RM Charges can be so annoying

MyOnlyPost

I have an item of ladies clothing I sell on a regular basis. I sell it in sizes from 6-24 and the larger sizes 20+ are over the 250g threshold for postage. I always pack them in the same way and use a mailing bag. So far in 70 sales in the last 3 weeks I have been charged 4 different postage costs.

I expect to pay either £1.72 or £2.16 depending on the size I am posting, Last week I was charged £1.33 which makes no sense as they definitely aren't less than 100g. Today I posted 3 and was charged 98p for just one of them because it went through "the slot". About 15 of the 70 I have sold have gone as a large letter. I pack them all the same so how comes they don't all go through the slot?

This annoys me because how am I supposed to charge a fair postage on my listing when I have no idea what it's going to cost to post? Also what if it gets to my customer and RM want the difference +£1 for admin as the wrong postage was paid?

Add to that I have just had one of the 70 returned as the sizing was wrong. The buyer packed it nicely, but not very flat. It definitely wouldn't have gone through the slot and yet the postman managed to force it through my letter box. I begrudge paying extra postage because an item won't fit through a letterbox and yet the postman makes it fit anyway.

Pembroke

If you're using a bag then the article is probably getting scrunched up to one end of the bag so it won't go through the slot. The post counter person would have to smooth it down to make it fit through the slot, also most counter staff have an eye for what will fit and what won't so unless you ask then to check or specify when you ask for the postage for it to go as large letter they won't check and send it as small packet.

You could look on the web / Ebay for packaging companies that sell boxes that are guaranteed to fit through the slot generally called 'pricing in proportion' then build the cost of said boxes into your P&P charge. That way you will know before hand how much it will cost to post each item. I use this company, they sell through Ebay as well if you'd rather buy that way: http://www.defendapack.co.uk/pricing_in_proportion_boxes.htm

ETA The added benefit of these boxes is that your customer doesn't need to be in to receive the package, or collect it from a depot as it will fit through the letter box and can be delivered with normal mail.

macfly

What makes you think a letterbox is relevant? That's not what you are paying for.

snagglepuss16

i understand where you are coming from, but as long as you havent been overcharged i dont really see a huge problem.if i post something and it cost significantly less than i thought it would, i simply refund some of the postage costs.
not everyone does this though,and not everyone looks at the postage label to se the price

Strapped

snagglepuss16 wrote: »

i understand where you are coming from, but as long as you havent been overcharged i dont really see a huge problem.if i post something and it cost significantly less than i thought it would, i simply refund some of the postage costs.
not everyone does this though,and not everyone looks at the postage label to se the price

The problem arises where a PO accepts something as a large letter, or as 100g, then later in the delivery process someone decides that actually it's a packet, or it's 105g, and slaps on a surcharge that the buyer has to pay (and come to the depot to pick up their item). Fortunately, happens rarely. (My local PO scales start at 5g! I have pointed this out to them and the huge sticker on the side saying that the scales need to be calibrated once a week, but...:silenced:)

Obviously_the_best

Pembroke wrote: »

If you're using a bag then the article is probably getting scrunched up to one end of the bag so it won't go through the slot. The post counter person would have to smooth it down to make it fit through the slot, also most counter staff have an eye for what will fit and what won't so unless you ask then to check or specify when you ask for the postage for it to go as large letter they won't check and send it as small packet.

You could look on the web / Ebay for packaging companies that sell boxes that are guaranteed to fit through the slot generally called 'pricing in proportion' then build the cost of said boxes into your P&P charge. That way you will know before hand how much it will cost to post each item. I use this company, they sell through Ebay as well if you'd rather buy that way: http://www.defendapack.co.uk/pricing_in_proportion_boxes.htm

ETA The added benefit of these boxes is that your customer doesn't need to be in to receive the package, or collect it from a depot as it will fit through the letter box and can be delivered with normal mail.

The prices on that website look very high!!! £18 for 25 A4 PIP boxes!!!
Unless you're going to buy a lot of them from that website you're better off finding somewhere else

hollyh

When i sell clothes i put them in a large ziplock freezer bag. I close it almost all the way and then roll it up to get all the air out and seal. Then wrap with brown paper. This means that most smaller items of clothing can go as a large letter as long as it's not too heavy for the limits.

MyOnlyPost

macfly wrote: »

What makes you think a letterbox is relevant? That's not what you are paying for.

My understanding when the current system was introduced was that a small packet will not go through a standard letterbox. The guide they use is supposed to represent a letterbox and the staff are only allowed to push it through, as the postman would not be able to pull it through when delivering.

As for the charges, two items may weigh the same but a small packet will cost more than a large letter. My understanding was that delivering something that won't fit through a letterbox is more time consuming hence the extra charge. Therefore an item which is charged as a small packet should not be forced through a letterbox risking damage to the contents.

lovinituk

Pembroke wrote: »

http://www.defendapack.co.uk/pricing_in_proportion_boxes.htm

ETA The added benefit of these boxes is that your customer doesn't need to be in to receive the package, or collect it from a depot as it will fit through the letter box and can be delivered with normal mail.

I use these all of the time and can highly recommend them. OP - you should definitely consider these as the clothes will not push the box out of shape (unless they are too thick to start with) so they will always be large letter. You can purchase a single one from Defendapack as a sample to try out.

Obviously_the_best wrote: »

The prices on that website look very high!!! £18 for 25 A4 PIP boxes!!!
Unless you're going to buy a lot of them from that website you're better off finding somewhere else

Anything like this is going to be expensive in small quantities. I buy these 100+ at a time so the unit price is much better.

MyOnlyPost wrote: »

My understanding when the current system was introduced was that a small packet will not go through a standard letterbox. The guide they use is supposed to represent a letterbox and the staff are only allowed to push it through, as the postman would not be able to pull it through when delivering.

As for the charges, two items may weigh the same but a small packet will cost more than a large letter. My understanding was that delivering something that won't fit through a letterbox is more time consuming hence the extra charge. Therefore an item which is charged as a small packet should not be forced through a letterbox risking damage to the contents.

From my experience, Post Office staff will only accept it as a large letter if it falls freely through the slot. Through some investigation I actually discovered that an item will go through the system successfully as large letter even if it requires a 'reasonable' amount of force to get it through the slot. As someone once said - "If the postman can get it through a letter box then I can bloody well send it as a large letter". The only problem if you use a Post Office is them not accepting items unless they 'free-fall'!!

MyOnlyPost

I suppose I should clarify, I don't have a problem with paying for them to go small packet, and no evidence to suggest I would sell more if my postage was 75p cheaper. It's just the inconsistency of the charging which was bugging me.

Thanks for all the replies, some very useful info there!

soolin

Just thought I would add that I bought one of the plastic guides from ebay and pre stamp all my items at home using that as a size gauge, cost me about £5 and saves me a fortune