Signature confirmation....pick up at post office?

[dippitydoo]

Howdy all!  Was wondering about signature confirmation....if the person is not home to sign, does the choice of picking it up at the post office get offered (with a card at the door)??  I've sold another high priced item to someone who has zero buying history (ACK!!-hate when that happens!)...so I am anticipating the possibility that he might say he cannot sign for it (because of work)....thank you!!

[missjen831]

Yes. USPS leaves a notice and the recipient can take the notice down to the PO and pick up the item. My carrier usually leaves a notice stating she will make a second attempt the next day and then after that, I can pick it up at the PO. Sometimes she only makes 1 attempt and I can pick it up at the PO the following day. 

[dippitydoo]

Thank you for the reply....that is a relief to know!  Especially because now he is asking me to overnight it (so he can sign on the weekend when he's home...I'll NOT do that)....now I can tell him he will be able to sign at the post office.

Thanks!!

[missjen831]

No problem! Make sure you log into PayPal before you ship and verify the buyer has paid! Overnight shipping requests are a sometimes a red flag.

[green-night]

Especially because now he is asking me to overnight it (so he can sign on the weekend when he's home...I'll NOT do that).

Why not?   If the buyer is willing to pay for overnight delivery, why wouldn't you?  

[duchess-at-speakeasy]

Keep in mind that USPS does not offer overnight delivery to all areas.  Many non-urban areas get 2-day Priority Express Mail, not overnight. FedEx and UPS both offer overnight delivery but may not deliver on weekends. In any case, the price for overnight delivery is high and most buyers don't want to pay it unless the item is needed urgently.  Re- delivery or pick-up at the PO are the best options.  Another choice is to provide a delivery address such as an office or other workplace. ~~C~~

[vintagecraze50]

Using sig tracking is the right choice for an expensive item. Many posts on here where packages can be lost stolen off porches, delivered to the wrong person. The only overnight service that is quarenteed is Fed Ex. USPS always says it could take two days, not just one. Fed Ex is very very expensive. I contact the buyer and ask them if they want Fed Ex and the extra charge for that if they truly need something overnighted.

[vintagecraze50]

Don't worry too much about the 0 feedback issue. Many of the 0 feedback folks are just new and Ebay is attracting more and more new buyers.

[lja440]

I'm a mail carrier.

If the person is not home, or anyone at the address there to sign for it, a 3849 notice is left.

They can then do one of 3 things.

Reschedule delivery and be home. 

Reschedule delivery and leave the 3849 with the back filled out and signed. The package will then be left at the address

Go to the PO and collect their package.

[lja440]

I agree with vintage. I have several buying and selling ID's. They all started at 0

[berserkerplanet]

>>Why not? If the buyer is
>>willing to pay for overnight
>>delivery, why wouldn't you?

Ignoring the potential hassles of overnighting:
•cutoff times
•special packaging
•2 day not 1 day to that destination
•trip to PO instead of BB drop
•trip to FedEx or UPS
•hunting down FedExdropbox
•etc

there's the problem of being on the hook for $20-$50 or more in overnight shipping if sale goes south.

Has to be considered case by case depending on item, value, buyer fb, buyer tone and words, ...

[green-night]

OP said this was an expensive sale, so I will assume it is that recent sale for $1000.     Shipping via USPS Express mail w/ sig. confirmation labels can be printed through ebay and the guaranteed delivery date is easily determined via the USPS website. 

As far as being on the hook for return shipping, the OP would not be required to provide an Express label as far as I know - I see no reason they couldn't purchase their own less expensive label and upload it in the event of a return.  But that is putting the cart before the horse.  For a $1000 sale if I had a buyer request express delivery for the sake of being home when it arrives, I would do my best to accomodate them.  But I agree it would depend on the situation, tone etc.    JMO.

[berserkerplanet]

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OP said this was an expensive sale, so I will assume it is that recent sale for $1000.     Shipping via USPS Express mail w/ sig. confirmation labels can be printed through ebay and the guaranteed delivery date is easily determined via the USPS website. 

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My comment was meant to be generic, but didn't convey that well (posted on my phone where I hate pecking out detailed responses on the stupid virtual keyboard)

$1000 sale I'd be inclined to go along - $15 sale not so much. I know about printing the labels, but

• buyer's zipcode may not be 1 day eligible
• still has to be hand carried to the post office (before 1pm cutoff around here) to be next day
• USPS has some history of next day not being delivered next day and you then have to explain that to the customer who paid extra $ and is still going to have to go to the PO on Monday

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As far as being on the hook for return shipping, the OP would not be required to provide an Express label as far as I know - I see no reason they couldn't purchase their own less expensive label and upload it in the event of a return.

---

Once again, I wasn't clear - I meant the original expedited shipping.

Assuming it's the tube amp, looks like 11# based on the PM amounts. Also assuming zone8 (always is when shipping is expensive per Murphy):

PM in the listing is $42.35 retail (buyer charge), $38.61 comm, and $37.45 comm+

PME would be $92.45 retail and $80.81 comm/comm+.

If buyer insistes on "real" overnight FedEx shipping, it can be a significant chunk of change. Cheapest FedEx overnight is $154.48 retail or $101.67 discounted (includes $16 Saturday Delivery Surcharge). Those numbers ignore that sig conf is also a few $ more than USPS.

I'm assuming OP would charge buyer retail pricing based on the listing, but would only be out the  online pricing in event of a SNAD.

On another note, a bit concerned over shipping a tube amp. Probably fine, but tubes are exactly the type of thing subject to failure during transport due to shock and vibration, making odds of SNAD a bit higher than if it were a solid state amp.

[bubnugget]

Yes, the post office will leave a notice to pick up at Post Office.  If they never pick the package up, then it will be sent back to you.