Which courier is best?

jimmy55 wrote: »

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!

Ebay Backlink are not a courier. They are a reseller, much like Parcelmonkey et al.

Buying through any reseller means you are not the customer of the courier, the reseller is.

When it comes to Hermes if all goes well (as it always has for me) they are great. If it goes wrong you hear some pretty bad stories. Because they are cheap they don’t have a lot of service back up. Always package things more than you think you should - if you can’t drop it out of an upstairs window onto concrete then it is under packed. I’ve sent quite a few things and always been fine. The couple of delivered breakages I have received weren’t packed to the same level I would have done.

A lot depends on your delivery courier too - we’re rural so it’s the same guy and has been for years - he knows when and where to leave stuff, will come back later if necessary to drop off, and is all round brilliant. In large towns you’re less likely to get such regular quality service where routes are shared.

Under 2kg though and it’s always Royal Mail.