Does general liability insurance cover products?

Asked by: Emmitt Hegmann  |  Last update: March 18, 2023
Score: 4.9/5 (48 votes)

A commercial general liability insurance policy protects business owners if one of their products or completed projects is accused of causing harm to someone later. But if your product liability risks are significant, you should consider buying additional product liability insurance coverage.

What insurance do I need for selling products?

Product liability insurance
  • Product liability insurance. ...
  • If you sell, make, or distribute products, you likely need this policy. ...
  • Yes, for several reasons. ...
  • Insurance companies usually include product liability insurance with a general liability policy.

Is products liability the same as products completed?

Product liability insurance is covered under a general liability policy in conjunction with liability work that has been completed. This kind of coverage, which is included in bodily injury and property damage liability, is a combined piece of protection known as products-completed operations ability.

Is product liability separate from general liability?

Product liability insurance responds specifically to claims that are related to the use of products that your company sells, manufactures, or distributes. On the other hand, a general liability policy will cover claims that are related to the complete operations of your business.

Do you need product liability insurance?

Do I need it? You should consider product liability insurance if your business designs, manufactures or supplies a physical product that is sold or given away for free. Your business may be held legally responsible for any injuries to people or damage to property caused by a faulty product.

Commercial General Liability Insurance 101

28 related questions found

Do you need insurance to sell products online?

If you sell goods online, you need online business insurance to keep you and your products protected. Even if you run your business from home, it doesn't mean you're covered by an existing home insurance policy. Make sure you've got everything covered in case the worst was to happen.

Do you need insurance to sell handmade items?

Whether you make your living from your handicraft or view it as a passion project, if you sell your work, you need insurance cover. Even if you don't see yourself as a business, you're as open to legal action as any big company.

Do I need public liability insurance to sell crafts?

Public liability insurance for craft fairs and craft stallholders is incredibly important, as it covers you against any liability or claims made by the public in connection with your craft fair.

What insurance does ecommerce need?

What kinds of insurance you need for an ecommerce business
  • General liability. ...
  • Product liability. ...
  • Business property insurance. ...
  • Workers' compensation. ...
  • Transit insurance (or inland marine insurance) ...
  • Cybersecurity insurance. ...
  • Business interruption insurance.

Do you need insurance to sell clothes online?

Whether you see your customers face-to-face or just sell online, product liability insurance is crucial to cover you against claims. If a child choked on a loose button from a piece of clothing you sold, product liability would cover any compensation and court fees if legal action was pursued.

Do ecommerce businesses need insurance?

The bigger your ecommerce company, the more risky your business operations will be. In this case, you'll require different types of insurance. If you're a home-based ecommerce business, you'll likely need less coverage. Most risks are unique to your business and its location.

What does public and products liability insurance cover?

Public and product liability insurance protects businesses from paying compensation to a third party in the event of personal accidents, injury or property damage resulting from any business activity and manufactured or supplied product.

Do I need insurance to sell crochet items?

Product Liability Insurance

As a crafter, public liability insurance should be at the top of your list if you're selling your goods at a craft fair. This means that you're covered should your products cause injury or damage to one of your customers, and they've made a claim.

Do I need insurance to sell homemade candles?

You do need insurance to sell candles or wax melts online from home, or at your shop. There are some risks involved with candle businesses that might become very costly if you don't have basic insurance for selling candles that will cover you.

What insurance do you need to sell soap?

Do I need insurance to sell bath bombs and soaps? Unless you are attending a craft fair or event, you don't technically need insurance to sell your handmade goods. Crafts like bath bombs and soaps however, do come with a greater risk due to the use of corrosive chemicals and risk of allergies.

Do you need insurance when selling on Etsy?

Does Etsy require seller insurance? The short answer is no. Etsy doesn't require you to have insurance to sell or operate a store, so you might think you're off the hook.

Do I need insurance to sell baby clothes?

It isn't legally required, but should there be an injury or damage to property of a customer or third party, having public liability insurance is crucial. In the event a customer makes a claim, public liability can cover both the legal fees and the costs of compensation.

Does Etsy have insurance?

Etsy doesn't offer any sort of platform-specific insurance options to their clients, but there are a few insurance policies you can get from almost any commercial carrier that are right for online sellers, like: General liability: Covers your products, property damage and advertising injuries.

What is a products liability insurance?

Product Liability Insurance covers a business financially from any possible claims a customer might make if injury, illness or death occurs from the use of one of their defective products. A product can be classified as software, equipment or food that the business has supplied.

Do I need insurance to sell cosmetics?

The law does not require that you carry property insurance when manufacturing and selling your own skin care products. However, you'll be taking a huge risk operating without some level of coverage to protect your investment.

Does umbrella cover product liability?

A commercial umbrella policy increases your liability coverage to provide extra payouts that help you cover substantial claims. This type of insurance can feasibly protect your company from any liability claim, including libel, reputational damage, vehicular accidents, product liability, or customer injury.

What are the 3 types of product liability claims?

Though the range of defective product cases is broad, the claims typically fall into three categories of product liability: (1) defective manufacture; (2) defective design; or (3) failure to provide adequate warnings or instructions concerning the proper use of the product.

Does an Umbrella Policy cover product liability?

Once a policy's limit is reached, commercial umbrella insurance provides additional coverage for liability claims made on general liability, commercial auto, or employer's liability insurance.

What are the three major areas of product liability?

There are three major types of product liability: manufacturing defects, designs defects, and failure to warn.

What is product liability in Consumer Protection Act?

As per the 2019 Act, product liability means the responsibility of a product manufacturer or product seller, or product service provider, to compensate for any harm caused to a consumer by a defective product manufactured or sold or by deficiency in services in relation to the product.[1]