Which courier is best?

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dllive
dllive Posts: 1,225 Forumite
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in Ebay, auctions, car boot sales, post & parcels
Hi

Apologies if this has been answered before.

Im new to selling on ebay. Ive got a few items Im selling. How do I choose who to deliver? (Yodel, Hermes etc?) Do I need to weigh and measure the parcel so I know how much postage is before I advertise it on ebay?

Thanks
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  • couriervanman
    couriervanman Posts: 1,667 Forumite
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    I.....Couriervanman am the best:D


    But in regards to your question....yes you need to weigh and measure, parcel2go.com or myhermes.com is a good a place as any to start as long as you have a printer at home
  • dllive
    dllive Posts: 1,225 Forumite
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    Ive just been looking at parcel2go.com . It seems that only the weight and the amount to insure it for seems to be the biggest cost factors. (I dont need to measure it, just weigh the item?)
  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 72,201 Ambassador
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    dllive wrote: »
    Ive just been looking at parcel2go.com . It seems that only the weight and the amount to insure it for seems to be the biggest cost factors. (I dont need to measure it, just weigh the item?)

    Measure it as well, some couriers have size restrictions. For smaller items up to 2KG Royal Mail is pretty good at £3 2nd class. Also for large letters it's hard to beat RM.

    Have a read of the sticky postage thread here (look at the first post in this sub board) and make sure you understand how to keep your seller protection. It also pays to be aware of the issues of collection only items if selling larger bulkier items.

    If you want any other advice or tips about selling please do ask.

    Remember as well to factor in all your costs to see if it actually worth selling your unwanted items if you are a private seller. If you are a business remember to have a compliant return policy and factor in to any profit projections the costs of returns.

    EDIT parcel2go is a broker so only ask for the basics, you will still need to comply with size restrictions for whichever courier you choose. Also, make sure you check the restricted and prohibited lists, again for each courier.
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  • vacheron
    vacheron Posts: 1,604 Forumite
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    edited 2 December 2019 at 2:41PM
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    Anything under 2KG and 45x35x16cm I always send with royal mail.

    For medium parcel and above RM are nowhere near competitive so I switch to the ebay Packlink service and pick whoever are cheapest.

    Anything very large or heavier than 10KG and I use separate third party couriers through postage comparison sites.

    Last week I needed to send something weighing 17kg and 100x80x80cm in size worth £945 to Italy, fully insured.
    Finding someone to take that at a reasonable price took quite a bit of research! :D
    • The rich buy assets.
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  • mikeyranson
    mikeyranson Posts: 86 Forumite
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    I am not a seller but use Hermes all the time. Plenty of local drop off points, all tracked and in ten years or more, never had an issue with them. All straight forward and easy to use. All my items are smaller in size and not large or heavy.
  • DigForVictory
    DigForVictory Posts: 11,906 Forumite
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    We were happy enough with myhermes till they lost a lot of drop off points & the next heave of ebaying will probably be by royal mail.

    Always know the packed weight & dimensions & price before you list! It makes postage much simpler & less likely to cost you.
  • Bobo_Brazil
    Bobo_Brazil Posts: 191 Forumite
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    Personally I actively avoid Hermes. From talking to local folks in my locality I am not the only one.

    Mainly stems from an incident a few years ago. Had a very expensive item (over £200) ok not lifechanging money for some but very expensive at the time for us, anyway it was a very large item, it was left slap bang in the middle of the path leading to our house, in plain sight of anyone even 50 yards away. a card shoved through the door said something to the effect 'left in secure front porch'. We a) did not have a porch, b) barely had anything qualifying as a front, and c) it was the complete dictionary opposite of secure. Just perchance a work colleague was passing and alerted me to the box, so a relative came to the property. Not convinced one moment it would have lasted half a day+ there.

    This was some time ago so I tried them again recently, buying something from an ebay seller. Item arrived damaged, half crushed, package was filthy dirty and appeared to have a large boot print on the front. Sent a pic to the seller who agreed with me. Would not give Hermes another chance ever again personally.
  • willbennett123
    willbennett123 Posts: 19 Forumite
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    Bobo_Brazil wrote: »
    Personally I actively avoid Hermes. From talking to local folks in my locality I am not the only one.

    Mainly stems from an incident a few years ago. Had a very expensive item (over £200) ok not lifechanging money for some but very expensive at the time for us, anyway it was a very large item, it was left slap bang in the middle of the path leading to our house, in plain sight of anyone even 50 yards away. a card shoved through the door said something to the effect 'left in secure front porch'. We a) did not have a porch, b) barely had anything qualifying as a front, and c) it was the complete dictionary opposite of secure. Just perchance a work colleague was passing and alerted me to the box, so a relative came to the property. Not convinced one moment it would have lasted half a day+ there.

    This was some time ago so I tried them again recently, buying something from an ebay seller. Item arrived damaged, half crushed, package was filthy dirty and appeared to have a large boot print on the front. Sent a pic to the seller who agreed with me. Would not give Hermes another chance ever again personally.

    This is most probably just one courier that works for Hermes, not all couriers at Hermes are like this!
  • Spoonie_Turtle
    Spoonie_Turtle Posts: 8,424 Forumite
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    willbennett123 wrote: »
    This is most probably just one courier that works for Hermes, not all couriers at Hermes are like this!

    We had one bad courier from Hermes, commissioned enough and not had a problem since. The first one wasn't completely terrible, nothing run over or crushed, but several boxes were damaged and torn at the corners, never knocked the door, etc. The one we have now is absolutely fine :)
  • jimmy55
    jimmy55 Posts: 23 Forumite
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    In view of recent activities avoid the eBay PackLink option at all costs and never sign an automatic debit option with them. If possible always take a photo of your item before posting. It helps them if they are looking for an item in a depot.
    Hermes parcelshops are convenient if you have one nearby. I book direct with Hermes or use Parcel2Go for smaller parcels up to 2KG or often UPS drop off for items over 10KG. There is a lot to learn when sending parcels!
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