I have a question about the eBay buyer/seller protection policy. I have been buying and selling cards for quite some years now and most of the time my selling was of cards with a maximum to $100. Usually it was between 20 and $40 so when using a shipping method I always used standard priority mail. That's about three dollars for sending one card. I live in the Netherlands by the way.

But now I have sold a card with a value of over $200 and I want to send it using registered mail has to protect myself if the card gets lost or the buyer claims it never arrives. But when I read eBay rules about tracking information I got this:
Purchase Delivery Confirmation when you create and print a shipping label on eBay or PayPal. When you use an expedited shipping service like Priority Mail, tracking information is automatically included. Remember, to be covered by eBay Buyer Protection we require signature confirmation for packages valued at more than $750. If your transaction is $750 or more, signature confirmation will be preselected for you. You can remove this option, however, requiring a signature at delivery helps protect you if your buyer doesn't receive the item and opens an eBay Buyer Protection case

That didn't help me very much as how to send my package fully secured so I read the PayPal policy and came across something I need your help with consisting chapter 11: policy to protect sellers. When I read that it appears the seller has to follow quite a few rules to be protected. I thought having proof of postage was enough if the buyer claims he did not receive the item. But apparently that is not enough and you have to get proof of delivery too?!! Well that's quite difficult isn't it? I can send my package signed for, so it'll be tracked and the buyer has to sign for it on delivery. But that information does not get back to me personally so how do I proof that?
The point is I dealt with a lot of card people through eBay and I have never had one problem. That's because over the years I knew who was buying from me and they all had excellent feedback . But the winner of my 200 dollar card only has a feedback of 30. It's 100% positive but I checked and it are only small purchases he bought and build up in the last month. So just to be on the safe side I really want to protect myself using the right method of shipping according to eBay and PayPal rules. Do you have any other ideas on the subject? Now I want to send it signed for, with tracking and a signature on delivery. Is this enough to fall under the PayPal protection for sellers?

On another note is it even possible to track a package from the Netherlands to the US? Do you have any experience with this? I appreciate any help on this subject.

The bare bones of the rule that protects you as an Ebay seller is that you must provide some kind of delivery confirmation verifiable through an online tracking number to Ebay and the buyer.

Without one, if an item is lost in the mail on the way, the buyer is entitled to all of the purchase money back as well as the postage they paid. Ebay would first ask you to give the money back yourself or else provide them the tracking number, at which point the money would be automatically deducted from your Paypal account and returned to the buyer if you could not provide the tracking number or hadn't already chosen to refund the money on your own.

I'm in the United States and to send an Ebay item anywhere outside of the United States using the US Postal service I opt for the "least" expensive method of obtaining the delivery confirmation (with online tracking) I've described, which for us is Registered mail. This adds $13+ on to the cost of actual postage which is now, for example, about $7 for a single card in a padded envelope with cardboard backing to keep it from getting bent.
Shipping of even lightweight items has nearly doubled over the last few years and is only compounded by the expensive tracking number that is a necessity for all who don't want to ever be made to for the first time, but more often again refund for an item (plus shipping) the seller doesn't have anymore either.

Unfortunately, because this is the cheapest way to ship something internationally without leaving yourself completely liable for all losses should the item not arrive (or even does arrive but is then claimed by the buyer have not arrived, rare, I'm sure), it essentially adds $20 (plus additional paperwork) on to the actual cost of the item itself, and therefore has become only worth the trouble to most sellers (and buyers) when it is a more expensive item that is offered.

This is certainly why many sellers now don't ship internationally when they had previously. My advice to you would be to ship an item like you have with some sort of recorded (signed for is ideal) method that is also verifiable online. Ask a clerk at your post office or go online to see what is required for that. It would undoubtedly cost more, but is the only real way to protect yourself from loss.

As for the Ebay international shipping assistant, I believe that ended up making for essentially the same amount of work on your part while also being even more expensive for your buyer than the First Class Registered method I described using myself on the (now rare) international packages I send. Theoretically, though, with the Ebay assisted shipping or else you being willing to handle it yourself, and being able to have your item open to worldwide bids, you really should realize higher prices for what you're selling (if your own $25 shipping rate doesn't completely scare off pretty much all buyers, that is).

Good luck!

My point of view is actually work with the postage product you end up using. Purchase the correct cover for the item from the Post Office then in the unlikely event it does go wrong just claim it through the post office and refund the buyer through Paypal. This does not help with things like the Ebay feedback but in the past when it did go wrong as both a seller and as a buyer we just agreed to the refund and not leave any feed back and put it down to one of those things.

I have to say I hate the Bay for all there policies, etc. and I have to say I do not really look into them much, all for the extreme minority of buyers and sellers who do try to play the system. What ever happened to common sense and trust?

Thank you for your extensive reply on my question chesspieceface. It was really helpful. Since the buyer already paid for the item I'm going to ship it now. It costs $22 to ship it from the Netherlands to the United States and the buyer has to sign on delivery. I checked at the post office and the track and trace only works in the Netherlands and when it leaves the Netherlands. No track and trace available directly to a front door in the United States. Hope all goes well!

I understand your point of view also JR2D2, I liked it better when there was more common sense and trust indeed. But nowadays a lot of packages get lost in the mail especially when you ship internationally. So somewhere on that route something goes wrong. I also lost some packages and I always gave the buyer a full refund, I could do that because the value of most packages were not that high, so that was a calculated risk. But with higher value cards that can be a problem, especially if eBay and PayPal you rules are very strict.

I also encounter this problem as a buyer myself. Postage has become very high so now I have to pick sellers that I still can afford. I buy less and when I do I try to combine as much as possible. I think this'll hurt the hobby and especially the low priced segment.

quote:

Originally posted by MvG:
Thank you for your extensive reply on my question chesspieceface. It was really helpful. Since the buyer already paid for the item I'm going to ship it now. It costs $22 to ship it from the Netherlands to the United States and the buyer has to sign on delivery. I checked at the post office and the track and trace only works in the Netherlands and when it leaves the Netherlands. No track and trace available directly to a front door in the United States. Hope all goes well!

Actually, you may well find that you can contiue to track the package through the USPS site once it reaches the States. I do that with packages sent from here in the UK. I just input the UK Number into the US track and trace utility and see what turns up. Just don't be surprised if it 'disappears' for a day or five after it reaches the USA. Parcels don't appear on the USPS system until they have cleared through US Customs and this can take a while. .

Ok, thanks Kevin. That's also helpfull. I'll give it a try!