You've been hunting for weeks, months,...maybe years. You finally find the piece – and from a seller who is an actual human, and not a creep. You negotiate a price and transfer funds and it's almost yours. It's going so well – and then comes shipping. This murky, ad-hoc process and procedure that must be negotiated, defined and redefined according to your individual locations, preferences and experiences. And who pays? And which carrier? And which level of service with that carrier and who decides that? And insurance, and declared value...and on and on.

Just wondering, could it be an idea to try and standardize a singular best practice and/or shipping contract that could fall under some name, say, "Protocol X" – where the terms are laid out in advance in a simple, fair, and easy to understand manner? ...and can be always be linked to for reference with a FS listing.

There are some easy and obvious things, and some less easy and complicated things to figure out and decide. I am just listing a few here, so you get the idea. This is not even a draft...just sample points.

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* Buyer pays any and all costs associated with import

* Seller takes responsibility for safe and secure packaging. Damage suffered under transport that is not covered by insurance is the responsibility of the seller.

* Unless otherwise agreed upon, the shipment must take place on a Monday and by noon.

* No slow-boat ground savers. Maximum delivery time is 4 days. So if it's shipped on a Monday, it's delivered by the latest on Thursday.

* Approved carriers include UPS, FedEx and DHL.

* If either the seller or buyer demands it, insurance with an approved carrier must be provided to a minimum of 75% of the total sale value, with the cost to be shared by both.

* And so on...

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I might regret trying to do this publicly (✓) But if there is any interest and it seems feasible, with a few contributors we might take it into a Google Doc and try to flesh something out.

My chief objective is to design some fair, natural and consistent model where the expense and risk of shipping is shared. And to make sure incentives are aligned – so everyone has an interest in using a quality service with some level of insurance, and will share in the pain and suffering in the worst case scenario...when a shipment is lost in transit.

Note that there could also easily be more protocols. Take, for example, Creative Commons, which is an umbrella for the standardization of many different types of licenses, each with different features and restrictions.

So the particular protocol you want for shipping a $450 watch might be different from the one you want to ship a $14500 watch. But to simplify, I think the starting point should be with watches in the 5 to 15k range in mind, and then modify from there where it makes sense.

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UPDATE: There is some confusion about if I was aiming to institute new rules for sales on this forum, which...would be weird as I am not an admin ...or even a seller – let me just assure you that was not the idea.

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100% insurance. FedEx only. Parcel Pro told me they are the only shipper that can be trusted. I find FedEx to be extremely transparent, predictable and controllable. No mail services period. Frankly the guidelines you propose are really common sense.

 

I agree, but why wouldn't you ever decide all this with the seller before hand anyway?

 

Interesting idea but personally I don't think there's much point.
Buyers and sellers will all have their own favourite methods of shipping and insurance and will sort that out before any deal is finalised.
One size can't fit all.
Just out of interest, how many members here have actually had to claim for a watch lost or stolen in transit?

 

OP was proposing guidelines. I completely agree that this should be decided up front.

 

USPS registered mail should be at the top of the list of preferred carriers.

 

Once my watch was lost, it was insured so the seller got the money back - he then proceeded to send me another one. One month and a half later, I received the original package! I kept both and ended up selling both.
Unfortunately, it "only" was a Seiko SKX

 

^^^^ amen! ^^^^

 

I mean it's really easy to not be a crappy person. Sell like you want to be sold to easy as that.... if we have to remind everyone to be good people it might be a long road ahead...

 

I don't know. This is pretty simple. Seller assumes all costs and risk during outbound shipment until signed by buyer or abandoned. If international sale, buyer is responsible for all taxes, duties and and related fees levied by buyer's government. Buyer assumes all return costs and risks.

Shipping days, insurance, carriers and similar decisions flow from protecting yourself during the part of the transaction where you are liable. And you can be sure it's in people's interest to protect their own backsides. For example, cheap out on the carrier, insurance or signature confirmation during the leg you are liable and package gets lost or damaged? Sucks to be you.

 

4 days
I challenge anyone even in Sydney to get something to darwin in 4 days. 5-7 days from Sydney in a overnight bag, 2-3 weeks from the US or UK

 

To everyone suggesting that this is something that the buyer and seller agree to upfront or beforehand – I agree. I guess what I'm talking about is standard contract or framework of understanding to which two parties could easily and quickly agree.

Still, for me and the deals I've done, it's mostly been something we've stumbled through post sale. Specifics about which carrier or service level with that carrier were not discussed – certainly not what happens if/when the package doesn't arrive (gasp!). I agree that a lot of this stuff seems like it should be common sense, but it's seemed less than common or shared with some sellers.

Am I really the only one who has purchased something "including shipping" only to find out that this was with Poste Italiane...or USPS ...and then personally shelled out more money to guarantee a higher level of service with tracking?

I would personally feel more encouraged about a purchase if the FS listing gave a nod to a protocol that dictated a high standard of shipping with a known carrier.

 

I agree, one size can't fit all. The idea was to set some minimum standard, and to establish a shared understanding for the more tedious details and worst case scenarios. Changes could always be agreed to on a case by case.

I know the details of only two instances where a watch went missing in shipment, but I'm assuming there have been others.

 

I get your point, but what keeps you from having that standard contract and using it for your purchases and sales? It doesnt need to be endorsed to be valid to you.

 

Correct. I will take this approach. Just thought it could be more fun and easier to standardize with the good input and experience of other members, and then could be useful to more than just me... but I'll work on it privately!

 

you gotta hash out all the detail before sale. Its hard to agree what to do post sale especially if someone loses money in the process.

Hard enough for people reneging on what's already agreed upon..

 

@ChicagoFrog had a valuable purchase and long sought piece in transit from Europe disappear some time after it reached the U.S. and, AFAIK, he was out for the entire purchase. So it may seem simple and straightforward, but when things go pear-shaped and many thousands of dollars are involved, simple or obvious sometimes goes out the window.