In regard to recent stories about the USPS
NotSure
Posts: 2,982 ✭✭✭
I KNOW Paypal requires delivery confirmation, and insurance should be a no brainer (unless you want to dig yourself a hole with an unscrupulous buyer). However, when shipping an item over $200, when using USPS insurance, I was told (by my local P.O.) that an insured item for over $200 requires a signature. In Paypals eyes, does shipping it this way fulfill their shipper requirements? I understand that not all USPS workers do their jobs completely, and a signature may not be gotten, as the carrier could forget, have a mental block, be a moron, or just not care, and leave it signature free. Should this happen, do I leave myself open for an unscrupulous buyer to charge back, thus leaving me on the hook for both the coin and the payment?
I, personally, would still use the signature confirm. When I ship under $200, I always use delivery confirm, and insurance...over $200, I use signature confirm and insurance. However, would the over $200 insurance requiring a signature be enough? (remember my sig line...lol)
Is this statement by my local P.O. clerk true? I've seen some really mindless statements uttered by postal workers from alot of you, and I'm curious about this. Any thoughts/comments, or alternatives, are appreciated. Thanks!
I, personally, would still use the signature confirm. When I ship under $200, I always use delivery confirm, and insurance...over $200, I use signature confirm and insurance. However, would the over $200 insurance requiring a signature be enough? (remember my sig line...lol)
Is this statement by my local P.O. clerk true? I've seen some really mindless statements uttered by postal workers from alot of you, and I'm curious about this. Any thoughts/comments, or alternatives, are appreciated. Thanks!
I'll come up with something.
0
Comments
When you use paypal/ebay shipping labels this info is automatically documented in paypal. In event that paypal needs the info it is readily available to them and in most cases you have to provide nothing more with a claim.
Most of my shipments go out registered and I purchase the electronic return receipt at the counter.
Also, when you purchase online postage with insurance and signature confirmation for items $250 and more, the label only says "insured." It is possible that the mailman might not get the required signature since value of item is not indicated on the label. It is beneficial to stamp or add an additional "signature required" label to the package.
Another lesson I learned about on-line shipping: If you are delivering you package to the post office the next day, be sure to change the date of shipment when filling out the info. I had the post office return shipments because of this.
Paypal seller protection FAQs
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
Signature confirmation, OTOH, makes them think about looking somewhere else.
--Jerry
1/2 Cents
U.S. Revenue Stamps
That is PP must be able to check online.
The cost I think is .85 cents extra.
Steve
<< <i>Additionally, if you are shipping a PayPal-paid item by Registered Mail, you also need to get Signature Confirmation, since Registered Mail does not fulfill the SPP. This has caused no end of askance looks from USPS clerks, and I've even had some clerks tell me I cannot do Signature Confirmation with Registered Mail. >>
Purchase the "electronic return receipt" at the counter when paying registered. It's cheaper, no form to fill out, your Registered number is your tracking number and it satisfies paypal's signature requirement (I have verified this with paypal). All you do is go to the upsp.com website, type in your tracking number and have them send you an email with a pdf copy of the receiver's signature. Paypal is able to do the same. I save them all in a file in the event usps.com dumps them after a certain period. Never know when a claim against you will come in a year down the road.
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
<< <i>USPS Registered mail is not trackable. >>
The only domestic mail service offered through the USPS that is trackable is Express Mail.
<< <i>USPS Registered mail is not trackable. >>
Registered mail become trackable when signature confirmation (or electronic return receipt is purchased). There is no guarantee that the tracking info provided on the usps website is up to date. Now, if you mean by tracking that there is a detailed report of every post office it travels through, then this is not tracking. Every pit stop along the way is irrelevent to the buyer, the seller and to paypal. With this information the buyer (and paypal) knows it was shipped, when it was shipped and where it was shipped from. Also, provides where it was shipped to and when it arrives. With the "verify who signed" feature it sends you an email with a copy of the signature of who signed for it.
Here's what the usps.com "track and confirm" website shows on a recent shipment:
Label/Receipt Number: RE49 4259 203U S
Class: First-Class Mail®
Service(s): Registered Mail™
Return Receipt Electronic
Status: Arrival at Unit
Your item arrived at 7:49 AM on November 12, 2009 in FAIRFIELD, CT 06824. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.
Detailed Results:
Arrival at Unit, November 12, 2009, 7:49 am, FAIRFIELD, CT 06824
Acceptance, November 06, 2009, 12:15 pm, JACKSONVILLE, FL 32216
Track & Confirm by email
Get current event information or updates for your item sent to you or others by email.
Return Receipt (Electronic)
Verify who signed for your item by email.
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
<< <i>and I've even had some clerks tell me I cannot do Signature Confirmation with Registered Mail. >>
Which is partially correct. Signature confirmation is only available on the "package rate" and not on the envelope rate when mailing out your items via Registered Mail. Therefore, next time a Postal Clerk informs you "it's not available," inform them to check their computer for sig. conf. under the package rate and of course pay the higher rate.
<< <i>
<< <i>and I've even had some clerks tell me I cannot do Signature Confirmation with Registered Mail. >>
Which is partially correct. Signature confirmation is only available on the "package rate" and not on the envelope rate when mailing out your items via Registered Mail. Therefore, next time a Postal Clerk informs you "it's not available," inform them to check their computer for sig. conf. under the package rate and of course pay the higher rate. >>
Virtually everything I send Registered is going as a parcel, not a letter, so I don't think this is the case here. It wasn't them saying it wasn't available on their screen, it was know-it-all clerks saying "you can't do that".
1/2 Cents
U.S. Revenue Stamps
That leaves delivery/signature confirmation (no insurance) for cheaper items, and registered mail for more expensive shipments.
Regarding PayPal, wouldn't registered mail alone (without delivery/signature confoirmation) suffice, since you could get the paper trail from the post office showing delivery signature and then email a scan of that to PayPal (would take some time, though) ?
<< <i>Note that a fairly recent change with USPS means that the blue-label insurance specifically DOES NOT cover coins, bullion, or currency.
That leaves delivery/signature confirmation (no insurance) for cheaper items, and registered mail for more expensive shipments.
Regarding PayPal, wouldn't registered mail alone (without delivery/signature confoirmation) suffice, since you could get the paper trail from the post office showing delivery signature and then email a scan of that to PayPal (would take some time, though) ? >>
Paypal wants independent online access to the signature. I guess they assume you could forge or falsify whatever you faxed them.
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
<< <i>Note that a fairly recent change with USPS means that the blue-label insurance specifically DOES NOT cover coins, bullion, or currency. >>
Link please?
Regular USPS insurance has never covered "cash" or equivalents when not shipped Registered Mail, other than a nominal indemnity ($15 I think). "Collectible Coins" is an entirely different matter and are covered up to their verifiable insured value.
The trap that many people (and some USPS personnel) get trapped by is reading the terms "cash", "coins", or "currency" and assume that this applies to collectible coins. No, the USPS just doesn't want to be liable for you sending stacks of cash through nonsecure methods...
But, as you say, this may have changed very recently. I would just like a link substantiating it.
Thanks.
1/2 Cents
U.S. Revenue Stamps
<< <i>USPS Registered mail is not trackable. >>
complete your sentence. ...not trackable online. It is trackable in the USPS internal system. --Jerry
<< <i>Note that a fairly recent change with USPS means that the blue-label insurance specifically DOES NOT cover coins, bullion, or currency.
That leaves delivery/signature confirmation (no insurance) for cheaper items, and registered mail for more expensive shipments.
Regarding PayPal, wouldn't registered mail alone (without delivery/signature confoirmation) suffice, since you could get the paper trail from the post office showing delivery signature and then email a scan of that to PayPal (would take some time, though) ? >>
How about express mail? no blue label there. --Jerry
The registered mail I send gets tracked....
________________________________________________
This is a post-only message. Please do not respond.
Track & Confirm e-mail update information provided by the U.S. Postal Service.
Label Number: RR66 5796 284U S
Service Type: Priority Mail Registered
Shipment Activity Location Date & Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delivered GLENDALE AZ 85301 10/28/09 2:01pm
Arrival at Unit GLENDALE AZ 85301 10/16/09 7:35am
Acceptance UTICA MI 48317 10/07/09 3:19pm
Reminder: Track & Confirm by email
Date of email request: 10/14/09
In my experience, it's hit and miss. Sometimes it's trackable online, other times not.
<< <i>complete your sentence. ...not trackable online. It is trackable in the USPS internal system. --Jerry >>
It is not trackable in the sense that you or I or PayPal can find out where the package is at any point in time. The post office does have a system to check where the package has been, but it is not accessible without making a written claim. I've done that, and it can take weeks to get any info. Based on my experience, I would say that, in any relevant sense, registered mail is not trackable. BTW- when I say "trackable" here, I'm using the term in the manner that other posters are when they write that they tried to look up their package status online to see where it is.
<< <i>The registered mail I send gets tracked.... >>
If acceptance/delivery information is your definition of "tracking", then yes, the registered mail you send gets tracked. If you want to look up online to see where the package is at any particular point in time like you can with Express Mail (or UPS or FedEx shipments), then no- it's not trackable.
<< <i>In my experience, it's hit and miss. Sometimes it's trackable online, other times not. >>
Exactly. Sometimes, the info is available. Sometimes not. Either way, it's not a feature that the post office offers in their description of the service:
Registered Mail provides the sender with a mailing receipt and, upon request, electronic verification that an article was delivered or that a delivery attempt was made.
<< <i>
<< <i>Note that a fairly recent change with USPS means that the blue-label insurance specifically DOES NOT cover coins, bullion, or currency. >>
Link please?
Regular USPS insurance has never covered "cash" or equivalents when not shipped Registered Mail, other than a nominal indemnity ($15 I think). "Collectible Coins" is an entirely different matter and are covered up to their verifiable insured value.
The trap that many people (and some USPS personnel) get trapped by is reading the terms "cash", "coins", or "currency" and assume that this applies to collectible coins. No, the USPS just doesn't want to be liable for you sending stacks of cash through nonsecure methods...
But, as you say, this may have changed very recently. I would just like a link substantiating it.
Thanks. >>
I don't believe this new information is posted on-line anywhere. But at a recent trip to the post office (they know me well there), the clerk told me that a customer recently sent $300 worth of "silver bullion" with blue-label insurance. The package was lost. When the customer filed a claim, it was denied outright due to the claimed contents. The clerk showed me some USPS document which specifically stated no coin or bullion coverage for blue-lable insurance. The only available coverage would be via registered mail.
Fair market value of stamps and coins of
philatelic or numismatic value, as determined by
a recognized stamp or coin dealer or current coin
and stamp collector’s newsletter and trade paper.
I can get a different answer every time I go to the Post office.
Steve