posted on June 16, 2002 02:09:01 PM
who's responsible for widget after seller takes it to the Post Office. I came across this in a TOS I was reading and I thought it took all the guess out of who was responsible after it was mailed. I have no idea how it works but I thought I would pass it on.
Postal insurance is optional, but regardless of whether you get insurance or not, I am not responsible for any loss or damage in transit or after the item leaves my hands.
posted on June 16, 2002 02:36:52 PM
I don't like it. I always include the price of delivery confirmation with my shipping charge. I have never had a buyers package disappear but at least I have proof that it was mailed.
In my mind, the seller is responsible for the item until it is in the buyer's hands. Until that time there is no contract. The seller has received the money but the buyer has received no consideration for that money, therefore he is due his money back, no contract.
posted on June 16, 2002 02:43:16 PM
It sounds good!
But the buyer will still hammer YOU!
If there is a problem: Who is expected to refund-YOU
Who get's the charge back-YOU
Who get's the Neg.-YOU
The P.O. messed it up but who is suppose to correct it-YOU
posted on June 16, 2002 08:18:17 PM
unless he is auctioning off one dollar bill with a starting bid of one penny,i would pass.
what about if he is a lousy packer??
posted on June 17, 2002 08:50:38 AM
He can say what he wants, but:
1. If buyer wants to chargeback due to nonreceipt, he will get his money.
2. I would pass on his auctions, because I want sellers who will try harder.
I have never understood why sellers think they have no responsibility once they go to the PO. So they don't have control over their package once it's in the mail; do they think that the buyer somehow does have control? It's a shortsighted view that doesn't put the buyer first.
If you took a vote on the fairness of this kind of seller thinking it would lose. 100% of buyers would be against it and a significant portion of sellers as well.
[b]1. If buyer wants to chargeback due to nonreceipt, he will get his money.
2. I would pass on his auctions, because I want sellers who will try harder.[/b]
1) I don't do cc's.
2) I want buyers like you to pass on my auctions, cause I want buyers who will try harder.
[ edited by clarksville on Jun 17, 2002 09:51 AM ]
posted on June 17, 2002 10:52:43 AM
I guess i don't understand some of you who expect the seller to be responsible for the package from the time its mailed to the time it arrives at the buyer.
Sure they should get insurance, delivery confirmation, whatever, SOME sort of way to confirm an item was shipped and/or received if there is a complaint, but HOW can they possibly be responsible once it ships? It's out of their hands then.
They can't follow the package from origin to destination themselves, they can't watch what happens in the mail room, ride along on the plane the package is transported on, etc. If something goes wrong between drop off and delivery, seller has NO control over that.
I think no seller should ship anything without DC or some sort of tracking...but other than that, they can't do much to prevent damage or loss once the package is out of their hands!
I research, therefore i learn. I learn, therefore i succeed.
posted on June 17, 2002 11:03:40 AM
I will not ship anything w/o ins. I try my daxxest to pack so things won't break, but it happens. I cannot be responsible for the PO using my pkg as a soccor ball or whatever. What good is a CD if the package never arrives? The only thing a CD does is prove that the buyer received it, not the condition. My TOS states that I ship Priority Mail INSURED & ins. is included in the shipping cost. I have never had a complaint about shipping costs. I don't need a CD as I have the receipt for ins. as well as payment for postage all of which have the zip code & city I have shipped to.
posted on June 17, 2002 02:33:16 PM
Yes, BananaSpider and others, who indeed is responsible if a payment is lost in the mail? According to the good folks here, when a package is lost in the mail, it's not the responsibility of the sender (seller). By that line of reasoning, if a payment is lost in the mail it wouldn't be the fault of the sender (buyer) either. So the buyer can say, just like you do, "I sent the payment, I can't help what happens in the mail. Send my my widget."
Don't agree? Oh, I see, when a package is lost, it's the buyer's responsibility. When a payment is lost, it's the buyer's responsibility.
You folks can do whatever you want. I will continue to take responsibility for items until they reach the customer.
posted on June 17, 2002 04:16:05 PM
that's why I try so hard to keep my feedback rating high and excellent. If, the Goddess forbid, there is a dispute- my record will show my integrity. And, if someone tells me their payment is lost in the mail, a glance at their feedback might just give me a clue.
As a matter of fact, I did lose a package in the mail a few weeks back. I priority mail package took ten days to arrive. The buyer never ever even thought of intimating that I might be trying to cheat her. It did show up, and she was happy.
"And All Shall be Well, and All Shall be Well, and All Manner of Things Shall be Well"
posted on June 17, 2002 04:44:51 PM
I treat each and every person that buys
from me exactly like I want to be treated as a buyer. I encourage them to insure and if they choose not to I put DC on it. I pack very good and go the extra mile on that. If it is damaged (so far hasn't happened) in shipping and they chose not to insure then I feel like I'm not responsible to refund. That's what insurance is far and I state that in my tos. I don't have two of anything I sell. If they insure I will help them all I can to recover their money.
When I buy on ebay if I choose not to insure I tell the seller I'm taking the risk AT MY OWN RISK!
posted on June 17, 2002 04:54:23 PM
yes, eggs-ackly!
I have had people ask for plain post, no insurance. I ask them to state in an email that they will take responsibility for it... and, in fact, I've never lost one of those either.
but, I don't ship too many fragile items...
<http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/dragon-mother/>
"And All Shall be Well, and All Shall be Well, and All Manner of Things Shall be Well"
posted on June 17, 2002 05:57:31 PM
Easy thing to say or to post in your tos- Just do whats seems right to you. For myself I do what most mail order companys and catalog shops do - If a customer calls looking for his/her item and after waiting the normal max ship time (for me its 10-12 days max) (the norm being 3 to 7 first class & priority) I fire off a new Item and write it off as a cost of business. If its a high value item I Insure it to protect myself and my customer- of course I add it to the shipping charge. Put yourself in your buyers shoes before you decide what to do. Also do the 10 test - What would ebay safe harbor most likely do should you have to try that tos policy on ten customers in a row or within a short time frame. Most folks would fire off a complaint that they paid and received nothing but an "I took it to the PO" email. Ive had to eat 4 shipments since 1999 .
posted on June 18, 2002 09:30:34 PM
ate 4 shipments in three years?
When you consider the cost of mortar and brick- rent, insurance, salespeople, a till...
gotta love this internet thing! My buddy that kept hawking at me to sell to him wholesale so he could resale in his little store... Robbers hit him- ON 9/11, no less- and cleaned him out. He didn't have enough insurance and went out of business.
I don't do nearly the volume that you do, and have eaten one shipment so far. It's been worth it to me.
"And All Shall be Well, and All Shall be Well, and All Manner of Things Shall be Well"
