need opinions, brand new buyer, should i shell out for sign on delivery myself?

[number-1]

$160 item, brand new seller that signed up today, paid the cheaper shipping option with tracking but no sign on delivery, should i pay the extra myself just in case?

i have nothing against buyers, new or old, i have sold well over 100 items now with no issues what so ever, but we've all heard the stories!

i guess the real question is, is tracking enough protection for sellers when it comes to paypal and ebay?

thanks for reading 🙂

[number-1]

i get that, but everybody has to start somewhere, if it was a lower valued item or if it was wasn't a brand spanking new buyer i would have been fine with regular post with tracking.

if i had known who was buying i wouldn't have even listed the cheaper postage option, but we can't choose our buyers and that combination made me just nervous enough to pay that little extra myself.

oops, i just reread my first post, i wrote seller instead of buyer...

[collect247]

If you decide with a cheaper postage option then get ready for plenty of INR and defects and then suspension,good luck.

[davidc4430]

thats why i was confused, you had buyer in the title but seller in the question.

do you not have your buying restrictions set in your preferences?

i know everyone has to start on '0' but i feel beginers should build a feedback with low priced items before jumping into big ticket items, or if they must buy expensive items buy from the likes of target. until us little sellers can see they are real buyers and not scammers.

when i started buying there wasnt the problems with scammers like today. but i still bought a lot of small items and built my feedback up before attempting anything like $160.

[curraone]

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@bummeat wrote:

$160 item, brand new seller that signed up today, paid the cheaper shipping option with tracking but no sign on delivery, should i pay the extra myself just in case?

i have nothing against buyers, new or old, i have sold well over 100 items now with no issues what so ever, but we've all heard the stories!

i guess the real question is, is tracking enough protection for sellers when it comes to paypal and ebay?

thanks for reading 🙂

---

Basically it is up to you and what you are comfortable with.   If you want that extra protection, just pay for registered yourself.

I am not surprised that the buyer did not choose a dearer option  - he has no reason to pay extra, his money is protected by ebay and paypal.    IMO there is no point in sellers having that option available in their listings.   The only other option should be express post. 

Usually I am comfortable with just tracking.   However if the item is very expensive, or in your case, it is a brand new buyer, I would consider paying for registered.   It is not much dearer, as long as we are talking about within Australia.

[number-1]

thanks for the tip, just went through buyer restrictions. i forgot about them/couldn't find them after the new seller tool came out, for better or worse none of the options apply to new buyers anyway.

regarding postage options, they don't hurt, it was only in this specific situation that it could have worked out better for me. i'm considering only providing the sod option in the future for higher priced items, i already do so for my smaller items, but i might start on the bigger ones too.

[davidc4430]

Account>site preferences>buyer requirments>block buyers who>edit

adjust to your requirements

[*tippy*toes*]

Is the buyer in Australia? Have they paid yet, or did they ask you for your PayPal email address?

[number-1]

aus, paid already, paypal email is linked to ebay.

scamming is an issue and a pain in the butt but they're in the extreme minority, i went with sod in the end more for my own piece of mind than anything else.

[clarry100]

You can guard against an INR claim by making sure you have tracking that is linked to the buyer's paypal mailing address.

And make sure you lodge over the counter and get a lodgement scan event inside your stated handling time.

Do not drop it into a red street box. If it gets lost you will never have any proof of postage.

The SOD is just a bit of extra comfort for you that someone over 18 signed for it (not necessarliy the buyer).

If it gets lost and never delivered then the fact that you can prove postage by the lodgement scan will cover you.

It's much more difficult to guard against claims of not as decsribed or damaged upon arrival and the like.

Take pics as you are packing.

Have someone independent witness what you pack who would be prepared to sign a stat dec later if needs be.

Get the PO to weigh the package as you lodge it and record this weight if possible on the receipt.

Get them to stamp the receipt.

For a $160 item to a new buyer these are a few things that I would do as precautions.

[number-1]

as long as the label is scanned at some point, is that not as good as an actual lodgement scan?

the main reason i did not sell things in the past was because i couldn't go down to the post office often, currently all my postage stuff is either online or prepaid, then popped into the local post box.

the only above and beyond things i do right now is take pics of the serial/imei numbers when i can, and also pics of the final packaged item with the shipping address clearly displayed.