The Bay - sending items without insurance

Dr_Evil

Dr_Evil

Dr_Evil

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I'm looking for some advice on the above - i'm currently selling an item on the bay and offering an optional postage insurance.

What happens if the seller doesn't opt for the postal insurance, and the item gets damaged in the post ? Can I be held responsible at all?
 
For the extra surely its worth removing the option and making it a neccessity? Saves you any hassle regardless of what happens. You are responsible for making sure the item gets to the buyer so there could well be a grey area if they don't opt for insurance.
 
problem is that I put the insurance in as "optional", and since people have already placed bids i can't change this.

If the item is received by the buyer in a damaged or not working condition, then who will be to blame?
 
The buyer would be to blame because he/she did not opt for the insurance... but PayPal often tend to support the buyer... so I would have made insurance inlcuded in the price.

I know you can't change it now, but you could email the buyer afterwards if he/she doesn't select insurance, and advise them to do so.

Also, what postage options have you chosen?
 
Its a grey area. You could argue that the choice was given and they did not opt for insuance whereas they would be within their rights to say its your responsibility to ensure the item is delivered and in good condition.
 
Contact the winner and compel them to take the insurance, tell them you won't offer a refund if they don't.
 
You are responsible until the item is delivered.

What I would do is edit the listing, add at the bottom, that any damage due to postage will not be refunded unless optional insurance is used.


Or something along those line.
 
So say this exact situation and arguement arises, what can/will happen? Can the seller escalate through eBay or Paypal? Will i be forced to accept a return of the item, although it was in perfect condition when I sent it?
 
Dr_Evil said:
So say this exact situation and arguement arises, what can/will happen? Can the seller escalate through eBay or Paypal? Will i be forced to accept a return of the item, although it was in perfect condition when I sent it?
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Dealing with shipping problems

If you have any questions involving shipping and handling, eBay recommends that you first communicate directly with the seller. If you still have problems, the following information may help.

Lost or damaged items

If your item was lost or damaged during shipping, please request contact information and call your trading partner to explain the situation and work out a solution.

You should also consider contacting the shipping carrier for assistance. The three most commonly used shipping providers can be contacted at the links provided below:

* United States Post Office (USPS)
* United Parcel Service (UPS)
* Federal Express (FedEx)

Items that are lost or damaged during shipping are not eligible for the eBay Standard Purchase Protection Program programs unless you are the buyer and one of the following conditions apply:

* You purchased shipping insurance and the seller failed to insure the item.
* You purchased shipping insurance and your or the seller filed a claim with the shipping carrier, but the claim was denied due to poor packaging.
* You purchased shipping insurance and your or the seller filed a claim with the shipping carrier, and the shipping carrier awarded the seller reimbursement but the seller failed to send a refund to you.

If one or more of these conditions apply and you are unable to resolve the transaction with the seller or shipping carrier, please review the eBay Standard Purchase Protection Program and consider opening an Item Not Received or Significantly Not as Described dispute.

Excessive shipping and handling charges

If you have a question about excessive shipping and handling charges, refer to eBay’s Excessive Shipping & Handling policy for more information.

If you have other questions about an item that was lost or damaged during shipping, contact eBay.
 
Dr_Evil said:
So say this exact situation and arguement arises, what can/will happen? Can the seller escalate through eBay or Paypal? Will i be forced to accept a return of the item, although it was in perfect condition when I sent it?
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The decision made by eBay/PayPal can vary... it can swing either way... but from past experience and stories I have heard... they tend to side with the buyer... so be careful :)

You can add to your listing, the disclaimer that AcidHell2 suggested :)

/Edit: Following Gilly's post, it appears that you will be fine :)
 
I've added another line to my item description stating that if the buyer doesn't pay for the optional insurance, i won't take a return if the item is damaged through posting.

Thanks for all the replies - i feel much better now!
 
I would say it's your responsibility to get the item to the buyer in good condition.

Even the most basic royal mail parcels service comes with £30 of insurance IIRC, so if something goes wrong the buyer is in his rights to file a chargeback or whatever, and for you to then get your money back from the courier/postal service procedure.
 
Dr_Evil said:
I'm looking for some advice on the above - i'm currently selling an item on the bay and offering an optional postage insurance.

What happens if the seller doesn't opt for the postal insurance, and the item gets damaged in the post ? Can I be held responsible at all?
Click to expand...
As far as PayPal are concerned, the seller is fully responsible regardless of whether extra insurance was offered to and declined by the buyer. Unless you can prove the buyer received it, they will always give the buyer a refund if he asks for one.
 
dirtydog said:
As far as PayPal are concerned, the seller is fully responsible regardless of whether extra insurance was offered to and declined by the buyer. Unless you can prove the buyer received it, they will always give the buyer a refund if he asks for one.
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Up to £500 right? Then they will claim the money back from me obviously? I think even if the seller doesn't opt for the insurance, i'll pay it anyway to cover myself in the event of damage...
 
Dr_Evil said:
Up to £500 right? Then they will claim the money back from me obviously? I think even if the seller doesn't opt for the insurance, i'll pay it anyway to cover myself in the event of damage...
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That's right :) And yes, I 'offer' insurance but unless it is a very cheap item, I will always send it insured anyway, just in case.
 
I wish I'd forced insurance on my latest EBay deal.
I've sold 2x 1GB DDR2 modules to somebody, total cost around £110.
I gave them two options, Royal Mail First Class and Royal Mail Special Delivery.
They took the First Class Mail option and last Saturday they were sent.
I had an e-mail this evening asking if I'd actually sent the items yet or not - so they haven't received them.

It is Christmas and the buyer is polite etc and we've both decided to wait until this weekend before we start to get worried.
It's just bad though the Royal Mail can be I really would have expected the items to be there by now.
Fingers crossed they do get there - sure I have the money, sure it was the buyers fault for not going the Special Delivery route.
However at the same time I will feel guilty over this one if it's one of those packages that goes missing.
 
stoofa said:
sure I have the money, sure it was the buyers fault for not going the Special Delivery route.
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If I pay for something, you need to get it to me safely. The seller has the contract with the courier company, and will need to take up any problems with them.
 
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