Clarifications/advice on shipping high-value products
Summary: The thread concerns requests for clarification and advice on shipping high-value products. Several participants, including nerevarinez, marioelegio, vonbalden, and others, contribute to the discussion. The specific content of the messages is not available, but the comments suggest active engagement on how to handle such shipments safely.
Hello everyone and good evening.
Just out of curiosity (since, at least for the moment, my question is not about a real/specific shipment) I wanted to ask you: when you sell a product of high monetary value (let’s say, in a specific case, a rare and valuable book, for example around €500/1000 or thereabouts), what is the best way to "protect yourself" from any problems/unforeseen issues etc. (parcel lost, damage and so on)?
I should say that, in the years I’ve been shipping, among shipments with low, medium or even high-value contents, I’ve never had any problems (never lost parcels etc. — only once, incidentally with a shipment not through Ebay but another platform, the parcel was completely lost and I was regularly reimbursed after checks by the platform staff/support), however, just out of curiosity, I’ve always wanted to understand a bit more about the issue of insured shipments (I mean with additional insurance, the extra one so to speak) and things like that.
For example, when you find yourselves shipping high-value products, how do you handle it?
I’ll say upfront that I’m not a professional seller, so let’s say I’m interested in understanding, precisely as a non-professional seller (and therefore without the "tools" that pros surely have available for things like this, such as insurance etc... at least I think...?) how, including and especially other non-pro users, you deal with cases like this (of course pro users’ experiences/advice/opinions are also very welcome).
Thanks!
nerevarinez
OP1 year agoAny other user who can tell me their take on this topic? 😁
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoYou have already received 5 replies from users and the discussion has reached 15 messages.
If no other user has added anything to what has been said, maybe it's because there isn't much else to add.
Do you still have any doubts about the issue of high-value shipments?
If so, try to be more specific when phrasing the question.
What I can add is to read this discussion:
https://community.ebay.it/t5/Regolamento-Sicurezza-per-i/truffa-del-pacco-vuoto-quando-l-acquirente-ha-sempre-ragione/m-p/1023690?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Best regards
nerevarinez
OP1 year agoHi, good evening!
Anyway no, don’t worry, after all I couldn’t be any more specific since mine was a general question/curiosity related to this topic. When (and if) I find myself having to ship (that said, in situations like that, I think I’ll first and foremost choose to give top priority to buyers who can pick it up in person or, at the very least, who I can reach myself, so I can deliver the product personally) high-value items, I’ll definitely ask again (by opening a new conversation/post) and, as mentioned, also based on the specific type of product, its value, size, etc etc, I’ll be able to be more specific in the questions/doubts/clarifications I ask other users.
In the meantime, thanks for linking me that discussion; as soon as I have time I’ll definitely read it carefully and closely.
Thanks everyone! 😉
vonbalden
·1 year agoOn the issue of in-person pickup to be safer, it is also necessary to consider the Achilles' heel of this modus operandi. In-person pickup, which usually takes place under the seller's house, in front of the garage, or in a neutral area for both parties to get around the distance, is great for bulky items.
I used it for the bicycle, the big living-room armchair, the old Kelvinator fridge... but surprises may be just around the corner. Buyers do not pay before pickup. They usually want to pay cash on the spot. When you meet, the person (who often stands you up, doesn't remember they were supposed to come on such-and-such a day, calls you when you've been waiting for an hour to say they had to take the little one to nursery and need to postpone, etc.) often starts a grueling negotiation over the price. Because they remembered it wrong. Or because they expected the item to be different. In that case everything falls through while waiting for a better in-person pickup and a prospective deal. In conclusion, in conclusion ! As Mike Bongiorno used to say on the Cervino: the seller cannot shout joy from the rooftops ! He is always in a state, so to speak, of .. suspended animation. Where everything can suddenly take a different turn.
nerevarinez
OP1 year agoThe final part is awesome haha 😂
Personally, though, when it comes to hand deliveries/pickups, I’ve never had any problems. Maybe it’s because, as I was saying in the previous msgs, I tend to send the seller a really ton of photos of the product (and, even better, if I can, a video too), as well as describing in detail, in the product description, all the pros and cons, so to speak. So let’s say that after all that stuff, then coming to tell me that the item was different from what they expected and/or that they didn’t remember the photos they saw well, etc., would basically be like calling ourselves stupid/playing dumb 😅
So, hoping to keep up this "tradition", when the time comes, in the case of high-value products, even more so I’ll give top priority to anyone who can pick up the product in person and/or whom I can reach personally to hand it over to them.
daxsisko
·1 year agomore or less what the other users said, in short:
1) for items of a certain value, prefer pickup / hand delivery, if possible with cash payment
2) in the case of shipping, remember that if something goes wrong, the one most penalized is the seller, and any insurance for the package on cheap shipments or videos, photos or other things made before shipping, in fact in the event of a dispute on Ebay, almost always are not taken into consideration.....
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoHigh value, 500/1000 euros, I personally don't ship anything.
The courier might not reimburse anything because they rely on clauses in their terms that maybe we didn't read, or on the fact that the packaging doesn't seem compliant.
Or it could happen that the buyer (who in some situations is called upon because they have to keep the labels and packaging to show the courier how the item was packed) decides not to cooperate during the claims process because maybe they've already been refunded by ebay.
Beyond the courier issue, there would be the honesty issue on the part of the collection point (if the package is delivered to a pickup point), the honesty of the various couriers who take the package into custody, and the honesty of the buyer who receives the package.
An item of high value could encourage a pickup point or a courier to open the package, or it could encourage the buyer to claim they received an empty package, a different item, a counterfeit item, a defective/broken item.
The higher the price goes, the greater the risk.
So a seller, when selling something remotely through a marketplace and credit card payments, must be aware that sooner or later they might run into the unpleasant situation of having to lose both the item and the money.
Kind regards.
nerevarinez
OP1 year agoHi heaven, thanks a lot for your reply.
Anyway, yes, that’s exactly my “fear”! Let’s say that as far as the buyer is concerned, if you have a way, maybe even from feedback etc and/or by talking to them and, even better, if it’s a sale that happens with someone you already know and/or who has already bought from us, you definitely gain a bit in terms of “reassurance”.
The point is, though, especially the part about couriers, delivery/pickup point etc etc. I repeat: in the years I’ve been shipping and receiving, I’ve never had any problems, except in very rare cases (and, as I said before, in one I was regularly refunded by the platform, in that case I was the one shipping and so I was the seller; in another the seller, here on Ebay, regularly refunded me; both cases for package loss, specifically the first with Bartolini, the other with Poste) and anyway always from the buyer’s side, meaning as a seller I’ve never had problems either in terms of loss or “tricks” by buyers (excuses like empty package, product not as described etc etc) also because with photos, videos etc (both of the package preparation and the product’s condition etc etc) I get “ahead” of these things and create plenty of evidence in my favor.
Obviously though, yes, sooner or later some surprise can happen. I hope never.
In any case, the best thing is: pick-up in person and if some interested buyer is really, really interested, by agreement I’d be willing to bring it to them personally too, so maybe I can even make it into a trip-vacation haha (hoping the buyer is also in some interesting area from a tourist point of view) 😄
nerevarinez
OP1 year agoThat said, has anyone ever had to use the complaints tool to get a lost/damaged package reimbursed, etc.? If so, what did you provide (as documentation, evidence, etc.) and how did it turn out?
marioelegio
·1 year agoAs long as everything goes well, insurance works. They take their cut and make you feel a bit more at ease.
In the event of damage, they will always dispute the packaging and shift the blame to the sender, for inadequate packaging.
In the event of loss, the problem begins of having to prove the value of the item, and that is not always easy, especially for a private individual.
https://support-ebay.packlink.com/hc/it/articles/209085905-Come-e-quando-presentare-un-reclamo-danno-perdita-manomissione-furto-o-disconoscimento-firma
https://support-ebay.packlink.com/hc/it/articles/115003421369-I-requisiti-imprescindibili-per-aprire-un-reclamo-per-danno-perdita-o-furto-manomissione
hi
mario
nerevarinez
OP1 year agoHi Mario, thanks for the reply.
Anyway, regarding the declaration of the value of the shipped goods, as it said in the guide, in the case for example of a sale between private individuals or a sale through platforms, all you need to send (I quote as written on the page): "In this case the proof of value will be a screenshot of the listing accompanied by a payment receipt from the buyer (copy of PayPal receipt, eBay, Amazon, Catawiki, etc.)" or in the case of private individuals "In this case the proof of value will be a screenshot of the listing accompanied by a payment receipt from the buyer (copy of bank transfer, postal order, etc.)"
So, basically, in cases like this, are just these two things enough (a screenshot of the listing with the price of the item sold, etc. etc. and the payment receipt) to prove the item's value?
Once that's done, then you get reimbursed, in the event the package is lost, for the value declared in the sales listing?
Regarding the difficulty of proving the value, especially for a private individual, what did you mean?
nerevarinez
OP1 year agoMore than anything else, I forgot to add to my last msg: but adding, to the standard protection, also an additional protection, what is it exactly for?
In other words, in the specific case of a loss, having taken out, on one's shipment, additional coverage, does it provide an "added value" also to any later claim that is filed, or not?
marioelegio
·1 year agoWith Packlink there are tons of exclusions that make the guarantee pretty ineffective.
https://support.packlink.com/hc/it/articles/207739739-Posso-acquistare-una-protezione-extra-per-la-mia-spedizione
https://support.packlink.com/hc/it/articles/208328585-Articoli-proibiti-e-soggetti-a-restrizioni
hi
mario
nerevarinez
OP1 year agoI get it… I suppose that basically even a tiny mistake (meaning some packaging requirement etc. not met) and in the end they could “apply” that to it and refuse the refund.
If instead one wanted to opt for a shipment organized on their own, let’s say, that is, with external services/sites, is there any solution that can be more helpful in cases like this?
marioelegio
·1 year agoUp to 250 euros, Poste assicurata extradoc is there. Beyond that, I'd go with DHL. Always with signature on delivery.
hi
mario
nerevarinez
OP1 year agoOkok, that’s perfect. Thanks.
vonbalden
·1 year agoWhen shipping a valuable item like an antique book for example, there are three steps to follow that so far have never let me down. Anything can happen of course, but there are basic precautions. Number one: the packaging. It has to be able to withstand insurrections and city street protests, with lightweight cardboard padding that wraps around the volume and padded spacing around the sides. Number two: no picking and choosing among couriers, alternative services, insurance, benefits, shipping promotions and the like. Number three: always from the same post office (I only had one exception, where they broke everything) I use the national post office. Always at 8:20 in the morning so the package goes out by 10. Always with the same clerks who recognize me and give me slightly different treatment when they put my package into dispatch status. Also, so it stands out clearly at every stage, I put huge red adhesive arrows next to the address. Then I write at the top (but I like this) in three languages: Caution ! Fragile ! Be careful ! That way the package stands out well among all the others with the address written in cursive in a rush with a pen. Then at exactly 10:00, I follow the route with the 'track shipments' service in front of the PC. Never use your trusty cell phone for listings or anything else, where the characters are so small and the hands have to be those of a hamster. That's all. I forgot: often even a kiss on the package for luck does the trick! Best regards from von
nerevarinez
OP1 year agoAhaha yes! I’d say the lucky little kiss is ideal 😁