Please Do Not Use Signature Required When Delivery Confirmation Will Do.

[doncole98]

When Signature Required is used on a delivery to a residential location where no one is home during the day the package will not be delivered. The seller is paying an extra $4.50 to ensure that the package is not delivered. Just beacuse an extra option is offered does not mean it will do any good. I have received hundreds of packages over many years except for when a signature is required.

On the other hand, Delivery Confirmation is all that is needed to cover the seller and to show that the item was shipped and delivered.

I needed to say that and hope you all understand. Thanks.

[7606dennis]

Actually, it is up to the seller to determine at what level of risk he is willing to take regarding the requiring the signing for a delivery.  Some may think that items valued at lesser amounts than the threshold of $750 should require one.  However, I do agree that notice of this requirement should appear in the listing so as not to surprise the buyer.

While eBay and PayPal may not require it for shipments under $750, a signature could go a long way in court should things go that far.  A restricted signature delivery would go even further.

[7606dennis]

Just out of curiosity, is the OP's board ID avatar permitted or are is the OP a eBay employee? 

[magicjohnsonsvariety]

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@7606dennis wrote:

Actually, it is up to the seller to determine at what level of risk he is willing to take regarding the requiring the signing for a delivery.  Some may think that items valued at lesser amounts than the threshold of $750 should require one.  However, I do agree that notice of this requirement should appear in the listing so as not to surprise the buyer.

While eBay and PayPal may not require it for shipments under $750, a signature could go a long way in court should things go that far.  A restricted signature delivery would go even further.

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I've heard of restricted signature delivery but it's not available on the list options when printing a label. Only regular Sig Con shows on the label printing page. 

Is this an extra service that needs to be specified/ordered at the USPS counter?? Does anyone know?

[green-night]

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@7606dennis wrote:

Just out of curiosity, is the OP's board ID avatar permitted or are is the OP a eBay employee? 

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Yeah, I wonder if anyone at eBay cares that OP is using an old eBay logo from like 6 or 7 years ago as an avatar.  

[hafoster]

https://www.usps.com/ship/insurance-extra-services.htm

Adult Signature Restricted Delivery. With this service, your item is delivered only after the addressee or their authorized agent verifies their identity, shows that they're 21 years of age or older, and signs for it.

[vintagecraze50]

Sig tracking is protection for the buyer and the seller. It is inconvienient to have to go pick up packages, but it is also much more inconvienient to have a package misdelivered, or stolen by a porch pirate. Alaways inform buyers on the listing that you send items with sig tracking so if they want a less secure method, with less inconvienience they can buy it from someone else.

[vintagecraze50]

Complicating matters many credit cards require that the seller has shown signature tracking to win a chargeback.

Pay Pal HIGHLY recommends it for GOOD REASON.

[hafoster]

What if, as is common, the whole family commutes daily to the big city --

from the bedroom community to drop the kids at school before 8am --

the spouse off at work, then yourself drives further to your office?

With a signature required delivery, you're not in your neighborhood --

before your post office opens, nor past closing time -- EVERY SINGLE DAY!

[dadsfloridatreasure]

I find it extremely disappointing and unfortunate, that there are those that replied to this post that still agree that Signature Confirmation should be avoided.  Especially for new sellers that are inexperienced looking for advice in this matter.

In this day and age, many people have surveillance cameras and services such as Ring, that fully video and document criminals stealing packages on the front porches of homes when people are not home.  Just go to YouTube or watch the local news during Christmas!

Me as a seller, it's not my fault you are not home when I ship a 3 or 4 figure dollar value item to you.  Buyers should assume that their purchase and investment will be shipped safe, even if that means using Signature Confirmation. 

If you are not home, then buyers should utilize a secondary Confirmed Ship To Address, such as your work address or the address you are at when the delivery is expected.  I have used this practice, myself, and it works just fine.

I am just stunned to read that there are those still disagreeing with the extra added security of this feature and offering very poor advice!

[everything-from-trinkets-to-treasures]

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@doncole98 wrote:

When Signature Required is used on a delivery to a residential location where no one is home during the day the package will not be delivered. The seller is paying an extra $4.50 to ensure that the package is not delivered. Just beacuse an extra option is offered does not mean it will do any good. I have received hundreds of packages over many years except for when a signature is required.

On the other hand, Delivery Confirmation is all that is needed to cover the seller and to show that the item was shipped and delivered.

I needed to say that and hope you all understand. Thanks.

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It is totally 100% up to the seller and it is an extra layer of protection for both. You cannot merely say for everyone not use it when they feel it is necessary or warranted for them to do so. Just because PayPal requires it for transaction over a certain dollar amount doesn't mean it cannot be or should not be used for transaction of lesser dollar amount.
You can make this choice for yourself on items you sell and ship but not when it comes to other sellers and what they sell and how they ship

[missjen831]

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@7606dennis wrote:

Just out of curiosity, is the OP's board ID avatar permitted or are is the OP a eBay employee? 

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Not permitted but.....they don’t seem

to enforce that rule here 

[missjen831]

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@vintagecraze50 wrote:

Complicating matters many credit cards require that the seller has shown signature tracking to win a chargeback.

Pay Pal HIGHLY recommends it for GOOD REASON.

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PayPal doesn’t highly recommended it. And seller protection only requires it on transactions $750 or more.

the seller is covered by seller protection whether they have signature confirmation or not, on transactions under $750. All they need is proof of delivery. 

[missjen831]

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@dadsfloridatreasure wrote:

I find it extremely disappointing and unfortunate, that there are those that replied to this post that still agree that Signature Confirmation should be avoided.  Especially for new sellers that are inexperienced looking for advice in this matter.

In this day and age, many people have surveillance cameras and services such as Ring, that fully video and document criminals stealing packages on the front porches of homes when people are not home.  Just go to YouTube or watch the local news during Christmas!

Me as a seller, it's not my fault you are not home when I ship a 3 or 4 figure dollar value item to you.  Buyers should assume that their purchase and investment will be shipped safe, even if that means using Signature Confirmation. 

If you are not home, then buyers should utilize a secondary Confirmed Ship To Address, such as your work address or the address you are at when the delivery is expected.  I have used this practice, myself, and it works just fine.

I am just stunned to read that there are those still disagreeing with the extra added security of this feature and offering very poor advice!

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Signature confirmarion provides no extra security for the seller on transactions under $750. None whatsoever.  Its required for selling protection on transactions over $750. But anything under $750, Its extra security for buyer ONLY and if it’s that important, they should ask for it before they purchase. Signature confirmation is also inconvenient for buyers who aren’t home during the day to sign for packages.  The bottom line is, if you want signature confirmation just ask for it. Don’t expect all sellers to start using it just because you think it’s necessary and gives them more protection. 

[vsgt-57]

Perhaps it would be wise to understand if I had known I would be required to sign for the package I probably would not have purchased from that seller?

I usually find it downright irritating that I have to make a special trip to the post office or UPS just because some seller was fearful of their $100 item not being delivered, I don't particularly care for being inconvenienced over something that falls outside of ebay's Terms of sale. The protection for the seller happens when tracking shows the item has been delivered, that is all that is required from the seller is that online viewable tracking shows delivery! A buyer can not win an "Item Not Received" case if tracking shows delivery.

[lja440]

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@hafoster wrote:

What if, as is common, the whole family commutes daily to the big city --

from the bedroom community to drop the kids at school before 8am --

the spouse off at work, then yourself drives further to your office?

With a signature required delivery, you're not in your neighborhood --

before your post office opens, nor past closing time -- EVERY SINGLE DAY!

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It is easy enough to get around. You can put in a standing request that packages be delivered to a trusted neighbor who is retired or works from home. 

You can also request that packages be held for pick-up and collect them on your day off. 

These are probably what you would do anyway in the above scenario to prevent your packages being in plain site on your porch for 4-5 hours.

With me it would be a non issue as I live at the end of a dead end country road. With the exception of the occasional person who is lost no one comes up the road that isn't family or friend. I'm sure it is different in town. In fact that is the reason my youngest daughter still gets her mail here instead of at here home in town in a old Victorian that has been converted to 5 apartments, across the street from a ice cream shop.