insuring stamps?

[nuts4levibutts]

I just read a thread how someone logged all their stuff in excel for insurance purposes. I never really thought about if there was a fire, how do you all do this for those of you who have a list going. I'm not too familiar with excel, but really think I need to do something as I have thousands of dollars in this. Thanks

[The MFT Lady]

I record all of my house belongings, including stamps and stuff, on a camcorder and store the tape in my safe deposit box. Its much more time effective since I'll never get around to cataloging all of my stamps or CD's and so forth. I havent checked with my insurance company to make sure this will suffice, I'll add that to my to-do list!

[kphorse]

I too have an inventory for my stamping.

I use LNS a computer program written for Rubber Stamping. I have all my stamps, supplies and tools listed with purchase price, date of purchase all broken into company's and like items.

I have State Farm and CIG Ag. Insurance and this is acceptable as proof of claim. I back it up and switch out the disc with my agent a couple of times a year.

My house is on video (DVD) and is updated as needed. Same for the shop and the barn.

[sprtchick]

I have pictures and a rider on my insurance to cover my craft room.

[askagain]

Yikes.... I never even considered this. Maybe it can be a summer project!

[lauren32]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The MFT Lady

I record all of my house belongings, including stamps and stuff, on a camcorder and store the tape in my safe deposit box.

I work in the insurance industry and can also say that this is a VERY important thing to do. In the event of a major loss or theft it will help you and the insurance company settle the claim more quickly. You could also consider taking digital pictures of your household items and storing them on a CD and put in a fire-proof box. Just my two cents:-D

[beegirl]

Ok, I feel really dumb. I have never even considered making sure that my stamps would be covered. I have over 200 sets in stampin up alone, and well over 6 iris carts filled with individual stamps and papers. My stamping space is a very large walk in closet and is filled to the breaking point. It would be several thousand to replace everything. Thanks for making me stop and think about this!!

Now I just have to pray to get everything documented and insured before something bad happens.

[javagirl984]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lauren32

I work in the insurance industry and can also say that this is a VERY important thing to do. In the event of a major loss or theft it will help you and the insurance company settle the claim more quickly. You could also consider taking digital pictures of your household items and storing them on a CD and put in a fire-proof box. Just my two cents:-D

When I took out a homeowner's policy several years ago, the rep from Liberty Mutual asked me if I have any collections that would need special consideration. I mentioned my stamps and she looked at me like I was from Pluto. So how do you explain this to the insurance companies?? I will definately take a video and start keeping inventory for the future, but I am not sure how to explain it to insurance people who don't understand our expensive hobby. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[ashleyprugh]

i'm going to do this over the summer. we've got a house now, and i want to make sure everything is insured. we have lots of electronics, too. computers, stereos, etc.
as for explaining it, melissa, i'd say that it's the same as a sewing room. or a woodworking shop. or valuable baseball cards, even. people don't understand just how much money some people have invested in their crafts.

[melissaink]

Military stampers should have a lot to say about this! I've only moved with movers once ... and we didn't have much, so I don't have a lot of experience in what to do and not do as far as taking an inventory. We did take digital pictures of our more expensive items and recorded the serial numbers of electronics. I'd assume what works for moves would also work in the event of a disaster.

We'll have probably triple the amount of stuff for our next move, so I'm curious to see what others have to say. SUBSCRIBING!

[whoistracy]

It doesn't matter for us how much we have in the house, our policy pays a max of $xxx for a fire no matter what.

Definitely check your policy because you might be maxed out just on appliances, gadgets, and other things. I know we are!

[lauren32]

Quote:

Originally Posted by javagirl984

When I took out a homeowner's policy several years ago, the rep from Liberty Mutual asked me if I have any collections that would need special consideration. I mentioned my stamps and she looked at me like I was from Pluto. So how do you explain this to the insurance companies?? I will definately take a video and start keeping inventory for the future, but I am not sure how to explain it to insurance people who don't understand our expensive hobby. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Melissa, you don't necessarily need to have a rider/floater to cover your stamps like you would for jewelry, art, or other high value items. You will want to make sure that you have a property coverage limit high enough to cover ALL of your personal belongings, including stamps. HTH!

[javagirl984]

Thanks Ashley & Lauren. I since then have sold my condo and now rent and apartment and want to get renter's insurance in the very near future. I was apprehensive about saying anything about my stamps based on the reaction I received before. I'll make sure I get enough coverage. My stamps and other supplies are probably worth more than everything else I own combined.

[Vintage Redhead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sprtchick

I have pictures and a rider on my insurance to cover my craft room.

I do too. If I were to have a fire or if the sump pump failed *again* my stamps, supplies, and samples are all covered. ~ kbc

[hotpinkpixie]

Oh I need to get some pics taken and call my insurance to make sure all my stuff is covered. I have so much and would just DIE if I lost everything and they didn't cover it. Thanks for the info.