Australia Post Safe Drop

[shoppingbag*]

Since Australia Post claim no responsibility for items that are are Safe Dropped and then damaged or stolen, I recently decided to make all my sales "signature on delivery" to prevent them being "safe dropped"

Now I dscover that the buyer can override this and ask for the parcel to be safe dropped regardless.

My questions are...If there is no signature on delivery, does the Seller have to refund if the item is damaged or stolen ?

                              If there is a signature on delivery, and the item is damaged or stolen who is responsible ?

[curraone]

Since Australia Post have suspended the signature on delivery service, you are throwing money away.

To minimise the risk of contracting or spreading coronavirus, parcels will no longer require a signature for delivery or collection. Someone will need to be present at the residence for this to occur otherwise standard delivery procedures apply.

[digital*ghost]

Buyers can only override the SOD requirement and request safedrop if there is an email address or phone number on the label (eBay automatically include them, where available, and they can't be removed, but both are optional via My Post).

Signatures are not currently being captured at the point of delivery, but they are supposed to confirm someone is present at the premises and if not, return the package to a post office for collection, so it should still prevent safe drop.

If an item is delivered with safedrop (and the tracking indicates delivered), a buyer generally can't claim INR (or win a claim), regardless of whether SOD is used. The MBG policy that required SOD for orders valued $750 or more (including postage) in order to be eligible for protection is currently suspended. 

[curraone]

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@shoppingbag* wrote:

Since Australia Post claim no responsibility for items that are are Safe Dropped and then damaged or stolen, I recently decided to make all my sales "signature on delivery" to prevent them being "safe dropped"

Now I dscover that the buyer can override this and ask for the parcel to be safe dropped regardless.

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   And in fact I do have this arrangement with my postal service - I live in a rural area, that is very safe, and I have authorised them to leave my parcels in a designated area.   I would be very ****** off if I had to drive to town to collect my parcel, just because the seller has decided to send it 'signature on delivery'.

[jellybirddesigns]

Once an item has been marked as Delivered by Aus Post, your responsibility ends. It's entirely up to the buyer to take responsibility for items left outside their homes. If they open a claim for INR, as long as the tracking info shows as delivered, you will be fine.

Aus Post also advises senders and recipients that if it goes missing whilst in transit, the sender should make contact with them. Once it's marked as delivered, the recipient must make contact. I saw it on their website a while ago.

Sig on Delivery is a waste of time and money - I would never send anything that adds an extra later of inconvience to the buyer.

Lastly, if an item "goes missing", anything sent with tracking is insured up to $100 (used to be $50.)

[maranock]

Same here. Buyers sometimes do need to be able to have items safe dropped - not everyone is home all day (or at a work place where they can take deliveries) to sign. And here in the country we are often living and working a long way from the post office, and can get into town before the PO closes.

There has to be some room for flexibility 

[digital*ghost]

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@jellybirddesigns wrote:

Sig on Delivery is a waste of time and money - I would never send anything that adds an extra later of inconvience to the buyer.

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I think having a purchase stolen after delivery - especially if expensive - is a lot more inconvenient that having to sign for a package.

I generally won't add it unless the order value is above what I would consider a significant loss if something does go wrong, but it has its purpose, since more often than not, Aus post also consider their responsibility ended when something is delivered.

If a buyer opts to override a requirement for SOD they are agreeing specifically to release Aus Post (and by virtue the seller as well) of any liability for the condition the package arrives in, or what happens to it after delivery - something they technically don't agree to under other circumstances. 

[sugar249]

Australia Post override their own signature on Delivery rule anyhow.   Back before COVID,  we had a parcel worth over a $1000 left on the front door step even though it had signature on delivery and a big do not safe drop note on it.

Yet the following day I had to go to the Post office to collect a $20 item that didnt have any requirements.

Australia Post a a law onto themselves.