Anybody use Online Postage?

benjacksmum

I've just returned from the Post Office feeling none too happy. I had 16 items to send and fair enough when I walked in he warned me it might be a slow process as he had to serve other people in between processing mind. I don't mind that if people are just going about their daily business buying stamps, collecting pensions etc, but what outraged me was when other obvious eBay users were coming in with say half a dozen parcels and he would break off from doing mine and process theirs before going back to mine. All in all I spent just over half an hour stood there like a lemon waiting!
Whilst I was there though I began to wonder about the possibility of using online postage. My only concern with that is that I like to use Certificates of Postage incase a parcel should missing. I understand from the Royal Mail website that I would still have to get my Postmaster to stamp the Certificate but surely he would still want to weigh them all and check them before putting his stamp on the certificate, in which case, I can't see that I am much better off?
How does everybody else go about sending their items? Do you all use Certificates of Posting and stand and wait in a Post Office or do you use Online postage successfully?
I would appreciate anybody's views on this.
Many thanks

soolin

I'm old fashioned, I go and stand in the queue at the post office.

One of my selling ids used to sell the same item by the dozen and I had a never ending supply, if I sold one of those and nothing else then I owuld us eonline postage and just bung them in a post box but on the couple of occasions I had a claim for loss I just sent them a replacement so didn;t need to do any sort of RM claim and just took the loss myself.

iieee

I sometimes use it for small low value items (that will fit in the post box) if I don't have time to go to the PO. But for anything big it's not worth it as the people in my post office still insist that I hang around in the queue for half an hour, even when I don't want a COP, just to give them the package.

The other thing that annoys me is that (unless this has changed in the last few months since I last used it) it doesn't let you put more than one payment in a 'basket' so that you can easily print all the address labels out on one page. You have to faff around printing one at a time and then trying to get the paper the right way round in the printer to do the next one.

So in general I would say it's not worth the effort.

StaffsSW

I have a great relationship with my "not so local" post office. I drop in a sack of packages in the morning, all sorted into weight, size and international. I then go back in on my way home from work and settle the bill, and collect receipts. If I'm working late, I can pay the following morning, or a monday morning if i drop them on a friday.

The post office is kept alive with people using their services, and the vast majority of PO's are happy to receive your parcels, but using online postage takes away a small portion of their revenue, making them less likely to remain in business.

Recently though I have started trialling PPI - this is a bulk sending method that requires 5000+ items per year though. It's convenient, does not display any postage prices and works out cheaper, but I can't help feeling I am tightening the noose around my favourite post office owner!

custardy

benjacksmum wrote: »

I've just returned from the Post Office feeling none too happy. I had 16 items to send and fair enough when I walked in he warned me it might be a slow process as he had to serve other people in between processing mind. I don't mind that if people are just going about their daily business buying stamps, collecting pensions etc, but what outraged me was when other obvious eBay users were coming in with say half a dozen parcels and he would break off from doing mine and process theirs before going back to mine. All in all I spent just over half an hour stood there like a lemon waiting!
Whilst I was there though I began to wonder about the possibility of using online postage. My only concern with that is that I like to use Certificates of Postage incase a parcel should missing. I understand from the Royal Mail website that I would still have to get my Postmaster to stamp the Certificate but surely he would still want to weigh them all and check them before putting his stamp on the certificate, in which case, I can't see that I am much better off?
How does everybody else go about sending their items? Do you all use Certificates of Posting and stand and wait in a Post Office or do you use Online postage successfully?
I would appreciate anybody's views on this.
Many thanks

why do you have to wait for others?
if you were talking about a cop for online postage then i would sort of understand,given the po makes no money from this.
however your custom is just as important as any other customer regardless of volume.
one option could be to drop the items off at your local delivery office using online payment.
take your cop along and they can stamp it,however it will often mean an extra day on delivery time as do's dont get collections

mentat72

I use online postage all the time, but don't use COPs - risky I know. Perhaps the best solution is just go in the Post Office and ask one of the counter staff - 'if I have a lot of items and do them with online postage, what's the best way of getting COPs?'

They might suggest you queue, or drop all the items off and pick up the COPS later, let them make the decision.

steviebabes

I use online postage on 'quiet' days or if the parcel is small enough to but in a postbox. It is pretty good but as others have said you have to do each label individually so if you have a lot it's not saving much time.
What gets me at post offices is they are always trying to sell third party services such as insurance or credit cards. This is usually when the queue is out of the door! I wish they would just get on with the business of posting. That reminds me Royal Mail keep asking me to fill in a survey.....

misterthrifty

I sell on ebay but not in large quantities, I find the best method is to buy a selection of stamps from online stamp dealers then I can get all my letters ready with a CoP so I just have to wait in the queue for a few minutes to get my card stamped. No printing labels, no waiting for the PO to price each letter and I just buy a top up supply when I need it.....at a discount as well!

Mr T

Kron

Hi.

My local PO is great. They say that ebay brings them so much business that they are happy to deal with ebayers. I only use the online postage when I'm short of funds in my own accounts. Then I buy through paypal using the money paid in from my sales. Otherwise I go to the PO and get them weighed etc.

Its funny how the PO's differ from one to the other with their views on ebayers.

One thing I would say is that I have a sorting office in our town. If I have a huge sack of stuff they will take it there as long as its all paid for. I've done this with online postage during busy times like xmas. However I would say you don't get cop. However most of my items are low value and I've only ever had two items go missing. So to me its worth the risk.

Karen

vikki2k1

benjacksmum wrote: »

Whilst I was there though I began to wonder about the possibility of using online postage. My only concern with that is that I like to use Certificates of Postage incase a parcel should missing. I understand from the Royal Mail website that I would still have to get my Postmaster to stamp the Certificate but surely he would still want to weigh them all and check them before putting his stamp on the certificate, in which case, I can't see that I am much better off?

well i thought i would try using the online postage this week, and i can say its as much hassle as paying at the post office, they weighed my parcles, printed out new stamp/sticker things and then took ages reading each and every proof of delivery sheet before stamping and signing it, i dont think i would do it again, but i had no cash and had all my money in paypal still so it was easier!

custardy

Kron wrote: »

Hi.

My local PO is great. They say that ebay brings them so much business that they are happy to deal with ebayers. I only use the online postage when I'm short of funds in my own accounts. Then I buy through paypal using the money paid in from my sales. Otherwise I go to the PO and get them weighed etc.

Its funny how the PO's differ from one to the other with their views on ebayers.

One thing I would say is that I have a sorting office in our town. If I have a huge sack of stuff they will take it there as long as its all paid for. I've done this with online postage during busy times like xmas. However I would say you don't get cop. However most of my items are low value and I've only ever had two items go missing. So to me its worth the risk.

Karen

i dont know how CS would view delivery offices staming a cop
we have a specific delivery office stamp so could stamp a ready done cop