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Thrift Store Insurance: Cost & Quotes From $25/mo

Table of contents
1. General Liability Insurance for Thrift Shops1.1. Add-Ons of General Liability Insurance for Thrift Shops1.2. Coverage Limits of General Liability Insurance for Thrift Shops1.3. Does My Store Need General Liability Insurance Even If It Is A Small Business?2. Product Liability  Insurance for Thrift Shops    2.1. Add-Ons of Product Liability Insurance for Thrift Shops2.2. Coverage Limits of Product Liability Insurance for Thrift Shops2.3. What Types of Product Defects Does Product Liability Insurance Cover?3. Commercial Property Insurance for Thrift Shops3.1. Add-Ons of Commercial Property Insurance for Thrift Shops3.2. Coverage Limits of Commercial Property Insurance for Thrift Shops4. Business Owner’s Policy for Thrift Shops  4.1. Add-Ons of Business Owner’s Policy for Thrift Shops4.2. Coverage Limits of Business Owner’s Policy for Thrift Shops4.3. Do Consumer Protection Laws Apply to Thrift Shops?5. Tools and Equipment Insurance for Thrift Shops5.1. Add-Ons of Tools and Equipment Insurance for Thrift Shops5.2. Coverage Limits of Tools and Equipment Insurance for Thrift Shops6. Commercial Auto Insurance for Thrift Shops6.1. Add-Ons of Commercial Auto Insurance for Thrift Shops6.2. Coverage Limits of Commercial Auto Insurance for Thrift Shops7. Workers Compensation Insurance for Thrift Shops    7.1. Does Workers Comp Fully Cover Lost Wages?7.2. Does Workers Comp Cover Mental Health Costs?8. Thrift Shop Insurance Cost9. Best Thrift Shop Insurance Companies9.1. NEXT Thrift Shop Insurance 9.1.1. Pros 9.1.2. Cons9.2. The Hartford Thrift Shop Insurance 9.2.1. Pros9.2.2. Cons9.3. CoverWallet Thrift Shop Insurance 9.3.1. Pros9.3.2. Cons9.4. Tivly Thrift Shop Insurance 9.4.1. Pros9.4.2. Cons9.5. Thimble Thrift Shop Insurance 9.5.1. Pros9.5.2. Cons 9.6. Hiscox Thrift Shop Insurance 9.6.1. Pros9.6.2. Cons

There are now over 25,000 resale and thrift shops in the US. These are run by startup entrepreneurs. It’s also possible for charities to own thrift shops to fund their initiatives.

Thrift stores are becoming increasingly popular among American consumers. After all, products found in gift shops and other retail businesses are in the inventory of thrift stores at lesser prices. Having insurance is essential when starting a thrift store. Let’s discuss the different policies included in thrift store insurance, how they function, their add-ons, and policy limits.

General Liability Insurance for Thrift Shops


CoverWallet NEXT (Best)Thimble HiscoxThe Hartford
Per occurrence limit $1,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000$300,000/$1,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000
Aggregate limit $2,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000$300,000/$2,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000
Products and completed operations aggregate limit $2,000,000
$1,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000
Advertising injury coverage aggregate limit $1,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000
Tenant’s legal liability coverage limit $100,000
$100,000$5,000$100,000$1,000,000
Waiver of subrogation included?YesNoIncludedCan be includedNo
Hired/non-owned auto liability coverage included?YesNoExcludedCan be includedCan be included
Equipment breakdown floater included?No YesYesCan be includedCan be included
Can you get a certificate of insurance online?YesYesYesYesYes
Name additional insureds?YesYes
YesYesYes
Deductible$0$0$0$0$0


A thrift store insurance policy with general liability coverage will protect against a third-party claim for injury or property damage from your business operations. Examples of coverage include:

  • A member of the public walks into your thrift store and falls while in the fitting room, getting hurt and requiring medical treatment

  • While shopping, a customer's personal property is damaged due to falling merchandise


Add-Ons of General Liability Insurance for Thrift Shops

  • Hired and non-owned auto–Helps protect your thrift store employee’s vehicles when they are being used for business-related purposes

  • Tools and equipment coverage–Provides financial protection for your thrift shop’s equipment and tools when they get damaged or stolen


Coverage Limits of General Liability Insurance for Thrift Shops

Your thrift shop's general liability coverage will offer a $1 million to $2 million per occurrence and aggregate limit. 


Does My Store Need General Liability Insurance Even If It Is A Small Business?

Yes, general liability insurance is a must-have policy, even for small businesses. Just because you are a smaller business doesn’t mean liability claims will cut you any slack. You will want this policy to maintain adequate protection.


Product Liability  Insurance for Thrift Shops    

Product liability insurance covers your business when it sells a faulty product that causes injury, property damage, or other harm to your customers. Example situations where this thrift shop insurance can help include:

  • An item at your thrift shop breaks and cuts a customer's legs

  • One item you sell has unclear instructions. The customer sustains injuries while using it


Add-Ons of Product Liability Insurance for Thrift Shops

  • Product recall coverage–This helps you recover costs that you might need to make on recalling a product that you sell to customers. These costs can include things like notifying your customers and replacing defective items

  • Excess liability–Extends the coverage limits of your original policy when they run out, or you need supplemental coverage to handle a catastrophic claim


Coverage Limits of Product Liability Insurance for Thrift Shops

A standard product liability insurance policy will offer $1 million per occurrence and $2 million in aggregate. Higher limits are available depending on the policy and the insurer.


What Types of Product Defects Does Product Liability Insurance Cover?

There are three main categories of product defects that might contribute to a lawsuit against your thrift store.

  • Design defects–Defects that are inherent in the design of an item that renders them unsafe to use by customers and the general public

  • Manufacturing defects–Product defects that occur in the assembly stage of the production process

  • Marketing defects–Flaws present when the item is displayed in the store like market claims, not properly labeled, and non-adequate safety warnings

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Commercial Property Insurance for Thrift Shops


CoverWalletNEXT (Best)ThimbleThe HartfordHiscox
Building coverage limit (minimum)$50,000$320,000$25,000/$500,000$75,000$25,000
Contents coverage limit (minimum)$50,000$35,000$25,000/$500,000$75,000$15,000
Outdoor signsExcluded$2,500ExcludedExcludedIncluded
Accounts receivableExcludedExcluded$5,000/$10,000ExcludedIncluded
Money and securitiesExcluded$2,500$1,000ExcludedIncluded
Lock and keysExcluded$2,500ExcludedExcludedIncluded
Business interruption floaterExcludedIncludedIncludedExcludedIncluded
Equipment breakdown floaterExcludedIncludedExcludedExcludedIncluded
Inland marine insurance floaterExcludedExcluded$10,000ExcludedExcluded
Employee dishonesty floaterExcluded$5,000$2,500ExcludedExcluded


Commercial property insurance will help you recover financially from physical damage to your storefront and property contained within. Coverage examples may include:

  • A vandal sprays graffiti on your storefront and breaks several windows

  • Someone starts a fire that spreads to your thrift shop and damages the building


Add-Ons of Commercial Property Insurance for Thrift Shops

  • Outdoor sign protection–Offers coverage to any outdoor signs located outside the range of your business premise that you still want to protect from theft, vandalism, and fire damage

  • Earthquake insurance–This policy will help compensate for a coverage gap in standard commercial property policies because they typically won't cover damage from earthquakes, landslides, or mudslides


Coverage Limits of Commercial Property Insurance for Thrift Shops

Commercial property insurance will protect around $60,000 in damage to your building and contents.


A rack of clothes with a sign on it at a thrift store.


Business Owner’s Policy for Thrift Shops


CoverWalletNEXT (Best)ThimbleHiscoxThe Hartford
General liability aggregate limit$2,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000$300,000/$2,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000
Commercial property coverage limit$50,000$320,000$25,000/$500,000$75,000$75,000
Optional policies can be added?YesYesYesYesYes
Name additional insureds for free?YesYesYesYesYes
BOP discount?YesYesYesYesYes


A business owner’s policy is an insurance package that combines general liability coverage and commercial property coverage. Policyholders also have the option to add additional coverages as well. Examples include:

  • Someone steals your business property

  • A customer slips and falls on a wet floor in your thrift store


Add-Ons of Business Owner’s Policy for Thrift Shops

  • Cyber liability–BOPs with cyber liability coverage will protect your business from the costs of data breaches, cyber-attacks and alerting customers to such incidents

  • Employment practices liability–Offers protection for your thrift shop if it gets sued by an employee for discrimination, harassment, or another work-related claim


Coverage Limits of Business Owner’s Policy for Thrift Shops

A thrift store’s business owner’s policy will have around $1 million in general liability and $50,000 in commercial property protection.


Do Consumer Protection Laws Apply to Thrift Shops?

Yes, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, resale thrift shops still have to follow guidelines for their products. This includes recalls and ensuring the inventory is safe for the general consumer and compliant with relevant federal laws. With a BOP, you can insert additional policies to help you in these events.


Tools and Equipment Insurance for Thrift Shops


NEXTThimbleHiscoxThe Hartford
Aggregate limit$3,000/$10,000$2,500/$5,000$15,000/$25,000$5,000-$10,000
Covers hired and borrowed equipment?$3,000/$10,000$2,500/$5,000NoYes
Miscellaneous equipment also covered?$5,000/$10,000NoYesYes
Offered as an endorsement to general liability insurance?YesYesYesYes
Deductible$500$500$0$0


Tools and equipment insurance protects business property even when used away from your business premises. Examples to use this coverage include:

  • A thief steals the tools you need to help keep your shop tidy and orderly

  • A covered event of physical damage like a fire causes damage to your equipment, and it needs to be replaced


Add-Ons of Tools and Equipment Insurance for Thrift Shops

  • Business interruption–Helps compensate your business when it is forced to operate at a reduced capacity due to a tool or piece of equipment malfunctioning or being stolen

  • Flood damage–Protects your thrift shop’s tools and equipment if they get damaged in an extreme flooding event or another water-related incident


Coverage Limits of Tools and Equipment Insurance for Thrift Shops

Tools and equipment insurance for thrift shops will protect movable tools for $5,000 to $20,000. Be sure to ask your insurer about higher limits.


Commercial Auto Insurance for Thrift Shops

Commercial auto insurance protects business vehicles when they are used in service of your thrift store. It provides three primary sources of protection, which include:

  • Auto liability–Protects you from liability claims that are related to your business vehicle. This will cover the medical expenses and property damage of third parties

  • Comprehensive–Helps you pay for damage to your vehicle that results from physical damage like vandalism and fire

  • Collision–Adds protection against repair costs when your vehicle gets into a collision accident with another vehicle


Add-Ons of Commercial Auto Insurance for Thrift Shops

  • Medical payments–Provides benefits to drivers and passengers in your business vehicles when they get injured, regardless of who is ultimately found at fault for the accident

  • Roadside assistance–Helps your thrift shop business vehicles when they break down at the side of the road and need services or towing


Coverage Limits of Commercial Auto Insurance for Thrift Shops

Commercial auto insurance for thrift shops has an auto liability coverage limit of $25,000 per injury, $50,000 per accident, and $15,000 per property damage. This is just the minimum.


Workers Compensation Insurance for Thrift Shops

Workers' compensation insurance protects your employees from the costs of getting injured or sick while at work. Example situations to use this coverage include:

  • A worker cannot work due to falling while on the job and needs compensation for lost wages

  • One of your employees suffers an injury that requires medical treatment and medication


Does Workers Comp Fully Cover Lost Wages?

No, workers comp will calculate your average weekly wage and then pay a benefit based on a percentage of this calculation.


Does Workers Comp Cover Mental Health Costs?

Sometimes. Typically a workers comp policy will not cover emotional injuries that result from a physical workplace event. However, some conditions can get coverage, but they are harder to prove than physical ones. Commonly covered mental health conditions include stress, anxiety disorders, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Thrift Shop Insurance Cost


Cost per MonthCost per YearDeductible
General liability insurance$32$384$0-$500
Commercial property insurance$50$600$1,000-$2,000
Business owner’s policy$82$984$1,500
Commercial auto insurance$45$540$500-$1,000
Tools and equipment insurance$36$432$500-$1,000
Workers compensation insurance$72$864$2,000-$5,000


The average thrift shop insurance cost is $32 per month or $384 per year for a $1 million general liability insurance. Factors that affect the cost of premiums are claims history,  business history, policy limits, deductibles, and number of employees. Here’s a table showing the cost of a $1 million general liability insurance from the best companies:


Cost per MonthCost per YearBest for
NEXT$18$216Best overall; Fastest general liability insurance for thrift stores
The Hartford$20$240Workers compensation insurance for thrift stores
CoverWallet$22$264Comparing thrift store insurance quotes online
Tivly$24$288Comparing thrift store insurance quotes over the phone
Thimble$26$312On-demand coverage for thrift stores
Hiscox$29$348Thrift store insurance with automatic renewal

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Best Thrift Shop Insurance Companies

Here are the companies to consider for the best thrift shop insurance. Read some of the reviews below to know their pros, cons, and average rate for a $1 million general liability insurance. 


NEXT Thrift Shop Insurance

Pros 

  • Best overall

  • Issues an online proof of insurance instantly

  • Fastest general liability insurance for thrift stores

  • Great customer service and reputation

  • Excellent rates

  • Outstanding value for money

  • Get a 10% discount if you buy two or more policies 

Cons

  • Coudln’t find any

NEXT is an online insurer that offers customized policies and affordable coverage for thrift stores. They offer important policies like general liability, commercial property, and workers' compensation. Next has an A- from AM Best and is accredited with a B+ with the Better Business Bureau.

Best for: Best overall; Fastest general liability insurance for thrift stores 

Average cost: $18 per month

Our rating: 10/10


The Hartford Thrift Shop Insurance

Pros

  • Renowned company for workers compensation insurance

  • Over 200 years of underwriting experience

  • Can underwrite specialized policies for high-risk customers

Cons

  • Some users report difficulties with reaching customer service at certain times

The Hartford serves over one million small businesses with excellent business policies. Thrift store owners will find options like workers comp, commercial auto, business owner’s policy, and more. The Hartford maintains a strong A- from AM Best for its financial strength.

Best for: Workers compensation insurance for thrift stores

Average cost: $20 per month

Our rating: 10/10 



CoverWallet Thrift Shop Insurance

Pros

  • Compare quotes online

  • HNOA coverage automatically added to general liability insurance

  • Discounted premiums if you decide to pay for the whole year

  • Easy online policy management

Cons

  • Not an insurance company but an insurance broker 

CoverWallet partners with Hiscox, Progressive, Markel, and more to deliver important thrift stores policies like business interruption, workers comp, crime insurance, and business owner’s policy. This company allows you to compare quotes online. After purchasing insurance, you can easily manage policies through this company's MyCoverWallet dashboard. 

Best for: Comparing thrift store insurance quotes online 

Average cost: $22 per month

Our rating: 10/10 


Tivly Thrift Shop Insurance

Pros

  • Will quickly answer your phone call

  • Helps you narrow down policies and connect you with insurers

  • Compare quotes over the phone

Cons

  • You need to talk to a representative to get a quote

Tivly is an online insurance platform with over 200 partners to pick out your thrift store insurance components from. They offer various options like general liability, workers' compensation, and commercial property insurance. The company has over 20 years of experience with connecting customers to insurers. Call now to compare quotes over the phone. 

Best for: Comparing thrift store insurance quotes over the phone

Average cost: $24 per month

Our rating: 10/10 


Thimble Thrift Shop Insurance

Pros

  • Lets you scale policies with your business growth

  • Numerous add-ons to general liability insurance and business owner’s policy

  • Quickly issues an estimate of your rates

Cons 

  • You can’t reach customer service by calling

Thimble is a fast-growing insurance company that offers you quick quotes and ways to get coverage fast. Their website has resources for first-time buyers. Policies available are general liability, commercial property, business owner’s policy, and workers' compensation insurance. Commercial auto insurance is available, but you’ll be referred to partners. 

Best for: On-demand coverage for thrift stores

Average cost: $26 per month

Our rating: 10/10 


Hiscox Thrift Shop Insurance

Pros

  • Worldwide coverage

  • 14-day money-back guarantee

  • Adjust coverage limits easily

  • Helps you customize your policy 

Cons

  • Limited options compared to competitors

Hiscox offers customizable business insurance that is specialized for small business customers. They have experience with hundreds of professions and offer key thrift stores policies like general liability, cyber security, and workers comp. Hiscox offers a 14-day money-back guarantee. Nonetheless, we recommend working with this company in the long run because it automatically renews your coverage. 

Best for: Thrift store insurance with automatic renewal

Average cost: $29 per month

Our rating: 10/10 


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