Read whose promise it is
Before ticking anything, look at who the counterparty is. A shop promising a reship and a carrier promising indemnity behave completely differently when a box goes missing, and only one of them needs your paperwork.
Checkout add-ons
That protection box at checkout, decoded
The protection line you tick when buying something online is nearly always a product sold by the merchant or an app it installed, not by the carrier that moves the box. Underneath it, carrier liability is fixed at $100 per package across USPS, UPS and FedEx unless somebody declares more and pays for it, so the add-on is filling a gap that genuinely exists.
Three layers, separatedOur terms stated plainlyPriced on a real box
Who is actually promising what
Merchant product, carrier liability and label-time protection are three separate promises that share one checkbox in most people's heads.
One quoted box, and the three layers above it
The anchor is a box cut to the Priority Mail medium footprint, 11 x 8.5 x 5.5 in at 5 lb, quoted 2026-07-28 from Newark, NJ 07102 to Atlanta, GA 30303. USPS Ground Advantage came back at $12.05, the complete amount collected at checkout. Whatever protection is bought on top of that sits in one of the three layers below.
SMKlog rates for the anchor box, quoted 2026-07-28
| Carrier | Service | Price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $12.05 | 8-9 business days |
| UPS | Ground Saver | $12.85 | no window supplied on this rate |
| UPS | Ground | $14.05 | 2-3 business days |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $14.31 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | 2nd Day Air | $21.96 | 2-3 business days |
The three layers, told apart
| Layer | Who promises it | What it is measured against |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier liability | The carrier, by tariff | $100 per package unless a higher value was declared and the charge paid |
| Merchant checkout protection | The shop you bought from, or an app it runs | The shop's own published terms, usually a reship or a refund rather than a claim against the carrier |
| Label-time protection | Whoever sold the label, at the moment it was bought | The terms attached to that label before the box entered the network |
A buyer ticking the box at a shop is buying layer two. It is a promise from the shop about what happens if the parcel goes wrong, and it usually resolves faster than a carrier claim because the shop simply sends another one. What it is not is a carrier product, and it does not raise what the carrier will pay if the shop later files.
It is the shipper's responsibility to prove actual damages.FedEx Terms and Conditions, FedEx Service Guide 2026, fedex.com, fetched 2026-07-28
That single sentence explains why layer two exists. Proving actual damages takes documents, time and patience, and a shop that ships a hundred orders a week would rather reship one than run that process for every buyer.
What SMKlog protection promises, in its own terms
Summarized from our shipping protection rules, last updated 2026-06-15. Where this page and that page differ, that page governs.
| Rule | How it works |
|---|---|
| When it can be bought | With an eligible parcel label, through SMKlog checkout, before the package enters the carrier network |
| Ceiling | $500 of declared item value during the pilot, domestic U.S. parcels only |
| Declared value basis | The retail value paid by the recipient, supported by an invoice or other proof of value |
| Not eligible | Freight, pallet, crated, oversized, restricted, suspicious or manually reviewed shipments |
| Damage or theft claims | Generally within 30 days of label creation |
| Domestic lost-package claims | Not before 15 days after label creation, and no later than 60 days |
| Price | Shown before checkout, on the same screen as the rate |
Two things follow from that table. Protection is never automatic, so a package is not covered until the purchase is confirmed on screen. And the proof-of-value rule is not a formality: a claim without an invoice, a listing or a payment record is the most common way a file stalls.
The $100 underneath never moves
No checkout add-on changes what a carrier owes. That figure stays at $100 per package until someone records a higher declared value on the label itself and pays the published charge for it.
Buy it at label time, not after
Every version of this product has to be bought before the box enters the network. There is no retroactive cover anywhere in the market, which is why the decision belongs on the rate screen rather than in the tracking screen.
Checkout protection questions
Is checkout shipping protection the same as carrier cover?
No. It is normally a product of the shop you bought from or an app it installed, resolved under the shop's own terms. Carrier liability underneath stays at $100 per package unless a higher value was declared on the label and paid for.
What does SMKlog shipping protection cover?
Optional cover on eligible domestic U.S. parcel labels, bought in checkout before the box enters the carrier network, capped at $500 of declared item value during the pilot. Freight, pallet, crated, oversized and restricted shipments are excluded.
When do SMKlog protection claims have to be filed?
Damage or theft claims generally within 30 days of label creation. Domestic lost-package claims cannot open before 15 days after label creation and must be filed no later than 60 days after it.
Can protection be added after the label is printed?
No. It has to be purchased with the label, before the package enters the carrier network, and it is not in force until the purchase is confirmed on screen.