Product Liability Insurance USA - HELP!

[fluffyslippers]

I've brought this up again, in the hope people can point me in the direction of an insurer who can help.

I have been trying to get quotes for my online shop to trade to USA, but everyone I speak to refuses to touch it and can't offer product liability insurance.

I totally understand it will cost a lot more, but right now I'm not even getting as far as being given a quote....

 

[wevet]

Take visit and read :
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCES&itemId=1074302010

Are you sure you actually need it?

 

[fluffyslippers]

I'm pretty sure I do. I make my own lampshades and cushions and supply clocks I source from outside the EU. I currently have it for selling within UK/EU but want to start selling to USA too.

 

[wevet]

Go to a heavy duty broker like Heath Lambert they have international coverage and will almost certainly be able to point you in the right direction. I am surprised, however, that your present insurers don't want to extend cove to the USA

 

[fluffyslippers]

thanks for the tip, I'm currently waiting to hear back from existing insurer, but when I orginally took out policy USA was not covered.

 

[luckyg]

I'm pretty sure I do. I make my own lampshades and cushions and supply clocks I source from outside the EU. I currently have it for selling within UK/EU but want to start selling to USA too.

May i ask how expensive it is to ship items over to the USA and how do you do it?

or do you use a fulfillment service in the USA.

Ive always fancied trying to sell a few items in the USA but cant find economical shipping method.

 

[deniser]

Hi Fluffy Slippers - remember the previous thread? I got mine in the end from AXA by telling them that I had been offered it elsewhere. They had previously been saying no for years, then suddenly said I could have it. Cost about £100 extra.

 

[dynabid]

dont know if these be any good to you http://www.icon-insurance.co.uk/

 

[fluffyslippers]

LuckyG - I don't yet ship to USA, I'm not going to until I can find insurance so can't advise on that.

DeniseR - AXA said a big fat no straight off even when I said I knew someone who had it with them.

Dynabid - thanks I'll try them tomorrow.

It seems I have an additional problem now in that I import clocks from USA and noone will cover for this.

There must be someone out there who can at least give me a quote! How do other sites do it? I'm at my wits end.

 

[acrylic66]

For US product/public liability insurance, there's a strong recommendation on nibusinessinfo from a UK company to sort it out via a US broker. If I find one, I'll post it here later.

 

[david.waller]

I do not believe the suggestion of using a USA broker will make much difference. At the end of the day, your company is British and therefore the interest is British so the Product Liability should be arranged here and extended to cover liabilities arising from the USA.

I think the main problem you are likely to be facing is due to the size of your company. My assumption is that you are quite small, but liability exposure in the US can be massive. Essentially the insurance company would have to charge you a small premium in respect of the USA exposure, but their potential exposure for product liability would be massive (in the millions) and therefore isn't worthwhile for them to consider insuring.

Can you give an idea of the scale of business you are? Large UK companies would not have trouble insuring their product liability exposure in the US due to the size of premium they would pay.

I am pretty sure though, that with enough searching you will find an insurance company who would insure this risk, it will just be from a vastly reduced number of insurers.

In respect of importing clocks from the USA and no-one covering it, what are you referring to? Are you saying insurers won't offer cargo insurance, which covers physical loss or damage to the clocks, or are you referring to other insurances?

What is the total value of the clocks being imported?