another basic ebay question: this time posting

Tondella

Hey folks

first of all big thank you for holding my hand during my first ebay auctions. I'm raising money to go towards paying off my debts, things are going much better than i had expected from my car booting days. I was obviously massively underpricing my stuff!!!

My auctions begin to finish tomorrow. As i have mentioned before the items are CDs, some books and items of clothing, nothing phenomenal in value. Maximum bidding price for any one item at the moment is £6.50. I'll be starting to post out these items over the weekend and have seen mention in other parts of this board about proof of posting, registered delivery etc etc. What do you folk recommend for the items that I have to send. I have bought three CDs from ebay before and none of them came recorded delivery. I'm not too devastated if one of them goes missing in the post as I'll happily refund, but I don't want to be taken advantage of by wily buyers who claim that their parcels haven't turned up.

Thanks in advance folks!

OllieLong

You should always get Proof of Posting because this covers you up to £30 if your item is missing in the post.

Hintza

For that sort of value all I would use is a COP. You can pick up the form at the post office or alternatively if you pay your postage at the PO your receipt will do as long as the relevant details are filled in.

Paying for recorded will only increase your costs. OK you will not be covered by PayPal if anything goes missing but at least with a COP you should be OK.

Tondella

Thanks hintza, for the benefit of the chronically confused could you please spell out for me what COP stands for. and how much does it cost?

masonic

Tondella wrote:

Thanks hintza, for the benefit of the chronically confused could you please spell out for me what COP stands for. and how much does it cost?

COP=Certificate Of Posting, and they are free.

Jellicle

Tondella wrote:

Thanks hintza, for the benefit of the chronically confused could you please spell out for me what COP stands for. and how much does it cost?

Just ask for a "Certificate of Posting" when you get the package weighed at the post office, they will then use their machine to print a ticket (rather than give you stamps) and the receipt from the machine is your "COP" (aka 'proof of posting') - it doesn't cost any extra. (but make sure they write the Postcode & house number on the COP).

Do ask for the COP before they weigh it though, otherwise they will give you stamps and then have to do the COP by hand which does not put them in a good mood...

The COP will allow you to claim for items up to £30 if it gets 'lost in the post'.
For items more valuable than £30 you need to send it Recorded or Special Delivery and may need to pay extra to insure it fully.

If you have a 'bad feeling' about a buyer (if they mess you around or their feedback suggests trouble) then always send it Recorded Delivery and never throw away the receipt!
- If they claim they never received it then okay, you can claim from the post office with the COP but it takes time and is a lot of hassle. Also the ensueing hassle with the buyer is a nuisance and can lead to feedback difficulties.
Sending it Recorded Delivery avoids all that and for the price (62p?) if you have a bad feeling then it is worth paying the extra.

By the way, the item remains your property until it is delivered to the buyer so if you cannot prove it was delivered then you will never get your money back from Paypal. That's another reason for using RD/SD over £30.

always_saving_3

Tondella wrote:

I'll be starting to post out these items over the weekend and have seen mention in other parts of this board about proof of posting, registered delivery etc etc.

One time saving tip, is when you take your first items for posting ask at the Post Office for some COP forms. You can then take them home and fill in the details at home before you leave with your next bundle of items to post. Keeps my Post Office happy as they don't have to enter all the details onto the computer - they just check against what I am posting and then stamp and initial my form and give it back.
I also write postage method by each item e.g. 1st, 2nd etc. to remind me what service people have paid for, particularly useful if sending lots of items.

martindow

Further to Jellicle's post, only special delivery gives insurance of over 30 pounds. The 60p or so extra for recorded delivery (signed for) gets a signature at the delivery address but the insurance is no greater than if you obtain a certificate of posting.

richto

it is if you ask for it to be greater.

masonic

richto wrote:

it is if you ask for it to be greater.

You can only get additional insurance for parcels. Generally it is cheaper to use special delivery for small items.

ianonline

Tondella, or anyone wanting advice on postage, I recommend getting it straight from the horse's mouth :

http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/jump1?catId=19100176&mediaId=19100177