Proof of value
A paid invoice, a marketplace sale record, or a repair estimate for a damaged item. Wholesale cost is not enough for a resale sender; a signed sale record showing the price actually received is what carriers accept.
Protection
How shipping protection works, start to payout
A label carries a small amount of coverage automatically, and above that the sender buys a ceiling that a carrier will indemnify against. When something goes wrong, the account that bought the label opens a claim, produces evidence, and waits out a review that can take a few weeks. The steps below are that whole arc.
Carrier terms citedRead 2026-08-11Claim clock explained
Coverage, claim, payout
The label carries a ceiling; the evidence carries the claim.
Coverage attaches to the label
Every parcel label carries a base amount of protection from the moment it is bought. USPS Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail and Ground Advantage include $100 of coverage per usps.com read 2026-08-11. UPS and FedEx include $100 of declared value automatically under their own tariffs; anything above that is a paid add-on the sender selects at purchase.
Two things are worth naming out loud. Declared value is a ceiling, not a policy: it caps what the carrier can ever be asked to pay, but the payout still depends on proof of value at the time the claim is filed. And the ceiling attaches to the label, so a re-shipped replacement needs its own declared value declared on its own label; the first one does not travel with it.
The claim clock, by carrier
| Carrier | Wait before filing | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| USPS Priority Mail Express | 7 days from mailing | 60 days from mailing |
| USPS Priority Mail | 15 days from mailing | 60 days from mailing |
| USPS Ground Advantage | 15 days from mailing | 60 days from mailing |
| USPS Insured and Registered Mail | 15 days from mailing | 60 days from mailing |
| UPS | None — file when you determine loss | 60 days from scheduled delivery |
| FedEx | None — file when you determine loss | Nine months from shipment date; damage or missing contents narrows to 60 days domestic, 21 days international |
USPS also runs a separate Missing Mail search that can open at 7 days from mailing across all classes, which is the informal step most senders take before the formal claim window opens on Priority Mail and Ground Advantage.
What actually gets a claim paid
Proof it shipped
The tracking number the label produced, plus for damage the photos of the outer packaging and the damaged item side by side. For loss, the acceptance scan is the evidence that anything moved at all.
Kept packaging
For damage claims, all three carriers reserve the right to inspect. Do not throw the box or the padding away until the claim is closed. This is the most common reason a paid claim gets denied on appeal.
Buyer, seller, and who owns the loss
The buyer's contract is with the seller; the seller's contract is with the carrier. That order matters. A marketplace buyer whose package never arrives files an item-not-received claim against the seller, and the marketplace ordinarily refunds the buyer out of the seller's proceeds. The seller then files a carrier claim to recover the label price and the declared value. If the sender did not add declared value above the built-in $100, the carrier's exposure stops there and the rest of the loss stays with the seller.
This is why declared value bought at label time is such a cheap decision. The claim window is short, the paperwork is finicky, and the ceiling is the ceiling — there is no way to raise it after the parcel is scanned.
Timelines: what to expect after filing
UPS publishes an 8 to 10 business day resolution target when no further investigation is needed. USPS reviews are similar in practice but frequently longer when the tracking never scanned. FedEx resolves most parcel claims inside 30 days when the evidence is clean and the amount is under a few hundred dollars. In every case the review is faster when the paperwork is submitted together, and slower when it arrives piecemeal.
A payout arrives to the payer of the label, in the original form of payment when possible. A denied claim carries appeal rights; USPS publishes an appeal process at usps.com and it is worth using when new evidence emerges after the first denial.
Where these rules come from
- United States Postal Service, File a Claim — wait and deadline windows by service. Read 2026-08-11.
- United States Postal Service, Missing Mail — the 7-day Missing Mail search across all classes. Read 2026-08-11.
- United States Postal Service, Insurance & Extra Services — the $100 included coverage on Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail and Ground Advantage. Read 2026-08-11.
- UPS, File a Claim — the 60-day filing window and 8 to 10 business day resolution target. Read 2026-08-11.
- FedEx, File a Claim — nine-month lost window, 60-day damage window, 21-day international damage window. Read 2026-08-11.
Common questions
Do labels come with any protection?
Every domestic USPS Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail and Ground Advantage label carries $100 of included coverage per usps.com read 2026-08-11. UPS and FedEx labels are automatically protected up to $100 of declared value under their own tariffs. Above that number, coverage is bought.
Who files the claim, the sender or the receiver?
The account that bought the label is the party that files the claim with the carrier. On a marketplace sale that is almost always the seller. The buyer's remedy is against the seller, not against the carrier, which is why marketplace policies push the seller to make the buyer whole first and then recover from the carrier.
When can I file a lost-package claim?
USPS lets a Missing Mail search open at 7 days from mailing, per usps.com. A formal Priority Mail Express claim opens at 7 days too; Priority Mail, Ground Advantage, Insured Mail and Registered Mail all open at 15 days. UPS has no waiting period and closes the window at 60 days after the scheduled delivery. FedEx has no waiting period and closes the window at nine months from the shipment date.
What evidence do carriers actually want?
Proof of value first: a paid invoice, a marketplace sale record, a repair estimate for a damaged item. Then proof the item shipped: the tracking number and, for damage, photos of the packaging and the item together. Missing paperwork is the most common reason a claim stalls.
What is not covered?
Categories carriers cap or exclude are the usual list: cash and currency, precious metals in some formats, tickets to events, live animals, perishable food beyond a short window, and items packed against the carrier's own guidance. Read the specific carrier's terms before assuming a category is covered.