Using own fedex account for return shipping

alifaxwa2 · March 14, 2011 4:29AM

Any one do this? Do you find you save money? Consider opening my own, since I want to send some stuff in for the PSA DNA special and not looking forward to ~$43 for return shipping for 15 slabs.

MBMiller25 · March 14, 2011 4:39AM

Yes I put return shipping on my Fed-Ex account, and its a much cheaper for return shipping. Its would be even cheaper if PSA didnt put the box of cards in such a large Fed-EX return shipping box. I have a nie discount with Fed-Ex as well for what thats worth.

bking · March 14, 2011 4:40AM

<< Any one do this? Do you find you save money? Consider opening my own, since I want to send some stuff in for the PSA DNA special and not looking forward to ~$43 for return shipping for 15 slabs. >>

I've thought about it, but just don't like the way FedEx treats packages I get.

Mickey71 · March 14, 2011 7:28AM

What's required to open your own account? I would probably only use this a few times a year for PSA to ship my cards back.

CrazyMind2017 · March 14, 2011 7:43AM

It's easy and simple and saves a lot of money. I just got back 15 slabbed tickets for around $12 cost in return shipping.

alifaxwa2 · March 14, 2011 7:48AM

<< It's easy and simple and saves a lot of money. I just got back 15 slabbed tickets for around $12 cost in return shipping. >>

wow, thats exactly what I was hoping to hear.

CrazyMind2017 · March 14, 2011 7:57AM

Just be careful with higher-priced items. Fedex regulations dictate the protection they offer is not "insurance," but rather, their maximum liability is limited to no greater than the declared value of the package, whatever that means. And the last few packages I've gotten back from PSA did not have any declared value, despite numbers I wrote on the submission forms, so therefore the liability was limited to $100.

Sportsamerica · March 14, 2011 9:51AM

What service do you use to get $12 shipping.

packCollector · March 14, 2011 10:26AM

I have been using my own fedex account for years combined with a private insurance policy since fedex will not cover collectibles.

I received 465 tall boys back for about $70 shipping a few months ago. you can't beat it

package I received last week was 60 cards and it cost me $13.

and this is to the east coast

CrazyMind2017 · March 14, 2011 11:53AM

<< What service do you use to get $12 shipping. >>

Next day air guaranteed AM delivery, coast to coast for a 5lb. package. NOT.

<< I have been using my own fedex account for years combined with a private insurance policy since fedex will not cover collectibles.

I received 465 tall boys back for about $70 shipping a few months ago. you can't beat it

package I received last week was 60 cards and it cost me $13.

and this is to the east coast >>

They'll let you declare value up to $1000 for sports memorabilia. What kind of private insurance do you use?

Griffins · March 14, 2011 1:14PM

But will they pay it?
I've had packages lost with Fed Ex and they don't pay. It's the absolute worst as far as I'm concerned, it was meant for escrow documents and not valuables.

CrazyMind2017 · March 14, 2011 2:02PM

The only time I ever had a problem was 6-7 years ago. I had shipped a big box of stuff to myself for $20 rather than checking it as luggage on a flight from San Francisco to New York. They lost the package and eventually traced it to a trailer truck that had caught on fire somewhere in the middle of the country. I hadn't paid extra at the time of shipment to declare the actual value of my stuff, so they were insisting their liability was limited to $100. When I tallied up everything, it was worth around $400-450, since I had a M&N jersey and some other relatively high priced stuff, including a bobblehead I had bought in Cleveland. I fought them hard on the phone, and they eventually gave in and agreed to pay half of what I claimed my stuff was worth, so they sent me a check for a little over $200. The few times I've had to get them on the phone, 800-GO-FEDEX usually has good service and getting a real person to talk to was not difficult.

leathtech · March 14, 2011 11:20PM

if you are not sending in high priced cards it works great... I do several small sub's a year around 10-15 cards each sub and it works great.

Mickey71 · March 15, 2011 2:24AM

So how do you set up an account? Is it on-line? Are the rates posted on line to see the prices?

alifaxwa2 · March 15, 2011 2:42AM

<< So how do you set up an account? Is it on-line? Are the rates posted on line to see the prices? >>

http://www.fedex.com/us/oadr/
Use the "if you ship regularly"
https://www.fedex.com/ratefinder/home?cc=US&language=en&locId=express
put in the information and hit get quick quote for a rough price.

ga5150 · March 15, 2011 4:41AM

We talked about this briefly in this thread also:

Fed Ex Thread

leathtech · March 15, 2011 7:26AM

<< So how do you set up an account? Is it on-line? Are the rates posted on line to see the prices? >>

basically all you do is give fedex a credit card to have on file to charge the shipping fees.

Mickey71 · March 15, 2011 7:28AM

Not trying to beat a dead horse but....on the PSA submission form on the fed ex part is says "insurance" limit. How does this all work with fed ex as they clearly state that they do not insure packages? Is this a PSA self insurance or something. Has anyone called PSA in regards to the insurance and such? Do you have to use the cards' declared value? I've heard what Griffins was saying that fed ex is terrible when it comes to anything expensive and losing packages.

I mean saving a buck is great until they lose a package.

Mickey71

CrazyMind2017 · March 15, 2011 7:41AM

I've put all kinds of different numbers in that section of the submission form, and my packages always come back with no declared value.

I suppose you could write clear instructions of "PLEASE DECLARE TOTAL PACKAGE VALUE OF $XXX WITH FEDEX FOR RETURN SHIPPING." That might work. Or maybe not.

Mickey71 · March 15, 2011 7:50AM

This thread is raising more questions than answering.....

SportsModerator2 · March 15, 2011 8:03AM

I've always been told by our shipping manager that Fed Ex has a limit of $100 on collectibles.

The insurance limit is on the form more for private insurance limitations, not for what we will declare as value to Fed Ex. If you carry private insurance you may be only insured for $5000 per package. This information gives a heads up to our shipping department not to put more than that value in one return package. I think this is used more on the coin side rather than the card side.

We will not put a declared value on the Fed Ex form due to the limitations, what is the point of you paying money for $2000 of insurance if they won't pay it out?

If you choose to use a Fed Ex account it must be a billable account.

Carol

Mickey71 · March 15, 2011 8:26AM

Thank you Carol.

packCollector · March 15, 2011 8:45AM

thanks carol, I always put 100 in that spot becasue I thought that was what you put on the fedex forwm. you are correct that they will not cover more than 100 .

CrazyMind2017 · March 15, 2011 9:37AM

They will cover up to $1000. It's right there in the service guide, page 123, left side column, section F, number 11.

F. Shipments (packages or freight) containing all or part of the following items are limited to a maximum declared value of US$1,000:
11. Collector’s items such as coins, stamps, sports cards, souvenirs and memorabilia.

CrazyMind2017 · November 30, 2011 5:15AM

I have a question about the reasoning behind PSA's policy here.

The 2011 Fedex Service Guide (linked one post above this one) clearly states that collectibles, sports cards, and memorabilia can be covered up to $1000.

Back in 2006, Carol posted: "If you decide to use your Fed Ex account please be aware that you need to carry your own insurance policy on the product. We will not be insuring it."

Then in 2010, Carol posted: "If PSA ships something to you on OUR (PSA's) Fed Ex account the package is fully insured. Right now we only offer Fed Ex on some items through PSA/DNA......if you are going to have us ship orders back to you on YOUR Fed Ex account you need to have your own third party insurance."

My question, very simply, is WHY? It does not cost PSA anything to enter a declared a value of up to $1000 when preparing a Fedex shipment of slabbed material to be shipped back to the customer using the customer's account. I understand PSA does not want the responsibility of having to prove the items inside the package are actually worth their declared value, but I just got off the phone with Fedex, and they told me that the burden to prove the value of the contents falls to the Fedex account holder, not the sender (which in this case, would be PSA).

Additionally, as a side note, when dealing with submissions of 250 cards or more, it can be argued that the $1000 value of the package is merely in the plastic slabs, not in the cards. It's more than reasonable to claim that the labor and materials, not to mention the wear and tear on PSA's custom manufactured encapsulating machines, is worth $4 per slab. The cards could have a value of $0 and the package could still be covered up to $1000 on the basis of the encapsulation service being worth $4 per card. Why won't PSA make things easy for its customers by honoring a request to declare a value up to $1000 on packages being sent using the customers' Fedex accounts?

Securing third party insurance is an unnecessary hassle and leads me to believe this policy is only in place to discourage customers from using their own Fedex accounts for return shipments and instead paying the extremely high rates PSA charges (and profits on) to send via USPS. I find this policy extremely customer-unfriendly.

Using own fedex account for return shipping

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