Signed-for delivery: US buyer wants it left on the porch

Pikka

I've just received a small order of two minifigs from the United States. The buyer left an Order Note: "Please tell shipping company to leave at door!"

We are a Europe-based store and we always ship US orders as Registered Mail International. This is an inexpensive service (compared to UPS, FedEx and DHL) that comes with proof of posting, insurance, full tracking AND signed-for delivery. All this is supposed to give both buyer and us a peace of mind. Unfortunately (or luckily) signed-for delivery-is an integral part of the service and can't be bypassed.

Now, I would like to avoid a situation like the one when an US buyer got angry because she didn't find her package on the porch and had to drive to the post office to collect it. We will (as requested) write a leave-at-door note on the package, but it will depend on the USPS postal worker if he'll be willing to bend the rules.

What would you do in this situation? Would you ship without proof-of-posting/tracking and hope for the best? Any other ideas?

Calibrick

If this comes up rarely, I would just talk to the buyer offline and advise them of your shipping terms... and that even if you leave the note, USPS will likely ignore it due to your standard shipping method. Give them an opportunity to concur or cancel?

If it comes up frequently, I would put a big note on your storefront reminding US buyers that you only ship international with signature, as its more cost-effective for them and easier to track for you both (you could even get into USPS issues recently, which have really been challenging over here... they're barely scanning barcoded shipments anywhere along the line - even when tracking is paid for - until actual delivery, which has been causing us no end of problems (not to mention making finding late packages a nightmare in their system).

Just a few ideas to consider!! :-)

Pikka

@Calibrick Luckily, it rarely happens. When US buyer wants to place an order and has to choose shipping, we offer only one option (besides Quote Request) and it's named "Worldwide (International Registered Mail)". There is a description of this service ("Proof of posting / Fully trackable service / Signature for delivery required.") but unfortunately it appears for the first time on the 3rd page of the Checkout process – which is too late and might be overseen.