Registered Post provides you as a seller with protection against an “item not received” dispute. When you send an item via Registered Post you receive “proof of lodgement”. This “proof” will be in the form of the carbon copy of the form you fill out with the name and address of both the sender (you) and the recipient (the buyer). This form will also contain a unique reference number. In some instances you might just receive a copy of this number, keep it safe at all costs.

The reference number gives you (and PayPal) the ability to have your item tracked within the Australian Post system. It must be said though that this does not guarantee your parcel will be found if it gets waylaid on route to its destination but at least you have the “proof” that you sent it. PayPal will ask for a faxed copy of the shipping receipt that includes the buyer’s delivery address if the buyer lodges an “item not received” dispute with them. If you can’t produce the evidence it is highly likely that PayPal will find in favour of the buyer and you will be asked to refund the amount paid meaning you are out of pocket and with no item to resell either.

Save time and buy in bulk:

To register a parcel you will need to fill in a form (which can be obtained from the post office) and pay the $2.70 Registered Post charge. Or you can buy the labels in bulk. $102.50 will get you a box of 50 labels thus making them $2.05 each.

Don’t give your customers an option:

Whenever I list an item I do not give my customers an option between Regular or Registered. I only offer Registered because generally speaking people will always take the cheaper option if given the choice. I state that all items (regardless of final sale price) will be sent via Registered Post. I also pass on the full cost but you can decide for yourself whether you want to bear the whole cost yourself, split it between you and your customer or pass the total cost on. By passing on the full cost I know that I will not be tempted to try and cut costs myself and go the cheaper regular post option. By being upfront and stating the postage cost including the Registered charge my customers can decide for themselves if they are willing to pay by choosing to bid or not. I regularly get high bids for my auctions and I have not had any complaints so far about my postage charges so until I do or I think that it is hurting my sales I will keep on with this policy.

What are the benefits of sending your eBay item via Registered Post?

• you receive an unique identification number for each article which can be used to track the item once its in the postal system.
• you receive “proof of lodgement” when lodged over the post office counter and this is the only “proof” that will be accepted by PayPal in an “item not received dispute”.
• you can request signature on delivery (extra $1.80) which would protect you completely against any further claims.
• you can receive compensation up to $100.00 if item is lost or damaged in transit which you could then use to reimburse the buyer and keep your good customer service record intact.
• extra insurance cover is available of $1.20 per $100.00 value and is recommended for more valuable and fragile goods. Bear in mind that Australia Post will judge whether the item was properly packaged to prevent damage and may not pay out if it finds the packaging lacking.

So to give yourself peace of mind and to protect yourself from being held responsible for items gone missing, it pays to send your eBay items via Registered Post.

Please note that sending by Express Post also gives the same results.