• What insurance do I need to sell my products through Amazon or major retailers?

    Published On: May 12, 2026
    83 words0.4 min read

    Major retailers (Amazon, Target, Walmart, Costco, Whole Foods, and most others) typically require sellers to maintain product liability insurance with $1M minimum limits ($2M aggregate is common), name the retailer as additional insured, and provide a current certificate of insurance. Some retailers require higher limits ($2M–$5M) for higher-volume sellers or higher-risk product categories. Amazon specifically requires coverage to begin once you

  • Does my standard property policy cover production equipment breakdown?

    Published On: May 12, 2026
    80 words0.4 min read

    Usually not. Standard commercial property policies cover external causes of loss — fire, theft, vandalism, weather — but exclude internal mechanical or electrical breakdown of equipment. Equipment breakdown insurance (also called boiler & machinery) fills this gap and covers things like refrigeration system failures, electrical short-circuits damaging production equipment, computer-control system failures, and HVAC breakdowns. For any manufacturer dependent on specific

  • How much does workers’ compensation cost for a small manufacturer?

    Published On: May 12, 2026
    87 words0.4 min read

    Workers’ comp premium is calculated as payroll × class code rate × experience modifier. Class codes vary dramatically by manufacturing type: · Light assembly / packaging: $0.50–$1.50 per $100 of payroll · Food manufacturing: $1.50–$5.00 per $100 · Metal fabrication: $4.00–$12.00 per $100 · Heavy machinery / structural steel: $8.00–$15.00+ per $100 For a small manufacturer with $400,000 in payroll, that translates to anywhere from $2,000 (light

  • Do I need product recall insurance — isn’t that part of product liability?

    Published On: May 12, 2026
    77 words0.4 min read

    No. Product liability pays for the harm a product causes (medical bills, property damage, settlements). Recall coverage pays for the cost of the recall itself — notification, retrieval, transportation, disposal, replacement, and the often-substantial expense of determining what was sold to whom. The two coverages are distinct and typically need to be purchased separately. Recall is critical for food, beverage,

  • What’s the difference between product liability and general liability for a manufacturer?

    Published On: May 12, 2026
    98 words0.5 min read

    General liability covers third-party bodily injury and property damage arising from your premises and operations — a customer slipping in your showroom, a delivery truck damaging a client’s loading dock. Product liability covers harm caused by your products after they leave your facility and are in use — a consumer injured by a defective product, a contractor whose project failed because of a