Royal Mail (UK) tracking/recorded delivery question

[CupidStrikes]

Hi again I'm looking into selling off a few things and I don't want to be stung by people claiming they've not received things, and I'll be selling some fairly pricey Japanese figures that I'd rather didn't go walkabout in the post. So - my question is, will "Royal Mail Signed For" postage provide enough evidence to protect me if a buyer claims they didn't receive something and takes it up with Paypal? It just says it has delivery confirmation, not tracking, so I'm unsure how well Paypal would like that. Just wanted to be sure~

Thanks guys~

[UnicornCandy]

The best tracking system that I've used, Is the Royal Mail, First Class Tracked & Signed for.
You can track it online, and it can't be delievered WITHOUT the persons signiture on record.

When going into a post office, they will ask you what is in the package, and what is the vaule of the items.
If its over £20, they usally advise you to INSURE your postage. It only costs a few extra ££, but its totally worth it!

Then, if the item gets broken, damaged, lost, or anything else. You can then claim ALL expensis from the royal mail itsself as it was insured.
Hope this helps!

[CupidStrikes]

The best tracking system that I've used, Is the Royal Mail, First Class Tracked & Signed for.
You can track it online, and it can't be delievered WITHOUT the persons signiture on record.

When going into a post office, they will ask you what is in the package, and what is the vaule of the items.
If its over £20, they usally advise you to INSURE your postage. It only costs a few extra ££, but its totally worth it!

Then, if the item gets broken, damaged, lost, or anything else. You can then claim ALL expensis from the royal mail itsself as it was insured.
Hope this helps!

Oooh okay, thanks! I can't find a price quote for that online - is it particularly expensive? Most of what I'm selling is relatively cheap, so I don't want to put people off by insisting on postage that costs so much more than the items (So far the prices jump from about £4 for signed for, to £15 for special delivery =/)

[Icecrystalline]

The best tracking system that I've used, Is the Royal Mail, First Class Tracked & Signed for.
You can track it online, and it can't be delievered WITHOUT the persons signiture on record.

When going into a post office, they will ask you what is in the package, and what is the vaule of the items.
If its over £20, they usally advise you to INSURE your postage. It only costs a few extra ££, but its totally worth it!

Then, if the item gets broken, damaged, lost, or anything else. You can then claim ALL expensis from the royal mail itsself as it was insured.
Hope this helps!

Oooh okay, thanks! I can't find a price quote for that online - is it particularly expensive? Most of what I'm selling is relatively cheap, so I don't want to put people off by insisting on postage that costs so much more than the items (So far the prices jump from about £4 for signed for, to £15 for special delivery =/)

It depends entirely on weight, and dimensions. I find online isn't the best way, it's just an estimate and for me, is always different when I get to the P.O. x

[CupidStrikes]

It depends entirely on weight, and dimensions. I find online isn't the best way, it's just an estimate and for me, is always different when I get to the P.O. x

Nothing is particularly big - the biggest item I'm selling is about 30cm x 30cm and around 600g once I've bubble-wrapped it. It's just a pain to be unable to ballpark prices and compare them to the other postage methods without going to the post office.

[Icecrystalline]

It depends entirely on weight, and dimensions. I find online isn't the best way, it's just an estimate and for me, is always different when I get to the P.O. x

Nothing is particularly big - the biggest item I'm selling is about 30cm x 30cm and around 600g once I've bubble-wrapped it. It's just a pain to be unable to ballpark prices and compare them to the other postage methods without going to the post office.

600g? Whoa, that's going to cost a fair amount, that's more than a pony. Are you sending within the UK? Or abroad? To send a G1 to the US runs at £4.47, (for me anyway) and that isn't signed for. I've paid £14 the other day to send a G1 clamshell insured up to £180 to Sweden (sorry for the comparisons, I hope it gives you an idea of the prices!) Sorry I can't be of more help! x

[CupidStrikes]

It depends entirely on weight, and dimensions. I find online isn't the best way, it's just an estimate and for me, is always different when I get to the P.O. x

Nothing is particularly big - the biggest item I'm selling is about 30cm x 30cm and around 600g once I've bubble-wrapped it. It's just a pain to be unable to ballpark prices and compare them to the other postage methods without going to the post office.

600g? Whoa, that's going to cost a fair amount, that's more than a pony. Are you sending within the UK? Or abroad? To send a G1 to the US runs at £4.47, (for me anyway) and that isn't signed for. I've paid £14 the other day to send a G1 clamshell insured up to £180 to Sweden (sorry for the comparisons, I hope it gives you an idea of the prices!) Sorry I can't be of more help! x

Yeah - the largest item I'm selling is a MSIB Nendoroid figure; I'm not sure if it's 600g, but that's around what it weighed when it was shipped from Japan to me and I'd rather over-estimate than under-estimate! I'll only be selling within the UK as it saves me a headache with international postage (which is ridiculously expensive from here anyway). Most of what I'm selling are small trading figures weighing maybe 100g at most once they're bubble-wrapped (I need to dig out the scales...). I know first class with delivery confirmation is about £4.30 for up to 1kg, or around £7 for "special delivery" - which is okay for the pricier items, but most of what I'll be selling is under £10 >.< I think with the smaller items I'll just have to send them as a large letter and hope I get an honest buyer.

[hathorcat]

Yes, if selling on ebay you really only should go with one of 2 options domestically:-
1) Special Delivery
2) Signed For

You can use either as both of them will cover you with ebay.

Special Delivery comes with proof of delivery and you can track the item online using RM's Track & Trace service. Signed For is not tracked but it does provide you with proof of delivery. They key is the proof of delivery aspect; Special Delivery is clearly the most protective option as it allows you to follow your parcels progress but it is also quite a bit more expensive than Signed For.

So yes Signed For will cover you for what you want - it is pricey but honestly if you dont use it you risk being caught out as any other cheaper method does not provide proof of delivery.

For your larger items dont use Royal Mail; there are plenty of online parcel companies who actually use recognised couriers - DPD, Yodel, Citylink, etc - and offer you a cheaper guaranteed and trackable service that Royal Mail will.

[ponylady]

Thanks everyone for your help!!  I am in the US so I am useless on the subject 

[CupidStrikes]

I'm not selling on Ebay - seeing all the grief sellers can get has put me off -  so I'm selling on a FB group, but I want to keep Paypal happy and not get scammed by dishonest buyers, especially with the more expensive items. I think I'll stick with Signed For for cheaper items and go Special Delivery for the more expensive ones. Thank you

[DaffyDilly]

Personally I am using MyHermes with great success and it's much cheaper and less hassle than Royal Mail too

[CupidStrikes]

Personally I am using MyHermes with great success and it's much cheaper and less hassle than Royal Mail too

Sadly, I've had very dented boxes both times I've had deliveries from them (the goods only surviving thanks to the seller's use of lots and lots of protective material inside the box) so I'd rather not use them

[Ringlets]

I think you've got it all covered by hathorcat and the others 
BTW RM "signed for" (1st or 2nd class)  automatically insures you up to £50. If your item is worth more than that you can either pay a few pounds more to add extra insurance or go with the "special delivery" (I go with the by 1pm next day rather than the saturday or the 9am services which are waaaay pricier ) which covers you up to £500 i think (I've got my leaflets here somehwere but I'm typing in a rush ATM!    )
If you're going to ship internationally the prices do vary depending on the world zones as do the services.  Definitely with something that you dont wanna go missing/cannot replace etc you have to use one of the following : "RM international tracked and signed" (the best option but not available everywhere) "international signed" or "international tracked". The last two options are the only options available to some countries but where possible do the tracked and signed one. All of them cost the same amount.  You are insured up to £50 but you can buy additional insurance if needed. All of them will cover you with ebay /paypal   I could give you exact prices.. but today i have a lot to do and not a lot of time. If you wanna give me weights and values of items via Pm I'll tell you tomorrow the exact cost for all the services if you want me to