posted on October 29, 2002 06:01:45 PM new
We shipped a package well packed by Parcel Post. The buyer now says it arrived damaged. What is the best way to handle this type of problem? They didn't insure the package.
posted on October 29, 2002 06:40:22 PM new
Generally, I find it to be good policy to accept a return for refund of the bid price, particulary if you have not posted Final Sale or if you find the buyer to be sincere and genuine. Check their feedback to be sure it is not an ongoing thing where they've returned items (it may be stated)
posted on October 30, 2002 09:24:41 AM new
I won't ship anything that is breakable w/o insurance. I state this in my TOS. Now I am shipping a lot by FedEx Ground & everything is insured up to $100.00,over that its 35 cents per hundred.
posted on October 30, 2002 10:03:04 AM new
You can get away with Sale Final and No Returns, and buyer responsible for loss if insurance turned down if you don't accept credit card payments.
But if you accept credit cards, these terms won't work. If the item is damaged, lost, or not what the buyer wanted, all they need to do is show proof that they returned the item and the seller gets a charge back.
posted on October 31, 2002 07:37:41 PM new
The answer for me is that it depends, I look at the factors and analyze on a case by case basis. If it is glassware (which I rarely deal in) and they do not take insurance out, then they are probably not going to get much sympathy, esp. since I package things very well. I don't say no to things without looking into the situation a little though.
posted on November 2, 2002 08:13:02 PM new
I, too, rarely send anything breakable. The one time I did, a piece arrived broken. Not due to poor packaging. Fortunately, they were fancy collectible saucers and I had a couple more. I simply offered the buyer a replacement and send along an extra one for good measure. I was out two plates, but the glowing feedback was worth it. I learned my lesson and now anything breakable has to be insured. If the buyer doesn't want the insurance, I pay for it.
posted on November 2, 2002 08:34:55 PM new
Most of what I sale is glass or pottery in some shape, form or fashion. Whenever I quote a shipping charge, it includes insurance. The customer has no voice in the matter. I've only had a couple ask me to drop the insurance, and I refused. Now that 98% of my shipping is with FedEx, that is no longer an issue. As far as I'm concerned, any seller who ships an item without insurance is assuming the risk himself and should refund if the item is lost or damaged.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on November 2, 2002 09:01:29 PM new
Why would any buyer ever take insurance if the seller is essentally insuring it? I offer insurance for this reason alone. You never know how it got broken.
posted on November 3, 2002 12:00:45 AM new
I've shipped myself many parcels from the Left coast to the Midwest in the past several years. I've learned this:
Insurance is worthless. Collecting on it is nearly impossible. So offer your customers insurance and if they take it, insure it yourself. That means pay any claims promptly without playing Sherlock Holmes. You will make money at this and be offering a service worth many times what the post Office does.
Back to my self-shipments:
I found that if the box weighs over 10 or 15 lbs, then it will arrive looking like it was dropped off the Empire State building, and things you thought unbreakable will be broken.
I think the key is here, employees don't like to put much effort into lifting a box, so if it isn't light enough to pick up easily, it will be pushed, kicked, droped, etc.
My experience covers dozens of boxes and I have finally learned to double box valuable items and keep the weight way down/per box.
posted on November 6, 2002 08:39:54 AM new
Here's how I work it Lacy...I offer insurance in every auction, at the buyers request following the auction...In the desription I tell them I am not responsible for damage unless insurance is taken...If they decide not to take the insurance it is their loss...If they take insurance then they have a claim for their loss...
"As a child I had a quicksand box...I was an only child, eventually"...
posted on November 6, 2002 01:27:10 PM new
Cramer..
It is highly illegal to self insure if you use the word "insurance". There is a way it can be done, but the assumption of liability by the shipper has to have a different name. There can be no use of any word or phrase that would lead a person to believe there is an insurance company involved. There are numerous court decions upholding this principle (some of which my company has been deeply involved in), and the insurance commissions in each state enforce this strictly. Bottom line, never use the phrase "self insure" unless you have a waiver or a license from your state department of insurance.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on November 6, 2002 02:45:08 PM new
I sent a very well-packed creamer and sugar to a lady recently. I let it go out without putting a blacklight pen mark on it. I knew better. She emailed me and said that it was chipped and agreed that it was very well packed. She says it must have been chipped before I sent it. I honestly don't think it was. I don't miss much. To give me time to think, I told her that she could return it and if my marks were on the pieces I would refund her money plus shipping. I thought maybe if they were in my hands, something would click as to whether it was my set or not. For one thing, I know I wouldn't have missed anything more than a flake-sized chip. If it had something bigger, I would know she did a switcheroo. If there was something tiny wrong with it, I would go ahead and refund. She asked where the marks were as she couldn't find any marks on them! Now I have worried about this question even when I have remembered to blacklight mark them. What do you say? I never do more than initial it in a few places. Anyone could put a "k" on with a blacklight pen. I told her it had some black specks on it near a handle. (Actually it does.) What do you make of this mess, other than to tell me to ALWAYS blacklight mark them.
posted on November 6, 2002 03:42:29 PM new
sparkz, thats what I thought, just checking because the poster above said he self-insures.....
So, the legal way would be a guarantee for a certain price?
I think I'd rather stick to USPS insurance. I'm also going to check out u-pic. any thoughts out there on that service?
posted on November 6, 2002 04:39:24 PM new
If you could prove the Post Office liable, like they drove over it with a truck, then you'd have case against them. If the package is marked "Fragile", possibly.
The seller is generally responsible to package an item well enough for safe delivery. However, once the buyer accepts the package and looks inside and sees it is damaged, and doesn't do so in front of the postman, the buyer becomes liable.
If a seller packages an item well, there's no reason it should get damaged, so the seller should accept liability unless the seller suspects something fishy.
I do refunds/exchanges on a case by case basis. Once, I knew my packaging was probably not sufficient so I gave an exchange. Another time I sent the guy photos of the item, he said he saw defects, though there were none, and bought it anyway. When he received the package he said there are defects and wanted a refund. I said no way!
posted on November 6, 2002 06:54:40 PM new
I recently sold a bunch of crystal, and had one stem break. I included insurance in the shipping costs, so that the bidder didn't have a choice, and stated that in the auction.
The bidder took the glass into the post office, and told me it was pretty hassle-free, since it was under $50. (They issued her cash on the spot.) AND... here's the big compliment: The postal worker told her I had done an incredible job packing it, and he was quite impressed. (That really says something about USPS handling!)
Now I ship UPS, and haven't had a single one break. Insurance already included in the costs, and Office Depot doesn't charge the additional fee that MBE does.
