The free cover: shipping back, plus a fixed sum for every charged kilo
Hipobuy calls it Free Insurance, and on the routes that include it, it is genuinely free. Read the table closely, though, and it is a refund of your postage with a small per-kilo top-up. The goods are not in it.
The loss line: postage returned and a per-kilo top-up
Hipobuy's free table, uploaded on 21 March 2026 and embedded in its insurance and compensation article, has one line for loss. Once Hipobuy confirms the parcel is lost, it pays 100% of the actual shipping cost, "plus a refund of the cost for re-packaging based on the weight/kg * 40 CNY".
Two details matter. "Actual shipping cost" reads as what you really paid for the parcel's freight. The per-kilo part is calculated on the parcel's weight; we read that as the charged weight on the freight bill, which on many routes is whichever is heavier, the scale reading or the volume figure. Hipobuy does not say whether part-kilos are rounded.
There is one exception printed in the same cell: loss or partial loss after the final-mile courier has picked the parcel up is not eligible.
Damage earns nothing under the free cover
The same cell ends with four words: "Damage: No compensation." A parcel that arrives crushed, with broken items inside, gets nothing from the free cover however clear the photos are.
Hipobuy says as much on its own submit page, where the free option carries the line "The free protection service only offers partial compensation."
Partial loss is where the official texts part ways. The help-centre table gives no figure for a parcel that arrives with some items missing. The tooltip on the submit page, which is part of the site's code, says that after an investigation confirms a logistics cause, "the corresponding product value will be compensated". The comparator shows that figure with a warning rather than pretending the two agree.
Destination customs: the same formula, narrower conditions
The second line of the free table covers a parcel "detained or confiscated by customs upon arrival at the destination port for customs clearance". Once Hipobuy has confirmed what happened, it returns all of the freight you paid plus the same 40 yuan per kilo.
Two exceptions sit in brackets: a second inspection by the last-mile delivery company after it has collected the parcel, and partial detention of goods during delivery. The notes column adds a third: nothing is paid when the hold comes from the recipient's side, such as unpaid tax, missing paperwork or no reply to customs.
Note where the clock starts: payment runs from the point Hipobuy itself confirms the detention, so the claim begins with Hipobuy, not with the customs office.
The final-mile exception, and why it matters most
The bracket in the loss line is short and easy to skim: "Loss or partial loss of the package after it has been picked up by the final-mile courier is not eligible for compensation." The final-mile courier is the local company that brings the parcel to your door once it has cleared customs in your country.
In practice that excludes a large share of real-world losses. A parcel that goes missing in a local depot, is left at the wrong address, or shows as delivered but never reaches you, has by then been picked up by the final-mile courier. The disclaimer list adds that theft or loss after delivery is not covered either.
The free cover is therefore strongest for the long international leg, between Hipobuy's warehouse and the hand-over to the local courier. Problems on your doorstep are a matter for the local carrier and for the checks you make when the parcel arrives.
Two ceilings, and the lower one decides
Both lines share one limit: a payout "will not exceed your insured amount (product purchase amount + shipping fee) and is capped at 5000 CNY". So there are two ceilings, the goods plus shipping, and 5,000 yuan.
For most parcels neither bites, because shipping plus 40 yuan a kilo is well below the goods value. They bite at the extremes. A very cheap, heavy parcel can hit the first ceiling: 60 yuan of goods with 200 yuan of shipping at 2 kg gives shipping plus 80, which is more than the 260 yuan at stake, so the payout stops at 260 and the whole loss is covered.
The 5,000-yuan ceiling matters for paid cover far more than for free cover, as the paid cover page shows.
Four made-up parcels put through the free table
The same rule, applied to four parcels we made up so the arithmetic is easy to follow. The share returned falls as the goods get pricier relative to their weight.
| Example parcel | Goods | Shipping | Charged kg | Free cover pays | Share of the loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap and heavy | 60 | 200 | 2 | 260 | 100% |
| Heavier, cheaper goods | 300 | 330 | 3 | 450 | 71% |
| Light, mid-price | 900 | 160 | 1 | 200 | 19% |
| Pricey and heavy | 5,600 | 700 | 6 | 940 | 15% |
What the word "free" leaves you holding
In practice the free cover answers one question well: "will I get my postage back if the carrier loses the box?" On routes that include it, yes, plus a little. It does not answer "will I get my money back for the things in the box?", and it says nothing about breakage.
Any payout also arrives as Hipo Coins, credited to your Hipobuy account, at one coin per yuan. They pay for goods and freight on Hipobuy and cannot be withdrawn; the claims and coins page explains what that means if you do not plan to order again.
