New seller trying to navigate this site

[SCcoins]

Thanks so much for the information on the micropayments deal, I wasn’t aware of it.

Bittyboy I used to be nervous about using different courier services but I’ve found that it is better to be pragmatic and not let the courier choices be a barrier to you selling. Sometimes a parcel is just jinxed whether you send it economy or use Special Delivery but the vast majority will arrive without incident whoever you use if it is packaged appropriately

The downside of any form of Signed For service is the buyer has to be home, as much as it can be reassuring to a seller I don’t think all buyers are particularly keen on it. If I was offered Signed For (1st/2nd Class or Special Delivery) and maybe a full day waiting for a knock at the door, or Tracked 48 parcel left in my paper bin, I’m choosing Tracked 48 all day long.

When you sell on Vinted for example with all postage options turned on and send parcels with Yodel, Evri, InPost etc it reassures you that the horror stories are rare as you see the service for yourself.

[SCcoins]

I deleted my follow up post again by mistake haha. Jeez I’m bad at this, never mind.

[leadhillsonline]

It is no longer worth using RM signed for as they lowered the compensation to only £20 same as standard post. For parcels I use tracked 48 which gives compensation up to £150. Not sure if things have changed again in the last few weeks apart from the stupid idea of only delivering 2nd class letter/LL 3/2 days a week.

[Bittyboy101]

Good morning SCcoins,

Yes, You're quite right that a majority of parcels sent by cheaper normal post do reach buyers without any problems, whilst the odd parcel may be jinxed.

Whilst it may be very convenient for most buyers to just have their item delivered without needing to be home to sign for it, for the seller, it takes away an important proof of delivery should a item not received dispute happen and leaves the seller with no way to check/prove that the buyer did actually receive their item or not !

I was always told on eBay that a certificate proof of postage is not proof of delivery and without proof of delivery to back them up a seller would lose any INR dispute.

This is why I feel it is somewhat important to use a reliable service with full delivery confirmation to safeguard one's self.

If a buyer is not in when the postman/delivery man calls, they will leave a calling card for the buyer to rearrange the delivery when convenient or they can nip over to their local Royal Mail delivery office and collect in person with their ID if that works out better for them, A genuine buyer wouldn't mind, as they will fully understand this is done to keep their item safe and ensure that they receive what they paid for.

[Bittyboy101]

It is no longer worth using RM signed for as they lowered the compensation to only £20 same as standard post. For parcels I use tracked 48 which gives compensation up to £150. Not sure if things have changed again in the last few weeks apart from the stupid idea of only delivering 2nd class letter/LL 3/2 days a week.

Good morning leadhillsonline,

That is very interesting that they have now reduced the compensation cover from £35 to now only £20 for 1st class signed for Royal Mail, whilst Tracked 48 now allows up to £150 cover !

Thanks for posting this as I had no idea !

[leadhillsonline]

Good morning leadhillsonline,

That is very interesting that they have now reduced the compensation cover from £35 to now only £20 for 1st class signed for Royal Mail, whilst Tracked 48 now allows up to £150 cover !

Thanks for posting this as I had no idea !

You should be able to download a price list from the RM site which gives all the details. https://www.royalmail.com/current-postage-prices

It's worthwhile keeping up to date with the latest info from them. I buy all my postage online and using tracked 48 I can add the recipients email address so they are informed of the status of their parcel. On delivery add the tracking number to the track and trace site and it will give you all the info you need.

[johnwash1]

I deleted my follow up post again by mistake haha. Jeez I’m bad at this, never mind.

I'm probably no better. But I discovered a life saver a few years ago, or at least something that saves the risk of steam coming out of the top of my head. I use the Firefox web browser and there's various useful add-ons available for it -- the one that's relevant here is Form History Control. On any web site, whatever you're typing into a text box, it quietly remembers. If you delete by accident or even if you have a power fail, it lets you recover the text. It must be watching every second or two, because the most I've ever had it lose is a word or so. It's absolute magic.

Perhaps Form History Control is also available for other web browsers such as Chrome, Brave, Safari etc, I've not checked.

[johnwash1]

Good morning SCcoins,

Yes, You're quite right that a majority of parcels sent by cheaper normal post do reach buyers without any problems, whilst the odd parcel may be jinxed.

Whilst it may be very convenient for most buyers to just have their item delivered without needing to be home to sign for it, for the seller, it takes away an important proof of delivery should a item not received dispute happen and leaves the seller with no way to check/prove that the buyer did actually receive their item or not !

I was always told on eBay that a certificate proof of postage is not proof of delivery and without proof of delivery to back them up a seller would lose any INR dispute.

This is why I feel it is somewhat important to use a reliable service with full delivery confirmation to safeguard one's self.

If a buyer is not in when the postman/delivery man calls, they will leave a calling card for the buyer to rearrange the delivery when convenient or they can nip over to their local Royal Mail delivery office and collect in person with their ID if that works out better for them, A genuine buyer wouldn't mind, as they will fully understand this is done to keep their item safe and ensure that they receive what they paid for.

The reference you get on a cert proof of posting doesn't give you tracking for an untracked service (well, duh! ) but IF the postie scans the item before leaving it at the address then that protects you. It's a gamble though. If you're sending a small parcel, the extra for tracking is 10p, so I usually use that. For large letters though, it's rather different and may be worth gambling. Might depend on your view of the buyer.

Which takes me to the other point. I feel it's always worth trying to establish contact with the buyer immediately I make a sale. I have a standard copy/paste with just a few gaps to fill, and I ask the buyer if they have a safe place they want the package left. Some respond. Some don't. I feel that tells me something! And the ones that respond might say "I'm in all week, no worries" or "Leave it in the box by the door" or discuss "nipping over" to their local delivery office.

Nipping over? That absolutely wouldn't work for me. That's a 4 mile journey with nightmare parking availability. Some nip, eh? Fortunately I'm home all the time and have an enclosed porch anyway. Different strokes for different folks. Know your buyer.

[SCcoins]

Haha thank you I’ll see what it’s like on Safari.

You know the contact with buyer topic is one that I have changed my mind on.

With eBay orders if I used a tracked service or even large letter untracked with the reference, I never message a buyer anymore as most don’t reply. If I send a letter with stamps on I always send a quick thank you message with a photo of the letter, partly for me to reference back to if they claim non receipt. It’s just easier than going back through thousands of photos to find it later. Most people still don’t reply but it makes me feel better that I have documented it.

I message most Vinted buyers and confirm when I will post. Buyers blank you everywhere but it is more blatant on there as the messages shows as seen and it shows you when the buyer was last online. I will stop messaging there unless I’m replying to a question and then it can’t irritate me.

I get the feeling that the majority of people don’t want communication, they prefer want the sales to be distant and anonymous unless something goes wrong with the order.

[Bittyboy101]

@ Johnwash1

Thanks for that.

Valid points. As a matter of fact I always contact my buyer directly after they have paid to break the ice let them know in a friendly message that I am grateful for their sale and I let them know that I will be posting by Royal Mail Special Delivery the next morning... I also ask them to confirm whether this will be okay for them to receive their delivery the day after I have posted their item and most will message me back confirming that's fine. Unfortunately you do get the silent buyers who just say nothing until they have received their item then out of the blue they leave glowing feedback saying that they liked the item and my polite service as a seller.

Yes, John, 4 miles is a bit too far for you to "just nip over" and collect your Royal Mail item from your local Royal Mail delivery office lol

Edit:-

I was watching other people's locks sell with ease on eBay this morning... was wishing I was still there !... as I do now miss the regular sales I used to get from those antique dealers and all those wealthy mansion owners !