So here is my rant…In an effort to have some smaller, everyday affordable, items in my shop. I have created some letterbox sized items. To keep them as a gift, I stamp the box and place them in a plastic bag so not to spoil the box. I have sold several of these over the last few months and it hasn’t been an issue until the last two when I have needed to pay postage as small parcel!
I have one of those plastic thingies, which I bought at the Post Office, to check the size and they go through the opening no problem. My issue is that the price goes up from £1.55 to £4.25 which is ridiculous on an item I’m charging £10 for which is as light as a feather. At the Post Office they inform me that they are not responsible for the tool they sell to check this and it is not their fault if it is wrong. If they know this then why sell them?
I can’t risk people buying these items having to pay the rest of the postal cost to redeem their item. Has anyone else had this problem?
That sounds so bad - the PO selling the thingy if the thingy is incorrect. Needs bringing to the attention of Trades Description people, if that still exists. Have you tried actually taking your thingy (bought at PO) into the PO and asking to put it up against their thingy to see the difference? Apart from underlining the issue to the PO, it would give you an idea of how much narrower you need to aim to make your parcel in order to comply with the large letter width they are usng.
I had some of the PIP cardboard boxes that when folded were a tiny bit too fat, because the tabs stuck out through the bottom a bit. I now push down firmly along the edges once folded to crush the cardboard a tiny bit to be certain.
If your plastic bag is within the allowable dimensions and the box and bag slip through the slot with no tugging, then I think it should go as large letter.
Do they show you in the post office that it doesn’t fit through their plastic slot thing?
Yes indeed Liz the next plan of action is to take my thingy along with a ruler and prove the point. I suspect they are already aware of this but just sell them anyway. Although the real issue is that, according to my measurements, they are underestimating the allowed size.
This all seems very futile for the sake of a couple of little felt birds but it has turned into the principle of the matter.
Hi Deborah, yes I know what you mean and I’ve even gone to the effort of cutting these bits off. Squashing seems like a good idea I’ll keep that in mind.
Well it does slip through mine at home but not the one in the Post Office apparently. Next thing is for them to prove theirs is the right size in comparison to mine.
The thing that annoys me the most is the leap in cost from £1 55 to £4.25. I’m aware this is sounding really petty now and I’m usually very accommodating. It seems like, as sellers, we are thwarted at all turns.
It is a big jump. I can fit a cushion cover, wrapped in tissue and then in a plastic bag (in case delivery is in pouring rain or it gets dropped in a puddle and outer envelope gets soaked) into a large envelope. I remember my dismay when I put two covers in, and it went over the width limit and the price jumped up to small parcel rate.
I don’t know if it helps but I buy all my postage on line as it works out cheaper than the post office, a small parcel is £3.45 via Royal Mail. That doesn’t help with the sizing issue I know! I use large letter boxes which I’ve never had a problem with size wise.
I think the PO is being very “picky”…even if your item fits through the slot, it only takes one small thing to get stuck through the slot to make it a small parcel. Perhaps if you have put the PIP box in a bag, the bag might have added another MM…lol…but that is how picky they can be. IF you get the item collected and get them to bring their pre printed label then it is THEIR error and not yours and they are more likely not to dispute it. It might also be the weight. I use kitchen scales and add 1 gram for error…so when I go onto their site, if my scales say 84g I put 85g in the box…good luck xx
It is my long suffering husband who usually posts things for me and knowing I wouldn’t like the original outcome had brought my parcel home without posting. His intention was to check all measurements and go back down armed with information, a ruler and our letterbox measurer all ready to prove a point.
When he got back I asked him how his black eye was but no fight had taken place. A different counter person put the offending parcel straight through their thingy with no problem and declared it a legitimate large letter!
He did discuss it all with them and they agree that the price jump is ridiculous but I hold out no hopes that anything will be done about it.
Just shows sometimes you just have to stamp your foot and know you’re right
I’m so glad it’s sorted, what an absolute pain. In case you don’t know, even if you buy postage on line you can still take parcels to the post office with the postage label attached, I think they can also print you a label if you get the QR code
The big price jump is to do with weight bands - you’re using the the upto 100g large letter rate whilst small parcel is upto 2kg.
Since you have a plus account you can link it to a Royal Mail click and drop account and then the name and address automatically get transferred over so you don’t have to enter them again when buying your postage. You also have the option of booking a collection (for a small fee) so the postie will pick up your item - might be useful if you can’t get to a Royal Mail depot or Post Office.
Yes, I understand the weight difference.My grouch is that there is no provision for anything in between these at the lower weight and my items don’t weigh very much at all.
