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Selling low price items and shipping without tracking.

We sell several low price items (<$5.00) and offer free shipping.  In order to do so and to make any $$$ at all we ship USPS 1st class w/o tracking.  We have on average 5 to7 buyers each week "claim" they never received their items and file claims demanding refunds.  I'm not saying they are liars but...  Unless the USPS has gotten terrible (and yes this is possible) I feel we are getting robbed!  We refund the $$$ and block the buyer but there seems to be more and more of them every week.  Is there ANYTHING short of adding cost to use tracking we can do?  Does anyone else have this problem?  What do you do?  I'm about to abandon eBay because of this issue...

 

CAPY0

Message 1 of 13
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Selling low price items and shipping without tracking.

When you ship without tracking, you are doing so at your own risk. And the scammer network knows it. 

I'd never ship without tracking, but thats me. You have to do what is best for you.

Message 2 of 13
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Selling low price items and shipping without tracking.

Unless you  have tracking to show  delivery you will continue to  get claims for INR.

We only ship with tracking, light weight items we ship via first  class package - cost varies  depending on weight & distance.

"I have the right to remain silent but I didn't have the ability." Ron White, Fritch, Texas
"Stay away from negative people, they have a problem for every solution." A. Einstein
"The Devil made me do it!" - Flip Wilson
"If the band can only play loud - they ain't no good - peps too!" J.R. Johnson
Message 3 of 13
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Selling low price items and shipping without tracking.

I hope your making each and everyone of them open a claim and not just refunding when poked.

Message 4 of 13
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Selling low price items and shipping without tracking.

Without tracking you are a magnet for every liar and thief out there and they know it, E Bay seems to have the majority of these, free items every time. Add that shipping cost in to cover tracked 1st class.

Message 5 of 13
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Selling low price items and shipping without tracking.

i don't think many people will lie on  a 3 dollar item.

 

are you shipping it correctly?

put item in bag and tape it.

if uneven it could get mangled.

 

i've shipped many without tracking.(first class packages in my early days)

only problem was shipping keychains in a letter.

i shipped all over the world.

i had more INR claims in the US then all other countries.

end up putting them in bubble mailers just for the US buyers.

i think it doesn't matter if you have the non machinable surcharge postage.

Message 6 of 13
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Selling low price items and shipping without tracking.

i don't think many people will lie on  a 3 dollar item.

 

They already stated averaging 5-7 each week, over the course of a year that's no small change, then take into account all the INR's you will fall into the higher fee bracket.

Message 7 of 13
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Selling low price items and shipping without tracking.

me tooo

hepl my 😞

Message 8 of 13
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Selling low price items and shipping without tracking.


@2015mhfashions wrote:

 

 

They already stated averaging 5-7 each week, over the course of a year that's no small change, then take into account all the INR's you will fall into the higher fee bracket.


then add up the savings on shipping when your doing 10 sales a day.

Smiley Tongue

 

Message 9 of 13
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Selling low price items and shipping without tracking.

There are no shipping savings with 5 -7 INR's a week, you would still be paying the shipping and refunding, shipping is a buyers cost not a sellers anyway so has no bearing.

Message 10 of 13
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Selling low price items and shipping without tracking.

@2015mhfashions 

Take a look at what the OPs low price  items are - check book registers and vinyl check book covers.  Can't  say they are in demand items.  I'd find something else to  sell that has a market  price  that will absorb a traceable shipping service adn produce a  profit.

Get all my CB registers  for free from my bank - use them to track my debit card transactions and keep my on-line checking account balanced.  Actually write no more than two paper checks a year

Secondly, some people are just driven to get anything regarding the  price point for free and on line buying helps them steal and there are no loss  prevention people & cops to  contend with. 

 

"I have the right to remain silent but I didn't have the ability." Ron White, Fritch, Texas
"Stay away from negative people, they have a problem for every solution." A. Einstein
"The Devil made me do it!" - Flip Wilson
"If the band can only play loud - they ain't no good - peps too!" J.R. Johnson
Message 11 of 13
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Selling low price items and shipping without tracking.

I get that but sending anything without tracking will lose you money, not in demand items ? seems they are selling quite a few each day, more sales than most of us i bet.

I also do not think it's worth the effort for such low priced items with F/S but that's their choice.

Message 12 of 13
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Selling low price items and shipping without tracking.

@2015mhfashions 

Based on the OPs data - they are losing 20 to 28 items every four weeks or at a rate of 260 to 364 per year (in a calendar year there are 13  four week periods) - not only the cost of their shipping is lost but the value of shipped inventory.  The OP states the number of INR received  claim continue to grow.  Hey unless they need the write off it is simple bad business.  But we don't  have a clue as to the number of these low  priced items sold.

I sold for 42  years where my commission $ were based on the net profit of each and every sale and  never once operated as an ONFPO (Obviously Not For Profit Organization).

If  the OP didn't  have an issue with losing $ I wouldn't think they would have posted their issue.

But as you say it is their choice.

"I have the right to remain silent but I didn't have the ability." Ron White, Fritch, Texas
"Stay away from negative people, they have a problem for every solution." A. Einstein
"The Devil made me do it!" - Flip Wilson
"If the band can only play loud - they ain't no good - peps too!" J.R. Johnson
Message 13 of 13
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