worth sending £20 + items recorded delivery?

alx2010

I have up to now always sent items 2nd class unless they cost over £41.
But just this week I have been told by buyers that 3 items have not arrived (posted over Xmas) and am wondering whether I should start sending recorded delivery for items over a certain amount.
Claiming back from R.M. seems like such a hassle!

soolin

alx2010 wrote: »

I have up to now always sent items 2nd class unless they cost over £41.
But just this week I have been told by buyers that 3 items have not arrived (posted over Xmas) and am wondering whether I should start sending recorded delivery for items over a certain amount.
Claiming back from R.M. seems like such a hassle!

Using recorded doesn't make a claim via RM any easier though.

alx2010

maybe i am spending too much time on this forum and it's made me think about buyers trying it on!

youngone90

The problem with recorded delivery is that it does not track through the delivery process and the status only changes when it is delivered. So if a package you send to a buyer goes missing, tracking the package will not help you locate it as it will only show up on the RM website as being "progressed through our network for delivery". This happen to me recently, I sent a video game recorded delivery, buyer said it never arrived and RM website said it was still in their network. So I just had to refund and claim from RM. The other problem is that a lot of the time, even though recorded delivery items are supposed to be signed for, posties do not bother and just shove them through the letterbox. I have had countless packages sent to me that I should have signed for but didn't. This means in theory, buyers can claim non-receipt and you cannot prove that they do have the item, which is no different from standard delivery. It could mean less false non-receipt claims as some will be signed for (not that I am suggesting this is what your buyers did, or that you think this is what they did) but in reality I think this happens very little. You also need to consider how the higher postage rate will make your items look more expensive against competitors, as buyers do not care about items being sent recorded, they have all the protection they need from eBay and Paypal. Unless you are going to fork out the extra (75p?) yourself which will obviously eat into your profit.

So in short, no it probably isn't worth sending things recorded even if they are over £20 or so. I don't know if you have ever claimed before or it just sounds like a hassle but it is not too difficult. The form is actually quite short, can be printed off of the RM website and just make sure you keep all your proof of postage receipts as they are needed for any claim. You will also need to print off the eBay sale page and paypal transactions.

The number of lost parcels you have experienced recently is probably due to the time of year combined with the weather and it probably won't happen very often. Plus if you always make sure you have a return address on your parcels, although not guaranteed they might work their way back to you eventually.

pinkclouds

I know it doesn't affect the insurance but I have a personal rule that everything £10+ goes recorded and everything £20+ goes special delivery. (Although it's generally always priced at second class.) It just feels... "right" to me. I guess logically it shouldn't matter but I can't help the way I feel.

soolin

pinkclouds wrote: »

I know it doesn't affect the insurance but I have a personal rule that everything £10+ goes recorded and everything £20+ goes special delivery. (Although it's generally always priced at second class.) It just feels... "right" to me. I guess logically it shouldn't matter but I can't help the way I feel.

You must have very deep pockets to use special delivery for everything over £20 :eek:

pinkclouds

soolin wrote: »

You must have very deep pockets to use special delivery for everything over £20 :eek:

Lol. Don't worry - I'm only selling old stuff lying around the house so it all goes on at 99p most of the time. If the bidding goes to 20 quid then as far as I'm concerned that's 20 quid for free so I can justify using some of it to cover special delivery. Frankly, with most of my stuff if it didn't go on Ebay then it would go in the trash. The way I see it, I'm not spending my own money and so long as I'm not making a loss then it's all good. Ebay is nothing more than an occasional hobby to me.

But if the OP is similar to me then I don't see why he can't go ahead with recorded delivery if it makes him feel better. It's something I like to do for, well, for no good reason really!

punkpink

pinkclouds wrote: »

Lol. Don't worry - I'm only selling old stuff lying around the house so it all goes on at 99p most of the time. If the bidding goes to 20 quid then as far as I'm concerned that's 20 quid for free so I can justify using some of it to cover special delivery. Frankly, with most of my stuff if it didn't go on Ebay then it would go in the trash. The way I see it, I'm not spending my own money and so long as I'm not making a loss then it's all good. Ebay is nothing more than an occasional hobby to me.

But if the OP is similar to me then I don't see why he can't go ahead with recorded delivery if it makes him feel better. It's something I like to do for, well, for no good reason really!

Peace of mind perhaps? I have to say i feel the same, if i decide to sell something then i would rather cover myself, that way i know i can avoid possible hassle.

YoJoJo

I have a personal rule too, like Pink Clouds. I'm a (very small) business seller who sells everything Buy It Now. If it's over £10 but under £41 I send it recorded delivery. I tend to factor the additional 74 pence into the item cost rather than the advertised P&P so that I remain competitive with other sellers P&P rates, and so that I get a good stars rating when feedback is left.

I have only had 2 queries from Buyers as to where their items are, in approx. 350 transactions over 13 months of selling. The first item did eventually arrive and was signed for but 3 weeks late (xmas period) and the other I refunded straight away and eventually the item came back to me after bouncing around all over London.

I have been 'lucky' I suppose in that most of the items I send recorded get signed for. Some don't get signed for but happily those buyers have still received their items.

I have a theory that just having recorded-delivery-only options on your listing will put most of the potential scammers off even bidding and make them move on to another poor Seller. But saying that, I also think that 99% of buyers are trustworthy and wouldn't dream of scamming a Seller. I just like having peace of mind and if my profit is a little smaller because of it that's ok with me.

Now if only my postie would stop signing for items in my name and popping them through my door. I think he believes he is doing me a favour...

soolin

YoJoJo wrote: »

I have a personal rule too, like Pink Clouds. I'm a (very small) business seller who sells everything Buy It Now. If it's over £10 but under £41 I send it recorded delivery. I tend to factor the additional 74 pence into the item cost rather than the advertised P&P so that I remain competitive with other sellers P&P rates, and so that I get a good stars rating when feedback is left.

I have only had 2 queries from Buyers as to where their items are, in approx. 350 transactions over 13 months of selling. ...

Your rates are worse than mine, 3 losses (and one of them was to Italy so doesn't count) in approx 1440 parcels sent. I didi have a 4th but it turned up back with me after a month as not collected.

Just think though your 350 items cost you £259 to send recorded, I'm really not that suspicious of people to be able to lose that sort of money out of my profit.

abc

As a buyer I'm much less likely to bid for an item if it is listed as recorded delivery. It is just so much hassle to go to the sorting office to get the item as it will be delivered when I am at work.