Just a quick question and hoping for some feedback. We send out all of our items Signed for Delivery with the Royal Mail so that we can track and make sure that items have been received.
However we were wondering if Signed for delivery might turn some people off from purchasing since they will have to be in to accept the delivery.
What do you all think? Would you be turned off by it or do you think that it also gives the buyer the opportunity to check that their item is on its way?
Signed for doesnāt provide any tracking except for the signature taken on delivery and a note of which post office it was dropped off at, so not really much use to the customer.
As a certificate of posting is provided for free at the post office, along with insurance of up to Ā£20, itās only really worth using for higher value items.
Many customers wonāt like having to sign for lower cost items, or the inconvenience of arranging to be in for a delivery.
I use a signed for/ trackable service because it means that the order is covered by the paypal protection in case it goes missing en route - royal mail would only cover me if I use special delivery because my items are silver and if you are just buying a pair of Ā£10 earrings Ā£6.50 is a lot to pay for shipping (most of your items would be covered by RMās standard insurance included when you get proof of posting with first class post). I know of a number of posties who sign for packages then put them through the door thus saving people the hassle but that said Iām currently tracking a package that has been returned to sender (in India) because I wasnāt in to sign for it and the postie didnāt do that (I didnāt find the slip until after the deadline for claiming it argh!).
When buying I tend to look at how much the shipping is in relation to the value of what Iām ordering rather than what sort of shipping it is (ie trackable or not) so Ā£2 shipping on a Ā£4 card would be a turn off but Ā£2 shipping on a Ā£20 order would be ok (in my mind) but then I work from home so it is no hassle to reorganise delivery and staying in for it.
Hope that helps.
Sasha
I donāt do signed for on my Folksy items, I use regular Royal Mail and always ask for proof of postage at the P.O, that gives me insurance up to Ā£20.00. Iāve never had a problem with doing it this way.
I have used the signed for option but only if a package is very large, heavy or expensive.
I send every thing signed for. I feel it covers me a little, as Iāve had things go awry before. When I used to send things without, Iāve had a few people say the item hasnāt never arrived. My items arenāt particularly high value, but Iāve spent a lot of time making them and they canāt be replaced as they are all pretty unique
I used to send things signed for all the time when I first started. Then I realised what a nuisance it could be if someone was out and they had to go and collect it (especially if it would go through the letterbox ).
Iāve sent out loads of stuff and everythingās arrived safely (touch wood).
I would definitely send something registered and tracked if it was a high value item, though.
I send most things standard delivery with a proof of posting which will cover them getting lost in the post for up to Ā£20. It means I can keep my shipping costs down and still have protection. I only use signed for if Iām sending multiple items and the value is higher.
I donāt know what to think now. Iāve gone all year without a missing parcel, but in the last few weeks 4 parcels have gone astray, one from my shop here on Folksy and 3 from a different selling medium. I always make sure address labels are securely stuck down with cellotape as are the returns labels on the back of the parcel. I refund my buyers straight away but then have to wait while Royal Mail decide whether they are going to compensate me. I donāt like the idea of sending items recorded delivery as it can be a nuisance for the buyer, but Iām going to end up out of pocket as 3 of the parcels value is just over the Ā£20 compensation that RM pay.
I used to send most of my items Recorded delivery for my own piece of mind. Although I do state in my item descriptions that I send orders over Ā£10 recorded but for people to let me know if itās inconvenient- itās surprising how many people opt out of recorded when I email them to check (I donāt think people read the item description properly). I think I might change my policies to orders over Ā£20 being sent recorded from now on. I just dread having a chancer who claims something didnāt arrive when it has.
Personally I donāt like signed for because invariably I am out when they have tried to deliver and then you have to wait 48 hours I think before you can go and collect them. I just send my parcels 1st class and get proof of postage and never had a problem (touch wood). I can understand though if your items are expensive there really is no other way than to send signed for. Twice though I have had customers contact me to say please donāt send signed for because they are out at work.
I only use signed for delivery on higher priced items, everything else is Royal Mail first class with proof of postage, touching wood, I havenāt had anything go awry so far.
I would go with whatever youāre more comfortable with. Buyers will accept the terms if they want the item, and itās a lot less hassle for them to pick up a parcel than it is for you to have to deal with a non-delivery, replacement goods, refunds and/or no compensation.
I use standard first-class mail for items up to Ā£20 as theyāre covered by proof of posting (make sure you keep it!) and āsigned-forā for all orders over Ā£20. No-one has ever complained and, as far as I know, it hasnāt been a problem. Itās just part of shopping online. Buyers can have goods delivered to another address, work or neighbours, so it shouldnāt be that big a deal.
Thank you to all fellow Folksy members for your comments. You have given us something to think about. We did not know about proof of postage, so maybe we will have to look into sending our low cost items like this.
But like some of you have said, we worry about someone saying that an item hasnāt arrived so we use it more for peace of mind.
The only problem is that Royal Mail donāt seem to hold up their duty and we have had to complain a few times when they havenāt put the details on their website to say that it has been delivered. But as we have not heard back from the customers we know that they have been delivered.
I offer my customers the choice of standard or signed for postage, as I too didnāt want to put customers off with high postage costs. That said, it varies but MOST opt for the signed for, sometimes having them delivered to an alternative or work address. I must say though, this dialogue happens through email as Iāve never made a folksy sale, so not sure how that would work here. But maybe offering an option could help? Xxx
I receive a lot of parcels that are āsigned forā. I have never once had to actually signed for one. if small enough they are put into the letter box and if too big the postman rings the door bell and hands it to me and NEVER asks for me to sign anything.
No idea what they do if a package goes missing or is reported as missing, I often wonder if the post signs it himself
I only send signed for if the value is way above the Ā£20 small package first class insurance limit.
I find it quite aggravating to receive packages with a value of under a fiver which I have to sign for. On one occasion someone on Ebay sent me some sticky labels signed for. I nearly lost them as they arrived 2 days late, after I had gone on holiday for 3 weeks and were returned to the sorting office and by the time I returned they had exceeded their stay there. Fortunately sorting office still had them.
Without signed for they would have gone through the letter box.
Probably depends on where you live. Iām rural, I know my usual post lady, she knows where to leave things if Iām not in. Often leaves things there even when I am !
As a rule I also use signed-for for orders over Ā£20 or I may upgrade at my expense if I get the impression that the parcel goes to a house with multiple occupants where the risk of it ādisappearingā may be greater ā¦
For me, itās value and size.
As a customer, I look at the cost of delivery and have been known (on most occasions) to look elsewhere if I think the delivery is too expensive. If Iām ordering something thatās fairly cheap then no way do I want to be paying for signed for delivery and then waiting in for it.
Our posties never just post them regardless even if theyāll fit through the letter box. they take them back to the depot and itās a total pain when I can only go and pick it up on a Saturday and itās super busy because thatās the only time everyone else can go. Iād not bother buying something if I knew that to be the case & iād look for an alternative. It might seem lazy and daft, but I know Iām not the only one!!
Alternatively- if the item is expensive or I know is too big to fit through the letter box, iād happily pay more to protect the item (and the seller if something happens to it en-route) and if it wouldnāt fit though the letterbox anyway Iād know iād have to be in anyway.
My pet hate though is sellers (generally on ebay) who charge WAY too much for postage so they can make a profit on that! As an artist whoās often posting things, Iām well aware of the ball park figure to which things would cost to post, & it drives me mad when I know the postage should have only cost say, Ā£3.50 but they want to charge Ā£6 or Ā£7.
Ā£6 or Ā£7 may be a bit steep, but they could be factoring in packaging materials and cost to get to post office in there too. Also, ebay charges fees on postage as well as the item, then paypal charges their percentage on the whole value, so that adds nearly 14% to the p&p cost. Another good reason to use Folksy
