A foolproof way to prove you shipped what an eBay buyer purchased?

I am considering selling a high-ticket sealed item on eBay. Is there any foolproof way to prove that I shipped the item purchased in order to avoid a buyer dispute? I would ship it by UPS.

The only thing I can think of is to have someone record a video of me at the UPS store showing the item, placing it in the box, packing it and handing to UPS clerk who rings up shipping and show the receipt with tracking number, all in one long shot.

Seems like a lot of fuss. Any other ideas?

 

isn't there a tracking number through UPS that proves you shipped it? (Just like USPS does). That's about as good as you can realistically get

 

yep, but a buyer could claim you didn't ship the item they bought.

 

I had one try that once on ebay. It went to dispute . Ebay reviewed the case. I provided tracking #. I won the case.

 

So a tracking number is all you needed? wow, I could sell a gold bar and ship a brick. hah!

Maybe just some pictures of me packing the item and shipping it would do?

 

I share your concern - I have a very rare Metallica (black album) 4 LP 45 RPM box pressed on white vinyl. It's open but unplayed and comes in the regular packaging. I have thought that if I sold it for a high price on Ebay the buyer could claim I sent him a regular black vinyl copy and send 'back' his common black vinyl copy as a 'return'. It's a legitimate concern. I also thought about taking video of the white vinyl records being sealed in the shipping box and sent out at Fedex in real time.

 

Right? I get concerned with all the stories about how eBay has become so unfriendly to sellers.

 

It's not eBay that is but PayPal. Only other choice is escrow.

 

You can state in your listing that you will only accept bids from buyers with a 100% feedback rating based on, say, a minimum of 5o transactions.

 

yep. I also will say returns not accepted although I don't know how much water that holds.

 

That holds zero water. (Not criticizing you; just saying.)

 

Holds zero water. If you sell on eBay or receive payment via Paypal, their return policies take precedents.

EDIT: tmtomh beat me to it

 

hmm... ok thanks.

I went to UPS store and asked. They can give me a copy of their shipping document which has a comments field where they can include a description of the item being shipped. This document also has the shipping info (to and from) along with the tracking number. That, along with some pictures, might be enough.

I am being overly cautious here mainly due to the number of people I have seen make comments that they gave up selling on eBay due to this issue.

 

Keep in mind those people are in the tiniest minority. Most people are honest. The rotten minority can create anxiety out of nothing.

I sold a $3500 guitar amp a few months back. No trouble whatsoever. In fact, the guy was a total class-act.

 

Sell on Discogs instead. You'll have less of an issue.

 

I totally understand. Whenever I've sold expensive records online I go through moments of "What if..."

 

It's clear you don't really care about any need to prove the item is what you put in the box. What you are worried about is the payment being reversed, and you wish to protect against this, shouldering no risk. So find some online venue that allows it (which eBay does not, Craigslist does) and insist on payment in a non-reversible form, like mailed-in cash or a cashier's check in the US or Western Union elsewhere in the world, with the understanding nothing will be shipped until you have that long green in hand with no way for the buyer to retrieve it. That won't help how quickly your item sells, of course, because everyone who buys things online, expecially expensive things, is now used to paying with a credit card and having recourse. With terms like cash only or even "returns not accepted" you are asking them to shoulder 100% of the risk instead, which they won't. I wouldn't, especially on an expensive purchase, would you?

This is what Paypal is selling for their 3% cut, a large established atmosphere where no matter what side of the transaction you are on you can at least be heard. Yes, there probably are people who sell a laptop and send a brick, and there probably are people who get their laptop and say "Wait, this is a brick". If you make or accept a Paypal payment you will assume some of the risk. If you ship what you say you did to the address they tell you to ship it, you should be OK 99.99+% of the time. You can purchase insurance to cover possible loss/damage in shipment. But if you won't accept a Paypal payment or a major credit card alternative (which will expose you to risk) and expect to sell it mail order you probably won't sell it at all.

 

Send it Registered Mail, return receipt requested, deliver to addressee only. You will get a Registered Mail receipt and a tracking number from the Postal Clerk. Be sure to ask for a delivery confirmation number. You can also purchase insurance for the item you wish to ship.

 

I will probably send by UPS due to the option to have a description included in the documents. I will definitely insure the item for the purchase price and I think getting a signature receipt is a good idea.

 

Thanks for the info. Yes I am concerned that I might get stung but the idea is to do all I can to provide proof, if necessary, that I shipped what was sold. I will still likely post the item on eBay and hope for the best.

 

I had a very expensive double sealed large item and used FedEx through eBay/PayPal. No problem. Got to the Midwest address in 4 days and price was better than UPS. Dropped it off at a local FedEx/Kinko's place. Had it delivered w/signature that was forwarded back to me. Never did get feedback that kinda pissed me off.

 

you'll be fine