Is Royal Mail trustworthy anymore, for eBay deliveries?

Manyfishes

I regularly buy/sell on eBay and have done so since 2005.

I have noticed a substantial change in delivery service, when trading in breakable items, in the last month. Each time I purchase crockery or breakable home-ware, the seller has carefully packaged the item in a sturdy box and made substantial efforts to protect the contents, with a lot of foam/bubble wrap/impact foam padding.

Every time the parcel is delivered via Yodel/Evri, the contents have arrived intact. I know these couriers have their issues, but items have arrived in one piece. EVERY SINGLE TIME now that I get a parcel via Royal Mail (48 hour delivery service), the packaging appears intact and undamaged - but the contents are smashed to pieces.

It is as if Royal Mail now consistently drops items from a great height.

The items I buy are often collectable pieces that I have spent some time sourcing from, e.g. antique suppliers - so are not readily replaceable. It has now got so bad that I am asking people not to use Royal Mail, as I know the chances are the item will arrive broken.

Anyone else experiencing this?

(I'm in the Ipswich/Suffolk area, in terms of the main Royal Mail local sorting office).

rollingmoon

I've noticed a marked down turn in the quality of service from Royal Mail over the last year or so, to the point where I now regard them as the carrier of last resort. The much derided Evri, themselves not perfect, are far better IME.

dinosaur66

i read the feedback left by a collector like yourself recently checking if i should sell to them/ he was an honest buyer and in his reviews he remarked the same / very well wrapped items broken -i did not look to see if it was royal mail though