Reading the thread about queropony has gotten me concerned about shipping items overseas when buyers pay with paypal. I know that when shipping items within the US, for paypal to "believe" that you have shipped the item, they require delivery confirmation. But this is not available for overseas shipping. So what services do I need to use with USPS to prove to paypal that I did ship something? I am not asking about something I have already shipped, I just want to know for the future what it is I need to do to avoid losing money in disputes like that.

If you can't get tracking I'm assuming the best thing to do would be to insure the item. That way if they file for not recieving it then you could at least claim the insurance to get your money back.

I usually read through feedback and such to get a feel for each transaction and take it from there. If it's a really expensive item or I feel there's any risk I get insurance or send expedited post which is only available for shipping to the US from Canada.

I've had the same debate myself in the past as far as international buyers and the whole tracking issue. So far I haven't had any problems but one of these days I could get burned.

I'd like to know what PayPal accepts other than tracking numbers, too.

ALWAYS use Global Priority. It comes with a tracking number.

Thank you!

Anytime. I will only ship Global Priority unless I KNOW the person. It's the safest least expensive way

Global priority (in our experience) is only a viable alternative for loose ponies and isn't economical for boxed or MOC items. For those items, we have been using Airmail Parcel Post and mandating insurance - the price is considerably lower for overseas shipments vs Global Priority and you are still protected against paypal chargebacks and unscrupulous buyers.

This is a great thread, as it gives info to all of us, especially the ones selling, I have done a little selling on ebay, and plannning to sell 1 or 2 ponies soon, so is good to know and have it spelled out in the auctions.

Sorry to bump this up a month later, but I have some new info:

It seems we were all under the impression that as sellers, we are "safe" against fradulent "item not received" claims from buyers who paid with paypal if we ship items via global priority mail. We are apparently WRONG!

I sold a very expensive pony to someone in Europe recently, and the buyer paid with paypal. I wanted to make absolutely 100% certain that the pony will get there, and that I will have proof (proof enough for paypal at least). So, I called paypals customer service. The guy I spoke to said that an item must have a TRACKING NUMBER on it for the seller to be protected when shipping an item overseas. He also told me that he thought that global priority mail came with a tracking number.

So I went to the post office today, ready to ship the item global priority mail, which runs about $6-10 for one pony, depending on the destination. And the postal employee told me that the only way to get tracking on a package when sending it internationally is to send it via global EXPRESS mail, which starts at $25 for one pony! I did send it that way to be safe, but I wanted everyone else to know that in order to stay safe when shipping an item overseas after a buyer has paid via paypal, the item must be shipped via global EXPRESS mail (NOT global priority mail)!

I am a little upset because I intend to be selling many ponies soon, and I hate to charge such ridiculous fees ($25 for one pony! No one will pay that!), and thereby exclude all overseas bidders, but if it is the only way that I can stay safe, I guess that's just the way it is.

Thats rediculous money!! We have international signed for, £3.50, I guess that has a little number on the ticket like the US tracking, but I have no idea on how to use it. I've never seen anything on the website. Postage costs are stupid.

Go to www.usps.gov and select international shipment. Once you put in the box size and the weight, you will see a link for additional services associated with each of the different types of postage.

For US --> other international destinations, most of us have traditionally used the airmail letter rate (formerly called small packet) and that works for most shipments. If you check additional services associated with them, you can get (to most countries) REGISTERED mail which provides a tracking number which verifies your shipment and provides tracking information (trackable from the USPS tracking link on the same website). It is my understanding that Paypal will accept this as adequate proof of shipment and protect sellers from spurious chargebacks. The cost of registered small packet is $8 (on top of the postage) which is usually still cheaper than the parcel post airmail rate (plus additional services for insurance or other tracking forms). Insurance is only available on the parcel post rate too btw and is also adequate proof for paypal purposes.

Unfortunately, I don't believe the priority mail international provides any tracking (the number you get is the customs form number which is not considered as adequate proof by paypal... which boggles my mind since it shows the address when you have the long form and is indicated on the receipt along with the destination point.

In any case, when doing the international shipping thing, consider using that additional services button and find registered, insured or proof of delivery costs to protect yourself against fraudulent chargeback.

Delaneys, thanks for your input, but I don't understand why the postal employee (and he is someone I have dealt with for a while; he's not new or anything) would tell me that the only way to actually track an overseas package is to send it via express mail...? I asked if there was a service I could add to regular airmail or global priority mail to provide tracking, and he said he was positive that global express is the only way to get a tracking number. He did also say that the postal service is working on making it possible to add tracking to other types of global mail, but he said right now, express mail is the only option if you want a tracking number.

It is possible that he was wrong though, so does anyone else have anything to add to this...?

Also, you said that getting insurance when sending something via airmail parcel post is adequate proof for paypal? I wonder then why the guy I spoke to with paypals customer service said the ONLY way sellers are covered when shipping items internationally is if they have a TRACKING number...? I am considering sending paypal an email (I cant deal with the long distance charges to call them again), to double-check on that though. Especially since the guy I spoke to was under the impression that global priority mail provides a tracking number, which it doesn't.

I went to the USPS website, and calculated postage for the package I sent global express mail for $25, if I had sent it airmail letter post and registered, and it came to $16, which is cheaper than what I paid, but doesn't include insurance (which global express comes with). But, when I looked up the service of registered mail itself, it said nothing about providing a tracking number. You can read that info here if you want: www.usps.com/global/in...ces.htm#H2

Of course, I would love to hear from others' personal experience with overseas shipping. Has anyone had an item not received claim from someone overseas before? If so, what method did you ship and did paypal accept it as proof? Or, has anyone else used registered mail for overseas mail, and does it in fact provide a tracking number (despite the fact that it doesnt mention this on the usps website)? Lastly, has anyone ever used insurance alone (no tracking number) to prove to paypal that they had sent an item overseas?

USPS Tracking Link

Paste the following number in there:

RA011822254US

That is a registered mail number for a shipment to Greece we recently made. It does not show daily tracking like a fedex shipment but it does show when you dropped at post office, when it hits customs in the other country, when it leaves customs in the other country and when it is delivered. Perhaps that is how the postal clerk interpreted your question. All I care about is a cost effective way of getting stuff to foreign lands that I won't get tagged back from paypal for myself =o). If you want fedex style tracking, then yes, you pay extra for that kind of service.

ditto delaneys! i was in there the other day watching a cute asian couple post care packages and registered mail DOES provide tracking!

Okay I am confused now. Whenever I send Global Priority, they have to scan TWO numbers. The customs form number that is NOT a tracking number and then this number

shop.usps.com/webapp/w...&langId=-1

What is this number for if not for tracking?

EDIT:

I just found my latest GPM receipt and entered the number for it in the "Track and Confirm" part of USPS.com. I happen to know this was delivered before even inputting the number because I received confirmation from the trader already. I just wanted to see if this was indeed a tracking number. It came up and said that the status was "delivered abroad" GPM has a tracking number on every package or else it is not GPM.... I will continue to use it.