Is registered letter international safe in terms of Paypals requirements?

Hi,

 

I am selling several items under 2 cm thick so can be sent as a letter.

I have the option on all items for international.

It's been a while since Ive sold on Ebay and  although Im famiiliar with Australia Post's current system,  I'm not necessarily familiar with it in regards to fullfilling seller protection requirements.

The cheapest international option that includes tracking is 'standard parcel'.   No letter option nor economy parcel includes tracking.

Registered letter however does have signature deliver, but not tracking, even as an option.   It is about $10 cheaper in some cases and Id pass that saving on to the buyer/listing of course.

What I'm wondering is will registered letter be enough for adequate proof of delivery/seller protection requirements or should I stick with standard parcel?

Best Regards

Mike

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Re: Is registered letter international safe in terms of Paypals requirements?

I'd be more worried about ebay. As your subject to 26 different ebay policies. I wont even sell anything without insurance and full tracking. But if your item isn't that expensive and you don't mind losing out. 

https://community.auspost.com.au/s/article/Can-I-track-an-item-sent-using-Registered-Post

I'm not really sure how the parrots at ebay would interpret registered post as a form of tracking, and wouldn't want to find out the hard way.

 

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Re: Is registered letter international safe in terms of Paypals requirements?

Hi, Mike,

 

I'm not a seller - rather a buyer.

 

If you're selling internationally, you will have to balance a few factors into your way of sending. First of all, if you want seller protection, you will have to satisfy the requirements of the site from which a buyer purchases your item - that is, not the requirements under the Money Back Guarantee of the site where you list your items, but the site where your items appear when they are purchased. If a US buyer purchases, for instance, and a dispute about arrival arises, you must be able to prove delivery of the item, not just proof of postage.

 

That means that if you want seller protection in case of a dispute, you will have to send by a fully tracked method, because you'll need to supply "evidence of a successful on-time delivery to the buyer's address or proof of collection by the buyer." For eBay.com, read the Money Back Guarantee for full details; it differs from eBay.com.au's Money Back Guarantee in key aspects.

 

If your items are relatively low-value, and the international fully tracked postage cost would preclude international sales, you may decide to opt for a cheaper international method, charging a few dollars more per each parcel/letter to put aside into a "self-insurance fund". By self-insuring, you cover the cost of lost items or claims of non-delivery over time, so that when a buyer opens a claim, you can afford to chalk it up to the inevitable standard losses and immediately refund the buyer rather than fight the claim.

 

By the way, express international letters come with tracking; you might want to look at those prices when considering your options.

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Re: Is registered letter international safe in terms of Paypals requirements?

Just in case....

Pre-paid express and registered international letter envelopes can only be used to send documents, so if your items aren't classed as docs, the only tracked option is parcels, unfortunately. eBay want proof of delivery, so tracking is really the best way to get that. If you send enough, look into DHL GM packet, that may be a cheaper alternative for smaller items.

For other items, you can send standard letters via Aus Post and add insurance ($9.60 for the first $100), but not signature on delivery.

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Re: Is registered letter international safe in terms of Paypals requirements?

Firstly, thank you very much for all the replies.   They all confirmed my own sentiments.   Much appreciated!


As an example, one of my items is a DVD, in the smallest case possible (think the original music CD cases).   

I have someone from Germany willing to buy, however the cheapest way to send with tracking is $28 AUD (the same service to the US 'only' costs $23).   I am only charging buyers a max of $20 and copping the rest, as I figure charging them the actual amount will put them off.   

I priced up Express Letter and it *starts*   at 42 AUD ...yikes.  

That said,  there is nothing like peace of mind with fullfilling seller requirements, and I agree, tracking is the gold standard.   Im ok not sending insurance (unless very high value item),  but I agree,  i will always send tracking.   


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Re: Is registered letter international safe in terms of Paypals requirements?

You may need to double-check with AP, but media discs usually qualify as documents (a document is generally defined as an item that contains reproducible media, so CDs, DVDs and things like SD cards usually qualify. I say usually because you may find you get told different things at different post outlets).
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Re: Is registered letter international safe in terms of Paypals requirements?

True,  sorry I probably wasnt clear.      Most of my items will qualify as a document/letter (ive found AP really only is ever concerned about the dimensions),  but,  its actually cheaper to send it as a parcel, assuming tracking is wanted.

The cheapest  international registered letter is $16 , with signature delivery but zero tracking.    The size is also quite small,  and a cd will barely squeeze in.    With protection/padding, it probably wont fit.     For most items, id opt for the medium letter size  = $25 and still has no tracking.   This is now already more than the 'standard' international parcel post to most countries which is usually $23 ish and has tracking (although its $28 to some EU countries). 

Express Letter starts at 42!  

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Re: Is registered letter international safe in terms of Paypals requirements?

Sorry, I wasn't paying close enough attention to the pricing and features. 😄

The next best thing would be seeing if you can qualify for a discount via My Post Business. You need to be sending at least 5 parcels a week and they may not apply the discount straight away, but you can get between 10 and 15% off tracked international parcels -- eases the pain a little bit.
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Re: Is registered letter international safe in terms of Paypals requirements?

I was told by my local PO manager that the post office cant get a copy of the signature from international registered mail. All they can do is find out if someone / any one has signed for it. If this is the case then registered international mail would be a complete waste of time and money. Best to check on this detail with your PO before sending registered international mail.

 

I send quite a few items OS each year and find the cheapest and easiest way to cover losses is to charge an extra dollar or two ( depending on the value of the item ) in postage costs as a form of self insurance. It works out much cheaper than tracking each item and achieves the same end result that I am not out of pocket when things inevitably turn up late or get lost. There is definately a higher late arrival / loss rate with international mail. Plus I send anywhere in the world without excluding locations so this also increases my risks. ( and sales )

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