How to ship securely - item sold for more than expected

song_of_calliope

I just had what I hope is a massive stroke of luck. An item I expected to sell for around £30 has gone for £90 in what looks to have been a bidding war! Thing is, in the auction I said I would ship it RM second class and now I wish I had said I would send it in a more secure way. Can I get insurance via RM for up to £90? I don't want to send it signed for as I personally find that annoying as a buyer but what is the best thing to do?

soolin

song_of_calliope wrote: »

I just had what I hope is a massive stroke of luck. An item I expected to sell for around £30 has gone for £90 in what looks to have been a bidding war! Thing is, in the auction I said I would ship it RM second class and now I wish I had said I would send it in a more secure way. Can I get insurance via RM for up to £90? I don't want to send it signed for as I personally find that annoying as a buyer but what is the best thing to do?

If using Royal Mail that will have to go special delivery. Standard 2nd class will only cover up to £20 and signed for 2nd class up to £50.

custardy

song_of_calliope wrote: »

I just had what I hope is a massive stroke of luck. An item I expected to sell for around £30 has gone for £90 in what looks to have been a bidding war! Thing is, in the auction I said I would ship it RM second class and now I wish I had said I would send it in a more secure way. Can I get insurance via RM for up to £90? I don't want to send it signed for as I personally find that annoying as a buyer but what is the best thing to do?

You are asking a question that can easily be answered on the RM site.
If you dont want to send it signed ,then its you risk to take.

mrcol1000

You could try a courier. They normally insure up to £50. You can pay a couple quid extra for extra compensation. Otherwise I would suggest Special Delivery depending on the weight of it. You have an extra unexpected £60 so why not use some of that to pay for Special Delivery. If you have no proof of delivery it may get "lost in the post"

It is unlikely you would find a service from anyone that will cover you for that amount with no signature on delivery. The best you could do is My Hermes who will cover up to £50 and post through letterbox or leave in safe place (or with a neighbour) if no-one is home. Any more and they will want a signature.

DigForVictory

+1 for a courier - my hermes does good tracking & isn't overly expensive. Not signed for, but watching it move & arrive gives you a pretty good audit trail.

Or I'd email the buyer & ask would they like to pay more for the insurance? If they'll spend £90 on something, they may be willing to spend another £5 on being certain it arrives.

Oh, and pack like it'll be used as a basketball in transit....

song_of_calliope

theonlywayisup wrote: »

What an odd way to ask for help.



'Signed for' is NOT the 'special delivery service that soolin kindly mentioned' so perhaps you need to read again.

Experienced ebayers know that feedback as a buyer counts for....

Most sellers would have embarked on a little bit of research before they sold an item.

Are you saying then that the service soolin mentioned does not need to be signed for? Because if you are then I think you'll find you are incorrect. Also not sure what kind of "research" I could have done considering I bought this item for £30 a couple of years ago on ebay and I don't think in general these things have increased in value particularly. It must be that I took decent photos, sold it at the right time of year, and was lucky enough to have two people really want it. Also I am not a particularly experienced ebayer which is why I asked!

The postage sticky is great but my question is what to do about a specific situation. Again, thanks for those who have tried to help but I have never understood what people get out of self-righteousness on Internet forums. People who are genuinely more honest, intelligent, and skilful than others very seldom feel the need to rub peoples' face in it in real life!

hollydays

I do think there was no need for custardy to reply in the way he did..

custardy

DigForVictory wrote: »

+1 for a courier - my hermes does good tracking & isn't overly expensive. Not signed for, but watching it move & arrive gives you a pretty good audit trail.

Or I'd email the buyer & ask would they like to pay more for the insurance? If they'll spend £90 on something, they may be willing to spend another £5 on being certain it arrives.

Oh, and pack like it'll be used as a basketball in transit....

Its not the buyer who needs insurance,its the seller.

TKPeters

Royal Mail Special Delivery - standard £500 insurance & signature
Parcelforce 24 - standard £100 insurance & signature £13.19 upto 30Kg via eBay Postage

redcard

OP, what are you going to do when your buyer tells you he didn't receive the package?

You can join the hordes on MSE who don't learn from the mistakes of others.

Contains_Mild_Peril

If it's something that would fit through the letterbox and you're concerned that the buyer will be expecting it to be deliverable even if they're not at home, perhaps it would be best to contact them. They will probably be fine with it if you politely explain that the postage upgrade (which of course you and not the buyer should pay for) is because you want to ensure that the package will be handled with extra care and will be adequately insured. If they're not happy with that, you then have a choice between sending SD or with a suitable courier service (any of which offering that amount of insurance coverage are likely to require a signature) anyway, or posting by standard mail at your own risk.