Robert; And what happens when the package is lost that this northwest fellow says he's accepted responsiblity for? Insurance is to protect the shipper, not the recipient. I've had requests from subscribers not to insure packages because they are not at home during the day to accept delivery that they must sign for.... and it's too "inconvenient" to go the the post office where they are being held for pick-up. When I asked, "are you accepting responsiblility in case the package does not get there safely", the response is invariably "no".

First Class insured postage up to $50 only costs .85¢. Up to $100 coverage is $1.80. A small price to pay in my way of thinking. Postage costs are the same whether insured or not. On items under $15 I rarely insure and my losses have been negligible. Padded mailers are a must however... In your example, it would cost your northwest customer .22¢ to .44¢ just to mail his self addressed mailer to you .... so you could mail it back to him with additional postage for the return? That doesn't sound to me like he's saving very much....