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Retail Shipping Stores

October 15, 2007

As the holidays approach, store traffic will soon be growing, as will the lines to ship packages to long-distance loved ones. Many consumers will opt for the convenience of sending packages through retail shipping stores, where the lines are often shorter than those at the post office. They will package the item for you (for a fee), and you don’t need to have your own account with the shipping company.

However, consumers should be aware that many of these shipping stores are independent franchises, as opposed to affiliates of the carrier they represent. As such, they, not you, are considered the shipper by the carrier. This becomes an important consideration if your package gets lost or damaged in transit. Should that occur, the carrier will usually deal only with the shipper, in this case, the store you shipped from. Therefore, all claims, payment of claims and any claim disputes must be handled through the shipping store. Barring rare exceptions, the carrier will not communicate with you, as the consumer, concerning your package or the related claim.

The retail shipping store should act on your behalf in these matters, but it’s good for consumers to understand that when they ship items through a retail shipping store they might be relinquishing their power to communicate and negotiate directly with the shipping company.

When it comes to shipping packages, the Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs recommends the following:

• Make sure you know who is considered the “shipper”.
• Ask what the shipper’s policies and procedures are if a package is lost or damaged, how long it usually takes for a claim to be processed, and how you can dispute a claim if it is denied.
• Find out if the item is automatically insured against loss or damage, and for what amount.
• If necessary, purchase additional insurance so that the insurance amount is equivalent to the value of the item. There is no point in insuring the item for more than its worth since you will only be reimbursed for the actual value of the item.
• Make sure that you will be able to show proof of the item’s value– either by producing a receipt or by demonstrating the value of a comparable item.
• Hold onto your bill of lading/shipping receipt in case the item gets lost or damaged in transit.
• If you ship your package through a retail store, note that claims for damaged packages may have a better chance of being approved if the retail store packaged it for you. 
• If you package the item yourself, be sure to tape the opening and all seams of your box with packing tape. Also make sure there is sufficient cushioning around the contents. To verify, shake the box; if you hear items shifting, add more packing materials.