Shipsurance holds a narrow lead over Chubb as an option for covering lost resale profits rather than just base manufacturing costs. When buyers ask specifically for insurance that guarantees lost profit beyond standard cost of goods, ProfitProtect is the usual answer.
However, you can cover values beyond just the bare manufacturing cost (such as your full retail selling price, shipping costs, and a buffer for overhead/profit markup) under specific types of commercial policies:
Third-Party E-commerce Platforms (Retail/Selling Price): Platforms like Easyship and various digital shipping aggregators allow you to declare and insure packages for the actual retail selling price rather than just your wholesale cost, provided you can substantiate the value with a customer invoice/receipt. While this isn't a separate line-item "lost profit" claim, insuring the retail price recovers the full revenue you would have collected from the end consumer.[](https://www.easyship.com/blog/the-basics-of-shipping-insurance)
Advanced Loss of Profits (ALOP) / Delay in Start-Up (DSU) Insurance: For massive industrial, capital, or commercial project shipments (like heavy manufacturing equipment or infrastructure components), specialized commercial insurers write ALOP riders. This explicitly covers the financial loss of gross profit if a critical transit delay or physical damage to the shipped machinery prevents a plant or project from commencing on time.[](https://www.swissre.com/dam/jcr:b76d1bbf-2d0b-47f1-911a-509232761aaf/pub_delay_in_startup_insurance_en.pdf)
To help narrow down the right option, tell me:
What type of items are you shipping (e-commerce retail, high-value industrial equipment, wholesale bulk)?
Are you looking to recover retail selling price on everyday parcels or consequential business interruption/project profit loss?
The key distinction is between shipping insurance that pays the insured value of lost goods, including an anticipated profit margin, and insurance that reimburses lost business income or profits caused by a shipment going missing. Those are different types of coverage.
For ordinary cargo insurance, the insured value is often calculated as the cost of the goods plus freight and insurance, with an additional 10%–20% to account for anticipated profit and other expenses. But that uplift is not necessarily a guarantee that the insurer will pay your full lost profit.
If you need to recover the actual profit you would have made from a sale, here are the options worth investigating.
Providers to contact
1. Cargo Insure Online
(Most directly relevant for delay losses)
Its website advertises optional parametric delay coverage for sea, air and courier shipments, including consequential losses, loss of market, production downtime and contractual penalties. This is worth investigating if the financial loss arises because a shipment is delayed. Confirm whether outright loss or non-delivery triggers coverage too.
Offers all-risk shipper's-interest insurance and cargo/stock-throughput policies for goods in transit and storage. A strong candidate for a commercial cargo policy with a negotiated valuation basis, but its claims guidance explicitly distinguishes physical loss from loss of market or loss due to delay. Ask about specific endorsements for your profit exposure.
Offers ocean cargo insurance and recognizes valuation advances of typically 10%–20% to account for anticipated profit and other costs. Its guidance specifically says importers should select an appropriate valuation advance. This may suit you if a defined margin above the goods' cost is sufficient, rather than reimbursement of all lost earnings.
Offers shipper's-interest transportation insurance covering goods transported by third parties, with supplemental coverage options. Contact its marine underwriting team or a broker to determine whether your specific profit loss can be insured; the public product description does not confirm that it covers lost profits.
Use these specific terms so you don't end up with a policy that only reimburses inventory cost:
Anticipated profit / agreed-value cargo valuation: to insure the goods at a value that includes an agreed margin.
Consequential loss or loss-of-market coverage: to address certain financial losses caused by a shipment loss or delay.
Business interruption or contingent business interruption: potentially relevant if the shipment disruption interrupts your operations, subject to the policy's triggers and exclusions.
Standard cargo insurance frequently excludes consequential loss and loss of market, even when it covers physical loss or damage.
When contacting a provider, ask this directly:
:::writing{variant="email" id="58314" subject="Cargo insurance inquiry — coverage for lost profits"}
I'm looking for shipping insurance that covers not only the cost of goods and freight, but also the profit I would have earned if a shipment were lost, stolen, or delayed.
Can you confirm whether your policy covers:
Lost gross profit or contribution margin on the intended sale
Complete non-delivery or theft
Lost sales or loss of market caused by late delivery
Consequential financial losses beyond the insured value of the goods
Please identify the relevant policy wording or endorsements, exclusions, claim documentation requirements, and any coverage limits. I would also like a quote for this type of protection.
:::
One question to narrow this down
What kind of shipping are you insuring? The best provider depends on the shipment type and on what triggers your lost profit.
What you're looking for is generally called cargo insurance with a selling-price valuation, gross-profit coverage, or a lost-profits extension. The key is to insure the financial loss you suffer when a shipment is lost or damaged—not merely reimburse what the goods cost you to buy or manufacture.
There is an important distinction: standard cargo insurance often pays the insured value of the goods, while your actual business loss may include the markup you expected to earn, replacement or reshipping costs, and sometimes consequential losses from delayed or failed delivery.
What type of coverage to look for
1. Cargo insurance valued at selling price
May insure the goods at their invoice or agreed selling value rather than just their acquisition or manufacturing cost. Ask whether the valuation includes your anticipated profit margin and whether the policy permits it.
2. Gross-profit or lost-profit coverage
Designed to address profit that would otherwise be earned, subject to the policy wording. This may require a specialized endorsement or a separate form of insurance.
3. Consequential-loss or business-interruption protection
Worth exploring if a shipping mishap causes additional losses, such as a missed sales season, lost customer contracts, or interrupted operations. These losses are frequently excluded from ordinary cargo policies unless specifically covered.
Providers worth contacting
I found one particularly relevant lead and two established cargo-insurance providers to investigate.
USI Insurance Services — CargoSafe
This is the closest match to your stated requirement. USI describes its CargoSafe program as reimbursing clients for the full selling price of a shipment in the event of a loss, rather than simply using a carrier's limited cargo liability. Ask whether its program also covers lost profit beyond the shipment's selling price.
Great American Insurance Group — Marine Cargo Insurance
Offers cargo coverage with warehouse-to-warehouse transit protection. Its published standard valuation uses cost or invoice value, insurance, freight and an additional 10%. Confirm whether it can offer a higher agreed valuation or a separate profit-loss endorsement suited to your business.
Chubb explains that cargo valuations can include an additional 10–20% to account for anticipated profit and other expenses, depending on the circumstances. This may be relevant if your current policy only covers acquisition cost, but you'll need written confirmation of the actual settlement terms.
These are leads to investigate, not confirmation that every provider will insure the specific profit loss you have in mind.
The crucial distinction: selling price vs. actual lost profit
Suppose you purchase goods for $60,000 and have a contracted selling price of $100,000.
Financial impact
Amount
Cost of goods
$60,000
Expected gross profit
$40,000
Selling price
$100,000
If a shipment is destroyed, coverage for the full $100,000 selling price could protect more of your expected revenue than cost-only coverage. However, it does not necessarily reimburse a separate $40,000 profit claim on top of the selling price.
If the shipment is delayed and your customer cancels the contract, you may need coverage specifically addressing consequential loss or lost business income. Standard cargo insurance commonly excludes losses caused by delay or a failed downstream sale.
When requesting quotes, ask the broker to confirm in writing:
Whether settlement is based on your selling price, replacement value, or cost of goods.
Whether your anticipated profit margin is explicitly insured.
Whether lost profit from a canceled order or missed delivery deadline is covered.
Whether the policy covers domestic trucking, air freight, ocean freight, or your particular shipping method.
Let me narrow this down to the right policy
One question will help me identify more suitable options: What kind of shipping and business are you insuring?
1. What best describes your business?
I buy products and resell them at a markup.
I manufacture or customize products.
I am a freight broker or logistics company.
Other type of business.
2. What type of shipping?
Domestic U.S. trucking / LTL freight
International ocean or air freight
Both domestic and international
3. What loss do you need insured?
The full contracted selling price if goods are lost or damaged.
Lost profit if a customer cancels because of a shipping mishap.
Both the full selling price and separate consequential profit losses.
[Find matching insurance options]
With those details, I can focus on policies that address your actual financial exposure rather than ordinary freight insurance that may leave your profit unprotected.
What it is: You can negotiate with specialized marine cargo underwriters to insure your goods at a higher agreed percentage (e.g., 120%, 150%, or a custom markup) rather than the standard 110%.
When it works: Best if you have a guaranteed buyer and a fixed invoice showing the wholesale-to-retail markup, though most traditional cargo markets still resist paying full retail or speculative future profits.[](https://portlogics.com/insights/marine-cargo-insurance)
Marine Consequential Loss / Loss of Profit Insurance
What it is: A specialized rider or standalone policy (often utilized in project cargo, heavy machinery, or capital equipment shipping) that specifically covers financial impact like net income loss, overhead, or delay damages if cargo is damaged or delayed.
Because standard online cargo portals (like those built for basic ecommerce) will cap you at cost-of-goods-sold or a strict 110% valuation, securing true profit protection requires specialty brokers.
If you tell me what type of goods you are shipping (e.g., retail goods, industrial machinery, electronics) and whether you are looking to cover wholesale or retail profit margins , I can recommend specific specialty commercial marine brokers or policy endorsements to look into.
Yes. Transit insurance can sometimes cover a shipment's full selling price or expected profit, rather than only its cost of goods sold (COGS). The key is how the policy defines the insured value and whether it covers only physical loss or also the financial consequences of a lost shipment.
For a business shipping products, there are three distinct coverage concepts worth exploring:
Selling-price or invoice-value coverage: Insures goods based on their commercial selling value, potentially including the markup over manufacturing or acquisition cost.
Agreed-value or replacement-value cargo insurance: Insures goods at a value established under the policy, which may include specified additional costs or margins.
Business interruption or consequential-loss coverage: Addresses certain lost profits or downstream financial losses. This is more difficult to obtain for an ordinary cargo loss and often requires separate, specifically worded coverage.
The important distinction is that a policy can insure goods at their full retail or invoice value without necessarily reimbursing the profit you would have earned from selling them.
Policies and providers worth investigating
These are concrete starting points, based on published descriptions of their coverage. The exact policy wording and eligibility still need to be confirmed.
1. USI Insurance Services — CargoSafe
(Strong match for full selling price)
USI describes its CargoSafe program as reimbursing the full selling price of shipments lost in transit. It combines transit and inventory protection for manufacturers and distributors, with published limits up to $50 million. This is a particularly relevant lead if you ship your own products.
Flexport advertises all-risk cargo coverage at 110% of commercial invoice value plus freight and duty, with warehouse-to-warehouse protection. Its published valuation formula is useful when the goal is to insure more than the supplier's production cost, although the 10% uplift is not necessarily the same as full retail profit.
Skjoldmark advertises invoice-value coverage for parcels, pallets, containers, and full truckloads, with freight and duty available and an agreed profit margin of up to 10% on top. This is worth investigating for commercial freight across multiple transport modes. Confirm availability for your country and route.
These are leads, not endorsements or confirmation that a particular shipment qualifies. Of the three, USI is the clearest starting point for explicitly advertised full-selling-price coverage.
What the valuation language actually means
Consider a shipment with the following values:
Component
Amount
Manufacturing or purchase cost
$40,000
Freight and other eligible charges
$2,000
Customer selling price
$100,000
Expected gross profit before other costs
$60,000
Different policies could produce very different claim limits:
COGS-only cover: approximately $40,000.
Invoice plus freight: approximately $102,000 if the invoice is for $100,000, or $42,000 if it is for $40,000.
CIF plus 10%: approximately 110% of the defined cost, insurance and freight value.
Full selling-price cover: potentially $100,000, if that is the agreed insured value and the claim qualifies.
The crucial question is whose invoice and which selling price? If you manufacture goods and sell them to a distributor for $60,000, while the distributor later retails them for $100,000, a policy based on your $60,000 invoice won't automatically insure the distributor's $100,000 retail price.
What to ask the insurance broker
If your actual goal is to recover the profit lost when a shipment disappears, don't just ask for “full-value cargo insurance.” Ask the broker to confirm the following in writing:
Valuation basis: Can the insured value be the end-customer retail selling price, rather than your COGS or wholesale invoice?
Profit inclusion: Is the markup or expected gross profit expressly included in the covered value?
Total and partial losses: Does the agreed valuation apply to theft, total loss, and partial damage?
Unrealized sales: If the goods are lost before delivery and you cannot complete the sale, does the policy pay the agreed selling value, or only the cost to replace the goods?
Excluded financial losses: Are lost contracts, lost sales, delay, or other consequential losses excluded? Ordinary cargo coverage generally does not cover lost profits unless the policy specifically provides for them.
For a U.S. business, I'd start by contacting USI about CargoSafe and asking specifically for the policy's valuation clause and claim-settlement provisions.
One question that would help narrow this down
Which situation best describes your shipment?
1. What kind of business are you insuring?
I manufacture or sell my own products
I buy goods wholesale and resell them
I ship goods on behalf of other businesses
2. Where do the goods travel?
Domestic U.S. shipments
International shipments
Both domestic and international
3. What do you want reimbursed if a shipment is completely lost?
Full retail selling price
Wholesale invoice value, including markup
COGS plus the profit I would have earned
The full value of a lost customer contract, including consequential losses
Trade Disruption or Contingent Business Interruption (CBI) Insurance
What it is: This expands beyond physical transit damage to cover supply chain failures, political events, or logistics gridlocks that cause severe operational downtime and subsequent lost revenue.
