Seapoe Relo provides cross-border door-to-door shipping for thousands of families and international students every year, covering three main routes: outbound ocean shipping, return ocean shipping, and express return to China. Based on after-sales practice compiled from Seapoe’s actual business records, this article systematically lays out the full chain of practical points from signing at delivery to receiving payout: what can be claimed, what terms exclude coverage, how to prepare materials, and which day each deadline falls on. The goal is that on the day something goes wrong with your goods, you know what to do at each step, instead of going back and forth after the fact.

1. Start with the rule map: three business lines, three payout standards

Payout standards are not one universal set of rules. They follow the business line. Door-to-door ocean shipping can be insured with a door-to-door All Risks policy covering the entire journey. Air freight and express return to China do not offer door-to-door insurance. Uninsured orders are compensated according to the fixed cap in the contract terms. First determine which line you are using, then you can judge what you can claim.

1.1 Payout standards by business line

The rates and limits above are ultimately subject to policy terms and contract.

Important reminder: In a quote, “freight” and “insurance premium” are two separate charges. Door-to-door All Risks must be confirmed and charged separately; it is not automatically included in freight. The basic ocean shipping insurance included in the contract covers only total loss caused by vessel accidents. Clients often conflate the two, and that is where disputes concentrate after a loss.

1.2 Why “the container is a total loss” and “a bowl cracked at home” are not the same

Basic ocean shipping insurance is triggered by vessel accidents (such as collision, capsizing, and general average) and covers shipment-level total loss. In moving scenarios, most losses are partial damage from handling knocks, moisture, and pressure inside packaging. Only door-to-door All Risks covers that.

The test is simple: if you care about “what if the container sinks,” basic insurance is enough; if you care about “who pays when a dining chair chips a patch of paint,” you need door-to-door All Risks.

2. Delivery day: this moment determines whether you can claim later

Most claim disputes do not start at the claim stage. They are planted at delivery: no on-site inspection, no note on the delivery receipt, no photos. Later, you cannot prove the damage happened in the carrier’s custody. Final-mile delivery at destination includes moving items to the designated room, unpacking, basic furniture assembly, and debris removal, with signing after confirmation. During this process you have enough time and on-site conditions to check.

2.1 Three things you must do at delivery

First, inspect outer packaging before signing. Check each item’s outer packaging for dents, tears, water stains, and signs of re-taping. After delivery, count the pieces against the list.

Second, damage must be written on the delivery receipt. If you find outer packaging damage, do not just mention it verbally. Note “outer packaging damaged” on the delivery receipt and date it. The contract and policy terms are clear: if the delivery receipt has no damage note, later claim determination will be very difficult.

Third, film an unboxing video for high-value items. If outer packaging is severely damaged, or the box contains a piano, appliance, figures/collectibles, or other high-value item, film a complete unboxing video before unpacking. This is the most direct evidence in later loss assessment.

2.2 Timeline around delivery

Professional risk-avoidance tip: 48 hours and 7 days are two independent deadlines. The first is “report the loss”; the second is “submit complete materials.” Reporting without submitting materials, or submitting materials but missing the 48-hour report, can both affect the claim outcome. Send the first message to the customer service group on the day you find damage. That is the safest approach.

3. How to prepare the evidence chain: materials checklist and photo/video requirements

Loss assessment is essentially “using evidence to reconstruct where the cargo damage occurred.” Cases with complete materials usually finish assessment in one round. Cases with missing materials get stuck arguing over whether the damage happened in transit or during your unpacking.

3.1 Materials checklist

3.2 Why declared value directly determines payout amount

The policy calculates payout based on declared value, not the item’s market price or sentimental value. This means two things:

First, if the declared value is too low, the payout cap falls with it. The white paper states: declared value affects claims, and the declared price can be adjusted once during customs clearance. Confirm this with your sales rep before customs declaration. Cargo value, taxes, and payout cap are the same set of variables, so think them through at declaration.

Second, insurance limits have structural constraints. The insurance currency must be USD. The insured value of a single item cannot exceed 50% of the total insured amount, meaning “full-value insurance with no single item above 50% of the total.” All shipped items must be insured; partial omission is not allowed. So if one expensive piece of furniture dominates the shipment, this rule caps how much of it can be insured.

4. These situations are not covered: exclusions and common misunderstandings

Buying insurance does not mean every item and every kind of damage is covered.

4.1 Exclusions and exceptions

Important reminder: In the table above, “damage to crated goods not covered” and “fragile items should be crated” seem to conflict. Crating reduces the chance of a loss and packaging damage, but it is also a policy exclusion. We will not make the call for you here. Instead, here is a practical suggestion: for any item with high per-unit value, get written confirmation before payment on what packaging will be used and whether damage is covered, to avoid a he-said-she-said dispute later. Such terms are ultimately subject to policy terms and contract.

4.2 Four most common misunderstandings

5. From submitting materials to receiving payout: the difference between two processes

Which claims process applies depends on whether the shipment has door-to-door All Risks insurance.

5.1 Two claims processes compared

The internal mechanism in the second column deserves separate explanation. It serves as an extension of ocean All Risks and targets reasonable losses outside insurance coverage. That is, even if a situation is not in the policy terms, as long as it is a reasonable loss, internal compensation can still be initiated after assessment. This is Seapoe’s differentiated after-sales arrangement and the path that makes the promise “compensation for any damage” real.

5.2 Two easily overlooked structural facts

First, cross-border insurance channels are special. Most Chinese insurers do not provide cross-border insurance for personal household goods. Door-to-door All Risks must be insured through a US insurer. This explains why the policy currency is USD and the deductible is in USD. It also means claim materials must be prepared according to the policy’s requirements, not copied from common domestic insurance formats.

Second, sets have a separate add-on insurance. Pairs & Sets is an additional add-on for sets such as dinnerware sets and furniture sets. The payout logic for sets differs from single items: damage to one piece can affect the value of the whole set. This add-on is designed for that.

6. Reduce the chance of a loss: four upfront actions

Claims are a remedy, not a plan. The cost-effective move is to control controllable risks before shipping.

7. FAQ: the most common questions during a loss and claim

Q1: If I did not inspect item by item on delivery day and only found damage later, can I still claim?

You can apply, but determination becomes much harder. Claims require reconstructing that the damage occurred in the carrier’s custody. If the delivery receipt has no damage note and there are no on-site photos, the responsible stage is hard to define. If you do only one thing on delivery day, photograph the outer packaging condition and keep it. If you missed the on-site opportunity, report to your contact within 48 hours of signing as soon as possible, and submit materials and documents within the 7-day deadline.

Q2: Why is damage not covered when I used a wooden crate?

Listing “wooden crate/frame packaging” as an exclusion (damage to crated goods not covered) does not contradict the packaging advice to crate fragile items. Crating lowers the chance of a loss, but the policy terms say otherwise. Policy terms govern. For any item with high per-unit value, get written confirmation before signing on “packaging method + coverage scope.”

Q3: Air freight and express return to China have no door-to-door insurance. What if goods are lost?

Air freight and express return channels do not provide door-to-door insurance. Extreme loss is compensated at twice the freight. If the entire shipment is uninsured, the payout cap for lost items is RMB 200/box under the contract. This also explains why, for express return to China, high-value small items are better carried with you. Air channel coverage is based on a multiple of freight, not cargo value.

Q4: If a piano is knocked, can I claim?

Piano insurance usually only offers “total loss only.” Partial damage such as knocks and scratches is generally not covered. Clarify this before shipping a piano: piano coverage is for total loss of the whole instrument, not partial damage. If you are sensitive to knock risk, confirm with your sales rep before shipping whether other add-on coverage is available.

Q5: How is the USD 100 deductible applied?

Door-to-door All Risks has a USD 100 deductible, meaning the fixed amount the customer bears for each loss. The amount above that is paid based on the loss assessment result. Policy payouts are settled in USD. Small losses may not be worth it. When the loss is below the deductible, there is nothing payable after deduction. You can apply for assessment through the internal supplementary payout mechanism.

Q6: What happens if I declare a low value?

Declared value directly affects the payout base and the relative weight of the deductible. It is also related to destination country taxes. The white paper states declared value affects claims, and the declared price can be adjusted once during customs clearance. Setting this number before customs declaration is a one-time decision that affects both taxes and the payout cap.

Q7: How long does a claim take from submitting materials to receiving payout?

Orders without All Risks go through internal payout: after damage photos are submitted, the after-sales department assesses and verifies, issues a loss assessment result within 7 working days (if disputed, a second assessment can be negotiated), and completes payout within 1-2 working days after assessment confirmation. Orders with door-to-door All Risks are assessed by the insurance company. The timeline depends on policy terms and assessment arrangements.

Q8: Why can marble and figures/collectibles be shipped but not insured?

Marble and stone products are categories insurers will not cover. Seapoe can ship them, but transit damage has no claim channel. High-value figures/collectibles and electronics also have no insurer coverage. A reasonable strategy for these items: carry valuable small items with you; for large items, reinforce them and set risk expectations upfront.

8. Summary and Seapoe’s after-sales approach

The real dividing line in claims is not the claim stage. It is what you do on delivery day and confirming terms before insurance. Remember three main lines: payout standards differ by business line (door-to-door All Risks for ocean shipping / basic ocean insurance total loss only / air and express do not provide door-to-door insurance); three time nodes cannot be missed (48-hour report, 7-day materials, 7-working-day loss assessment); read the exclusions list in advance (fragile items, self-packed items, brand-new items, wooden crate packaging, high-value electronics, etc.).

Seapoe Relo’s after-sales approach: the customer service group responds online in real time; major issues are escalated immediately. In addition to door-to-door All Risks, there is a dedicated internal claims mechanism. For reasonable losses outside insurance coverage, the after-sales loss assessment department assesses, assesses accurately, and pays promptly. Quality control issues receive additional supplementary payout from the company. Complaints during service and satisfaction evaluations after completion are included in team performance reviews. Low-score feedback triggers follow-up and corrective action and is used for process improvement.

If you are preparing to ship and want to confirm coverage for your items in advance (especially special categories such as pianos, fragile items, and electronics), send your item list to Seapoe Relo customer service. We will mark the applicable insurance type and deductible terms item by item, and clarify what can and cannot be claimed before a loss happens, rather than waiting until after a loss.