What percentage of your untracked items 'disappear'?

[oddsandendsoz]

Currently I only offer tracked postage options as in my other account this is required as I also need SOD on that account. So, I have been used to only offering tracked options. I currently have some items that might be more suited to untracked options as the items themselves are 'low value' and I know people are unlikely to pay say $3 for an item with $9 for tracked post. 

At the moment I am tending to bulk items where I have multiples to try to encourage buyers and to try to balance the item to postage ratio. I know there is the Sendle 250g initiative that eBay have been auto rectifying any defects for INR as another option. So, I wonder what your missing item rate is for untracked postage? And does anyone have any recent experiences of the Sendle 250g initiative as I know in the beginning it was rife with issues?

Also am I correct in eBay's tracked shipping defect rate only applies to tracked parcels? 

[eol-products]

My general rule is to not send anything over a certain value without tracking and don't send items I cant replace with another if it goes missing. 

If you send 4 items a week untracked and save $2.50 on postage for each one then the savings of $500 per year should more than cover any losses you may incur. 

[davewil1964]

Half my items go untracked. About 5 of 3000 have had INR claims. At 10c per item self-insurance, I'm well ahead.

Read into that what you will.

[countessalmirena]

I read into it that you have coin sufficient to purchase a plump goose for Christmas.

[twyngwyn]

Most of my items are untracked. My last INR was over 12 months ago....pre-covid I might have 'lost' approx 12 items per year, but quickly worked out that that was when A.P. were opening new 'sorting centres'....Qld was fraught, so I started sending everything there with tracked envelopes...I no longer do.

I think the tracked shipping defect applies to all tracked items

[oddsandendsoz]

Thanks for all the input and really glad to hear the 'lost' rate is so low for all of you. I was only thinking the other day (hence my post here) that there are far many good people out there than there are bad apples. Sometimes when we spend any amount of time on these boards we can draw the conclusion that there are scammers around every corner. 

Even though we do still need to be vigilant and to put in place all the tools we currently have, we need to (well I certainly do) remember that the ration of good to bad is a lot higher than we can sometimes believe. 

Has anyone any experience using the Sendle 250g service? 

[padi*0409]

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@oddsandendsoz wrote:

Has anyone any experience using the Sendle 250g service? 

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I'm a buyer only, but both in Perth and in the country Sendle has definitely not performed in the same class as AP, so I avoid sellers that use them.

[oddsandendsoz]

Yes, I know a lot of people would much prefer to not have a courier delivery than AP. I am fortunate that in my area I have great Aramex and Couriers Please drivers, but I know others are not so lucky and the sorting centre's can be absolute nightmares too. 

I am going to try a period of offering some items at letter rate and see how that goes. 

[davewil1964]

Chicken or turkey. Several. With enough left over for diet pills.

[shiver_me_shrimp]

I use auspost for all my postage. Very rarely will a letter go missing, but I had 2 buyers in the last 6 months claim INR on tracked parcels that were marked as "delivered" with photos of them on the buyer's doorstep. It pees me off because when you have an open case, your sales tank.