Frequently Asked Questions

What is shipping insurance?
Shipping Insurance covers the value of the package(s) you are shipping through a variation in the ocean marine policy. If your package is lost, damaged, or stolen in transit, shipping insurance will ensure that your receive full remuneration for the value of your package. Online Shipping insurance Services, Inc. ( OSIS ) Shipping Insurance covers all major carriers worldwide.

Is coverage provided worldwide?
Yes! OSIS provides shipping insurance coverage all around the world.

What items can I insure?
OSIS offers shipping insurance coverage for most commodities but we do have a few exclusions and conditions. Whether you need a £5.00 set of dishes covered or you want to insure a £1,000 set of golf clubs, OSIS has an option to fit your shipping insurance needs.

What shipping carriers can I use?
Coverage is available for nearly every shipping carrier. Some examples are: FedEx, UPS, DHL, USPS, Canada Post, Australian Post, Yellow, SAIA, and most common carriers. Please contact us to find out if OSIS covers your preferred carrier or service.

Can I mark the outside of my packages as insured if I am a certificate holder?
Do not mark the outside of your packages as being Insured, as this can bring unwanted attention. OSIS will provide you with an insert that describes that explain to your recipient that the package has been insured and provides full instructions on how to file a claim if the package is damaged during shipping.

Are there any packaging requirements?
Shipments must be packaged to withstand the normal rigors of transit and must meet (or exceed) the shipping carrier packaging standards. Please refer to your coverage certificate for specific conditions, and ensure that your packaging follows the requirements of the shipping carrier.

Do I need a policy certificate to insure with OSIS?
No, but as an OSIS insured client you receive complete coverage and lower rates. If you occasionally ship small packages, you can purchase instant coverage directly from our website.

Is there a minimum requirement to sign up with OSIS?
Not at all! We have shipping insurance programs and rates available for shipments of all shapes and sizes. Whether you are a corporation shipping thousands of packages a day, or an individual who ships a few times a year. We have a shipping insurance solution to fit your needs.

How do I pay for OSIS coverage?
Invoices are issued at the beginning of each month. Premium payment is collected on the month following the insured period (except flat rate). If you keep track of your packages by manifest or by a hand tally report, you can calculate what you owe OSIS by multiplying the number of £100 units by our rate. If you have a shipping manifest system or custom reporting system, you can email, fax or mail us the shipping file each month. If you do not have a shipping system, simply provide us with a weekly spreadsheet or hand tallied total (OSIS provided form) of your shipments. We will invoice you the calculated amount. Payments can be made via check, credit card, or, PayPal ®. PayPal payments can be made here.

Do I have to do anything different with the customs form?
You do not need to do anything different with your customs form. One of our exclusions reads "Loss, damage, shortage, or non-arrival of any parcel and its contents when it bears a descriptive label or packaging which describes, or alludes to, the nature of the contents." We DO NOT exclude shipments with the proper customs declarations.

Our Shipping Insurance customers submit their shipment manifest logs on either a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. These logs can be a simple hand tallied report or a computer generated shipping report. This report contains information such as date of shipment, shipping carrier, tracking number, and declared value. If you cannot generate reports, please let us know and we can customize a coverage plan for you. How do I report my shipments? If you are not on a flat rate program, OSIS provides several ways to report your shipments, including:

You can submit reports to OSIS that are generated from a shipping manifest system, custom shipping software, or a simple spreadsheet. Some examples of shipping software systems that generate OSIS compatible reports are:

• DHL Webship ®
• DHL EasyShip ®
• eBay ®
• Endicia Dazzle ®
• FedEx Ship Manager ®
• Harveysoft CPS ®
• iShip ®
• Kewill Clippership ®
• Malvern Systems, Inc.
• MOS MCM ®
• Pitney Bowes Ascent ®
• Pitney Bowes Shipstream Manager ®
• Pitney Bowes TMS ®
• PostalMate ®
• Resource Software ®
• ShipRite ®
• SpeedShip ®
• Stamps.com ®
• Tanner Technologies Eagle®
• TrueShip
• UPS Worldship ®
• USPS Click-N-Ship ®
• V-Technologies StarShip ®
• Windowbook Postal Package Partner ®
• and many others

Our coverage can be included in both the shipping manifest and shipping software - notated as either 3rd party insurance or by using one of the allotted reference fields. This allows you to take advantage of our insurance system with very little effort in your everyday business routines. Your premium can be calculated by using the insurance report information.

Online Manifest

We offer a special password protected website for our customers known as the OSIS Management Center. OSIS is the first to offer an online manifesting system. Through this website, all your shipments can be reported and tallied via a very easy-to-use interface. Contact us for more details. All reports can be sent to us via email, fax, or regular mail. Most reports are required on a monthly basis.

How do I file a claim and receive payment?

Claims can be filed online via our Online Shipping Insurance Claim Center. If you choose to file a claim via fax or regular mail, you can download the forms online. If your claim is for a lost package, you would start by filing a tracer with the carrier to see if they can locate the shipment. Once all the required paperwork is completed and submitted to OSIS, we will process your claim in an expedited fashion. The entire process can be managed online. Please note: Damaged items and packaging must be held until the the claims process is complete.