing manually for customers who opt to include insurance.
I think the calculated shipping is a much needed feature for Etsy. This is the first I have heard of this feature and I am just now joining this discussion so please forgive me if my reply may seem ignorant. What I would like to see is Etsy develop calculated shipping for heavy shippers using UPS or FEDex as an option. I do not have one item that I ship USPS, therefore, I have to use world wide shipping software to process my shipments. I have had enough shipments that I have been able to understand shipping to different parts of the US and I have adjusted my prices accordingly. I do however refund any difference if shipping comes up less than what the customer paid for.
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Hi Brian,
Thank you for the feedback. We understand that USPS has limitations for certain sellers, especially sellers shipping heavier items. We hope to add the ability to offer other shipping carriers in future versions.
I usually ship first class (doll clothes don't weigh very much) and add insurance, as it is less expensive for my customers than using Priority Mail as a default. The amount of insurance provided by PM is often not enough to cover the price of the shipment anyway, so I'd have to add insurance in many cases.
I guess I'll overcharge my US customers in the 'handling fee' and undercharge the international customers.
Not offering the option to include insurance is the single reason why we can not use calculated shipping.
Currently in the standard fill in the blank yourself non calculated shipping profiles, insurance is not optional for our international shipments, it is automatically included in the price and added in during label preparation. Not having the ability to add this in - someway- in calculated profiles is a deal breaker. If we had the option to add it after the sale,in the shipping labels section as we currently can with standard profiles, that would be a step in the right direction.
If we then had the option to have different handling fees for international and domestic in calculated profiles we could add the additional cost there.
My thoughts on a workaround. Until it happens we will have to remain outside looking in.
FullSpec you said this "If we had the option to add it after the sale,in the shipping labels section as we currently can with standard profiles, that would be a step in the right direction."
Just so you know, using Etsy shipping labels does not change at all with calculated shipping. They are not integrated - you still set up labels the same as always, and add whatever insurance you want to add there.
When you get an order using calculated shipping, at the top there will be the mail class selected by the buyer, the box size the calculator selected (although you are not obligated to use that box size) and the weight. Then what the buyer was charged for shipping.
On the receipt page there is a breakdown as to what was charged for postage plus and handling fees you added.
But then it is up to you to make your label as usual after that. You can print it on Etsy, or PayPal, or the USPS site, or any of those other sites - or take it to the PO.
I do understand the problem with not being able to charge a different shipping and handling fee for international and domestic. This has been asked for since the beginning of CS for this very reason. There is more needed for insurance and handling for international shipments than for domestic. Hopefully, one day we will get that.
Thank you. I was unaware of the process and thought there was no way to add in insurance after the sale. Big help. I should have assumed it would be the same shipping label setup. Still need to resolve the problem of how to get the cost into the pricing structure. Can't add it to handing cost because then all would be paying the extra. Still, it is better than nothing and I am sure there is a way. :)
I see that this discussion is a little old and have not found a more current one so I'd like to bump it back up. It is imperative that an initial insurance purchase is offered to the buyer on items shipped 1st class as USPS does not insure these items. And then additional insurance for orders totalling over the standard insured amount given by USPS for Priority/Express mail.
Whether you put in your policy or not that they have to purchase insurance it doesn't matter. If the buyer hits you with a charge back, you're out more than the product cost, you're out chargeback fees too.
