A few thoughts about posting items you have sold or want to sell

[Spectral Morn]

Hi Guys

Quite often I see items listed in 'Private Exhibitions' with words indicating that postage/carriage is included in the sale price. That is certainly a great aid to getting a sale but I would like to suggest you think that through first, as there are a number of factors you need to take into account.

Firstly the Royal Mail should really be called Royal Fail, they lose lots of mail regularly so in my opinion you should only post by *Recorded Delivery or Special Delivery* these are the only methods whereby post can be tracked (if anyone knows differently then please say so)

I would really however encourage you to factor in the cost of using *Special Delivery* as this is really the only Royal Mail service that still works well, it means next day delivery, tracking and insurance on the goods being sent + decent levels of compensation if the item is lost. However this is going to cost.......

Secondly your generosity re paying the postage may well end up being greater than you originally thought; regardless of what service you use. Postage charges vary for parts of the UK (as weight and size are a factor) so sending to Scotland or Northern Ireland may cost a bit more than a few miles down the road, so take this into account. You can of course state UK mainland only or England only etc re your offer of paying postage on your listing but again I would urge you to think this through beforehand.

Thirdly the bottom line here is if you post it in such away that the risk in the item getting lost is greater with no way of tracking or finding the item, then frankly this is a false economy. You may well end up having to refund the money on the item if you posted using Second or First class mail (no compensation there except cost of postage X8). If you post via a better service then at least no one losses out money wise.

Fourthly make sure your item is packed to survive WW3 and addressed well using clear large type face i.e printed or using large, black ink, block capitals. I would also protect the address details with a protective film covering sellotape or such like. Also worthwhile putting a return address on the item and info relating to both addresses, the one being sent to and address being sent from inside the item, that way if the addresses are lost from the outside there is still address info inside.

One other advantage of using a postal service were the item must be signed for, is you the sender then have proof the item was received. I guess this is really more for selling on Ebay than on AOS but I suppose better safe than sorry might be the order of the day here as well.

This post is just by way of getting sellers to think things through a bit more before placing their ad in Private Exhibitions and nothing more than that and mostly applies to smaller items that can be sent via Royal Mail, most bigger items will be sent via a courier of some sort, I suspect, but much of the above will still apply to that as well.

If anyone can think of any areas/info I may have left out then feel free to add that extra information to the thread.


Regards D S D L

[northwest]

I use www.parcel2go.co.uk and it is a relatively simple task to work out the postage beforehand.
As an aside - I have discovered that if you advertise an item on eBay inclusive of postage at, let's say £7.50 it will sit there whilst the exact same item advertised a £6.00 plus £2.50 postage sells first. Nuts I know but that is our experience anyway.

[MartinT]

A second vote here for Parcel2Go, excellent service and creates all the paperwork for you.

[Ali Tait]

Thirded. Have used them many times.

[keiths]

I agree with most of the above except for the use of Recorded Delivery. All Recorded Delivery does is provides the seller with proof of delivery - there is no difference in the compensation for loss (which, incidentally is the lower of the postage paid plus the intrinsic value of the item OR 100 x 1st class stamps (=£46) provided a proof of posting (free) is obtained).

The item isn't processed any differently to normal first or second class mail. Indeed, it may well be less convenient for the buyer for small items which will fit through the letterbox as somebody still needs to be in to sign for the item - or it gets taken back to the delivery office. In my opinion, the only time Recorded Delivery is of use is if the seller doesn't trust the buyer - not something that's likely to be an issue here?

[northwest]

the only time Recorded Delivery is of use is if the seller doesn't trust the buyer

Not strictly true (I know I am mis-quoting you) It is also useful if your funds are being held back by Paypal until you have delivered the item. As soon as you put the recorded delivery number into ebay your funds are released.

Another contestant for Parcel/Package delivery logistics is: http://www.myhermes1.co.uk
BUT if you are a small business you really need to be talking to one of the big organisations and get your own account manager. You can also negotiate a very favourable rate and get issues resolved that much more quickly if it goes wrong.

[DSJR]

May I please give a HUGE shout to the people here who've sent me various "stuff" over time. The packing has been first class, the comms have been wonderful and the items always as described. Thanks fellas :)

[Tim]

Hmmm, I feel I must post something in defence of Royal Mail (and I don't work for them!), as the service is not IMO as bad as portrayed. For all the years I have been using RM I can count on one hand the times they have failed me. In fact I can only think of two times and these were Tesco DVD rentals that never arrived back at Tesco, or so Tesco say? I am an eBay trader with over 500 successful sales, most of which were sent via normal mail. The compensation described in your third point is not quite correct either;


Compensation available for lost items
1st Class

For stamped and metered items a postage refund plus compensation on the basis of actual loss, where evidence of posting and evidence of value can be provided. This compensation is subject to the maximum payable being the lower of the market value of the item and statutory maximum of 100 x 1st Class stamps at the first weight step.

Postage refund (a minimum payment of 6 x 1st Class letter stamps at the first weight step) shall be payable where only basic evidence is provided or the item is of no intrinsic value.

For items posted before 9th January 2012 claims must be submitted within 12 months of posting. Claims for items posted on or after 9th January 2012 must be made within 80 calendar days of posting.

That puts maximum compensation at a basic level at £46.00, provided you can validate your claim, dropping it into a mailbox alone is not a good idea. I always obtain a proof of posting and if the value is more than around 30.00 it goes recorded, but as pointed out the way recorded mail is routed and handled is no different to regular mail. I am however fastidious about addressing, with large clearly legible labels and I photograph the packet too. Looking at some of the parcels I get from eBay and the scrawls written on the packets, it's no wonder that some don't arrive - is this the carriers fault? I guess a lot can depend on where you live too and the staff at your local depot.

All the other advice is sound and makes sense, I also like Parcel2Go but do choose the carrier wisely as cheapest if often not worth it, especially if you have to wait in all day and the courier does not turn up (CityLink on two separate occasions).

I may have been lucky, but I think Royal Fail is a bit harsh. ;)

[twotone]

I've started using parcel monkey, they're about a third cheaper for the same service from other couriers.

E.G, £5.99 plus vat for next day city link with a 7kg parcel from Glasgow to Durham. There's some free insurance but upgrading to £50 costs £0.14

They are easy to use and so far so good.

Think if you up-grade your account with them then you get parcelforce deals really cheap, I've no idea how much the upgrade is though as I've only subbed to the free service. The Parcelforce price for the same service above was £11 plus vat however with the upgrade it was down to about £7.50 plus vat.

Tony

[Dominic Harper]

I have found out recently that all the other parcel companies will only insure parcels up to £500.00. However, royalfail will insure up to any amount, but they charge you through the nose. This is in particular to parcels being posted abroad. Sadly, royalfail have the monoply on the insurance. I have tried every parcel company to try and get some of the expensive Koetsus that are going abroad insured for there value, but none of the other companies will do that. Royalfail, are well aware of this fact, and you end paying well over the odds, an example insuranced item to be sent to Newzealnd valued at £2500.00 insurance price £133.00. Greedy B******s. Sorry for the bad language.

Natalie;)

[hifinutt]

Hmmm, I feel I must post something in defence of Royal Mail (and I don't work for them!), as the service is not IMO as bad as portrayed. For all the years I have been using RM I can count on one hand the times they have failed me. In fact I can only think of two times and these were Tesco DVD rentals that never arrived back at Tesco, or so Tesco say? I am an eBay trader with over 500 successful sales, most of which were sent via normal mail. The compensation described in your third point is not quite correct either;



That puts maximum compensation at a basic level at £46.00, provided you can validate your claim, dropping it into a mailbox alone is not a good idea. I always obtain a proof of posting and if the value is more than around 30.00 it goes recorded, but as pointed out the way recorded mail is routed and handled is no different to regular mail. I am however fastidious about addressing, with large clearly legible labels and I photograph the packet too. Looking at some of the parcels I get from eBay and the scrawls written on the packets, it's no wonder that some don't arrive - is this the carriers fault? I guess a lot can depend on where you live too and the staff at your local depot.

All the other advice is sound and makes sense, I also like Parcel2Go but do choose the carrier wisely as cheapest if often not worth it, especially if you have to wait in all day and the courier does not turn up (CityLink on two separate occasions).

I may have been lucky, but I think Royal Fail is a bit harsh. ;)

yes i must say royal mail have delivered 99% of mail on time over several years. can`t praise them enough now couriers....don`t get me started!

[Mr.Ian]

A second vote here for Parcel2Go, excellent service and creates all the paperwork for you.

excellent BUT only providing the parcel arrives and does so in one piece - having seen their aftersale service for damaged in transit in action I wouldn't go near this operation ever again.

If you want ease of quote in my opinion transglobal are the best, insurance costs show, and costs are amongst the lowest especially on international too but some of the rules are a bit stringent so interparcel might fit the bill.

As for Royal Mail its always proved very reliable for me and for low weight high value items my preferred route

[Sand Dancin Donkey Walker]

I have just used Royal Mail to send my cartridge to Dominic for checks and service.
They insured it up to £2.5k and it cost £11 ish


Couriers on the other hand;

DHL

Never had anything but problems with these lot;

Drop It
Hide It
Loose It

Andy - SDDW

[Dominic Harper]

[QUOTE=Sand Dancin Donkey Walker;303240]I have just used Royal Mail to send my cartridge to Dominic for checks and service.
They insured it up to £2.5k and it cost £11 ish


[COLOR=#000080]Couriers on the other hand;

DHL

Never had anything but problems with these lot;

Drop It
Hide It
Loose It

Hi Andy, we received your cart couple of days ago. Yes it is between £10.00 and £12.00 for UK, I was talking about things going abroad and the prices they charge. Royalmail is the only company that I know of that will insure item over £500.00 going oversees, but the insurance is expensive, but I guess you have to think what is more important. Your £2500.00 cart being insured or not? Anyway, we normally charge around £10.00 for return with insurance in the UK. I'm sure Dom will be in contact with you in a few days.

Natalie;)

[Sand Dancin Donkey Walker]

Cheers Natalie

Look forward to hearing from you.

Andy

[RichB]

had a 2 bad experiences with myhermes, both items i packed and labelled well were kicked from one end of the country to the other... beyond belief just how badly damages an amp i sent was, havent ruled out mischief on behalf of the buyer tho. anyway, aftersales service amounted to "you want us to do what about it?". my confidence in their service was really knocked when the spotty kid who looked as if he's barely passed his driving test, and probably shouldnt be responsible with other people's possessions, arrived to collect the parcel in his beat up old fiesta loaded to the brim with other people's stuff... i nearly said 'nevermind mate I've changed my mind' had it not been for the money already paid, on reflection i wished i had.

Percelforce 48 however has always been reliable, as they ruddy should be at the price, £15 avg for an amp, insured up to £100. disgrace.

[MartinT]

excellent BUT only providing the parcel arrives and does so in one piece - having seen their aftersale service for damaged in transit in action I wouldn't go near this operation ever again.

To balance that, I did once have to make a claim against a lost delivery and Parcel2Go treated me very professionally, seeing it all the way through to compensation.

[keiths]

I too found Parcel2go very efficient when I made a compensation claim. An Arcam P85 power amp that I sold on eBay arrived damaged (the buyer hadn't really helped matters by neglecting to tell me he would be working abroad from the day after he paid for the amp - DHL made about 5 attempts to deliver it to him during his month away, during which the package got battered beyond belief).

[Clothears]

I used to ship everything via Parcel2Go using the DHL 48 Economy service, competitive rates and without fail always delivered next working day in one piece. DHL sold that particular service to Yodel and I used their service once, and once only. Absolutely dreadful service from start to finish, how that amp arrived in one piece is a miracle, the buyer actually sent me photographs of a footprint on the box. Luckily I always double box everything so the outer box had taken the brunt of the damage.

Since that experience I switched to Interparcel and use their economy service for any domestic UK deliveries, which is via UPS. So far, so good. UPS have been reliable, prompt and the packages are easily tracked on their website.

Don't forget Parcel2Go, Interparcel etc. are just "middlemen", they are only as good as the courier you ultimately choose to go with. The one thing that makes me prefer Interparcel to Parcel2Go is that when something does go awry or you need to change something, you can actually speak to someone at Interparcel. When it all went wrong with Parcel2Go/Yodel I was forced to go on line and complain/sort via the keyboard, when I was actually very keen to speak to someone.

[Reid Malenfant]

One other advantage of using a postal service were the item must be signed for, is you the sender then have proof the item was received. I guess this is really more for selling on Ebay than on AOS but I suppose better safe than sorry might be the order of the day here as well.
Yes, I remember purchasing a DCX2496 from France a little while ago... The ebay seller sent it via Fedex & Fedex got in touch with me to inform me it should be here on the Friday following the sale :) So as you do I kept logging into the tracking page & discovered it was in the UK on the Thursday morning & apparently out for delivery :D I was getting all excited...

Until I saw on the website that it said it had been delivered :scratch: :eek:

I managed to find a phone number for Fedex & got in touch to ask them what the hell was going on. At that point no-one knew so I was fed a load of cobblers :rolleyes:

When I finally did find out from someone assigned to the case I found out it had been delivered to the correct address, but in the wrong town & county! Luckily the chap that received it was honest & he to got in touch with Fedex & it got back into the system - but I couldn't track it as it was already marked as delivered. In the end it got to me on the following Monday....


Moral of the story is tracking may not mean it has been delivered to the correct address :rolleyes:

[worrasf]

Just to add my twopenneth - I will only use RoyalMail and/or ParcelForce. I have always had great service both as a seller and buyer - never lost a package and I think the costs are reasonable - OK I dont send uber expensive stuff abroad so am not affected by the high cost of insurance. Their international small packet service is excellent value and on low cost items the insurance is OK (just sent a Sonus cartridge to Norway and tracked, insured and signed for was about a tenner.
They also reliably deliver to me at work (hospital) whereas couriers like City Link universally screw up - basically they cant be arsed to spend an extra 5 mins to find somewhere to park - I now enquire when I am buying which mail delivery service they use and like as not if it's not RM, FedEx or UPS I dont buy.

Oh another reason for using RM is it supprts my local village Post Office - the ladies who run it are just so nice ;)

Steve

[Tony2112]

Thanks twotone, will check out Parcel Monkey. I have used Parcel2Go several times and found them great. The last time (I use them for business) was a bit pathetic but they upped the service for free to next day delivery. £10 something, Post Office £43 for the same job. Still will check out Parcel Monkey, Parcel2Go good, seem to get a lot of email crap but I haven't looked to unsubscribe yet while I see what they offer.

[Lawrence001]

BEWARE this website is dodgy according to my phone it won't let me view it.

[struth]

if its big or fragile use ups.if its urgent rm next day is good. cheaper less damagale stuff hermes have come on a bundle

[mad-moon]

parcel2go for big stuff...pay insurance to the full value of the item and tick the box which says...recipient must sign for the item....smaller inexpensive stuff...up to £50.00 the post office is a no brainer...I have had one lost item in 14 years...and then that arrived back at my address 4 months later...the post office had compensated me for the loss...I offered to pay them back and they told me to keep the compensation

[Spectral Morn]

BEWARE this website is dodgy according to my phone it won't let me view it.

Dealt with.

[Vince]

Parcel 2Go and I select MyHermes were I can. These are local people who know there job depends on you getting your parcel. I've also found that they will knock more than once and then running away. I have used other and had no problems and if it is a really small item, i.e. a fuse, then Royal Mail, signed for. However we are all entitled to use who ever we feel are best for yourself.

[Macca]

There's loads of these threads about and the only thing you ever learn from them is that all parcel companies screw up sometimes. Life's a lottery, stay lucky.

[karma67]

Parcel 2Go and I select MyHermes were I can. .

lol you must be the only one i know that does this out of choice :D

[Lawrence001]

lol you must be the only one i know that does this out of choice :D

+1

[Edward]

A tip I learnt from Will at Radford Revival is to mark up parcels with a big sign saying "Sensitive Urgent Medical Equipment - Please take extreme care."

:lol: