For many professionals, GLS is a reliable logistics partner for national and European shipments. However, when a parcel is lost, stolen or damaged, the question of compensation can quickly become an obstacle course. Is the insurance offered by GLS genuine protection, or simply compliance with legal minimums?
This 2025 strategy guide doesn't just skim over the terms and conditions. It dives right into the heart of the GLS claims system to reveal how it really works, with its extremely low Limits , strict deadlines and claims process. By comparing it with a specialized, independent solution like Claisy, we give you the keys to making an informed decision and effectively protecting your business. You can also find our comparison of carriers' parcel insurance 2025 and the whole ad valorem encyclopedia with analysis of CMS offers and logistics solutions.
How GLS "protection" works: no insurance, just legal indemnity
This is the fundamental point to understand: GLS does not offer optional, integrated Ad Valorem insurance. The only "protection" included in their services is basic lump-sum compensation, dictated by law.
This is not insurance on the actual value of your goods, but the minimum level of legal liability that GLS agrees to cover in the event of a proven fault on their part.
- For national shipments: Liability is limited to €23 per kilogram of gross weight that is missing or damaged, with a total Limit €690 per package.
- For international shipments: Liability is dictated by the CMR Convention, i.e. 8.33 SDR (approx. €10) per kilogram.
For a lightweight, high-value object (a smartphone, a piece of jewelry, a luxury item...), this weight-based compensation is dramatically inadequate.
Limits and conditions: virtually no protection for professionals
GLS's compensation model is a major risk for any company shipping goods worth more than a few dozen euros.
Example:
You ship a new 200g smartphone worth €1,200 to France. The parcel is lost by GLS.
- Compensation calculation: €23 x 0.2 kg = €4.60
- Your deadweight loss: €1,195.40
This system makes shipping anything of value without external insurance extremely risky.
The claims process: a strict procedure with uncertain deadlines
Obtaining compensation from GLS requires compliance with a rigorous procedure.
- The Complaint Process: The complaint must be made by the sender (the GLS account holder) via his customer area or by registered letter. There is no modern, transparent tracking portal for handling the dispute.
- Strict deadlines: You must meet strict deadlines for your application to be accepted. Failure to do so will result in automatic rejection.
- Timeframe for compensation: The timeframe for reimbursement is not guaranteed. It depends on the length of the internal investigation carried out by GLS to establish its own responsibility. In practice, this process can take from several weeks to several months. GLS is both judge and judged.
GLS vs. Claisy: legal minimum versus maximum protection
Putting the GLS indemnity model into perspective with a true Ad Valorem insurer like Claisy reveals a world of difference.
GLS Ad Valorem Offers... What a Labyrinth
GLS Insurance Rates, Limits and Conditions by Country: The Unprecedented Comparison
This is where the labyrinth begins. The GLS insurance offer differs radically from country to country.
The fragmentation of the GLS insurance tariff offer is a major operational risk for an e-tailer selling in Europe. The need to manage different insurance rules for each market creates administrative complexity that costs time and money. It's the perfect example of a friction that penalizes growth.
GLS Claims Procedure: A Variable Geometry Process
How you report a claim to GLS also depends on your country of shipment.
- In Italy, the process is relatively integrated and digitized, with clear options to be selected at the time of shipment using the declared value on GLS.
- In France, taking out Ad Valorem insurance is a manual process. It must be negotiated upstream in your professional contract, and each shipment of value often requires a specific declaration. There's no "one-click" option in the back-office, and you're stuck with a declared value model.
- In Belgium and the Netherlands, the procedure generally follows the German model, with a more accessible Ad Valorem option but Limits that are often lower than in Italy.
In all cases, you'll need to provide a complete file: proof of deposit, purchase invoice proving value, photos of packaging and damage.
💡 Key Teaching
The same claim with GLS may cost:
- 🇮🇹 Italy: 20 days + €2,500 max → "Acceptable" experience
- 🇫🇷 France: 70 days + €23/kg → "Frustrating" experience
- 🇧🇪 Belgium: 45 days + €750 max → "Limited" experience
- 🇩🇪 Germany: 55 days + protests → "Rigid" experience
With unified insurance like Claisy:
- ⚡ All countries: 48 hours + €100,000 max
- 🌍 Same process in France, Italy, Belgium, and Germany
- 🎯 Complete independence from national GLS processes
Connect your CMS for free in 5 minutes. Never manage a dispute manually again!
The real power of automation lies in native integration. Claisy presents itself as a real alternative to GLS insurance, and plugs directly into the tools that drive your business: Shopify, Prestashop, WooCommerce, etc. The result? Zero effort, zero forgetting, perfect coverage on 100% of your shipments and successful coverage with Claisy without changing your GLS habits.
Conclusion: From Complexity to Clarity, Choose Efficiency
The Uncompromising Assessment
Navigating the GLS insurance system in 2025 means accepting a fragmented reality that directly penalizes your profitability:
- 🇮🇹 In Italy: 20 days wait to recover a maximum of €2,500
- 🇫🇷 In France: 70 days to earn €23/kg (i.e., €69 for a 3kg package worth €800)
- 🇧🇪 In Belgium: 45 days with a Limit of €750
- 🇩🇪 In Germany: 55 days and systematic protests
Our three real-life cases prove it:
- The fashion e-merchant: €630 total cost for €27 compensation
- The Italian jeweler: €2,800 in losses + €1,200 in legal fees despite Safe Plus
- Industrial distributor: €1,350 loss with total refusal by GLS
Why This Complexity Exists
GLS is first and foremost a Carrier, not an insurer. Their priority is to deliver parcels, not to compensate for claims. The insurance offers are:
- Fragmented because managed by autonomous national subsidiaries
- Limited because they are designed to comply with the legal minimum
- Defensive because GLS is both judge and jury in the evaluation
It's not malice, it's a structural incompatibility between the Carrier business Carrier that of the insurer.
The Solution: Separate Transportation and Insurance
The best European e-retailers have understood:
- They use GLS for what it does well: transporting goods.
- They use specialized insurance for what GLS cannot do: protect the actual value.
With Claisy, you can find your way out of the maze:
✅ A single contract for all of Europe (France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, etc.)
✅ A single declaration process, regardless of origin/destination
✅ A single deadline: 48-hour processing guaranteed
✅ A single Limit: €100,000 (vs. €750-€2,500 GLS)
✅ A single interface: Unified multilingual dashboard
Concrete result:
- The fashion e-retailer would have saved €630 and retained its customer.
- The jeweler would have recovered his €2,800 within 48 hours without a legal battle.
- The industrial distributor would have avoided the $500 customer penalty.
You Continue to Ship with GLS, But Better
What you keep:
- GLS shipping rates (often competitive)
- Your GLS account and history
- Your existing technical integrations
- The European GLS network
What you optimize:
- Real protection for your goods
- Compensation times reduced by a factor of 10
- Radical administrative simplicity
- Complete peace of mind