JasonZavoda wrote:Also, I am constantly irritated by sellers that state that they aren't responsible for a package once they put it in the mail. If it disappears they better have proof that it was shipped and if it arrives damaged they better require insurance (not just make it optional) because how does the buyer know it wasn't damaged before it was placed in the package.
A buyer is responsible for paying promptly, that is it. Everything else is in the sellers hands.
I disagree ... to a point.
I agree that sellers ought to have strong evidence that it was shipped. It's next to impossible to have real proof, though. A delivery confirmation number is usually good enough. (And since it's free for domestic US stuff done online, why *wouldn't* you do it?)
But as both a buyer and seller, I want insurance to be optional. As a buyer, if insurance is mandatory, I can be sure the seller jacked up the price to cover insurance, as well as eBay's cut of the increased price. Because insurance is usually a big fat rip off. You can be sure the
USPS makes buckets and buckets of profit from insurance.
Personally, as a buyer, I'd rather take the risk and I usually forgo insurance. See, if I'm buying a bunch of items for $30 each, and if insurance is $2 each, I need one out of every 15 of those to be lost or damaged in order for insurance actually worth the cost. And in my experience,
USPS just isn't that bad. I'd rather suck up the rare $30 lost item, since it costs me less in the long run. (In my eBay rating history, which is, admittedly, only 133, I've personally only seen one item that was lost or damaged, and this includes at least 30 international transactions.)
As a seller, I want the buyer to be able to make the same informed decision. I'll offer insurance, but I won't force it.
But there are exceptions. If I was ever involved in a transaction for a rare, I'd probably want insurance to be mandatory. The incremental increase in cost relative to the potential for devaluation is much more reasonable.
