A Post Office small parcel rate update

[sammyc]

I wasn't aware of this til a week after it came in, so it might have passed one or two others by -

The small parcel rate size bands have changed as of 28th Oct. The existing basic rate of 45cm x 35cm x 8cm remains, but the previous 'exception' band of 16cm square has been upped to 35cm x 25cm x 16cm.

In a nutshell, TWO different small parcel size bands (technically 'small parcel wide option' and 'small parcel deep option'), BOTH with an up to 2kg limit. Both for £2.60.

Big improvement.

[virtuo]

Saw "Royal Mail" and "rate" in the title and was expecting a rant.

Oh well

[sammyc]

lol well I have plenty of axes to grind, and actually there is one downside to this even though it's mostly a good thing, which is - just when I've got used to pricing ebay items of these sort of shoebox-ish sizes via courier, knowing it's cheaper than Royal Mail and therefore helps both me & the buyer, now we're back to £2.60 again I'm technically overcharging if I use the courier AND I have to take my parcels to a Post Office.

Of which, of course, I have none (or not a convenient one) - the root of my chief, bitter, and abiding Royal Mail grudge.

That do you?

[OilSheikh]

Remember, ALWAYS PRINT RM POSTAGE ONLINE.

For the same small parcels, I got charged £5.20 when I should have been charged £2.60 at Post office.

[sammyc]

^ if you were charged the £5.20 medium parcel rate they must have deemed it to have gone over the dimensions even if only by a squeak - unless you know 100% you were within, and feel they'd unfairly charged you.. was that before or after the 28th?

nb if you price up a parcel yourself with online postage and they do happen to check it & deem it over the limit there's always the chance they'll charge your recipient excess, which I don't fancy risking with ebay etc

[brs]

And myHermes is also cheap now

[badsyntax]

And myHermes is also cheap now

I've never dealt with them before. Good/bad/indifferent service?

[HalloweenJack]

the list of items covered by insurance is smaller than the list of what they wont - so if you want insurance , don't send myhermes

[badsyntax]

Good to know, I'm going to try them tomorrow.

[OilSheikh]

^ if you were charged the £5.20 medium parcel rate they must have deemed it to have gone over the dimensions even if only by a squeak - unless you know 100% you were within, and feel they'd unfairly charged you.. was that before or after the 28th?

nb if you price up a parcel yourself with online postage and they do happen to check it & deem it over the limit there's always the chance they'll charge your recipient excess, which I don't fancy risking with ebay etc

It's a well know fact - POs charge much more. Even Trading standards have found this. RM mail sorters measure and weigh your item correctly. If you are absolutely sure you are correct, just force PO to take it in. Your buyer won't get any excess charges.