Shipping & Insurance
Getting gear from one jumper to another should be simple and safe. Here's exactly how shipping works on Freefall Marketplace — the options, the insurance, when a signature is required, and how we come up with box sizes.
Your shipping options
When you list an item, you choose how it ships:
Managed shipping
We generate the shipping label for you. Every managed shipment is tracked and insured, and payment stays in escrow until the gear arrives and the buyer's inspection window passes. This is the most protected option for both sides.
Ship it yourself
Prefer to use your own carrier and label? You can — just add your tracking number so the buyer can follow the package. Insurance and claims are handled through your own carrier, not Freefall.
Local pickup
For gear that changes hands in person. No shipping, no label — just arrange the handoff with the other party.
Insurance
Every managedshipment is insured automatically — there's no opt-out and nothing extra to set up. Coverage is based on the item's value plus the label cost, so if a package is lost or damaged in transit, the value is protected.
- The premium is about 1% of the declared value (with a small minimum), priced through our shipping carrier.
- Coverage is currently capped at $5,000 per package. For gear worth more than that, reach out before shipping so we can arrange the right coverage.
- Who pays: insurance rides with shipping. If the buyer pays shipping, the premium is a line item at checkout. If you offer free shipping, you cover both the label and the premium out of your payout.
Self-shipped and local-pickup orders are not covered by Freefall insurance — for those, you rely on your own carrier's coverage or an in-person handoff.
Signature confirmation
Higher-value gear requires a signature at delivery. This isn't red tape — it's protection for both sides. A signature turns "it was delivered" into provable proof that a real person received the package, which is what keeps disputes fair and payouts fast.
| Item value | At delivery |
|---|---|
| Under $500 | No signature required |
| $500 – $1,999.99 | Signature required |
| $2,000 and up | Adult signature required |
The signature requirement is set when the label is created and can't be changed afterward, so it's based on the item price at checkout.
Box sizes & weights — how we estimate
To quote shipping, we need a box size and weight. To make listing fast, we suggest one automatically based on the type of gear — but you can always change it, and you should double-check it.
Smaller items ship in standard USPS flat-rate boxes, whose sizes are exact:
- Small Flat Rate Box — 8⅝ × 5⅜ × 1⅝ in
- Medium Flat Rate Box — 11 × 8½ × 5½ in
- Large Flat Rate Box — 12 × 12 × 5½ in
Bulky gear — complete and partial rigs, containers, helmets — does not fit a flat-rate box, so we suggest custom dimensions and a packed weight instead. For example, we estimate a complete rig around 22 × 18 × 14 in at roughly 30 lb.
Please confirm the estimate matches your gear
Those custom rig, container, and helmet dimensions and weights are our estimates, not measurements of your specific item. Before you publish, measure and weigh your packed gear and update the box if it's off. An inaccurate size or weight means an inaccurate shipping quote for the buyer — and you may end up covering the difference. The flat-rate box sizes above are exact; the custom estimates are the ones worth checking.
Questions about a specific shipment or high-value coverage?
Get in touch