You're Shipping From Hambden. The Carrier Covers $100. Your Item Costs More.

You ship a vintage guitar from Hambden to a buyer in Nashville. The guitar is worth $1,800. The case is worth another $200. You insure it through the carrier for $100.

That is the standard liability. $100. Every carrier uses the same baseline. If the guitar arrives with the neck snapped, the carrier pays you $100. You eat the other $1,900.

This is not a secret. The liability limit is printed on the receipt. Most people do not read the receipt. They assume "insured" means "insured for what it's worth." It does not.

The Gap

Carrier liability covers the base cost of the shipping service. It is not insurance. It is a limit on how much they will pay if they lose your package or damage it. That limit is $100 for most ground services. Express services sometimes raise it to $500.

If your package is worth more than $100, you have a gap. The gap is the difference between $100 and the actual value of what is in the box.

Closing that gap is not optional if the item matters.

Declared-Value Insurance Through Marsh

Mailbox Plus offers third-party declared-value insurance through Marsh, a major insurance broker. You declare the value of the item at the counter. We add the insurance to the shipment. The carrier handles the delivery. If the item is lost, stolen, or damaged, the claim goes through the third-party policy — not the carrier's default liability.

The payout matches your declared value. You declare $1,800 for the guitar. You get $1,800 if it breaks.

The cost is a percentage of the declared value. For a $1,800 item, the premium is a few dollars. It is less than the cost of repacking the guitar if it breaks. It is less than the cost of refunding the buyer and losing the sale.

When to Use It

Electronics. Musical instruments. Artwork. Antiques. Medical equipment. Prototypes and one-of-a-kind items. Wedding dresses. Documents that cannot be replaced. Bulk shipments of high-value inventory.

If you would be upset losing the item, it needs declared-value insurance.

If you would be financially harmed by losing the item, it needs declared-value insurance.

If you would have to explain to someone why their grandmother's ring did not arrive, it needs declared-value insurance.

What Claims Look Like

A guitar arrives in Nashville with a cracked headstock. The buyer photographs the damage. They email you the photos. You forward them to us. We file the claim with Marsh. The claim includes the packing photos we took at the counter, the declared-value receipt, and the delivery confirmation.

Marsh processes the claim. You get a check for $1,800.

No one says "sorry, that is the $100 limit." No one shrugs and hands you a prepaid return label. You get the value you declared.

Fifteen Minutes From Hambden

Mailbox Plus is at 7554 Fredle Drive in Concord Township. Fifteen minutes from Hambden.

We also professionally pack the item before we ship it. Proper packing reduces the chance of damage. Insurance covers the chance that damage still happens. You use both.

Ship your valuable item from Hambden. Declare the real value. Get paid the real value if something goes wrong.