No Insurance with FEDEX as of 11/01

I also take a pic of my packed items.
FedEx and UPS use "declared value" as stated above. If there's damage or loss, you file a claim with documentation of value, that's easy because there's a bill of sale or PayPal receipt.

Next, from what I've heard and read, is a long, nightmarish process of trying to get the shipping company to pay you.

@feldmen4, your issue is not exclusive to FedEx. I've had some wild tracking adventures with UPS and USPS. USPS being the worst at knowing where in the country your package may be.

UPS recently lost a Furman 15 PSI I bought used. Reported it was at a UPS store for pickup. Went there 3 times and called 3 more. Girl kept saying she was sure she had seen it but could never find it. It's a small facility. They refunded shipper.

Shipped some papers priority USPS mail to a buddy in St. Louis. Got to the main facility there in 2 days then sat 2 weeks before it was delivered. 

Fedex has gone way down in my estimation lately.  I recently bought a Focal Utopia headphone (used, but still ridiculously expensive).  THAT was the package they decided to lose for me.  Signed-for by somebody who was not me, and delivered to my address...they claimed.  At least they managed to retrieve it the next day and get it to me.  But it almost gave me a stroke, I was so pissed-off.

USPS insurance is a joke.  If you submit a claim, they basically require you to submit the item to them for review.  Then they wait weeks and weeks and weeks until you lose patience and just demand your damaged item back.  Others - let me know if you have experienced differently from USPS.