Door-to-Door Bike Shipping, Fully Covered

1. What Premium Protection is, and what it is not

When you ship a bike, the carrier already provides a standard level of liability. For international road transport under the CMR Convention, that liability is limited to roughly EUR 12 per kilogram of the gross weight of the shipment, no matter what the bike is actually worth. For a high-value bike, this covers only a small fraction of its real value.

Premium Protection closes that gap. It tops up the carrier's standard liability so that, if your bike is lost or physically damaged in transit, it is covered up to the value you declare when you add Premium Protection, subject to these terms.

Premium Protection is a discretionary goodwill service that buycycle provides directly to you. It is not a regulated financial product, and it does not create a regulated provider-and-customer relationship of that kind. buycycle provides Premium Protection itself, as a service of its own, not as a third-party financial product.

If your claim is valid under these terms, we look at it fairly and on its own merits, and we put things right up to your declared value, either by paying for repairs or by refunding the declared value, as set out below. You are made whole up to your declared value regardless of what the carrier itself eventually pays.

"Coverage" in these terms means the protection Premium Protection provides. It does not mean a regulated financial product, and buycycle does not act as a provider of one.

2. Who is eligible and how to activate Premium Protection

Premium Protection is available to the buycycle account holder who books and pays for the shipment. That account holder is the person who can make a claim, and any payout is made to that account holder. Premium Protection applies to the specific shipment it was bought for, including box-only and international shipments booked through buycycle.

Premium Protection must be selected and paid for in full during booking, before your shipping label is generated. The fee is a percentage of your declared value, and the exact rate and total are shown at checkout before you confirm. Business customers may be offered different rates and terms, which are also shown at checkout.

Coverage attaches to your shipment once two conditions that can be checked before transit are both met: Premium Protection has been paid for in full, and all seven required photos have been uploaded before the label is generated. These are conditions that must exist for coverage to apply at all.

The packing and handover requirements set out below are conditions of a valid claim. If they are not met for a shipment, coverage that had otherwise attached is void for that shipment. This keeps the rules clear: payment and photos before the label decide whether you have coverage, and correct packing and proper handover decide whether a claim on that coverage will pay out.

Select and pay for Premium Protection in full during booking, before the label is generated.
Declare an accurate value that reflects the genuine current market value of your used bike. Coverage is capped at the value you declare, up to a maximum of EUR 20,000, and there is a minimum declared value of EUR 250.
Pack the bike correctly in the approved buycycle box or your own suitable rigid bike box, and follow the packing guidance.
Upload all seven required pre-shipment photos before the label is generated and downloaded.

Premium Protection cannot be added later and cannot be added after a problem has occurred. If it was not selected and paid for during booking, before the label was generated, it does not apply to that shipment, and only the carrier's standard liability applies.

3. Your declared value

The declared value, also shown as your coverage amount, is the figure you enter when you add Premium Protection. It must reflect the genuine current fair market value of the used bike you are shipping, not its original purchase price or the cost of a brand new replacement.

Coverage and any payout are capped at your declared value, up to a maximum of EUR 20,000. There is a minimum declared value of EUR 250. If you declare less than EUR 250, the shipment is treated as having a declared value of EUR 250 for both the fee and any payout.

Declared values and the EUR 20,000 maximum are set in Euro. If you provide a value in another currency, it is converted to Euro at a standard published rate on the date you book. Any payout is made in Euro. Payouts are based on the repair cost or the declared value as set out in these terms, and any applicable tax is handled in line with the invoice and your payment.

An accurate declared value protects you, because it sets the amount we can pay if something goes wrong. A materially inaccurate, false, or inflated declared value can reduce a payout or void coverage for that shipment.

4. Your responsibility: the seven required photos

Coverage depends on you uploading all seven required pre-shipment photos before the shipping label is generated and downloaded. In the product, the label is locked and cannot be downloaded until all seven photos have been uploaded.

The seven required photos are:

1. The unwrapped bike, left (drive) side, with the full bike visible.
2. The unwrapped bike, right (non-drive) side, showing the overall condition before packing.
3. The disassembled and wrapped bike placed in front of the open shipping box.
4. The wrapped bike placed inside the box before sealing.
5. The fully sealed and taped box, photographed from the front, with all seams taped.
6. The sealed box photographed from the side, showing it is properly closed and secured.
7. The order ID clearly written on the outside of the sealed box.

Photos must be clear, genuine, taken at the time of packing for this specific shipment, and they must accurately show the true condition of the bike. Photos reused from another shipment, or that do not match the bike or box being shipped, do not count.

buycycle may review the photos when a claim is made. Photos that are missing, incomplete, unclear, reused, or that do not match the shipped bike or box will be treated as not provided. Because the seven photos before the label are a condition for coverage to apply, treating them as not provided means coverage did not attach for that shipment.

No photos, no coverage. If the photos are missing, incomplete, unclear, reused, or do not match the shipment, coverage does not take effect and a claim cannot be processed.

5. Proper packing

Correct packing is what allows your bike to travel safely, and it is a condition of a valid claim. You can use the approved buycycle box or your own box, as long as your own box is a strong, rigid bike box and the bike is properly disassembled, protected, and packed in line with the buycycle packing guidance.

Use either the approved buycycle box or your own sturdy, rigid cardboard bike box. A bike bag, soft case, suitcase, or any flexible or non-bike packaging is not accepted.
Disassemble, wrap, and protect the bike as described in the packing guidance, including the frame, fork, and any vulnerable parts.
Keep the wheels from touching or resting against the frame. Separate and protect them so they cannot rub, press, or knock against the frame in transit.
Use enough padding and packing material to fully cushion the bike, fill any empty space, and stop anything from shifting inside the box.
Seal and tape the box securely, with all seams taped, before handover.

Damage that results from improper packing, from using a bike bag or any unsuitable or non-rigid packaging, or from ignoring the packing guidance is not covered.

6. Handover and chain of custody: never leave the bike unattended

Coverage depends on an unbroken chain of custody with proof of handover at every step. The bike must be handed directly to the carrier's driver or staff, and a scan or signed proof of collection must be obtained at pickup. At the other end, it must be received through a proper, attended, person-to-person handover at delivery, with a delivery scan.

If at any point the bike is left unattended without a confirmed handover, it is not covered. This applies at both pickup and at delivery or drop-off. Leaving the box in any of the following situations breaks the chain of custody and voids coverage for that shipment:

On a doorstep, porch, hallway, lobby, or reception area without a confirmed handover scan.
In a garden, driveway, garage, or any outdoor location.
With a neighbour, concierge, or any third party who is not the named recipient or an authorised representative.
In a parcel locker or pickup point with no scan, or by treating any spot as a so-called safe place without a recorded handover.
Outside a closed or unstaffed depot or drop-off point.
Anywhere it is out of the direct control of you or the carrier without a recorded proof of handover.

Where buycycle routes a shipment through an approved carrier pickup point or drop-off location, the carrier's own collection or delivery scan at that approved location counts as proof of handover. The rule is about having a recorded handover, not about a particular method. What is never covered is the box being left somewhere with no scan and no recorded handover at all.

Why does this matter so much? Without a recorded handover, there is no proof that the bike was ever in the carrier's custody. The chain of custody is broken, and neither the carrier nor buycycle can verify what happened to the bike, where it went, or who had it. That is why a recorded handover is required at both ends.

Please always wait for the driver and get the collection scan at pickup, and make sure someone is present to receive and inspect the bike at delivery, or that an approved pickup point scans it in. A few minutes of waiting is what keeps your coverage active.

If the bike is left unattended without a confirmed handover and scan, at pickup or at delivery, it is not covered. A scan at an approved carrier pickup or drop-off point counts as a handover; leaving the box anywhere with no recorded handover does not.

7. If your bike is lost

If your shipment stops moving in the carrier's tracker for 10 calendar days, buycycle treats it as potentially lost, opens a claim with the carrier on your behalf, and works to trace the bike. The carrier investigation can take up to 30 days, counted from the date buycycle opens the carrier claim.

If the bike has not been recovered and the carrier has not confirmed delivery within 30 days of buycycle opening the carrier claim, whether because the carrier has denied the loss or because the investigation is still inconclusive, you may choose what happens next:

Continue waiting for the carrier investigation to conclude, in case the bike is found and recovered.
Or request a full refund of the declared value of the bike from buycycle.

You can switch from waiting to a refund at any time up to six months after the expected delivery date. After six months, if you have not requested a refund and the bike has not been recovered, buycycle will settle the claim by refunding the declared value and close it. Any refund is capped at your declared value, up to a maximum of EUR 20,000, and all conditions in these terms must be met, including the photo, packing, and handover requirements.

If your bike is found after you have been refunded

Once buycycle has refunded the declared value of a lost bike, that bike is treated as a total loss and ownership of it passes to buycycle. This prevents a double recovery, where you would keep both the full refund and the bike, and it allows buycycle to recover the bike from the carrier or from anyone holding it.

If the bike is recovered after you have been paid, buycycle will let you know and tell you the condition it was found in. You then have 30 days from that notice to ask for the bike back by repaying the amount buycycle paid you for it. If you repay that amount, ownership returns to you and buycycle arranges the return, with you covering the return shipping cost. If you do not want the bike back, or you do not respond within those 30 days, ownership stays with buycycle, which may keep, sell, or otherwise deal with the bike to recover what it paid you.

buycycle pays you the approved amount up to your declared value directly. In return, you pass to buycycle your right to recover the carrier's standard liability for the same loss, and you will not separately pursue the carrier for it. buycycle handles carrier recovery and carries that risk, so you do not have to chase the carrier yourself.

8. If your bike is damaged in transit

If your bike is physically damaged in transit, buycycle pays for the repairs, up to your declared value, subject to these terms.

Start by getting an itemised repair quote from a professional, qualified bike shop and sending it to us before any work is done. The quote should clearly list the parts and labour involved. We will confirm in writing whether we will fund the repairs or treat the bike as a total loss, so you are never left out of pocket for work we have not agreed.

Once repairs are approved and completed, send us the final itemised invoice from the bike shop. buycycle may contact the bike shop directly to validate the quote and invoice, to confirm the work carried out, and to confirm that the damage is consistent with transit damage.

When a bike is treated as a total loss

buycycle decides whether a bike is repaired or treated as a total loss, based on the validated quote. A bike is treated as a total loss when the validated repair cost reaches or exceeds the full declared value, or when the bike cannot be safely or economically repaired. In that case the claim is settled as a refund of the full declared value, in the same way as a lost bike, rather than payment for repairs.

Where a total loss is settled by refunding the declared value, ownership and any salvage value of the damaged bike pass to buycycle (or to the carrier, where buycycle directs). buycycle may also choose to repair, replace, or refund, at its discretion, up to your declared value.

9. What is covered

When Premium Protection is active and all conditions in these terms have been met, the following is covered, up to your declared value and up to a maximum of EUR 20,000:

Loss of the shipment in transit, handled as set out in the section on lost bikes.
Physical damage to the bike caused in transit, handled as set out in the section on damaged bikes.

Premium Protection tops up the carrier's standard liability so that the total coverage available reaches your declared value. It does not pay on top of the declared value. buycycle pays you up to your declared value directly and then handles any carrier recovery itself.

10. What is not covered

Premium Protection does not cover the following:

Any shipment where the bike was left unattended at pickup or delivery without a confirmed handover and scan, as described in the handover section.
Missing, incomplete, unclear, reused, or mismatched pre-shipment photos, or any shipment where the seven required photos were not uploaded before the label was generated.
Improper packing, using a bike bag or other unsuitable or non-rigid packaging, or ignoring the packing guidance.
An inaccurate, false, or inflated declared value.
Pre-existing damage, cosmetic wear, or defects present before shipping.
Normal wear and tear, minor scuffs, or the settling of components that does not affect function.
Prohibited, restricted, or undeclared items, and anything shipped against buycycle guidance.
Consequential, indirect, or economic losses, for example lost income, a lost sale, or inconvenience, and the shipping fee or the Premium Protection fee itself.
Delays in transit. Premium Protection covers loss and physical damage, not late delivery.
Customs seizure or confiscation, and losses caused by incorrect or incomplete customs paperwork that you provided.

11. How to make a claim

Claims are made through your buycycle dashboard or with buycycle customer support. After you report a problem, please send us all supporting evidence (photos, the repair quote, and any invoice) within 48 hours of your report so we can assess and settle the claim. Total liability for any one shipment is capped at your declared value, and at most EUR 20,000, no matter how many issues are reported for that shipment.

Visible transit damage

For damage that is visible at delivery, you must report it within 48 hours of delivery. The carrier's recorded delivery timestamp is decisive for when the 48 hour window starts. Keep all packaging, and take photos of both the damage and the packaging as soon as the bike arrives. This evidence is needed to assess the claim. The 48 hour window matters because it lets us tie any damage to the shipping process itself. It rules out loss or damage that happens after delivery, for example during later use, riding, storage, or handling, which is not related to shipping and is not covered.

Hidden damage found after unpacking

Some damage, such as an internal frame crack or fork or derailleur damage, is not obvious at a glance. That is why you should unpack and inspect the bike thoroughly as soon as it is delivered. Any transit damage, whether or not it was immediately visible, must still be reported within 48 hours of the carrier's recorded delivery scan, with photos, and before the bike is ridden or any repair is started. Please keep the packaging as well.

Non-delivery or a lost shipment

For a non-delivery or a lost shipment, contact buycycle as soon as tracking shows a problem or the expected delivery date has passed. The sooner we know, the sooner we can open a claim with the carrier and start tracing the bike.

Report any transit damage within 48 hours of delivery, with photos and with all packaging kept. Reports made after this window make a claim much harder to assess, and we may decline a report that is too late for us to verify.

12. Payouts, limits, and time to pay

Coverage and any payout are capped at your declared value, up to an overall maximum of EUR 20,000. Premium Protection tops up the carrier's standard liability to reach the declared value, and does not pay in addition to it. Total liability for any single shipment is limited to the declared value regardless of the number of issues reported.

Damage: paid as the cost of approved repairs against a valid itemised bike-shop invoice, up to the declared value.
Loss or total loss: paid as a refund of the declared value.

Where a claim is approved and all required evidence has been received and validated, payment is made to your original payment method, or as otherwise agreed with buycycle, within 14 days of approval.

13. Honest and accurate claims

Premium Protection relies on honesty. We assess every claim in good faith, and we ask the same of you.

False, exaggerated, or fraudulent claims, staged damage, and falsified photos or invoices will void coverage for that shipment. They may also result in the loss of access to the Premium Protection service and may be reported to the relevant authorities.

14. If you disagree with a decision

If you do not agree with how a claim has been assessed, contact buycycle customer support through your dashboard and ask for the decision to be reviewed. We will look at it again and explain our reasoning.

Any claim for transit damage must be raised within 48 hours of delivery, as set out above. For a lost shipment, contact us as soon as tracking shows a problem or the expected delivery date has passed. A report made after the applicable window may be too late for us to verify and assess.

15. Changes to these terms and relationship to the main Terms

These Premium Protection Terms supplement and form part of the main buycycle Terms and Conditions. The main Terms and Conditions apply to your use of buycycle and to any shipment you book. To the extent these Premium Protection Terms cover the Premium Protection service specifically, they set out the full agreement for that service between you and buycycle.

buycycle may update these Premium Protection Terms from time to time. The version that applied when a shipment was booked governs that shipment.

If any part of these terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the rest of the terms continue to apply in full.

16. Governing law and contact

These Premium Protection Terms follow the same law that applies to your buycycle contract, and they are meant to be read alongside the main buycycle Terms and Conditions.

If you have any questions about Premium Protection, or you need to report a problem with a shipment, please contact buycycle customer support through your dashboard. We are here to help.

Questions about Premium Protection? Reach buycycle customer support through your dashboard, where you can also make a claim. For the full terms that govern your use of buycycle, please see the main buycycle Terms and Conditions, which these Premium Protection Terms supplement and form part of.

View our full Terms & Conditions