Insurance, Signature, and Extra Services

Extra services are the options that change how your package is handled in transit and at the door. You'll find them in a collapsible panel on the ship screen, tucked out of the way until you need them. The closed panel shows a one-line summary, so you can check what's set without opening it.

Every extra service affects the price, so once you add one you'll need to run rates again before you buy. Rates come straight from the carrier each time, so the new numbers will reflect whatever you've turned on.

Signature Handling

Signature is a single choice with three options, and you can only pick one -- you're telling the carrier one thing about what to do at the door.

Standard

No signature required. The carrier just follows its normal delivery practice for the destination, which for most homes means leaving the package at the door. This is the default, and it doesn't add anything to your price.

Signature Required

Someone has to sign for the package. If nobody's available, the carrier will try again later or hold it at a nearby facility. Every carrier charges extra for this.

It's worth adding for high-value contents, for destinations where theft is a known problem, and for anything where a delivery dispute would be expensive to lose. The signature is captured in tracking, and it's what settles an "it never arrived" conversation later.

Release Without Signature

This is the opposite instruction: leave the package without getting a signature, even somewhere the carrier would normally ask for one. You'll also see it called carrier release.

Use it where a signature would create friction rather than protection -- a secure loading dock, a mailroom, a gated property with a safe drop spot you trust. It does shift the risk of loss to you, and that's the trade: the package gets left instead of bouncing back for a second attempt.

Insurance

Enter a declared value and the carrier insures the shipment for that amount. Leave it blank and you'll still have whatever coverage the service includes on its own.

Three things worth knowing:

• Most services include a small amount of coverage at no charge -- usually around $100. Declaring a value at or below that will generally cost you more without adding any protection.
• Insurance covers the declared value, not the retail price. Declaring more than the item is worth won't pay out more -- it'll just cost more.
• Claims need documentation. Hold on to proof of value, and for damage claims, keep the packaging too.

Carriers also keep exclusion lists -- categories they won't insure no matter what you declare, often including certain electronics, jewelry, cash equivalents, and perishables. If you're shipping something unusual, it's worth checking the carrier's terms before you count on coverage.

Tracking Notification Emails

Add email addresses here to subscribe them to tracking events for the shipment. Everyone on the list gets an update as the package moves -- in transit, out for delivery, delivered, and any exceptions along the way.

The carrier writes these emails, not us, so the wording and the number of updates will vary from carrier to carrier.

Each entry is checked as an email address before it's accepted, so a typo won't turn into a subscription that never reaches anyone.

Common uses:

• The recipient, so they know when to expect the package and you don't have to send tracking by hand.
• Your own support inbox, so you catch exceptions before the customer emails you about them.
• A warehouse address on return shipments, so your receiving team knows what's on the way.

You can also add subscriptions after purchase through the API. That's how most integrations attach the recipient's address at fulfillment time rather than when the label is made.

Carrier Availability

Not every option is offered on every service. Signature choices are available almost everywhere; insurance limits and exclusions vary quite a bit; and some economy and hybrid services support fewer options than their standard equivalents. If a service can't do the option you asked for, it simply won't come back with a rate -- so a shorter rate list after you add an extra service is really just showing you which carriers offer it.

FAQs

How much does signature confirmation cost?

It varies by carrier and service, and it's already included in the rate you see. Run rates with and without it to see the difference on your specific package.

Is my shipment insured by default?

Most services include a small amount of coverage, commonly around $100, even with no declared value entered. If you need more than that, declare a value.

Can I add insurance after buying the label?

Not after the fact, unfortunately -- insurance is part of the label's terms, so it has to be declared at purchase. If you need coverage on a label you've already bought, void it and buy a replacement with the value declared -- see Voiding a Label.

What's the difference between signature required and release without signature?

They're opposite instructions. Signature required means the carrier has to get a signature. Release without signature means the carrier should leave the package even somewhere it would normally ask for one.

Who gets tracking notification emails?

Only the addresses you add. We don't send anything to the recipient automatically unless you subscribe them.

Why did my rate list get shorter after adding an extra service?

Services that don't support the option you added drop off the list. That's expected, and it's the quickest way to see which carriers offer that service for your package.

Does declaring a higher value get me more back on a claim?

Only up to the item's actual value. Insurance pays the lesser of the declared value and the value you can prove, so over-declaring costs more without paying more.