Obtaining Delivery Confirmation

[Wouldie]

I am a small-time ebayer with an excellent reputation. Almost 3 weeks ago I sold an item to someone in the Netherlands. I couldn't send an invoice until I knew the address. The buyer stopped communicating. No matter what I did I couldn't get a response. Eventually I had no choice but to open a CANCEL THE TRANSACTION case. Shortly after that, PayPal notified me that they would now be temporarily holding my monies in a 21 day pending account. This is how they treat sellers with excellent reputations? Anyway, I've never used delivery confirmation for anything and never had a problem. Another buyer wanted to buy the item outside ebay. But Paypal will hold my money unless they receive Delivery Confirmation. HOW or WHERE do I purchase Delivery Confirmation? Is a Tracking Number part of Delivery Confirmation? If I get Delivery Confirmation through the Post Office...how does PayPal know when the item has been delivered? I have no problem with 19 cents on a $750 item but I've never done this through PayPal and I'm afraid I'll **bleep** it up. Both the buyer and myself are looking for the most secure way to complete this transaction. Would I be better off with C.O.D. through the P.O.? Any help would be appreciated.

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi Wouldie, and welcome to the forums!

I'm sorry to hear that your initial transaction fell through.

The USPS does offer Delivery Confirmation. Please be aware that there are some limitations to this service:

• Delivery Confirmation is not the same as true Tracking, because it is only meant to show an update upon delivery. If there are any snags along the way, they may or may not be updated and reflected online.
• When shipping internationally, the USPS updates the information as far as customs, and then relies upon the postal service in the destination country to provide the rest of the information.

You may consider looking into using a courier such as UPS or FedEx that offers detailed online tracking, and has control of the package all the way from start to finish. You'll want to obtain signature confirmation since your transaction value exceeds $250, in order to meet the requirements for Seller Protection.

I hope this helps!

Olivia

[Wouldie]

Thank you for your time and the information. I will certainly keep this in mind in the future.

[PayPal_Olivia]

Absolutely! It's always great to know the options and the limitations of each.

Olivia