I have been on the eBay forums talking about this issue. Apparently my understanding of current tracking requirements was incorrect, so I want to make sure I say that up front. I was always of the understanding that a seller was 100% responsible *until* it got into the mail system. The seller had to have a 100% accurate listing, take accurate photos, answer questions promptly, pack it super well, and get it into the post system as fast as humanly possible. I thought once that was done that the seller was all set.
Apparently the current rules - which amaze me - is that the seller has to guarantee that the package GETS to the buyer. It makes no sense to me, but after talking with the other people on eBay I have accepted that the eBay documentation does actually say that now. I never realized this had changed. I use ebay as a "yard sale" and only go on every six months or so to clear out a closet, so I really haven't read the documentation since I began back in 1999. It never occurred to me even in the remotest inkling that I would be responsible if a buyer claimed he didn't get his package.
To me that just opens the door to scammers. I mean, what if I had forced him to pay for delivery confirmation, and he then claimed "well I got the box but it was only full of rocks"? How could I prove that he got a box with CDs in it?
Jeanne is exactly right - this is a clear wake-up call that I need to require delivery confirmation on every single package, and it's a shame, but it's of course the buyers who will have to pay for it.
