Royal Mail price increases from 1st Jan

[Deleted User]

I send a lot £35 worth of RM Small Parcels, Signed for £3.95. Unsigned is £2.95, but recently I've been using it on eBay GSP only.

Unsigned Small Parcel show as delivered on their funky tracking code? If not, nothing prevents buyer from claiming INR? And I loose my whole £35 item and shipping cost? PayPal also says I have Seller Protection only if I use shipping method with some tracking, at least proof of delivery must be shown, I understand.

I also send a lot of Large Letters 2nd unsigned, but that's for very cheap goods so no worries there.

soolin

[Deleted User] said:

I send a lot £35 worth of RM Small Parcels, Signed for £3.95. Unsigned is £2.95, but recently I've been using it on eBay GSP only.

Unsigned Small Parcel show as delivered on their funky tracking code? If not, nothing prevents buyer from claiming INR? And I loose my whole £35 item and shipping cost? PayPal also says I have Seller Protection only if I use shipping method with some tracking, at least proof of delivery must be shown, I understand.

I also send a lot of Large Letters 2nd unsigned, but that's for very cheap goods so no worries there.

If over £35 then signed for is needed as standard mail only covers up to £20. Small parcels definitely show on the RM track and trace when delivered, I think that's been the case now for 18 months 2 years ? 

I'm terrible at cut and paste, but here is a standard parcel on my ebay record that was delivered a while ago:

The item was delivered. (This is from the ebay sold page) 

Accepted
Step 1 - Completed - Accepted Tue 24 NovTue 24 Nov

In transit
Step 2 - Completed - In transit

Out for delivery
Step 3 - Completed - Out for delivery

Delivered
Step 4 - Completed - Delivered Tue 24 NovTue 24 Nov

If I track that same number on the RM track and trace page I get:

Delivered

Tracking no. xxxx

Your item was delivered on 24-11-2020.

Service used:

Royal Mail Parcels

Updated on: Tuesday 24 November

1. 12:28pm
   Delivered bySouth Ockendon DO

As I am a business I only get back the cost of my item, not the ebay sold price so I use standard mail for anything that covers a cost price up to £20.

soolin

The parcel above was sent on the 20th I don't know why the ebay tracking shows accepted on the 24th, I've never noticed that before. 

jon81uk

soolin said:

The parcel above was sent on the 20th I don't know why the ebay tracking shows accepted on the 24th, I've never noticed that before. 

I assume its becaause signed for shows the date the Post Office scan the barcode so that would be the accepted date. As the parcels service only shows the delivery date, not the drop off date eBays system puts the same date in both fields.

[Deleted User]

soolin said:

[Deleted User] said:

I send a lot £35 worth of RM Small Parcels, Signed for £3.95. Unsigned is £2.95, but recently I've been using it on eBay GSP only.

Unsigned Small Parcel show as delivered on their funky tracking code? If not, nothing prevents buyer from claiming INR? And I loose my whole £35 item and shipping cost? PayPal also says I have Seller Protection only if I use shipping method with some tracking, at least proof of delivery must be shown, I understand.

I also send a lot of Large Letters 2nd unsigned, but that's for very cheap goods so no worries there.

If over £35 then signed for is needed as standard mail only covers up to £20. Small parcels definitely show on the RM track and trace when delivered, I think that's been the case now for 18 months 2 years ? 

I'm terrible at cut and paste, but here is a standard parcel on my ebay record that was delivered a while ago:

The item was delivered. (This is from the ebay sold page) 

Accepted
Step 1 - Completed - Accepted Tue 24 NovTue 24 Nov

In transit
Step 2 - Completed - In transit

Out for delivery
Step 3 - Completed - Out for delivery

Delivered
Step 4 - Completed - Delivered Tue 24 NovTue 24 Nov

If I track that same number on the RM track and trace page I get:

Delivered

Tracking no. xxxx

Your item was delivered on 24-11-2020.

Service used:

Royal Mail Parcels

Updated on: Tuesday 24 November

1. 12:28pm
   Delivered bySouth Ockendon DO

As I am a business I only get back the cost of my item, not the ebay sold price so I use standard mail for anything that covers a cost price up to £20.

I can see that also. My GSP 2nd Class Small Parcel shows as delivered on RM page! However, 2nd Class Large Letter doesn't have any proof of delivery at all, RM says "Tracking information is not available for this service".

So I can now safely downgrade my default shipping from 2nd Class Signed For (£3.95) to 2nd Class (£2.95). It has £20 insurance only but RM it not losing that many packages anyway, and I buy my item from the source for less, so even with lost parcel I am in profit.

I will continue to use 2nd Class Large Letter for everything without value, as I know I don't have Seller Protection anyway. I've been using RM extensively for few months only, before I had drop-shipping but my distribution chain dried up due to COVID-19 so I need to sent manually everything. Thank you!

soolin

[Deleted User] said:

soolin said:

[Deleted User] said:

I send a lot £35 worth of RM Small Parcels, Signed for £3.95. Unsigned is £2.95, but recently I've been using it on eBay GSP only.

Unsigned Small Parcel show as delivered on their funky tracking code? If not, nothing prevents buyer from claiming INR? And I loose my whole £35 item and shipping cost? PayPal also says I have Seller Protection only if I use shipping method with some tracking, at least proof of delivery must be shown, I understand.

I also send a lot of Large Letters 2nd unsigned, but that's for very cheap goods so no worries there.

If over £35 then signed for is needed as standard mail only covers up to £20. Small parcels definitely show on the RM track and trace when delivered, I think that's been the case now for 18 months 2 years ? 

I'm terrible at cut and paste, but here is a standard parcel on my ebay record that was delivered a while ago:

The item was delivered. (This is from the ebay sold page) 

Accepted
Step 1 - Completed - Accepted Tue 24 NovTue 24 Nov

In transit
Step 2 - Completed - In transit

Out for delivery
Step 3 - Completed - Out for delivery

Delivered
Step 4 - Completed - Delivered Tue 24 NovTue 24 Nov

If I track that same number on the RM track and trace page I get:

Delivered

Tracking no. xxxx

Your item was delivered on 24-11-2020.

Service used:

Royal Mail Parcels

Updated on: Tuesday 24 November

1. 12:28pm
   Delivered bySouth Ockendon DO

As I am a business I only get back the cost of my item, not the ebay sold price so I use standard mail for anything that covers a cost price up to £20.

I can see that also. My GSP 2nd Class Small Parcel shows as delivered on RM page! However, 2nd Class Large Letter doesn't have any proof of delivery at all, RM says "Tracking information is not available for this service".

So I can now safely downgrade my default shipping from 2nd Class Signed For (£3.95) to 2nd Class (£2.95). It has £20 insurance only but RM it not losing that many packages anyway, and I buy my item from the source for less, so even with lost parcel I am in profit.

I will continue to use 2nd Class Large Letter for everything without value, as I know I don't have Seller Protection anyway. I've been using RM extensively for few months only, before I had drop-shipping but my distribution chain dried up due to COVID-19 so I need to sent manually everything. Thank you!

As per previous responses standard large letters do not have delivery confirmation. However if you use an RM business account which offers RM48 or RM 24 then there is delivery confirmation. I use RM48 for all my large letters , it costs me around 7p per item more but the downside is that they don’t offer any insurance at all. 

savefortherain

"

It said 2020 had been a "challenging year" for the business.

The company added that it had "considered any pricing changes very carefully" owing to the coronavirus pandemic."

I'm sure once the pandemic is over they'll reduce the prices, right? R-right?

custardy

savefortherain said:

"

It said 2020 had been a "challenging year" for the business.

The company added that it had "considered any pricing changes very carefully" owing to the coronavirus pandemic."

I'm sure once the pandemic is over they'll reduce the prices, right? R-right?

They are currently taking out 20% of their managerial staff.
They are on a constant drive to cut costs/staff and have capatalised on the pandemic to get the public softened up for dropping a days letter delivery AKA removing the USO.

soolin

I was talking to a really nice guy on the RM business side of things to double check my costs on my business account. he reckons this January rise is not instead of the usual March one, but as well as, and there might therefore be the normal rise as well in March 2021.
For heavier large letters it might be worth keeping an eye on the MyHermes postable service, it is fractionally larger than am RM large letter and goes up to a set weight of 1kg, however it is not insured at all. 

ballisticbrian

Suppose you have 20 postable items for the Hermes drop shop, do they have a sack or plastic tote bin to put them in?