topic Re: Is it a usual thing for Australian listings? in Selling

Is it a usual thing for Australian listings?

princessmasterpiececollection — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 07:43:33 GMT

When I list my item for international sales, all my items include insurance.

Weather shipping is free or not, I would NOT let item out of the door

uninsured. Hower when I occassionally buy things from Australia for my

little ones I see that the items do need additional payment form a buyer

to cover the insurance cost. Hm.. so far so good and nothing got broken

but I never realized that I was occassionally buying things that were actually

not insured?

What is the logic in it I wonder. After all it is a seller who is responsible

for the item untill it reaches the buyer and if the item goes bust in the mail

then it will be the seller who will aquire the loss as per all ebay and also

international trade rules a seller is responsible for item to be delivered to the

buyer and is responsible for loss, damage etc..

How the sellers rationale that? Just wondering..

Re: Is it a usual thing for Australian listings?

digital*ghost — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 07:54:35 GMT

@princessmasterpiececollection wrote:

What is the logic in it I wonder. After all it is a seller who is responsible
for the item untill it reaches the buyer and if the item goes bust in the mail
then it will be the seller who will aquire the loss as per all ebay and also
international trade rules a seller is responsible for item to be delivered to the
buyer and is responsible for loss, damage etc..

How the sellers rationale that? Just wondering..

Many sellers will take what is called an "acceptable risk" to be able to provide low-cost postage options. Higher postage costs = higher total cost and generally tends to = fewer buyers. So it's a tradeoff between having more sales and using the extra revenue to self-insure against the odd loss. Take my items for example - send it unregistered for $6.45 vs send it registered for $20.10. We can't get third party insurance, either. We can purchase it from Australia Post, but all they actually cover is their own stuff-ups (and where they'll actually admit if was their fault, if they decide it wasn't their fault, they won't pay up with or without insurance).

Also, many Australian sellers are fully aware that they are not responsible for lost mail after they've posted it to the buyer - not legally, and not by any requirement from PayPal - referring to domestic purchase, at any rate, and may not be aware that the requirements are greater in other countries.

eBay's upcoming changes look likely to change that, so you may yet see more sellers less willing to take these risks on behalf of buyers and up their prices.

Re: Is it a usual thing for Australian listings?

kylies*swap*cards* — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 14:17:05 GMT

I was told by Aust Post that they automatically cover items up to $100 value. I sent an item overseas (to Canada) it disappeared. I contacted the post office and they told me they will cover it up to $100 I had to print out a copy of the ebay the invoice I had sent to the buyer and also the original receipt and they reimbursed me for the lost item (I think it was $44 value). Maybe they just assume that it will be covered up to $100 so not worth it to pay for extra insurance, especially if it is a lower value item.

Re: Is it a usual thing for Australian listings?

cherry*135 — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 14:38:58 GMT

There is no cover on International Airmail parcels from Australia. Unless you take out extra cover which starts at around $9.

Re: Is it a usual thing for Australian listings?

cherry*135 — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 14:48:01 GMT

Registered Post & Registered Post International

Registered Post (letters) and Registered Post International (letters and parcels) provide compensation up to $100.

Services with Extra Cover

.....some of our international services (letters and parcels) depending on the destination country. To confirm what international services, to which countries offer the on of adding Extra Cover, see our International Post Guide.

All domestic services and some international services

In some cases, where Extra Cover is not purchased, compensation up to a maximum of $50 and a refund of postage may be payable, or we may elect to repair or replace the item up to $50 value, at our absolute discretion.

Re: Is it a usual thing for Australian listings?

chameleon54 — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 23:07:32 GMT

What is the logic in it I wonder. After all it is a seller who is responsible
for the item untill it reaches the buyer and if the item goes bust in the mail
then it will be the seller who will aquire the loss as per all ebay and also
international trade rules a seller is responsible for item to be delivered to the
buyer and is responsible for loss, damage etc..

How the sellers rationale that? Just wondering..

I, m not selling items as expensive as yours but I never insure items within Australia and rarely for overseas customers. The extra cost that it adds to postage fee scares customers away and makes my items uncompetative with other sellers. A lot of buyers look at the postage cost and if it looks too expensive ( regardless of the reason ) get annoyed and refuse to bid / buy, meaning reduced competition, less sales at cheaper prices and less profit for me.

If I am sending a fragile item I ensure it is packed very well and with all items I add a small, extra charge to the postage cost. ( around 50 cents to $1.00 for average item sale price of $38.00 ). I view this as self insurance which more than covers any problems which arise both in transit and during the transaction itself. Any problems and I just pay up from my self insurance. This is still so much cheaper than Aust. Post insurance which is a headache to claim for and is of limited use. Its also much better for my sanity as I dont have to hassle with the customer, ebay claims dept. or Australia Post. The money is already there to compensate for any sort of problem.

Re: Is it a usual thing for Australian listings?

harley_babes_hoard — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 23:12:10 GMT

Because our postage costs are way more expensive than the US and no one would buy if we were to insure every single item.

Re: Is it a usual thing for Australian listings?

chameleon54 — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 23:20:43 GMT

Just another thought. I notice you are based in the U.S. I gather from reading some of the general threads that the U.S mail system is more "fragmented " than Australias, with courier companies such as Fedex and Pitney Bowes etc.often involved in the chain. Australian mail is a monopoly with the Government owned Australia Post really being the only serious game in town for smaller items. As much as we grizzle about them, generally Australia Post does a very good job of delivery by International standards and so we have less problems than some other countries with delivery. There was a perception that theft within the system appeared to be a problem several years ago, but AP. has got on top of this with the introduction of tracking for all small parcels.

Re: Is it a usual thing for Australian listings?

chameleon54 — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 23:24:32 GMT

Agree with you on this one Harley, If my last post seems a bit disjointed, I was typing while you posted your response.