Paypal postage - can I drop at sorting office rat...

[spookylukey]

I've sold an ebay item which is being sent by Royal Mail standard parcels, I've printed a postage label through Paypal and the next step is to drop off at a Post office (too bix for a letterbox).

Does anyone know if I'm able to drop this off at a sorting office rather than a Post Office as the sorting office opens earlier than the Post office and is on my way to work so would be very handy. I would also need the proof of postage stamping.

[adam2484]

You can but don't expect them to be happy chappies. They can accept and give you a cop. They should too.

Just out of interest why don't people use the PO. I enjoy the conversations I have with the postmaster and usually get some useful info especially on currency rates. The PO usually know tomorrows rate at about 3pm. They also sell me my sterling travellers cheques commission free etc.

[soolin]

My local mail centre is absolutely delighted to accept my items, I take a bag or sack full each day all pre stamped and with pre printed COPs, they just take the sack and stamp my cops.

Adam I can't answer for everyone but I always used to use two or three different post offices. However none of them have any parking at all so I struggle on 'good ' days. Then the nearest one refuses to send anything over a sliver as a large letter so it was costing me a fortune to send everything as a packet. My Crown PO relocated to WH Smiths, has technical break downs on regular occurances and 40 minute queues. They dislike 2nd class mail and lecture me every time i go in about how it is worthless and i need 1st class recorded.

So my local mail centre are wonderful, I buy them booze at Christmas and chocolate at Easter, I can park outside and they are friendly and welcoming. My items go straight into the sorting cages and most of my 2nd class gets there next day, what more could I ask?

[spookylukey]

Thank you both, I will update tomorrow whether they accepted it then!

Originally Posted by adam2484

Just out of interest why don't people use the PO. I enjoy the conversations I have with the postmaster and usually get some useful info especially on currency rates.

In general I do use the Post office but as they don't open until 9am and the sorting office is open from 7am I will be able to drop my parcel in before work. Also as I have pre-paid the postage a half hour wait in a queue for no reason doesn't appeal

There are two PO's close to me, in one of them all the staff are always happy and friendly, no matter how long the queue. I would never take Paypal postage to them out of courtesy as I know they don't get commision from PP postage.

The other one is run by a dragon and a dragon in training, I am a person of firm nature and am never rude to people but they way they bark orders at you and shout at you if you don't know their procedures has me frightened to go in there! If I was rude or stroppy I sort of expect it back but I'm alays polite and friendly so really don't expect to be treated like dragon's prey!

Eg asking for proof of postage for an Australia bound parcel AFTER I handed it to them - never again I know to ask for UK proof of postage in advance so they can print it from the machine but as the Australia one was sent Airmail I presumed there would be some sort of print out for it automatically so when I realised there wasn't and had the audacity to ask for a proof of postage the dragon nearly burnt my eyebrows

On the same visit I also heard them shouting at an OAP who was looking down trying to find the money in her purse whilst asking for a book of stamps as they said they couldn't hear her if she wasn't facing them. Fair comment maybe but they way the dragon shrieked at her was full of venom

[adam2484]

I don't understand why some people have experiences like this. Do the po's not understand that being evil to customers is a sure fired way to lose custom which is what they complain they need so desperately to survive.

Lol @cop ... How could you not know that!!??

[adam2484]

Also they may not be able to accept if they are a delivery office. sorting offices accept mail for postage

[spookylukey]

Originally Posted by adam2484

I don't understand why some people have experiences like this. Do the po's not understand that being evil to customers is a sure fired way to lose custom which is what they complain they need so desperately to survive.

Lol @cop ... How could you not know that!!??

But the problem is that they know their services will always be required, no matter how rude they are to people. I know it must be a pretty thankless job but, and I had to resist telling the dragon this after the Oz incident, it's actually much less stressful being pleasant and not getting angry at the slightest thing. I do feel a bit sorry for them really as their whole day is spent being so bitter and angry, it must take it's toll on them!

The dragons den used to be the closest one to me and pretty much every time I was in there I witnessed surly and rude behaviour (from the dragons), if not always directly to me so it's not like they were just having a bad day

The other one is now closest to me and the man that runs it is always so cheerful and never gets stressed or flustered evn if there's a massive queue. They also started opening through lunch time as they said that by the time they put the little sign out and worked their way through the queue it was almost time to come back!

[soolin]

Originally Posted by adam2484

Also they may not be able to accept if they are a delivery office. sorting offices accept mail for postage

Wait for custardy to confirm, but they are now all mail centres .

[spookylukey]

Originally Posted by spookylukey

Thank you both, I will update tomorrow whether they accepted it then!

It all went according to plan, walked in 10 mins after they opened with only one person in front of me. The guy behind the counter stamped my proof of postage and wished me a good day.

I also sold another item during the day (I had all the items I'm selling on buy it nows packaged up and in the boot of my car) and sorted out the online postage on my lunch break. I dropped that in on the way home from work, nobody in the queue and again taken from me with a smile. I think sorting/delivery offices, whatever they're called nowadays, are definitely the way to go for online postage.

[AMO]

Are sorting offices open on Sunday? I know they no longer collect from post boxes anymore. I mainly want to know because if there is one near me and its open on Sundays and they accept post, can't I drop off my LoveFilm DVDs there on a Sunday to get them turned around faster?

[easyhost]

i use the royal mail online postage print service to print labels, all recorded delivery which you still need a printed receipt for these. i order rols of rec del labels and postage books from the RM site and just place the small number label in the postbook and take these to my sorting office and they stamp the book page to say the items have been recieved

[custardy]

Originally Posted by soolin

Wait for custardy to confirm, but they are now all mail centres .

no different things
delivery offices is where deliveries come from
Mail centres are the 'hubs' that feed to the delivery offices
you have some that are integrated and some delivery offices joined onto Post Offices
you can go to the Edinburgh mail centre but you wont get past security on the gate
bear in mind when dropping off at a delivery office it can add a day to your delivery times as DO's get inward feeds rather than collections like a Post office

[custardy]

Originally Posted by AMO

Are sorting offices open on Sunday? I know they no longer collect from post boxes anymore. I mainly want to know because if there is one near me and its open on Sundays and they accept post, can't I drop off my LoveFilm DVDs there on a Sunday to get them turned around faster?

delivery offices dont operate on Sundays
mail centres do but are not opn to the public,they may have a post box on the gates though
theres no sich thing as a sorting office

[soolin]

Originally Posted by custardy

no different things
delivery offices is where deliveries come from
Mail centres are the 'hubs' that feed to the delivery offices
you have some that are integrated and some delivery offices joined onto Post Offices
you can go to the Edinburgh mail centre but you wont get past security on the gate
bear in mind when dropping off at a delivery office it can add a day to your delivery times as DO's get inward feeds rather than collections like a Post office

Mine calls itself a mail centre and has a delivery and sorting office facility. It has a counter where you can collect mail if you are left a card and very basic postage facilities, they only use real stamps not sticky labels and onlyl accept cash.

They don't do things like do international signed for or airsure and you can't buy a TV license (assuming you still can in any PO that is)

[Harry Flashman]

Originally Posted by adam2484

I enjoy the conversations I have with the postmaster

So you're the goon enjoying a chat while the rest of us wait in line for the window to become free?

[CouponWoman]

The lady postmaster in our post office is a dragon (thats a polite word for her)

She is so rude to my son when he takes parcels in, even though he remains polite to her. She actually throws the parcels he gives to her into the sacks with anger, not a gentle toss but an actual throw by raising her arm high and throwing them.

She does nothing but moan when my son asks for a pop. She looks at him with contempt, and occasionally has took his parcel and won't touch it properly. She holds it by the corners, really gingerly, and when she needs to stick the postage label on she uses just one finger to dab it on and then gets the antiseptic hand gel and quickly uses it. She then takes his money and throws his change at him before grabbing the hand gel again

She is ignorant too, as she made a mistake last week and charged the wrong postage for a European parcel, she put it through as letter rate, my son went back when he noticed and she was so rude, didn't even apologise.

She never says please or thankyou to him, and is an absolute b****h to him.

[AMO]

Originally Posted by custardy

delivery offices dont operate on Sundays
mail centres do but are not opn to the public,they may have a post box on the gates though
theres no sich thing as a sorting office

Would that make a difference to my post delivery times though?

I mean, if I dropped off my post to the post box on the gates of the mail centre, but they only collect it the next day when they collect the rest of the mail from other post boxes, its going to be pointless right?

My nearest mail centre is Meridian Business Centre, Leicester.

Thanks.

[Hammyman]

Originally Posted by adam2484

Just out of interest why don't people use the PO.

Laptop in a box to UK - 4kg insured to £200

RM/Parcelforce > £18 for 48hr.

My courier £8.02 for Next Day.

Gets even worse if you ship to Europe. Parcelforce at Post Office is 300% more.

[Hammyman]

Originally Posted by CouponWoman

She never says please or thankyou to him, and is an absolute b****h to him.

Next time she's like that, you or your son needs to inform her to your face that you're going to put in a complaint in writing into the Royal Mail if she's the postmistress and not counterstaff. If she's just counter staff, ask to see her manager.

[custardy]

Originally Posted by AMO

Would that make a difference to my post delivery times though?

I mean, if I dropped off my post to the post box on the gates of the mail centre, but they only collect it the next day when they collect the rest of the mail from other post boxes, its going to be pointless right?

My nearest mail centre is Meridian Business Centre, Leicester.

Thanks.

no a mail centre is different
a mail centre is the hub so it deals with the collections
a delivery office on the other hand is in the busibess of deliveries
so mail is flowing to the delivery office,its collections are mainly to deal with missorts and returned mail