Talk

the cheapest is just getting a proof of postage at the counter which is basically your receipt with the address on it.
the next up is signed-for, which costs an extra pound on top od your stamp.
then there's special delivery which is guaranteeed next day and starts at £5.something

Proof of postage is not a trackable proof of delivery.

Recorded delivery is enough I believe.

Proof of postage is not trackable. If your buyer claims non-receipt you will have to refund and claim back from the post office.

Trackable is recorded or special delivery e.g a method where the buyer has to sign for the item.

I was thinking from a non-receipt ppint of view in that you can get it back if it goes mising.
signed for id the cheapest properly trsckable where the rm knows where it is.

OK, thanks.
So - next question is - is a 'trackable POD' mandated?
Is this what you all do, or does it depend on the likely selling price?

trackable is recorded or courier so you can prove online that the buyer has received their item

what do you mean by mandated?

thanks fergoose. Can you tell that I'm an utter, utter newbie @ Ebaying?!

By mandated, I meant: do you have to, or is it just advised? The how-to thing I read, said it like you HAVE to do trackable... ie "then you enter your tracking number...", and this gets sent through automatically to the buyer...

NB I've only ever bought very very chap stuff on ebay - Lego bits and bobs, screws and nails etc. There is no way that they;d have been tracked.

chap Cheap

it is part of the paypal agreement you send with a signature to prove delivery, so yes. It is your responsibility to get the item to the buyer, and if the buyer wants to claim not received and you didn't send with a signature you will lose your money.

Is it much more expensive to post recorded delivery? At what price item do you think it is worthwhile?

I always send recorded, and add it to the p&p cost. I always mention in listing that I only send recorded for both our peace of minds. When I first started with ebay, I would just use proof of postage, which was a nightmare when customers said things didn't arrive.

Think also about if you want to send outside the UK as this costs more and you have to enter different p&p costs for this. If UK only, keep an eye on bidders, as some from overseas will try and bid still.

Thank you.

try myhermes & collect plus for cheaper tracked delivery.

Thanks for all these top tips!
I'm going to have a good read of some other posts in this topic, and get stuff ready for listing! I've got some cheapy stuff that I can learn the ropes with at starting price of 99p, then when the next free listing thingamajig comes up, I will hopefully be ready to get rid of some clutter.

don't start at 99p unless you want to sell for that amount - wait for free listing and start your prices higher.

I've just got a couple of thing that I'd be happy to sell at 99p! - so I can get my head around how ebay works. Then list other things at free listing.