Ebay - has it become too powerful?

[ploughmaster]

The same if you are sending anything by recorded delivery, It is only 'recorded' when the item reaches its destination address when you sign the postmans ticket when he delivers it to you so it's a total waste of time.

If you have ever had to claim for a lost package you will know it is not a total waste of time.  With recorded, non receipt means no signature, so Royal Mail will pay out without any hassle.  Without recorded (even with CofP), they go through a proceedure of obtaining written confirmation from the intended recipient that they have not received it.  If they don't confirm this, you don't get the compensation, but, if it's an ebay sale, paid through PayPal, they will get a full refund because you are unable to prove they received anything.

To actually know where your item is you have to send it by 'special' delivery, either 'next day' or 'guaranteed'. I've done this several times and when sending anything by recorded delivery, go online and fill in the tracking form and enter the tracking code number and regardless of wheather the item gets to its destination or no, you never know as there is never any reply or conformation.

The options for SD are 'Next Day before 9.00am' or 'Next Day before 1.00pm'.  There isn't a seperate 'Guaranteed' option.

If it doesn't show on the online or telephone Track and Trace, it may be because the postman didn't get a signature or it didn't get entered on the database (doesn't happen as often since they mainly use PDA's for signatures now) - complain to the delivering Sorting Office if it doesn't show up on Track & Trace - you have paid for the signature!

SD packages are signed in at each sorting office they pass through, so can be traced more easily.  Recorded/Signed For is simply that - it allows you to prove that the package has been delivered.

Recorded does not give you a guarantee of insurance either, you have to fill out a seperate form for this. Guaranteed 'next day' or 'special' delivery is different, insurance comes with this but you have to print the value of the contents on the ticket of which the Post Office retains a copy.

You've been told completely wrong there.  There is compensation for loss or damage up to a maximum of 100x the cost of first class postage on both recorded and standard postage (currently £39).  Recorded costs postage + 75p.  Recorded simply adds proof of delivery.

Only Special Delivery will give compensation above £39 -it automatically gives up to £50 compensation, with an extra charge for values above this.

When someone offers 'proof of postage' this means that they have only been given a receipt for the cost of postage by the Post Office from which it has been sent from and the person to who the item is being sent can only find this out if they know which Office it has been sent from.

As you say, Certificates of Posting only proves the item has been sent, and as far as proving anything to eBay or PayPal are worthless, but can be of assistance if you need to make a claim if something you have sent gets lost or damaged with standard postage.