Is UPS a safe way to ship with Signature Confirmation?

[tokyonimbus]

Just had a pretty big sale and the buyer is requesting UPS instead of USPS because he said USPS isn't very reliable in his area. I almost exclusively use USPS, but want to use UPS since the buyer requested it. Just wondering is there any loopholes or things I need to watch out for when it comes to signature confirmation and UPS? The item was over $750 so I want to make sure I am covered when shipping through this new method (hopefully they can't waive the signature and lose my seller protection).

Any input would be appreciated! I just want to make sure UPS is okay for this kind of thing 🙂 thanks and happy new year

[mudshark61369]

@tokyonimbus,

I've used UPS for a couple of larger and expensive (vintage tuners, amplifiers, turntables etc.) items I've shipped and haven't had any problems though I box and pack them almost as well as they were when originally sold. If you put signature confirmation on the package the buyer cannot have it waived, and even if they could it would still have a delivery scan.  I'm not sure because it has been a few years since I have used them, but I think with insurance, signature confirmation is required.

I would discuss signature confirmation with the buyer, and if they are willing to pay the extra fee a two hour delivery window on a specific day can be arranged.  Otherwise, they could miss the delivery and may have to go to a UPS center, or reschedule a delivery time to get the package.

[1tuna]

I would stick with what I know best.I would never let someone tell me who to ship with,if you are not familiar with UPS then you can easily be mislead by a sales clerk,Its one thing to use UPS if you are familiar with it but why learn a new system with a high dollar item

[tokyonimbus]

Well they are saying USPS is unreliable in their apartment building and they have a lot of trouble receiving packages from them so I would rather just use UPS in this case. The buyer has good feedback so I don't think he's trying to pull anything fishy.

If it's covered under eBay/Paypal policy, I don't see how I can get mislead by a sales clerk as long as I figure out all the logistics beforehand and make sure I get signature confirmation/insurance.. the alternative is using USPS which may not reach him according to his information & would seemingly upset the buyer.

I was just hoping to see what other people's experience with UPS + signature confirmation on eBay were.

[1tuna]

 a sales clerk in a UPS store can sell you insurance  coverage that is no good.UPS is not in the buisness of insuring collectibles,sometimes you have to know before hand just how to arange insurance so you do not buy a useless policy that does not apply to you

[myboardid]

UPS as a company is totally legitimate and as safe as any carrier that exists, probably safer than most.  I have been receiving shipments that are sent through them for almost 50 years.  I also use them to ship out packages from time to time, but they are slower than the post office.

The one thing is they don't pay out readily for damage to the contents.  I've rarely had to make a claim and usually never get paid.  However, if you pack very, very well it should not be an issue. 

And as  it is the same with the post office, they are only as good as their local staff at the delivery location. 

[earlyant-77]

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@mudshark61369 wrote:

@tokyonimbus,

I've used UPS for a couple of larger and expensive (vintage tuners, amplifiers, turntables etc.) items I've shipped and haven't had any problems though I box and pack them almost as well as they were when originally sold. If you put signature confirmation on the package the buyer cannot have it waived, and even if they could it would still have a delivery scan.  I'm not sure because it has been a few years since I have used them, but I think with insurance, signature confirmation is required.

I would discuss signature confirmation with the buyer, and if they are willing to pay the extra fee a two hour delivery window on a specific day can be arranged.  Otherwise, they could miss the delivery and may have to go to a UPS center, or reschedule a delivery time to get the package.

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The buyer could have a release on file for sig conf, so it doesn't have to be signed for. I have that, but then again, no one would ever steal a package from my property.

[lja440]

Well they are saying USPS is unreliable in their apartment building and they have a lot of trouble receiving packages from them so I would rather just use UPS in this case. The buyer has good feedback so I don't think he's trying to pull anything fishy.
If it's covered under eBay/Paypal policy, I don't see how I can get mislead by a sales clerk as long as I figure out all the logistics beforehand and make sure I get signature confirmation/insurance.. the alternative is using USPS which may not reach him according to his information & would seemingly upset the buyer.
I was just hoping to see what other people's experience with UPS + signature confirmation on eBay were.


Wow, I don't like this mornings format change.

Sorry about the quote not being clear.

Anyway, signature tracking should be the same with any carrier. The delivery person should knock on the door and have them sign.

The only thing else you can do is make it RESTRICTED signature delivery. Meaning they can't just get a signature from anyone at the address but only the person that the package is addressed to.