A lot of sellers seem to like adding a section in their small print which says, in some way or other, that they are not responsible for the item or items purchased being lost in the post. Putting it simply, this is NOT TRUE, and regardless of whether a seller's terms state this or not, the seller IS responsible. The only time a seller ceases to be responsible for the item being lost or damaged in transit is when that item has been received by the buyer.

Why? Well the reason is simple. A buyer could purchase an item from an unscrupulous seller, who then pockets the money and tells the buyer the item has been sent. A week later, having not received anything, the buyer sends the seller a message asking where the item is. The seller says "lost in post" and voila, washes their hands of the "lost item", since they are not responsible for that. Utter rubbish.

For sellers sending items, it is easy to ensure items are not lost, or if they are, a claim can be made. Simply sending the item by a fully trackable means (EG. Royal Mail Special Delivery, or DHL (these are the two methods i use)) and you can then prove if an item is lost and then begin an insurance claim against the service used to get the money back for the item they lost. Likewise, it can also be used to prove to possible unscrupulous buyers that an item has not only been sent, but has also been delivered and signed for (required if Paypal claims are made, Paypal will not honour their seller protection plan unless a fully trackable dispatch method is used).

The bottom line, for all concerned, is that sellers ARE responsible for their items right up to the moment the buyer has it in their hands. Whether they like it or not...