eBay

rose-dee · ‎01-24-2019

Have any of my seller friends here ever made the error of assuming that domestic Xpresspost included "Signature Confirmation", only to realize once the label printed out that it wasn't included? I ship so much to the U.S. that I didn't even search for the option when processing a label on Shippo this evening (not that it was clearly up front on Shippo as a choice -- I don't recall even seeing a selection box offered during the process).

If you've ever been in this situation, were you able to purchase SC at the Post Office (for a fee of course) after the fact? I'll find out for certain tomorrow when I take the parcel to the P.O., but I'd like to know in advance, as this is an expensive item (over $500), and I really do not want it left on the doorstep or out in the weather if I can buy an add-on.

Secondly -- if you've been able to buy the SC after the fact, was it possible to do online, say as an add-on? Through Shippo? Or through Canada Post?

(BTW, I do not want to have to cancel my $52.00 Xpresspost label now, in order to re-do the whole thing. I'd rather take my chances with no signature than go through that rigmarole ever again -- the last time, it took CPC nearly 6 weeks to refund me).

Thanks for any help!

pjcdn2005 · ‎01-24-2019

I am fairly sure that you can't buy the add on online, but I have no idea if it can be done at the post office. Why not phone them tomorrow so that you know before you go.

As you know, signature confirmation is required in an INR situation for items over US$750 or C$850 and if you think that there is any possibility that this buyer may put in an INR claim, it might be worth your while to cancel the label and redo it. If this is the item that I'm thinking of, it is below the US $ amount so it might not be required since it was sold in $US. But if the buyer purchased the item on .ca, the claim would be done on this site so its possible that they would use C$850 as a requirement for a signature. I am just guessing...I'm not sure how it would work in a situation like this. I suspect that a customer paying an item like this is not a high fraud risk but thought that I would mention the scenario anyway.

pjcdn2005 · ‎01-24-2019

I haven't cancelled a Shippo label but based on posts that I've read, a Shippo credit is issued, not a refund, so you might want to take that into account as well.

femmefan1946 · ‎01-24-2019

With Canada Post you can write on the package DO NOT SAFE DROP and only a notice will be left.

I understand that the USPS equivalent is HOLD FOR PICKUP, but I am willing to be corrected on that.

rose-dee · ‎01-24-2019

@femmefan1946 wrote:
With Canada Post you can write on the package DO NOT SAFE DROP and only a notice will be left.
I understand that the USPS equivalent is HOLD FOR PICKUP, but I am willing to be corrected on that.

Oh yes, I recall seeing that "Do not safe drop" option on the CPC Snap Ship site on a previous shipment I did, but that option was not clearly up front on Shippo. Trouble is, I've already told my buyer I would ship with SC for security. The value is below the $750/$850 requirement, so that's not the issue.

I'm not keen on requesting a Shippo refund -- if 'pjcdn' is correct, the last thing I really want is a Shippo credit of $52.00, as I don't use them frequently anymore. It could take weeks to run through that credit.

Uggghhh, now I have to decide whether to get a virtually useless Shippo credit or take my chances at the P.O. tomorrow (there is no way to phone our local P.O. -- I just have to go there). The problem is, if my P.O. clerk can't tack on SC there, my shipment is then going to be delayed while I drive back home, muck around with getting a new Shippo label, then drive back to the P.O. again. By that time I'll have missed the all-important first-thing-in-the-morning pick-up to get to the Halifax airport. Double uggghh. Maybe before I give up for the night somebody will pop up here who has actually tried buying a tack-on SC at a P.O.

rose-dee · ‎01-24-2019

Thanks, but the $750/$850 value isn't an issue in this case, nor is there any likelihood of fraud on the part of the buyer. What I am concerned about is the buyer being assured the item will get directly into his hands, and not be left on his doorstep to be damaged by moisture, or else swiped by someone.

I will likely end up having to re-do the label tonight (dammit) or decide to trust a "Do Not Safe Drop" request. By the time I either phone the P.O. in the morning or go there in person, if the answer is no for the SC add-on, I'll have missed the a.m. pick-up to get to the Halifax airport. The parcel will then sit in the P.O. all weekend (we're in a semi-rural area, with pick-up only on weekdays). What's the use of Xpresspost in that event? I'll have wasted my money on the service upgrade.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎01-24-2019

Hello Rose-dee,

It appears signature can only be added to Xpresspost and above services at whatever the additional charge applicable. I was under the impression it could be added to Xpedited also, but this is no longer the case. When it lists available options if you require a signature Xpedited is removed from the services. If the signature option was paid for it would show up on the label and also with the breakdown of charges similar to any additional insurance on the left side of your printed label. In checking my last Xpresspost shipment of over 10 months ago, tracking information only shows delivered. No signature available. There is a possibility the package does get signed for but that information is only available if you phone Canadapost directly. Sadly the new reality is almost everything is extra unless actually clearly specified.

-Lotz

rose-dee · ‎01-24-2019

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
Hello Rose-dee,

It appears signature can only be added to Xpresspost and above services at whatever the additional charge applicable. I was under the impression it could be added to Xpedited also, but this is no longer the case. When it lists available options if you require a signature Xpedited is removed from the services. If the signature option was paid for it would show up on the label and also with the breakdown of charges similar to any additional insurance on the left side of your printed label. In checking my last Xpresspost shipment of over 10 months ago, tracking information only shows delivered. No signature available. There is a possibility the package does get signed for but that information is only available if you phone Canadapost directly. Sadly the new reality is almost everything is extra unless actually clearly specified.

-Lotz

Hello, and thank you for your response, but I do know (well actually, I was reminded today, as I'd forgotten because I normally ship mainly to the U.S.) that only Xpresspost has the signature confirmation option domestically. I'd just missed paying for it when I was processing the label. And I do know it's $1.50 extra, which I would have been happy to pay if Shippo had placed a clear reminder in their processing stream when I was doing the label.

So my issue isn't the cost, which is negligible compared to the value of the item, but whether I can purchase the SC service after the fact, i.e. once the Xpresspost label has already been printed without it. In other words, I'm now stuck with a $52.00 label without the full service I wanted. I just need to know if that extra Signature Confirmation service can now be added at the Post Office, for whatever the fee is.

lucitabby · ‎01-24-2019

This might be too simple but these can be purchased at the Post Office.

Would it work?

https://www.canadapost.ca/shop/mail-pack-ship/labels-stickers-pouches-and-more/p-102264.jsf

femmefan1946 · ‎01-25-2019

Need signature collection when using Xpresspost Prepaid envelopes for Canadian destinations?

Probably not. And is $1.75 each more expensive than on a label?

rose-dee · ‎01-25-2019

Well, for future reference, here's the upshot:

1) It's not possible to buy an add-on 'Signature Confirmation' service after the fact for a domestic Xpresspost parcel label, at least not for one generated through Shippo (I assume the same would apply to other label suppliers, including CPC, but I'll be checking into that later today). This information came from our (very experienced and well-informed) Canada Post clerk. She even phoned 2 other post offices to be certain. Nope, no can do.

2) Apparently, putting a "Do Not Safe Drop" label on a parcel is not a guarantee it won't be safe-dropped, but more in the order of a request. Our postal clerk says that the actual outcome may depend on the particular circumstances, neighbourhood, carrier's workload, etc. etc. I imagine this also applies if one chooses "Do Not Safe Drop" when producing a label via Snap Ship (where the choice is offered as one of the options).

So -- a new label was the only reasonable choice I had to absolutely ensure the item (worth about $800 Cdn) would get directly into my buyer's hands. And yes, Shippo takes 14 days to process a refund (not actually a refund, but a credit to the seller's Shippo account). So I guess I'll be using Shippo for a while.

The only good news is that it turned out that on Fridays, the last pick-up at our little P.O. is 2:00 p.m., so at least the parcel will be moving by this evening. OMG, what a SNAFU.