Every major carrier includes some default liability coverage at no extra charge — but the claim windows, what counts as "covered," and critically, whether porch piracy is included at all, vary more than the matching $100 headline figure suggests.
The Legal Framework Behind These Limits
For interstate motor carriers, default liability limits trace back to the Carmack Amendment (49 U.S.C. § 14706), which allows carriers to limit their liability contractually provided the limitation is properly disclosed. USPS, as the public postal operator, sets its own limits through its Domestic Mail Manual rather than the Carmack framework. In practice, this means each carrier's specific terms of service — not a single uniform federal cap — govern what you're actually owed by default.
Included Coverage, Side by Side
| Carrier | Default included coverage | Claim filing window |
|---|---|---|
| USPS (Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, Ground Advantage) | Up to $100, included at no extra cost | Generally within 60 days of the mailing date (a minimum wait of 15 days applies before filing a Priority Mail loss claim, 7 days for Priority Mail Express) |
| FedEx (most domestic services) | $100 default declared value at no extra cost | 60 days for domestic shipments, 21 days for international, generally measured from the ship date |
| UPS (most domestic services) | $100 default declared value (UPS Ground Saver reduced this to $20 as of April 2025 — check your specific service) | 60 days after the scheduled delivery date |
| DHL Express | Limits vary by service and international convention (e.g. Montreal Convention SDR-based limits for air waybill shipments), or a flat baseline for other services — check the specific service used | Varies by service; confirm directly with DHL for your specific shipment type |
Note the correction worth flagging clearly: FedEx and UPS both use a 60-day claim window for domestic shipments, not a longer 9-month window sometimes cited in older or inaccurate guides — verify the current window directly with the carrier before assuming you have more time than you do.
The Detail Almost Everyone Misses: Porch Piracy Often Isn't Covered
This is the single most important caveat in this entire comparison. USPS's included insurance, by its own terms, generally does not cover an item stolen after a "delivered" tracking scan — this coverage is for loss or damage during transit, not theft after successful delivery. If your package was scanned as delivered and then taken from your porch, standard carrier insurance is frequently not the applicable remedy at all — you'd instead be looking at a police/USPIS report, your own homeowner's or renter's insurance, or a dispute with the seller depending on how the sale contract allocates risk of loss.
Don't assume "I have tracking and it shows delivered, so I'm covered" — that status is often exactly when standard carrier liability coverage stops applying.
Declared Value Is a Cap, Not Automatic Insurance
FedEx's own service guide states plainly that it does not provide "insurance" in the traditional sense — what it sells is a declared value limit, a contractual cap on liability, not a guaranteed payout. This distinction matters practically: filing a claim still requires proving the loss/damage occurred, providing proof of value, and surviving the carrier's own claims review — carriers do deny a meaningful share of claims, often citing inadequate packaging as a reason.
What to Do Before You Ship Anything Valuable
- Check your specific carrier and service level's actual default coverage — don't assume $100 applies uniformly, since some reduced services (like UPS Ground Saver) carry lower limits.
- If your item's value exceeds the default limit, purchase additional declared value coverage, or use a service designed for higher-value shipments (e.g. USPS Registered Mail for very high-value items).
- Understand that "delivered" status often ends standard transit coverage — separate protections apply to theft after delivery.
- Keep your proof of value (receipt/invoice) and shipping receipt — both are required for any claim regardless of carrier.
- Note your specific carrier's claim filing window immediately after shipping, not after a problem arises — these windows are strict and vary by carrier and service.
Related Kibbo Tools
Sources
- USPS — Shipping Insurance and Delivery Services. usps.com
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School — 49 U.S.C. § 14706 (Carmack Amendment). law.cornell.edu