Is it possible to purchase signature request & insurance before the item has been delivered ? usps

[missingcord]

Hello fellow sellers.

I recently sold a bulk lot of ink cartridges to a buyer for $250. The buyer told me I didn't need to add signature service to the shipping because it was a safe location. The buyer used prioirty mail and lives in the same state as me ( about 30 miles away ). My bussiness partner told me I should always signature for all priority mail shipments over 100$. 

Well my buyer came back and ordered a 2nd shipment of ink cartrides. The buyer then told me again , not to add signature request to the shipment since it was a safe location.  I informed him that we had to and that it was mandatory because of the item value ( I also purchased insurance ) .  I also said  I would cover the cost of the signature request for him for being such an awsome customer.

My question I guess is , Can I purchase signature service for the first order ? It hasn't been delivered yet.  Its actually due to be delivered later today. Any guidance and help here would be much appericated.

[gracieallen01]

Probably not.

Considering that it is a service that is purchased at the time of shipping, since the item is in the system, it is highly doubtful that the service is still available for that item.

With ebay, the buyer doesn't have to buy insurance.  If the seller buys insurance on an item, signature is supposed to be required on anything over $200.  However, the seller hasn't been held to cooperating with insurance claims.

[chipper01work]

Signature confirmation is not required unless the payment is $750 or more on ebay. Buying it for shipments valued less is a complete waste of money and an inconvenience for buyers. Your partner needs educated.

[a_c_green]

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@gracieallen01 wrote:

With ebay, the buyer doesn't have to buy insurance.  If the seller buys insurance on an item, signature is supposed to be required on anything over $200.  However, the seller hasn't been held to cooperating with insurance claims.

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Actually it's now insurance of $500 or more that will trigger a signature delivery by the carrier, although this is not the same as Signature Confirmation and not viewable on-line. SC itself is not required by eBay/PayPal on sales of less than $750. 

I think this is all getting a little overblown. Delivery Confirmation will be sufficient for seller protection on the shipments being discussed here. Priority Mail gets you either $50 or $100 indemnity by default (depending on seller status; the Shipping Label form will tell you which amount applies in your case), and if you want to add insurance on top of that, you have to do it when printing the label, not after it's on the way.

[gracieallen01]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@gracieallen01 wrote:

With ebay, the buyer doesn't have to buy insurance.  If the seller buys insurance on an item, signature is supposed to be required on anything over $200.  However, the seller hasn't been held to cooperating with insurance claims.

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Actually it's now insurance of $500 or more that will trigger a signature delivery by the carrier, although this is not the same as Signature Confirmation and not viewable on-line. SC itself is not required by eBay/PayPal on sales of less than $750. 

I think this is all getting a little overblown. Delivery Confirmation will be sufficient for seller protection on the shipments being discussed here. Priority Mail gets you either $50 or $100 indemnity by default (depending on seller status; the Shipping Label form will tell you which amount applies in your case), and if you want to add insurance on top of that, you have to do it when printing the label, not after it's on the way.

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Gee whiz, turn your back for even a minute and they change things!  Thank you for the correction.

As for 'over-blown', ain't it the truth.  Seems that it is more of a 'case-by-case' situation now, no matter what policy says.

[retrose1]

OP, first off, anything you want extra on the package can not be added later, it must be purchased when you buy the postage.

Now, Signature and Insurance are only for the benefit of the seller - and both are useless in your situation.

Signature Confirmation confirms that your high dollar item was delivered into the right hands when ebay asks.  ebay doesn't ask unless the buyer claims they didn't get it and the item and shipping is over $750.  So the inconvenience Signature causes the buyer is just something to get them irritated to you over.

Insurance is also useless and a waste of money in almost all situations.  If the buyer claims a problem, you will not be able to get the post office to cash in on the insurance unless the buyer cooperates OR there is a notation in the tracking that verifies the problem.  I have never gotten insurance from the PO, and have rarely needed it.   And every time I have a buyer insisting that I make a claim, the buyer is just attempting to scam.

Rather than claim damage, if your buyer is a scammer, they will claim that your ink is dried up and that is not covered by postal insurance.  I have insured expensive breakables to make sure that if there is a problem I am covered, but I don't bother with something that can get other more common claims.

[chrysylys]

You should read this recent thread:   https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Complaint-about-signature-confirmation/td-p/28010322/jump-to/f...

[missingcord]

Wow ,
Okay now I am really confused. Every other seller form told me that it looked like the start of a scam, and they wondered why the buyer didn't want signature. They said that if the buyer opened a case with paypal saying they didn't get the item , i would lose since the item was 250$ and i didn't have signature. Pretty much agreeing with my partner.

But from what I get from you guys , none of this was necessary and that I would have still been covered . Via delivery confirmation.

"Rather than claim damage, if your buyer is a scammer, they will claim that your ink is dried up "
Whelp I am guessing there is no deference for some types of scams like that ?

As far as the cost , it was pretty much just a couple of dollars more. So thats not an issue. I have been selling since 2003 and this is the first buyer to request no signature. So it triggered us a bit. But I will listen to all of your advice on this , it seems like you guys are more seasoned here. Since the Signature has already been added to the 2nd package I can only hope for the best and offer the buyer future discounts for any irritation this may have caused. And chalk it up to my ignorance.

[chrysylys]

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@salvagedeals wrote:

Wow ,
Okay now I am really confused. Every other seller form told me that it looked like the start of a scam,

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If you mean 'forum' as in discussion board on some other website, I see a lot of reallty bad  information out there.

[partial*eclipse]

Yes indeed, especially on some of the Facebook groups you'll get advice that is the opposite of current eBay policy rather than just outdated (as with $250 vs $750 for seller protection).

[missingcord]

Yeah , no kidding.

I guess even an old bird like me can learn something new. Thanks for the link btw. It seems all of this really was unnecessary for the limited protection that eBay gives me.  Since I didn't see anything about on my first google search going back to the ebay forum , i should have just asked in a new thread first before acting.

[a_c_green · Accepted solution]

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@salvagedeals wrote:

Wow ,
Okay now I am really confused. Every other seller form told me that it looked like the start of a scam, and they wondered why the buyer didn't want signature. They said that if the buyer opened a case with paypal saying they didn't get the item , i would lose since the item was 250$ and i didn't have signature. Pretty much agreeing with my partner.

But from what I get from you guys , none of this was necessary and that I would have still been covered . Via delivery confirmation.

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Yes, the issue there is simply that your original information was out of date. The limit used to be $250, above which Signature Confirmation was required in order to retain seller protection in an Item Not Received dispute, but that limit is now (as of a few years ago) at $750.

The possible issues with claims of dried-out ink, etc., would be Not As Described disputes, which are separate from Item Not Received claims. For a NAD claim, you can require the items to be returned before refunding, and you do not have to haggle a partial refund if you don't want to. 

[castlemagicmemories]

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@salvagedeals wrote:

Wow ,
Okay now I am really confused. Every other seller form told me that it looked like the start of a scam, and they wondered why the buyer didn't want signature. They said that if the buyer opened a case with paypal saying they didn't get the item , i would lose since the item was 250$ and i didn't have signature. Pretty much agreeing with my partner.

But from what I get from you guys , none of this was necessary and that I would have still been covered . Via delivery confirmation.

"Rather than claim damage, if your buyer is a scammer, they will claim that your ink is dried up "
Whelp I am guessing there is no deference for some types of scams like that ?

As far as the cost , it was pretty much just a couple of dollars more. So thats not an issue. I have been selling since 2003 and this is the first buyer to request no signature. So it triggered us a bit. But I will listen to all of your advice on this , it seems like you guys are more seasoned here. Since the Signature has already been added to the 2nd package I can only hope for the best and offer the buyer future discounts for any irritation this may have caused. And chalk it up to my ignorance.

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How refreshing, someone who admits they don't know everything in this world where it is always someone else's fault.  I applaud your character.

[newnewnewmann]

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@salvagedeals wrote:

Hello fellow sellers.

I recently sold a bulk lot of ink cartridges to a buyer for $250. The buyer told me I didn't need to add signature service to the shipping because it was a safe location. The buyer used prioirty mail and lives in the same state as me ( about 30 miles away ). My bussiness partner told me I should always signature for all priority mail shipments over 100$. 

Well my buyer came back and ordered a 2nd shipment of ink cartrides. The buyer then told me again , not to add signature request to the shipment since it was a safe location.  I informed him that we had to and that it was mandatory because of the item value ( I also purchased insurance ) .  I also said  I would cover the cost of the signature request for him for being such an awsome customer.

My question I guess is , Can I purchase signature service for the first order ? It hasn't been delivered yet.  Its actually due to be delivered later today. Any guidance and help here would be much appericated.

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You don't show a $250 sale in the last month and even an aggregate sale of cartridges sold doesn't come close to that amount. Was it on another account?

The buyer "used" priority mail and lives just 30 miles from you? Did the buyer request priority mail? I find that odd. Does sending a priority package 30 miles actually get there significantly faster?

You told the buyer it was mandatory to use signature confirmation. It's not, and you cannot add it after the fact.

[partial*eclipse]

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@new-man7 wrote:

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 ... The buyer "used" priority mail and lives just 30 miles from you? Did the buyer request priority mail?...

Priority Mail would cost the same as USPS ground options (Retail Ground or Parcel Select ground).