Royal Mail - Print your own postage. Any good?

sherbie28

Hi,

Does anyone use this service. I would like to but on the odd occasion my postage is less than £3.50 and it states that you can't pay with a debit card if this is the case. The site mentions a pre pay account but I can't find anything else about it. Does anyone know how the prepay works and how much you have to deposit to start it up? Thanks

steviebabes

Yes I use the service and it is better and more flexible than the papal equivalent. You can pay any amount over £3.50 in via your credit or debit card. you probably have to register with RM first. It is worth registering as your labels then includes your return address. I use the A6 size labels from 'The Works' they are quite cheap and you get the option to print in the 4 positions unlike the paypal equivalent.

PasturesNew

The lady at my Post Office told me not to use it for two reasons:
1) it will put her out of a job
2) er ... I forget. But there was some other reason

frivolous_fay

No tracking.

Stuart_P

this is what i use

http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/jump2?catId=400046&mediaId=600023&keyname=SMARTSTAMP

does everything you need. simple. no fuss. no q's

steviebabes

Works just the same as smartstamp but no subscription charge. Tracking is available if you take the item to the post office. If you have your own digital scales and size template it saves loads of time at the post office. You just hand them over and get the proofs stamped or barcodes scanned. As for saving counter staff jobs, I wish they would be more knowledgeable about the postal services and spend less time talking you into travel insurance, credit cards, phone services etc.etc.

alooof

definately going to get this hooked up once i get back into selling regularly. no Qs, freedom to do it whenever you want. i have to make upto 4 trips a week during busy times and always get caught up in queues and the staff behind the counter can be so SLOW!!!!

cazmanian_minx

I switched over to using it earlier this year - I send out between 20 and 60 parcels a day and it's a huge time saver.

Caz

StaffsSW

I have a number of problems with the smartstamps.

It is not particularly efficient with paper, printing out one certificate of posting per A4 sheet - maybe this can be changed, but it leads me to my next problem.

In order to get a proof of postage, each of these certs has to be stamped at a PO anyway, meaning you still have to queue up, albeit spending less time in total. Many people do not use these certs, but can you manage the risk involved that if something goes missing in the Post that the seller will not be able to claim a refund from RM? If the buyer claims a refund, the item is a complete write-off.

When buying postage in the PO, they take a cut of the revenue. When buying online, the RM take all the revenue, and I'm pretty certain the overheads are going to be much lower as well. It's no wonder that the RM are pushing the service and the PO are fighting it.

I have a great relationship with the PO ear my work - I can drop a large bundle of parcels in with them on the way into work, and then pay for them in the evening when I leave. They are only too happy to do this given that I spend around £2000 with them last year.

Sadly there are still too many PO clerks that do not appreciate that it is good customer service that keeps us coming back, and ultimately that is what wil keep them open. I still beleive that many PO's are a necessary service in many areas, and need to stay open.

Stuart_P

stevew8975 wrote: »

In order to get a proof of postage, each of these certs has to be stamped at a PO anyway, meaning you still have to queue up, albeit spending less time in total. Many people do not use these certs, but can you manage the risk involved that if something goes missing in the Post that the seller will not be able to claim a refund from RM? If the buyer claims a refund, the item is a complete write-off.

i've sell avg of 180 items a month. avg sale £13. i use smartstamp. i never get a proof of posting. just label everything up at home and dump em in the posting box or sack.

i've lost 3 items in the past yr - 0.14% of the items i have posted have not arrived.

the amount of time & money i save using smartstamp & not getting a proof of posting easily outweighs the 0.13% loss.

JaffaCake_3

Our local post office is refusing to provide proof-of-postage receipts for items with pre-printed postage labels, claiming that they are a private business and the Royal Mail is doing the post offices out of their cut of the revenue. I can see their point.

Does anyone know if post offices are required to provide this service?