USPS Signature Confirmation...........a waste of money and added misery!
DO NOT ADD THIS SERVICE! Your buyers will hate you! This USED TO BE a worthwhile security measure, but not anymore. Lazy USPS employees not longer come to the door with the packages. Instead, a pink form is put into your mailbox, which must be signed. That is picked up a day later, and the package is in your mailbox two days later..........or you can stand in line at the post office the next day to retrieve it...........if it is actually there! So what was gained by this service? The package is back in the box two days late and just as vulnerable to mailbox thieves as packages shipped without this option. As for post office boxes.........no added security and you'll wait in line to get your package.
Sellers, please, if you are thinking of adding this option..........DON'T!
kh-tuna
·4 months agoHi everyone,
Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.
Thank you for understanding.
roccotacodad54
·4 months agoAs a buyer I usually avoid listings (under $750) that have signature required in the description. I live rurally and my mailman knows to leave packages in an unseen spot near our front gate.
It's a pain when he actually comes to the door. Dog goes nuts (good girl despite) and breaks the peaceful atmosphere we have here at home. She is in a growly mood for the rest of the day (me too...LOL).
Then there's being here to avoid the pink slip trip to the PO.
kibble-net
·4 months agoNecro post.
Start a new thread as this one will be closed.
You know the deal.
a_c_green
·4 months agoWell... it's his thread... he's the OP.
pastimpressions
·10 months agoListen, I love the USPS. But on this one I am with the OP.
When you make a 4-figure purchase that REQUIRES signature confirmation of delivery & to your chagrin you see the box lying there one day in a common area accessible to the general public walking by & you check the tracking and there is a bogus name entered into the delivery scan data (which is a half-hearted misspelled attempt at your name) what is your protection as a buyer?
Sorry, eat it, you had a delivery scan AND a SCOD?
As far as eBay is concerned that item is not only delivered, but it was handed to me and "signed" for.
Not that long ago, I certainly used to add SCOD as a "level up" concierge thank-you for the business for many items that were far more in value than the $100.00 USPS standard limit but far less than the $750.00 eBay mandated SCOD required threshold.
Suffice it to say, I no longer do this.
I think the OP is just trying to be helpful to other sellers out there. If you think you are enhancing your customers buying experience, you may be mistaken.
albertabrightalberta
·10 months ago"USPS Signature Confirmation...........a waste of money and added misery!
DO NOT ADD THIS SERVICE!"
@onecylinderbob
There is absolutely no reason nor benefit to use s.c. for a sale that totals less than $750.
It doesn't protect you, won't prevent fraud and will cost you more money than the protection that tracking provides.
None of your sales were $750 or more so you didn't need to add it.
onecylinderbob
OP10 months agoYes, I am aware of these points and agree totally. As for packages getting lost or stolen within the USPS system, conspicuity is important. Bulking up the size of the package is good insurance against loss and hiding eBay logos on packaging helps to disguise valuables from thieves.
tinsoldierunderground
·10 months agoI can't remember the last time I signed for a 'signature required' delivery... for the last several years, my carrier would simply leave it on the porch and knock on the door. I got a pink slip last year right after hurricane Milton, the counter people couldn't hand my package off fast enough and get me out the door. Internet was down from the storm, didn't look at the slip, no ID check, no signature.
12345jamesstamps
·10 months agoThere is digital confirmation and written confirmation...and you can request either/ or when at the post office for the same cost.
eBay labels I have not idea what they have...I don't use them.
'wait in line to get your package'...you would be surprised what you can learn while waiting in line watching customers and clerks interact on shipping...that is, if your not playing on your iPhone.
And the entertainment can be funny...
Try telling someone they cannot use a wine box to send clothes in their friend and not wine.
Or the little old lady who speaks no English buying one stamp with a crisp $100.00 bill.
soh.maryl
·10 months agoBravo for that little old lady! You might consider the fact that, for many of us little old ladies, hundred dollar bills are in short supply.
goodnu9
·10 months agoYou can use any type of box as long as you use a black magic marker or black spray paint to cover up advertising what the box was originally used for. Same with Amazon boxes using "Amazon" tape on the boxes. Use a black magic marker to cover up the name anywhere on the box.
mamacassidy
·10 months ago@goodnu9
You don't have to cover up advertising, you have to cover up certain materials.
For instance, you can't have alcohol showing. You can't have certain chemicals showing (I get many boxes from Dollar General and have to cover up if it shows bleach or cleaning supplies). You can't have the symbols for lithium batteries showing.
You don't have to cover up name brands or logos. I re-use boxes all the time that show all sorts of random stuff (including the amazon tape).
goodnu9
·10 months agoI disagree with some of your comments but that's what makes America great. You have to cover up whatever shows on the box which was previously shipped. I believed I said that. In my words. Not yours.
ryry-jj
·10 months agoyes, it is required for items over $750, tax and shipping included. Make sure you state in your listing that it is required as part of purchasing. Add the cost as a handling fee, or include the cost in the price of the item. All the other issues are "and buts" & "what if's?"
christworks
·10 months ago@onecylinderbob I think sellers need to do what is best for their business, not yours. You are taking an isolated experience you've had and projecting it onto the 300k+ other mail carriers and assuming they don't follow procedure. The way to handle it is to report the mail carrier, not to mislead other sellers.
As @kibble-net noted, items that cost $750 or more are required to be shipped using signature confirmation in order to keep your seller protection in place.
onecylinderbob
OP10 months agoFor expedience, I didn't elaborate too much. My sole purpose for posting this message was not to rant, but to help others avoid getting ripped off. Furthermore, I NEVER post anything that isn't confirmed by numerous consistent experiences and confirmation from proper authorities to back it up.
For your information, three points to consider:
1) Eliminating door delivery is now common procedure, not just a carrier issue. It is part of the USPS budget restraints.
2) I took this matter up with the local postmaster and a 35-year USPS employee and personal friend who wouldn't misguide me.
3) And yes, I am very aware that eBay requires signature confirmation on orders over $750.00. I was focusing on sellers who think that they are putting more icing on the cake for their buyers by offering this added service (normally at the buyer's expense) for packages valued at a fraction of that amount.
If you have a USPS mail carrier who still comes to your door with packages, I hope you will remember them this Chrismas.
Unavailable member
·10 months agoYour local PO may not be doing deliveries to your door, mine still does, if I am receiving a package that’s too big for my mail box, the carrier will put it on my porch (which is an enclosed porch 300 feet from the street).
Every PO operates differently.
onecylinderbob
OP10 months agoYou are one of the lucky ones. Unfortunately, this laziness is becoming common procedure, particularly when the home and the mailbox are further apart as in rural settings. This increased distance makes door delivery even more vital, because the mailbox may not be in view.
babyers88
·10 months agoyou are assuming too much, it is totally up to the recipient to decide to sign the form and leave it or go and retrieve it personally.
if they sign it and leave it that is there assumed risk
also how the carrier delivers can vary greatly from individual to individual, from rural area to ghetto
more commonly it is just a p.i.t.a because it did not get delivered and now you have to wait longer or go out of your way and hopefully make it there before they close.
yes some places are more prone to theft and some have virtually none at all.
some places still get mail to the front door and some have a mailbox and some a lockbox
I could drive a couple miles from my house and find places with a mail slot in the front door, a mail box out on the road or a lockbox on the block
it varies all over the country...........
the country bumpkin carrier probably knows the 80 year old man has a hard time getting around and will make life easier.....
onecylinderbob
OP4 months agoExcellent insight!
kibble-net
·10 months agoCounterpoint: If you sell an item that is $750 or more, do NOT SKIP OUT ON THIS SERVICE.
You will lose every "Item Not Received" claim.
ladybugmls
·10 months agoI couldn’t agree more. My regular mail carrier will just sign for me & deliver it. His sub will not even attempt to deliver, just put a pink slip on my mailbox. I then have to walk to the main post office and half the time the window is closed.