As order volumes grow, dispatch is about more than choosing a suitable price. How a parcel reaches the customer deserves a moment of attention before the label is printed.
Signature Required can be one option for delivery confirmation, but it is not automatically the right default for every order. An easily replaced accessory and a made-to-order product may call for different checks.
Instead of applying one rule to every parcel, ask three questions: how difficult would this order be to replace, can the customer receive it conveniently, and how does the selected service actually deliver?
1. Look at replacement impact, not retail price alone
Consider a manual review of the delivery choice for orders that involve:
Higher replacement costs or limited remaining stock.
Customised products, limited editions or lengthy remake times.
A customer who specifically wants someone to receive the parcel.
An address with a previous delivery dispute that needs a clearer receiving arrangement.
The recommendation is to review these orders, not to label every product in these groups as requiring a signature. Adding a signature option does not resolve prohibited or restricted-item requirements. First check whether the item can be sent using the intended service. NZ Post prohibited and restricted items
When assessing replacement impact, consider product cost, new packaging, another shipment, customer-support time and any remake delay. A signature choice is only one part of the decision; it does not replace appropriate packaging or a service-suitability check.
2. Check the receiving arrangement before choosing
A staffed business address may make receiving easier to coordinate, but confirm opening hours, who can accept the delivery and the complete address. For a home that is regularly unattended during the day, ask the customer whether a more convenient receiving arrangement is available.
Do not promise that adding a signature makes delivery faster. Nor should one carrier's unsuccessful-delivery process be presented as a universal rule. Redelivery, collection locations and identification requirements should be checked against the notice for that parcel and the selected service.
For lower-value, easily replaced products where convenience matters more to the customer, compare eligible non-signature options. This is a suggested merchant decision process, not a carrier-wide recommendation for a particular product type.
3. Understand three important limits
A signature does not necessarily mean the named recipient signs personally. Aramex's domestic terms permit release to someone accepting on the recipient's behalf. They also specify that electronic signatures or signed delivery sheets are not obtained for rural deliveries. Check the address and service before making promises. Aramex domestic conditions, section 8
Signature parcels may still have an authority-to-leave arrangement. NZ Post's Leave my parcel option allows eligible signature parcels to be signed for by the driver and left as authorised. Do not assume other carriers work identically or promise that every signature parcel will never be left. NZ Post Leave my parcel
A delivery photo is not a personal signature. NZ Post explains that photos are captured for signature parcels delivered under a one-time or ongoing Leave my parcel authority. A photo is a delivery record, not proof that the named recipient personally signed. NZ Post Photo on delivery
A signature option alone is also not evidence that a claim will be paid. Where an order has particular value or protection requirements, separately confirm the applicable carriage and protection conditions before dispatch.
4. Add a short check before printing the label
A practical dispatch checklist can stay simple:
Item: Is it suitable for the selected service, or does it need further review?
Address: Is it complete and accurate? Are rural or other service-specific conditions relevant?
Customer: Do they understand the receiving arrangement, and is their contact number usable?
Service: Does the final carrier, signature selection, price and set of conditions fit this order?
Record: Keep the customer's choice and relevant communication. Resolve uncertainty before printing.
For a step-by-step review of the delivery details, use our New Zealand shipping address checklist.
Saving a signature preference in iShipping can reduce repeated selection, but defaults still need an order-by-order check. For the settings overview, see the new daily booking workflow.
5. Make delivery information clear without overpromising
A store might adapt the following wording:
Signature delivery may be available for selected orders, with eligibility and any charge confirmed at checkout or when we confirm your order. Delivery arrangements depend on the carrier, service, address and any applicable authority-to-leave settings. Please contact us before dispatch if you have a specific receiving requirement.
This is a communication example to adapt to the store's actual offering, not a replacement for its carriage terms. Check which options your store really provides before using it; do not advertise an option that is unavailable.
Before the next label is printed, review the item, address and receiving arrangement. Visit the iShipping Ship page to explore the services currently available. If you are unsure whether signature delivery suits a particular parcel, ask the iShipping team to help check before booking.
This article provides dispatch-planning suggestions. Carrier information was checked on 29 September 2026; use the service information and terms available when booking.