No seller protection

No, USPS is not the best, many sellers prefer Fedex, UPS or DHL because of superior tracking. But I still ship USPS anyways. It's still cheaper for small packages.

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According to Tony at Paypal, Delivery confirmation will not help if a buyer says they did not receive the package, and would most likely find in favor of the buyer.

If delivery confirmation shows "delivered", you are covered under seller protection (for transactions less than $250), whether the buyer says they received it or not... as long as you meet all the other criteria for seller protection.

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USPS says that if a package is lost using Delivery confirmation, there is no insurance coverage, and if you use first class mail, insurance is not offered.

U-PIC (which is the carrier Auctiva uses for their insurance) covers domestic and international First Class.

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Insured mail only works if the buyer is willing to file an insurance claim.

As the seller, it is generally recommended that you file the insurance claim yourself, not your buyer.

[quoteI put insurance as an option on my invoices, and many buyers do not opt to take it. If the buyer receives a damaged item, or if the package is lost, they can file a dispute, and according to Paypal, will rule in favor of the buyer, even though they declined to take insurance![/quote]

Frame this and put it on your wall:

If you accept PayPal, INSURANCE IS TO PROTECT THE SELLER, NOT THE BUYER.

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Seller policies do not have much, if any weight in these decisions, such as, "not responsible if you did not take insurance", or, "not responsible once your package is sent".

Correct.

It makes sense, though, if you think about it. If you ordered an expensive camera from Amazon, or Newegg, etc., and it never arrives, would you not contact Amazon (or Newegg, etc.) demanding that a replacement be sent, or would you simply accept that you're out a couple hundred dollars and let it be?

Why should an eBay sale be any different?

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On the international side of this issue, third party insurers like U-PIC will pay a claim for loss or damage, but just like on the domestic side of shipping, for the seller to be reimbursed, it is entirely dependant on the willingness of the buyer to follow through by filing a claim with the insurer.

As said, Auctiva's insurance will cover First Class (and just about everything else), and you should be filing the claims yourself.

However, buyer's generally will need to participate in the claims process in one way or another - either by providing pictures of a damaged item, or supplying you with a written affidavit as to a shipment being lost or stolen.

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Is USPS the best carrier for sellers? I think many sellers would like to know what is the best way to go, to minimize risk in shipping in the U.S. and internationally.

Generally speaking, USPS is a good and reliable carrier, and much cheaper than the private shippers as far as lighter packages go. I've also had a bit of experience with FedEx for heavier shipments, and can only say good things about them.

You're never going to eliminate risk as a seller. You can only be diligent with prevention. However, it's never a good idea to make your policies too strict as to chase away customers. You need to be able to be flexible sometimes, and that means occasionally refunding a customer for a lost or damaged package. It's just part of being a seller.

Hi, thanks Kbalona and Biscuit for your input. When sending a package with delivery confirmation, it is trackable, but only to the destination city, not the actual address, and is not stamped, "delivered". The sender receives the tear-off portion that is stamped with the date and the post office location that received the package from the sender. Two out of three people at Paypal would not accept delivery confirmation as proof, yet, Express mail that includes tracking to the destination city only, is acceptable proof. A gray area with Paypal. You're exactly right Biscuit, a buyer must cooperate with the seller when an insurance claim is made, for the seller to be reimbursed. Thanks again, and hope to hear from other sellers.

Greetings Material Girl, as Sellers we ALL have your dilemma. I had 2 buyers who both said their package was NOT delivered. I always have delivery confirmation on my items. 1 went to Paypal & 1 did not. On both I told them to ask the postman who delivered the item to ask where the postman put it. 1 never got back to me & 1 said it was never delivered. I called the postmaster of the city and asked him to ask the postman what was done with the item. The postmaster got back to me and gave me the info that the item was left on the porch at the request of the buyer. Not the end of the story. I gave all this info to Paypal - name of the postmaster & Phone# and Paypal ruled in MY favor!! the buyer was so MAD she returned the item postage due!! I refused it, afraid to open it. But in the end she paid for item + shipping. International buyers you have to be aware there are NO confirmed address but I have won a dispute with Paypal there also.
Because WE are not a business like Amazon with write off in non delivery or damage, we have to accept risk as part of selling. It can never be eliminated, there are wackos everywhere. Most buyers are fantastic people, think if you had a Bricks & Mortar Store.

Chelsea, your story had a happy ending, and that's the way it should be, if you did everything right when you sent the packages. The problem is, when 2 out of 3 people at Paypal would not accept Delivery confirmation as proof, which tracks up to the destination city, same as Express mail, the ruling becomes discretionary. I think you were lucky that the right person reviewed your situation. Once in a while, I browse the antique section, and I wonder how these sellers with expensive items ship with such confidence when there are gray areas with Paypal. I know sellers can't eliminate all the risks, but keeping them to a minimum is all we can do. I would like to know how you won your case on the unconfirmed address with international shipping. According to the person I talked to at Paypal, getting a confirmation email from the buyer that the unconfirmed address is correct, is not acceptable, for international or domestic. Would appreciate knowing your situation on that, Chelsea, and anyone else that had this situation with Paypal.

Materialgirl, I have heard of many cases where Seller Protection Rules were not precisely followed, but the seller won the dispute.

Your personal research says that 2 out of 3 PP reps won't accept DC as proof of delivery... I tend to think that most of the time, DC would be accepted just fine, but you are correct that many times, PP disputes seem to be resolved on a discretionary basis.

Material Girl, I believe the international incident with Portugal is unusual. I shipped the items & she did get them. I unfortunately forgot to add 1 piece of linen to the shipment, she bought 15 pieces. I apologized & refunded the cost of the item + shipping. That was NOT good enough for her, she wanted a COMPLETE REFUND WITH OUT returning any items. I have to add, she had done this scam before me and the seller refunded all and did not get the items back. I emailed Paypal everyday whether they wanted my input or not. I was EXTREMELY nice in all my emails. I advised them of her scam & also that I would be glad to refund when the items are in my hands or the hands of a third party, because of course I was not trustworthy by her standards. The part of the dispute I did not like was that I could not read her comments about me. The end of the story is, she did this again to a person in the UK. UK emailed me and asked for my story. Before she read it, she refunded all without a return of the items for fear of negative feedback. Remember you have a chance to remark when given neg feedback. Always remember NO matter how mad you are, NEVER type your anger in an email. It will come back to haunt you.

I have had disputes and out of 5 all had delivery confirmation and I won 4 of them - depends on how you show your infor - I just cut and paste the USPS site delivery info

the fifth one was missing altogether and so I lost

It's understandable that you lost the one dispute where the tracking was missing. What I would like to know is, did they all get their packages eventually? Were the packages insured? My understanding is, even with Delivery Confirmation, if a package is lost, the seller is responsible in a dispute if the package did not have insurance. Was insurance an issue in any of the 5 disputes?

most cases the buyer was dumb enough to file paypal dispute when they had a confirmed paypal address and USPS site shows deliverd.. my luck tho'

you do not need insurance if you can eat a certain limit say $40 but depends on each person if the package is lost

Also no matter what try on having a CONFIRMED PAYPAL ADDRESS - state on my ad that I wont ship unless it is confirmed as this has saved me from a lot of grief - that is my only policy on my TOS

if you cant lose the money YOU insure anything over YOUR limit - or Making sure you have confirmed address and DC -

even today a buyer was silly enough to as me where the package was - and when I sent the dc number with deliverd on it " her doorman" found it - Hello ? you ask the doorman before asking the seller - if she sent you email saying package was shipped??

Chealsea, I am amazed that you won on an international dispute, and happy to hear that a scammer lost. I read Daddyo's post and he lost his dispute. Could also have been a scam.