This has me shaken.
Recently I sold an old Synergy for parts to someone here. He sent me $20 through PayPal, and I mailed him the marker in a medium flat rate box through USPS. Shortly after, the package was lost somewhere in California, and I went through the process of filling out forms, first for a missing mail request and a few weeks later for a lost item claim. The item was found a month later and delivered to the recipient (yay), but then I got a letter from the post office saying that my claim was denied.
They said my claim was denied there was "insufficient evidence of value" and because the item was delivered. I get the part about the item being delivered, obviously, but why also include this part about insufficient evidence?
Now, I DID provide proof of purchase during the claim process. I uploaded my PayPal receipt, which includes all the stuff they asked for. The receipt includes the buyer's name, the price paid, the date of the transaction, and a description of the item purchased. (The buyer only said "synergy" for that last part, but it should be enough to correlate with everything else.) The last thing post office asked for was "assurance that the transaction status is completed," but I don't know what they mean by that. (The receipt did say "Money Received," but isn't the receipt itself proof that the transaction was completed?
Anyway, thankfully the item was delivered, and thankfully it was only worth $20, but now I'm sitting here wondering what to do the next time I sell something. I'm getting ready to sell some bigger ticket items in the $300-$500 range. If something gets lost, apparently a PayPal receipt isn't good enough proof to get an insurance claim approved? So, what is the safest way to sell stuff? Do I need to ask the buyers to include more details for their bylines on the PayPal statement? Do I only sell through eBay? Do I use UPS or FedEx instead?
Has anyone else dealt with this? How do you respond when the post office says that a PayPal receipt isn't enough proof of value for an item you've sold?
Recently I sold an old Synergy for parts to someone here. He sent me $20 through PayPal, and I mailed him the marker in a medium flat rate box through USPS. Shortly after, the package was lost somewhere in California, and I went through the process of filling out forms, first for a missing mail request and a few weeks later for a lost item claim. The item was found a month later and delivered to the recipient (yay), but then I got a letter from the post office saying that my claim was denied.
They said my claim was denied there was "insufficient evidence of value" and because the item was delivered. I get the part about the item being delivered, obviously, but why also include this part about insufficient evidence?
> Insufficient Evidence of Value. Reference Domestic Mail Manual section 609.3.2
For Internet transactions conducted through a Web-based payment network that offers payment services through a stored value account, provide a computer printout of the online transaction identifying the purchaser and seller, price paid, date of transaction, description of item purchased, and assurance that the transaction status is completed. The printout must clearly identify the Web-based payment network provider through which the Internet transaction was conducted.
For Internet transactions conducted through a Web-based payment network that offers payment services through a stored value account, provide a computer printout of the online transaction identifying the purchaser and seller, price paid, date of transaction, description of item purchased, and assurance that the transaction status is completed. The printout must clearly identify the Web-based payment network provider through which the Internet transaction was conducted.
Anyway, thankfully the item was delivered, and thankfully it was only worth $20, but now I'm sitting here wondering what to do the next time I sell something. I'm getting ready to sell some bigger ticket items in the $300-$500 range. If something gets lost, apparently a PayPal receipt isn't good enough proof to get an insurance claim approved? So, what is the safest way to sell stuff? Do I need to ask the buyers to include more details for their bylines on the PayPal statement? Do I only sell through eBay? Do I use UPS or FedEx instead?
Has anyone else dealt with this? How do you respond when the post office says that a PayPal receipt isn't enough proof of value for an item you've sold?
I was happy to help, as it was an absolutely stunning gun, other than the break. The kind of craftsmanship I can only dream of.)
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