which amazon.co.uk delivery options for an item to yourself require a signature ?

**cojak** · 24 January 2010, 10:34

I'm not sure there's an answer to this, eilquant.

There might be a policy depending on how expensive your purchase is, but with 3rd parties selling on e-Bay now it's probably different for every one of them...

I haven't signed for anything from Amazon for a while now. It may be worth asking the vendors who the carrier was and making a complaint to them (particularly if you discover that it was the same vendor in every case, then it's a matter for the police...)

**mudskipper** · 24 January 2010, 10:35

Originally posted by eliquant View Post

which amazon.co.uk delivery options for an item to yourself require a signature ?

I've looked at the amazon.co.uk delivery options and in the description details I couldn't see any mention that these options carry a 'must be signed for' policy:

* FREE Super Saver
* First Class
* Free One-Day Delivery with free trial of AmazonPrime
* Express Delivery
* Evening Delivery

Also I expect that it may be slightly different maybe if you are buying the item direct from "Amazon EU" or via a third party via "Amazon Market Place".

The reason I ask is because I had a few items go missing over Christmas and
I had to get in contact with Amazon.co.uk about these and it was a pain, this is the first time anything has gone missing in over 3 years or so I think from amazon.co.uk. I've had signed for items before both on Express and Super Saver delivery options (I think) and its a bit hit or miss as to whether or not you have to sign for them or not.

I think if they attempt to deliver and you are not there and and the item is too big for the letter box then they 'do' leave a note to come and collect, but I was wondering what happens if the postman can't be *rsed to leave a note and takes the item for himself or if it does get delivered and a neighbour in the flats I'm in decides to help himself, which option in the delivery amazon options will prevent this ????

Thanks in advance.

For a retailer to gain a signature on every item delivered costs them much more (a cost that is ultimately passed on to the customer). So, unless there's a particular problem it's not worth their while - it costs less to cover the losses than pay for POD on every item. Also customers generally don't like to have to sign for small items - a DVD can fit through your letterbox so you don't want to be traipsing to the post office to collect it because you're at work when the postman comes.

**eliquant** · 24 January 2010, 11:43

Ok thanks for that info makes sense, I guess I'll take my chances on super saver then !

**NickFitz** · 24 January 2010, 18:14

Disclaimer: the ways of Amazon are strange and not to be understood by mere mortals, so any or all of what follows may be wrong.

As far as I understand it, First Class will always be sent by Royal Mail and won't require a signature. For the other delivery options it depends on the size of the order. If the total delivery charge (or what the delivery charge would have been, if you have Amazon Prime free delivery) is under a certain threshold then Amazon won't get a discount on it from Royal Mail, and will instead use one of the other carriers; these usually require a signature.

I don't know what the threshold is; also, I may have got it wrong and it's a threshold on the total value of the order rather than the delivery charge.

Just to confuse matters a bit further, I've had large orders (c. £200) which were split into multiple packages. Even though one of the packages was a single book it came via Royal Mail, despite the fact that if it had been ordered individually it would have been sent via another carrier

A further note: if you collect stuff from Royal Mail you have to watch them. I had a card which clearly stated that there were two packets, but the bloke at the office found the first one, handed it over and apparently thought matters were at an end. I had to tell him there was another one, and he had to pull out the card again and look at it suspiciously before grudgingly heading back over to the racks and hunting around. The second box was right next to where the first one had been, label upwards

which amazon.co.uk delivery options for an item to yourself require a signature ?