why are sellers to be trusted, but buyers are not?

The simple way to eliminate the perceived imbalance is to go to the seller to pick up your item.  If you don’t do that, the seller says “I’m willing to absorb the time and expense to ship (read: deliver) it to you - in exchange for you paying up front (with a third party escrow to cover your risk at a relatively small cost.”)

@ibmjunkman 

The CEO's of UPS and FEDEX state that it is network configurations and technological advancements that require the yearly 5%+ cost increases.

I was not arguing the merits or demerits of lost packages, but since you brought it up you need to take into account that each of the carriers have economy options that do not have guaranteed delivery and can- as you found on Reddit - have shipping movements that are perplexing.

If one were really to dig into that, you would find they are simply aggregating shipments and while it may seem ridiculous, one must understand shipping processes that are designed to save costs over direct routing. Think of it as, "well the truck goes there everyday and while in the wrong direction, we have a truck at its destination (a larger distribution center) that runs daily back to its final destination". Basically, its operations, and there is nothing odd about a package designed to be economically shipped going opposite of where it is meant to land.

I sold a large pair (very heavy) speakers that I bought without the boxes, so I sold them as “pickup only”. Since the buyer wasn’t local, he hired a local company to come to my house, pack up the speakers in front of me, and then ship them to the buyer. Both myself and the packet were paid up front (wired funds to me days in advance). The buyer loves them and it was well worth the expense to get them packed well and shipped with no issues.

I am amazed how many dealers get rid of the boxes when they set them up in their showrooms. It just happened to me this week. Every purchase has to include the original boxes.

PayPal may release the payment to the seller, but it can still place a hold until the item is delivered. It also offers buyer protection—provided you pay the fee. The fee can be shared between buyer and seller.

In my view, this is the most secure approach for both parties. I never trust Friends & Family.

For lower-cost items, the fee is minimal—especially when split. For higher-value items, if you’re concerned about security but unwilling to pay half of a relatively small PayPal fee, then you’re probably not serious about purchasing the item.

To heck with F&F! There are cons seeking to get your money without shipping anything. If a seller can’t increase his price to cover a 3% fee he needs to only sell an item to someone locally. I’m not accepting the risk of losing big money to a seller with zero recourse if the item doesn’t work or he decides to simply pocket my money. What fool thinks that’s how to do business? This is simply a new trend by sellers asking for payment with the buyer absorbing all of the risk. You can ask. I don’t have to deal with you. End of story.