Postage after selling a phone on ebay

oozy

I sold a iphone of mine on ebay for £400 to somenoe from the Czech Republic and was going to send it by Airsure.
However, I have since been reading up on Seller Protection and am now immensely worried that the buyer could pretend he has not received it and I would not be covered. Royal Mail also do not cover Mobile phones.
Are there any good alternatives available that would require a signature at arrival(which is electronically available to view) and would provide compensation in case of loss?
I was looking at the regular DHL service-point service. Does that require a signature?

Guys_Dad

Oh dear. Just a couple of points.

1. Does buyer have a good buying history?

2. What method has he paid you with?

If he is a scammer, you could be in trouble.

You should have advertised saying that either no buyers from outside UK or that postage will be by buyer's choice, at cost and at his risk.

Saying that, you can use a commercial carrier that has tracking to prove, at least, that it was signed for. UPS?

grumbler

There are some other possible problems besides the proof of delivery:

Road_Hog wrote: »

Yes, avoid selling phones on ebay at all costs. It attacks the crooks and the worst sort of complaining buyers out there. Chargebacks are rife, people trying to return a duplicate non working phone to the one that you sold them etc.

The listing fees, final value fees, the paypal fees and the fact that if you charge a penny over the exact postage (forget the cost of the jiffy bag, packaging, printing label etc. and a trip to the post office) will result in a neg, means that about 15% is taken by ebay and then you have to factor in the risk factor of losing your money.

oozy

grumbler wrote: »

There are some other possible problems besides the proof of delivery:

Is there a reliable alternative to ebay? And since I've already sold this, do I have to go through with it? What is the safest courier?

grumbler

I think it's late.
Just make some extra steps to cover yourself: good photos, a photo with the phone identity details displayed.

securityman

No you dont have to send it. Refund the buy, you might get a neg, but save losing your 400 notes.
Relist uk only.

oozy

Guys_Dad wrote: »

Oh dear. Just a couple of points.

1. Does buyer have a good buying history?

2. What method has he paid you with?

If he is a scammer, you could be in trouble.

You should have advertised saying that either no buyers from outside UK or that postage will be by buyer's choice, at cost and at his risk.

Saying that, you can use a commercial carrier that has tracking to prove, at least, that it was signed for. UPS?

He has bought 1 item previously, with good feedback.

He has paid through Paypal.

He's also asked me to 'activate' the phone, so that he can use it in the Czech Republic. He has provided me with an e-mail and password to do so. Anyone heard of something similar?

And thanks for all your help!

Guys_Dad

oozy wrote: »

He has bought 1 item previously, with good feedback.

He has paid through Paypal.

He's also asked me to 'activate' the phone, so that he can use it in the Czech Republic. He has provided me with an e-mail and password to do so. Anyone heard of something similar?

And thanks for all your help!

Not worth the risk. 1 previous purchase? His brother?

Withdraw and refund.

OneADay

oozy wrote: »

He has bought 1 item previously, with good feedback.

He has paid through Paypal.

He's also asked me to 'activate' the phone, so that he can use it in the Czech Republic. He has provided me with an e-mail and password to do so. Anyone heard of something similar?

And thanks for all your help!

Is the money in your paypal account ready to withdraw?

According to ebay advice

"For this reason, it is recommended you pick the "Airsure" option with royal mail. If its worth more than £150, then PayPal will expect a signature upon delivery of the item to apply for seller protection. For this, see below:"

You could ask Paypal to clarify this before sending item. If they are not providing cover for seller, then get out of deal.

mrcamp

This deal sounds suspicious. Have you withdrawn the money out of the paypal account?

oozy wrote: »

He has bought 1 item previously, with good feedback.

He has paid through Paypal.

He's also asked me to 'activate' the phone, so that he can use it in the Czech Republic. He has provided me with an e-mail and password to do so. Anyone heard of something similar?

And thanks for all your help!

Buzby

Suggeest to the buyer that you've charged it up ready to 'activate' but this has failled. HE needs to activate using his own iTunes account, as this will load the carriers relevant to his location. CZ isn't a hotbed of scams, but a £400 risk remains a £400 risk. Say that as you cannot facilitate him, you'll be agreeable to cancel the sale - do it this way, and you get your listing fees back.