"Signature required" conandrum

[diplodocomp]

I recently sold an item worth more than $750 to a Florida resident. I had posted the item with shipping with Canada Post. When I ordered the label, I got an eBay warning to the effect that items worth more than $750 will only be covered by seller protection if they are shipped with signature confirmation on delivery, and that this option appears under "Additional options". As these things go, the Expedited "additional options" does not have a signature on delivery option. So I tried ExpressPost (I was pepared to pay the additional fee) since Canada Post states that it includes signature on delivery... well, not really. This option only applies to Canada but not to deliveries in the USA.

And this is how I finally decided to ship the item with Fedex.

The delivery times are similar to Canada Post and the shipping costs were a little less than Canada Post. I will be refunding the buyer for the difference (less than $10).

It is worth mentioning that I took the time to log in with eBay support and ended up chatting with the support bot. It repeated the same thing, i.e. "for shipments over $750, a signature on delivery is required for seller protection". It went on to explain that the option appears under "Additional options" when ordering the label. When I replied that "the additional options do not offer signature on delivery" the bot proceeded to repeat that this option is recommended for shipments over $750... ant the bot repeated that quite a few times because I obviously appeared to be cognitively challenged 🙂

So my message in a bottle is: did I miss something obvious here? Any help welcome.

Have a great day.

[ilikehockeyjerseys · Accepted solution]

I am surprised that there is no signature option. I just looked after reading your post, and I don't see any obvious place to confirm or add a signature for Canada Post Expedited or Xpress Post deliveries. 

You can sign up at Canada Post's website and print a label online using their platform. It is very easy to do. There are additional options like signature required, insurance, and for domestic orders you can also have enhanced security features like 'do not safe drop' or 'card for pickup at Post Office'. This will be cheaper than buying a label in person, but it might be slightly more expensive than printing the label on eBay.

Another option is to use Chit Chats Express if you have a branch or drop spot in your city. Their rates for USPS Priority (AKA Canada Post Expedited USA) are competitive for larger packages. It is usually a bit cheaper than Canada Post. They have an option to add a signature confirmation. 

I would advise against Fedex or UPS. There are two issues that people here have experienced with those services.

1. There have been reports that packages get reassessed and wrongly marked as heavier than they are. When this happens you receive an additional charge in your ebay account. Sometimes it is substantial. It is very difficult to dispute with Fedex because eBay purchased the label, not you. I am unsure if this issue has been resolved, but there are recent threads about it.
2. The buyer might receive a hefty brokerage fee. If your listing didn't state that you would ship via Fedex or UPS, they might be upset about this. Additionally, Fedex invoices customers for brokerage fees at a later date, not at the door. If the customer refuses to pay, apparently Fedex sometimes comes after the sender for these fees.

[dinomitesales]

Expedited Parcel USA has no signature option.

The only service that includes a signature to the States is XpressPost USA. At the moment I don't have a USA-bound shipment to look at - does anyone have a screenshot showing that the signature option is not available for XpressPost USA service? That's definitely not good if true...

[intimewithmusic]

Here's a view of both eBay's Xpresspost label options and Snap Ship's. Apparently eBay has left out an option for signature but Snap Ship still offers the option.

It's hard to keep up with the eBay changes and gliches particularly since they've gone "stealth". 

@diplodocomp 

USPS is collecting the signature so I don't know why eBay would drop it.  This is a situation where I would go to Shippo in the USA for the label. They seem to be stable with options. The label might cost a little more but the 3rd party insurance costs less. Shippo's insurer also has an option to add insurance against porch pirates.  If necessary they will also sell you a USA to Canada return label.

[pjcdn2005]

As @dinomitesales  mentioned, Canada Post expedited parcel USA does not offer a signature 

option.  But Xpresspost USA has always included a signature. There was no option to add one on because it's already included but you're not the first to be confused by that.  

Included features are on this page:     https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/small-business/ship-internationally/compare-services/x...

It's always a better idea to ask any Canadian shipping questions on this board as eBay cs isn't familiar with how to works.

[femmefan1946]

Also is that $750 USD or loonies?

And does Tracked Package USA offer Signature?

[intimewithmusic]

No signature option on TP USA.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@intimewithmusic wrote:

No signature option on TP USA.

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As a side when the eBay calculator tool was implemented for Canadian sellers additional options were not included similar how they show when available on the Canadapost website tool. Almost makes sense as to why those options were not included with eBay labels.  Unfortunately with the cp version you are unable to see the discounts. Critical information when deciding on shipping options. 

https://www.ebay.ca/shp/Calculator

[diplodocomp]

Thank you all for the clarification.

[fallsavenue]

I buy UPS and Purolator labels through Netparcel - signature is about $6.50 and shipping rates are equal to or less than eBay. In 5yrs and 5000+ parcels (I sell elsewhere too), I have been "reassessed" a few cents to a couple of bucks a few times a year. Just saying that I know it happens but it's rare and shouldn't be a reason to not use a very reliable courier like UPS for an expensive shipment.

And, just to clarify (because I hear this over and over), Americans have no brokerage fees on orders up to $800 USD. Canadians get charged fees for imported orders over $60 CAD. You can also send Express with UPS to the US which includes brokerage fees.