Paypal online postage for ebay sales

jwil

Hi all,

I've sold a load of items on ebay, and thought that rather than spending hours in the post office, I would print the postage from Paypal. I used first class recorded for all of the parcels, and airsure for a couple that were going to the USA. The instructions when printing said that all I needed to do then was to hand the parcels over the counter at the post office. I went in and did this, and told them that they were recorded, and asked if there was anything else I needed to do. They said no. I'm a little concerned now though, as I can't seem to see how I can track the parcel - I have an e-mail confirmation from Paypal that I printed the postage, and it tells me that I can track it through the royal mail website, but I don't have a tracking number, or anything from the post office to say that I've handed the items over. Have I just basically wasted my money, in that I might as well have just sent them standard mail and posted it in a post box as if the items go missing, I will have no comeback? Should I have been given something from the post office? It doesn't mention on the paypal website that you should place the recorded stickers on the package, should I have done that? The post office told me I didn't need to do anything else.

Thanks for any help, and sorry for the waffly message!

TurkishDelight

Well, we've never posted recorded, but we've printed parcelforce from paypal- do you not have a tracking number on the transaction page in paypal?
Might be worth a look if you haven't already

jwil

Thanks for your reply Turkishdelight. There is nothing on the paypal page other than the Paypal transaction id. I've found a similar post now, further in the board, and it looks as though there should have been stickers put on the parcels. I guess I'm just going to have to keep my fingers crossed now that they all arrive!:(

Normally I just do it over the counter, and I will do that for the rest, it was only because there were 20+ parcels I couldn't face the time it would take and the queues that would build up behind me as there is normally only one person serving at my local PO.

soolin

When you handed them in over the counter did you get anything at all handed back stamped?

jwil

No, nothing at all. She just took the parcels and put them in the mail bag. I'm a bit miffed, as I did specifically ask if I had to do anything else for recorded (I had gone fully expecting that I may have to stick the recorded labels on all of them), and I'm annoyed that it doesn't say on the online instructions that you need to ensure a label is put on the package.

I think I might e-mail Royal Mail and find out for definite what the procedure is, so that I know for the future, and if by chance something does go missing, I will send the correspondence to them in the hope that it might help with a compensation claim.

I'm annoyed as this is the first time I've used recorded delivery, and only because I had 2 items go missing in the post recently, so if something does go missing, I'll be out of pocket moreso than normal because of the additional cost, especially for the airsure ones! :mad:

custardy

you need to stick on a lablels
ive yet to see anything but that even with pre printed postage
get yourself a load of labels from oyur PO for future use
then you can have them all labeled and ready

jwil

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm just hopeful that the parcels will turn up this time, and I now know for the future.