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Knowing
that a package has been delivered and that your obligation as a
seller has been completed--that's the kind of piece of mind that
sellers crave. The United States Postal Service's Delivery
Confirmation (DC) is a service that allows sellers to have just
that. Here we provide an overview of DC, as well as look at some
of the pros and cons of using it.
What
Is It?
First available in March 1999, Delivery Confirmation allows
sellers to verify the delivery of their items; also, it can be
used to track the progress of a shipment. Each parcel processed
with DC is identified with its own identification number, which
is bar coded within a special compliant shipping/mailing label.
By purchasing the service, you will have access to the date and
time of a delivery, as well as the zip code of where the
shipment was delivered. Information also is provided about any
attempted deliveries and forwarded or returned shipments.
All this information is
accessible within 24 to 72 hours from USPS through the Internet,
telephone, or electronic file transfer. According to the USPS,
all delivery information in its Delivery Confirmation database
is updated every evening. The cost is 35 cents per piece for
Priority Mail and 60 cents per piece for Parcel Post. Rates are
even lower for customers who send and receive Delivery
Confirmation electronically.
Pros
and Cons
Why use Delivery Confirmation? For sellers, the main attraction
is that it potentially reduces risk by resolving any "he
said, she said" disputes concerning delivery of an item.
For example, a dishonest buyer can't claim that an item never
arrived if Delivery Confirmation proves otherwise.
According to one seller
who regularly uses the service: "I use Delivery
Confirmation on all my packages both from eBay and Half.com
because I like knowing I can prove I shipped something and where
it was last known to be. Before using DC I used to hear from
some customers 'I haven't received my item yet,' yet I knew it
should have already been there. With DC they know I can trace
its whereabouts, and since using DC I have had ZERO problems
with customers saying they haven't received their
widget/item/whatever. It's seller's insurance."
Another big attraction:
the low price.
On the other hand, some
sellers say that Delivery Confirmation is superfluous and not
necessary if regular insurance is used. Moreover, as another
seller pointed out, DC confirms delivery, not that a package was
"correctly" delivered. Because Delivery Confirmation
does not require a signature from the recipient, it's still
possible that the parcel could be delivered to the wrong party.
Also at issue is the
matter of customer service. "If your buyer says he never
got the item, are you really going to argue with him?"
wrote AW member capotasto in a Message Center post. "What
kind of reputation do you want?"
The
Way That You Use It
When it comes to deciding whether to use Delivery Confirmation
vs. traditional
insurance, it might just come down to a matter of cost and
personal preference. "To me it's cheap insurance,"
said one DC user. "Most of the time it just verifies the
matter. If a package is lost, the PO can start where it was last
scanned, which should cut down the search time. Remember, there
are billions of pieces being mailed each week--nothing is
guaranteed. It's just another tool."
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