If anyone asks you to allow them to set up shipping from their location especially overseas remember you as a seller will have no protection at all in the event of a problem, real or imagined,  should one arise. Paypal requires a tracking number , if you cannot provide one you have nothing to stand on. (In the case of a  buyer arranging his/her own courier, the buyer is the  only one that has the tracking number- the seller doesn`t have it.)

 This is very easy to claim as an item not received and hold the seller responsible then a full refund is issued to the buyer who not only enjoys a free boombox, but free shipping too. The seller is out the boombox , the money paid for it and the shipping charges.

 Just a heads up be sure to ship securely, with a tracking number you generated as the seller.

thanks for the careful advice -

i suppose that the seller might earn paypal protection in these cases

by

1. not releasing the package to the courier without a copy of their tracking #

2. a receipt signed by the courier

3. saving 100% of the emails that have arranged and confirmed this exact deal

that good enough ?

Ira.  I suggest you follow stynger007's advice and not go there.  There is the black/white part of our responsibilities.  Then there is the gray area.  It's gray for a reason meaning it would be subject to interpretation by somebody else.  Would you want to to risk the disposition of your $1,000 boombox to someone else's who has ultimate arbitrary ruling authority and hope they decide in your favor?  The exception is if the buyer is willing to pay via certified means such as western union, bank transfer, etc.  In my opinion, eBay and PayPal is too risky for sellers not to follow the rules explicitly.

ok , norm

i agree its safest to ship via the paypal approved procedures

thanks

UPS, DHL, Transglobal express are all worldwide shipping agents, offer 3 to 4 day courier service from Australia, Canada, Usa and Europe, i have used them all,with no problems

if transactions are dealt with through the correct routes on ebay for example and there policies seller paying fees as stated on terms and conditions of Ebay fees and PayPal fees

Pay Pal invoices for ebay transactions then both parties will be covered, with no problems. you can even send tracking numbers for both parties through ebay and paypal for your transaction protecting both the seller and buyer.

You completely missed the point.  The title of the thread was OUTSIDE COURIER SERVICES which is outside of the control of the seller.  Seller has obligations according to PayPal and eBay.  Those obligations require the seller to provide tracking numbers for protection.  First off, international tracking numbers are frequently not available on the cheaper services and in the US, UPS probably costs 200% to 300% higher than the US Postal Service.  Who's gonna pay that difference?  DHL is not available in the USA at all.  And if the buyer arranges his own courier, then control of that service lies with the buyer while the seller is the responsible party.  What if the item is under or not insured?  What if the buyer refuses to provide a tracking number?  What if the buyer redirects the shipment (UPS and Fedex both allows that).  What if the buyer ships it to an (as per paypal and ebay) unconfirmed ship-to address?  All this spells trouble for a seller.  If it were me, I would not sell under those circumstances.

I'm intrigued, so what did the buyer tell you when you presumably asked them for a copy of the tracking number the day or the day after the item left you?