Hi, so I’m seeing more and more private sales items listed with buyer pays postage which is fine if agreed although there are 2 parties involved and I would have thought 50/50 would be gentlemanly but each to their own. However more and more times the words “postage at buyers risk”
How can that be because the postal company will only deal with person who posted it and has all the paperwork to prove insurance was taken etc, this would be the seller no?

I recently sent a watch to Sweden and there was a day where things were missing and my buyer could not gain any info from Royal Mail UK or Fedex (agent tasked with delivery in country) it was only I who they would talk too.
It was also explained that any claim would be my responsibility if required.

I don’t think I would buy a watch from someone who basically says.
I now have your money then no watch arrives/arrives damaged so you are then left waiting for the seller initiate to get a refund before anything comes back your way as the buyer.

 

Hello @Jonathan40 I agree but I believe this generally relates to if a buyer is willing to pay additional fees for insurance... or not (at buyer's risk) or, if the seller can even get the required insurance for the item.

 

Yup, the insurance fees is what starts to really fluctuate the cost. Maybe the fairest thing to do is split the base cost of shipping and buyer determine the insurance value and pays the insurance fees.

Then looking at it from the sellers perspective, they are looking to get a specific sale price just as the buyer is looking to buy a certain price and sometimes that shipping can eat into those profits, especially if buyer is very picky about using specific couriers — so I also understand why a seller would not want to worry about shipping prices at all and put that all on the buyer.

 

I had an instance where the seller was covering both the shipping and third party insurance. Oddly enough, they said 'once it leaves my hands, I do not take any liability'. Given that his name is on the insurance and while technically it's true that he isn't liable but the insurance company is, it didnt give me a level of comfort that he would follow through if any issues. I obviously passed on the deal.

 

I have in the past accepted a few uninsured shipments while also working with an EU dealer who set a good example and insisted on fully insured shipments. I will say that the former was the stupidest f...ing thing to do and I’m lucky I wasn’t burned because well, they all went Fed Ex. I’d never do that again and when I finally get off my ass and sell some stuff, the buyer may expect to receive fully documented and insured delivery via parcel pro and fed ex.

 

Legally (as I understand it, YYMV and I am not a lawyer and it probably only applies to the USA anyway) the seller/sender is responsible for completing the transaction via the shipment. Unless of course it's an FOB transaction or COD or similar acronym arrangement.

As a seller, I've always taken that to heart and I always insure everything over $100. Yeah, it's expensive, but morally I would feel obligated to reimburse the buyer if the item never arrived or arrived damaged.

I expect the same from anyone that I buy from, and I've never had any issues.

The costs should either be clearly spelled out in the ad (buyer pays, 50/50, whatever) or agreed to in the negotiations.

 

In my case when I use dutch postal service the shipment is insured up to EUR 5000. But they hand it over to a local courier with who they have a contract with and because of this it takes a lot of time before delivery. That's why I give people the choice between this and UPS. UPS is quick as hell, really reliable but not insured. As long as somebody is informed about the risks I see no problem with buyers risk.

Does anyone knows the % of loosing a package with UPS?

 

Personally, I would not do a deal with a person who took that stance, either as a buyer or a seller.

If I purchase a watch, I fully expect it to be insured for the price I paid. Same way if I sell a watch. The Post office, UPS, FedEx, etc. will not even speak to the recipient on a claim, and certainly will not reimburse the recipient. It is the Sellers responsibility to get that package into the buyers hands, If it does not make it, I fully expect to be promptly reimbursed by the seller for the item. It is then the sellers issue to take up with the delivery entity.

To take it even a step further, I prefer to use USPS money orders for any transactions and if I am the seller, I won’t even cash them until the item is delivered. Done this many times with watches and firearms and it only seems fair to me as a good faith seller. I expect the same if I am the buyer.

My .02

 

You're pointing at me?

 

Huh?

I’m pointing at no one. Don’t even know who you are.

I’m stating my position, period.

 

Ah. I thought you were suggesting never to buy a watch from me. I was quite hurt by that remark...

 

I thought maybe he just doesn't like the Dutch.

Just kidding. American humor.

As for UPS, I think their percentage delivery success is quite high. And I imagine that with their tracking systems, if a shipment is lost or stolen, they'll have a pretty good idea of who did it, which likely reduces theft.

Still, insurance is always a good idea.

 

When I sell watches, I offer tracked shipping and my asking price reflects that. If the buyer wants insurance, he will be asked to pay for it - just as he would do if I had initially factored it in with the price.

I don't know why someone would get riled up over this issue; it is basically about pricing, not someone refusing to insure parcels.

 

There are so many factors in shipping cost, especially international, until you know exactly what the buyer wants to do, it's hard to estimate the cost. That conversation can happen once you have a serious buyer.

 

The funny thing is... insured shipping is cheaper for me then UPS.

 

Insured by NLPost? Do they insure for any destination?

 

Yes! Up to EUR 5000. So they say.

Edit: it's even EUR 5500

 

many people are happy to take your insurance money up front. You never know until you try to make a claim.

 

Haha. Well, untill know I've never lost a package. The most funny shipment was a watch that had to be delivered in Milwaukee. It came back three times. So that watch crossed the atlantic 7 times. It took me 6 months to deliver, days of calling the courier, but the buyer was great about it. We even had somekind of digital friendship after those months. He opened a nice bottle of champagne when it arrived.