Ebay seller insisting on Sig confirmation, why???

[N/A]

I post this at the bottom of every listing I put on eBay:

 

Please note that the shipping is $14.95 because I ship exclusively via Fed Ex / signature required. I make no money on shipping. I refuse to use USPS because they are incompetent thieves and imbeciles, and I can't count how many of my packages the post office has lost or stolen over the years. Fed Ex proof of delivery signature is $4.25. There are so many scam artists on eBay now that I must have proof that the package was delivered. Sorry for the rant.

 

I get complaints from people that it's "inconvenient" like the OP - too bad. I'm done with getting ripped off.

 

How did you get "ripped off" before?

[N/A]

For those who fear not being home, I might recommend registering alternate mailing addresses as "confirmed" with their Pay Pal account, be it a workplace, a friend or relative. Then you eliminate that "I won't be home to sign for it" issue.

 

The signature confirmation will not deture fraud, a buyer can simply claim that they were sent an empty box by the seller and that parcel may gave had delivery confirmation and or a signature release, but that doesn't prevent a case to be filed and potentially wore

 

Inversely, a seller can just as easily fraud a buyer by actually sending an empty box or wrong merchandise.

 

There is a lot of faith and trust involved on both sides with mail orders, so what it is about is minimizing risks or showing efforts of defense.

 

Thieves usually walk past home with alarm signs, beware of dog signs, cars with a steering wheel lock, etc. so, in the same way, would probably avoid committing fraud on a person who appears to be buttoned up.

 

With that, I do see the benefit of a signature confirmation, and would say that if a seller does not disclose those terms for any surcharges, then the seller should just eat the costs themselves as the cost of doing business and assurance for a large dollar transaction.

 

What's the benefit?

[thecopperagekids]

yes, i had a buyer moan and groan about signature confirmation on a package (a $250 lot of comics) i sent him because it was such a pain to pick up the package.

 

so, next time, at his request, i don't put sig confirmation on three lots he buys from me, totalling $800 or so...

 

 

well, you know what happens next, right?

 

i was slow getting them out and i sent them media, so one of the lots wound up getting to his house like two days after the expected delivery time (the other lots I shipped in the same box were on time because they were bought later) and he complained about non-receipt on the day of expected delivery time for that $250 lot.

 

i point out to ebay, look, here we go, delivery confirmation on everything. sorry it was two days late.

 

so, because i sent all the lots in one box I was over $750. no signature confirmation. so i was out that one lot he had complained about. ebay never bothered following up with him to ask him whether he got the package late. once they saw no signature confirm, despite D.C. and despite me sending them emails from him admitting he got the lot, they determine he did not receive it and I was out $250.

 

it gets a little complicated after that, but ebay and paypal basically said I was SOOL and they didn't care if he actually got the package or not. no sig confirmation, no luck.

 

Call eBay again, as long as you are persistent, and still have the emails confirming he received the books.....and can deal with spending an hour being shuffled between CS reps and having to explain the story to each one.....asking to speak with a supervisor can help, after you've been told by a clueless rep that you're SOOL can help.....you SHOULD get your money back.

 

What the buyer did is technically considered mail fraud and is a federal offense.

 

Look up the particular statuettes and have them handy when you speak with the supervisor.

 

Before you make that phone call, email ebay with all of the case particulars and cite the fact that the buyer did in fact commit mail fraud.

 

I also think anything valued above $500 is considered grand theft, not just larceny...either way, you have him on two criminal charges.

 

If that doesn't work....though I suspect it will, contact his local police department and file a claim with them.

 

The buyer will be arrested.

 

FYI, someone on one of the FaceBook comic or toys groups posting up a link to a FB poster who got paid for Star Wars legos toys....didn't ship out....and the article showed a MUGSHOT of the FB scammer after he was arrested for mail fraud.

 

 

Point being, this sort of scam is not just in Paypal's hands and if you speak with a PP supervisor, break all this down, you will more than likely get your money back.

 

Personally, I'd call his local police station regardless of wether PP covers your loss or not.You'll get your money back, in that case, and the d-bag will have a FELONY on his record.

 

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29520208/police-arrest-southern-colorado-man-14k-star-wars

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NewWorldOrder]

Bought a book on Ebay yesterday through best offer.

On top of the $10.50 or so already charged for shipping, they want another $7.05 for insurance and signature confirmation, whatever, I paid it in a separate invoice they sent me.

After paying the seller messages me that it will be sent out well packed first thing Monday, and should arrive Wednesday or Thursday, great.

 

That all sounds good to me, except one thing, no one will be there to sign for it during the week, and going to the PO to pick it up is a huge P.I.T.A. for me to the point of almost being impossible with my schedule, so I message them back asking if they can just send it delivery confirmation, like the 1000 plus other books I've bought on ebay, so they can just leave it on my porch where I can easy get it when I get home.

 

Seller messages back "No Andrew, it will be going out monday sig confirmation, you will have to pick it up at the PO, or wait till saturday for it to be delivered.

 

My fear is that it will sit around the PO for days since I can't pick it up, and get lost.

Or they will put it on the truck for delivery day after day during the week since there is no one home to sign for it during the week, and it will get lost in all that on the truck off the truck shuffling each day.

 

My question is, why would the seller not send it delivery confirmation like I'm asking, and instead insist on sig confirmation?

 

It's a $260 dollar book, so not cheap, but not some massive sum of money either.

I don't sell on Ebay, only buy, but I do a TON of buying, and this is the first time I've run into something like this.

 

Any thoughts from people on this?

 

For some people $200 dollars is a lot of money so they want to make sure you the eBay buyer can't commit fraud against them.

 

You said it yourself, "leave on porch." Hence why he wants a signature. People do steal in this great country of ours off people's porches.

 

There is nothing and mean nothing here the eBay seller is doing wrong.

 

You are being somewhat of a drama queen with this post.

 

[NewWorldOrder]

As you should!!!

 

I've ignored the media for many years now and will not go back. My current events suck.

 

Agreed!

 

Anyone who is scared to ship most common'y traded books via mail is a disgrace and they should be embarrassed to think that way.

 

I have been selling items on eBay since 1999. Thousands of transactions and I have never and I mean never lost a $1 yet.

 

It is impossible to get ripped off unless you are a insufficiently_thoughtful_person.

 

Some have tried, but I calmly go through the motion and in the end I am made whole again. Some inconveniences? For sure. Money lost? Not once yet.

[Ghost Town]

Every package I send over $200 gets sig confirmation, whether the buyer likes it or not. My insurance company requires it in order for the shipment to be covered.

 

Two weeks ago the PO decided to use my Nova 1 9.8 as a pinata. Without that sig confirmation I would have been out of pocket $500+.

This thread should have ended after this post.

 

Like many people on the boards, I use Collectibles Insurance Service. If I want my shipments valued at $200 or more covered by my policy, they require signature confirmation.

 

I've heard too many horror stories about USPS insurance. And I have very little faith in PayPal after dealing with them when a guy tried to scam me on a board sale.

 

I've made one claim with CIS for a package that disappeared and the process was really easy and painless.

[october]

Every package I send over $200 gets sig confirmation, whether the buyer likes it or not. My insurance company requires it in order for the shipment to be covered.

 

Two weeks ago the PO decided to use my Nova 1 9.8 as a pinata. Without that sig confirmation I would have been out of pocket $500+.

This thread should have ended after this post.

 

Like many people on the boards, I use Collectibles Insurance Service. If I want my shipments valued at $200 or more covered by my policy, they require signature confirmation.

 

I've heard too many horror stories about USPS insurance. And I have very little faith in PayPal after dealing with them when a guy tried to scam me on a board sale.

 

I've made one claim with CIS for a package that disappeared and the process was really easy and painless.

 

That's who I use, and they were great on the Nova claim. I sent pics, they sent me a check. Friendly and painless. Can't recommend them enough.

 

Unlike the USPS, who for some unfathomable reason expects the buyer to either ship everything back to me (both outer box and contents, at my cost natch), or expects the buyer to wait for a letter and then drive it all to the nearest post office. By the time either of us realized we had to do that, the packing materials were long gone. Ridiculous, especially given the fact that someone in their ops chain may have, quite literally, backed over my package with a truck.

[electricprune]

Every package I send over $200 gets sig confirmation, whether the buyer likes it or not. My insurance company requires it in order for the shipment to be covered.

 

Two weeks ago the PO decided to use my Nova 1 9.8 as a pinata. Without that sig confirmation I would have been out of pocket $500+.

This thread should have ended after this post.

 

Like many people on the boards, I use Collectibles Insurance Service. If I want my shipments valued at $200 or more covered by my policy, they require signature confirmation.

 

I've heard too many horror stories about USPS insurance. And I have very little faith in PayPal after dealing with them when a guy tried to scam me on a board sale.

 

I've made one claim with CIS for a package that disappeared and the process was really easy and painless.

 

That's who I use, and they were great on the Nova claim. I sent pics, they sent me a check. Friendly and painless. Can't recommend them enough.

 

Unlike the USPS, who for some unfathomable reason expects the buyer to either ship everything back to me (both outer box and contents, at my cost natch), or expects the buyer to wait for a letter and then drive it all to the nearest post office. By the time either of us realized we had to do that, the packing materials were long gone. Ridiculous, especially given the fact that someone in their ops chain may have, quite literally, backed over my package with a truck.

 

I use them too, but haven't has a claim (knock on wood). Did you guys get dinged with higher premiums after you made a claim? Or does that still need to be determined?

[Ghost Town]

Did you guys get dinged with higher premiums after you made a claim? Or does that still need to be determined?

I didn't get dinged any more than the normal (relatively small) increase when it was time to renew the policy. My claim was pretty small - less than $250, if I remember correctly. So I don't know what they'd do if it was any kind of sizable claim.