Buying and Selling; shipping items and Escrow.com


Good Morning Audiogonners-

I'm considering attempting to purchase some large/heavy speakers from an individual seller on this site, and am concerned about shipping damage, and wonder of anyone could share experience with escrow.com as a means of payment.

From my personal interactions with UPS and FedEx over the last couple of years, I've learned that (I can't remember which) unless you have a personal or business account, you can't insure (a) over a relatively low figure for "damage"; or (b) for anything other than a lost item, such that the buyer and seller might end up with some very nice speakers damaged in shipping and a shipper that has limited willingness to "do" anything about it.  

In addition to that, I've never had the personal pleasure of filing an insurance claim with either of FedEx or UPS, but have read many a horror story about the process.

To the extent that a buyer and seller agree that shipping damage is the responsibility of the Seller, and that (for instance) Buyer can document said shipping damage, and after returning the damaged speakers to the seller, receive a refund of 100% of the purchase price, I wonder if "Escrow.com" is a service that anyone has used and could comment upon?

 

gthirteen
Post removed 

I have used UPS Pack and Ship 3 times successfully. 

You find a UPS Pack and Ship near the seller

Give dimensions and weight to UPS, they give you a preliminary price.

Seller just protects them while dropping off at UPS in your name, they can even deliver unpackaged.

UPS gives you the final price, a bit less or a bit more than the estimate. You pay, so it is in your name, not the sellers. UPS is directly responsible for packaging, damage protection, delivery. 

1 object, and 2 pairs of speakers arrived in perfect condition.

The one time I received a total smashed mess, JVC Two Arm Plinth, TT81, Tonearm, Dust Cover, Feet of the Plinth, the poor unacceptable packaging was done by seller, the insurance I paid for was purchased by the seller, thus the claim had to be documented locally by me at a UPS USA service center, and then the claim had to be made by the seller with UPS Canada, it was a near disaster, 

I got help from my CC fraud Protection, and I therefore advise, use your best credit card to fund paypal or other purchases, get an invoice for goods, pay extra for paypal protection, split it or pay it all, have that protection, not friends and family.

Call your credit card company before the purchase, I confirmed protection when I bought a tonearm from Russia. I even confirmed coverage with Square Trade when I bought the arm a 3 yr warranty, which I used when I needed to have the arm rewired by VAS.

UPS Canada sold the seller insurance, then said invoice says 'vintage', "we do not insure antiques", and in any case it was not double boxed which they require,

Thank goodness I found Vlad, also in Canada, he knows what he is doing.

One of the UPS Pack and Ship pair of AR-2ax speakers I did successfully came from Canada, went perfectly. 

What kind of box will the speakers be in? Card board or wooden? My speakers were sent through DHL and arrived in good shape. 

I’ve used escrow.com a half dozen times and it has worked flawlessly. 
 

I did encounter some resistance from prospective buyers, but in the end they all signed up and used it. 
 

As the buyer you could dictate that escrow.com is the only service you will use. If they want to make the sale and are willing to properly package the speakers they would probably not object.