Thread: Suggestions for safe delivery for eBay purchases?

Thanks everyone, I will wait a couple of days and lodge a dispute with paypal so hopefully the seller nor I have to wear the loss.

Cheers,
Andrew

p.s. Good news, the other 7 day set I was expecting has been held at the post office, so will pickup from them Monday

Andrew

I don't think you can hold the seller responsible. If the seller can prove he sent it by registered mail and someone signed for delivery, what else could the seller have done to avoid this issue? Maybe someone working for the postal service nicked it and used a false name when signing for receipt. If you really want to avoid this you will have to take out the insurance against missing in transit yourself. Keep us posted.

Originally Posted by Kees

I don't think you can hold the seller responsible. If the seller can prove he sent it by registered mail and someone signed for delivery, what else could the seller have done to avoid this issue?

The seller is still responsible to dispute with the post office because their contract is with the seller, not the buyer (hence they have not been helpful at all when the buyer contacted them).
I don't know how registered delivery works in australia, but here in US they verify the ID of the person who signs and apart from the signature there is another line where you have to fill out the address.

Ebay guarantees delivery so once they are satisfied, the buyer is reimbursed and the money is taken from the seller. The seller can then file a claim with the post office depending on the insurance. International mail can be really limited.

Originally Posted by AndrewJM

Im now really worried as I have a Mappin & Webb 7 day set on its way. Im thinking of cutting a giant #19 out of plastic sign material and double sided taping it to my fence until they arrive lol.

Don't you be worrying about these, they are in my bathroom and shaving beautifully!!

I didn't even see this thread before now. I am the seller of that fine and sweet W&B.

The best you can manage with the US postal service on international is registered signed for packages. every layer of protection you add to the shipping adds to its cost. I shipped via EBay's shipping app, and used the ShipCover insurance instead of the USPS insurance. In this instance, that was a wise move. I am happy to learn that Andrew has recovered his package from a neighbor, but if he had NOT, USPS would have DENIED any insurance claim as the package was not lost or damaged, (proof of delivery removes them from responsibility)
I take great pride in the things I do, and that includes taking responsible care with my shipping, as well as my honing.

I don't know if the person who tried to claim Andrews package messed with the blade before returning it, so if it does not shave well for him, hopefully one of you fellow Ausies will be willing to help him out. But hopefully they just marveled at its beauty and were too scared to touch it!
Good Luck Andy!

As (bad) luck would have it, I became a victim of this problem myself for the second time in two months, just a week after adding to this thread.

Last week I ordered an assortment of soaps from SRD. I payed for priority post (USPS). Four days later (after the shipping notice) the package still had not arrived. Thankfully, just as I was getting ready to raise the issue with the post office, a neighbor I had never seen before knocked on my door last night and brought me my package. The carrier left it at the wrong house. I'm still going to file a complaint. With the misdelivered packages over the last two months, that amounts to nearly $400 of goods that would have gone lost if I hadn't thought to check with neighbors, or if they hadn't been honest enough to bring it to me!

Originally Posted by MinATX

As (bad) luck would have it, I became a victim of this problem myself for the second time in two months, just a week after adding to this thread.

Last week I ordered an assortment of soaps from SRD. I payed for priority post (USPS). Four days later (after the shipping notice) the package still had not arrived. Thankfully, just as I was getting ready to raise the issue with the post office, a neighbor I had never seen before knocked on my door last night and brought me my package. The carrier left it at the wrong house. I'm still going to file a complaint. With the misdelivered packages over the last two months, that amounts to nearly $400 of goods that would have gone lost if I hadn't thought to check with neighbors, or if they hadn't been honest enough to bring it to me!

I assume payment was made via PayPal, with it's Buyer Protection plan. However, it's not at all clear if the seller opted to insure the packages over-and-above the $50-worth which is included as part of USPS Priority Mail shipping. AFAIK, any package insured for $200 or more, must be signed-for by the recipient or his/her agent (usually a family member). Yes, the insurance is for the Seller's benefit, and it costs an additional sum, but if *I* was a Seller (and I am, on occasion) I would make darn sure that *I* was covered for a lost or mis-delivered package -- under PayPal's Buyer Protection plan, the Buyer is reimbursed for the full amount of his/her purchase, but the Seller is left "holding the bag" -- THAT's why it pays to insure for the full amount: if something gets lost, the Seller is also reimbursed for his/her loss. But no, what with eBay and/or PayPal fees, we become tight-fisted... and now we see that being so can come back and bite us on the a$$.

Great news, I got the razor, neighbour had signed for it - sneaky bastard. So glad, its a beautiful razor and shaved like a dream

Glad to hear its a good shave for you Andrew. I was worried your neighbor might have used it to flip muffins or some other frightening abuse! And admit it, its prettier in person than it was in the photos!