Normally I prefer My Hermes for sending parcels for a variety of reasons.
However, as a customer needed an item quickly I posted with Royal Mail instead.
Although small-ish, the depth of the parcel on one side seemed to exceed the 16cm rule by around a centimetre.
I pointed this out at the Post Office, and it did indeed seem ever so slightly too high for the box, but the lady just shrugged and sad it was fine to send as a small parcel.
So off it went, but I am wondering what will happen if it is picked up somewhere down the line.
Is it the post office’s responsibility as they put it through as a small parcel (complete with post office label) or is it mine?
With My Hermes, or any other courier/post service, where the onus is on the sender to print out labels, I would say it was my responsibility, but I’m not sure with the Post Office?
The only problem I can see with this is that if it does get picked up (at sorting office stage) then the recipient would be sent notification by RM and when they went to pick up the item they would have to pay the underpaid portion plus a surcharge on top.
Did you get a receipt? if so, should anything go wrong you could always say that you posted it via the post office and the member of staff put it through as such and show the receipt as proof.
I’ve found the post office to be very flexible with parcel sizes which is great! If you use the self service counters its even better as you can determine the size of your parcel, ive saved so much from posting my parcels as large letters
I sent a parcel recently that was just over the box size. They know me quite well at my post office so she asked me if I wanted to risk it, implying that she thought it would be ok, but it was my call whether to send. As I knew the customer quite well I said send it anyway knowing that if the customer did get charged, she’d be ok and let me know. But it was all fine. I think if it’s a busy post office they get a feel for the slight leeway there is in that parcel size.
I think if it has been labelled at the post office and not by yourself it should be fine. When I send my scarves out i sometimes have to make sure the air is squashed out of the parcel to make it fit through the large letter slot. I have asked what would happen if it has reinflated before delivery and they told me as long as it goes throughout the slot this end then its OK. Can’t say whether that is right but I’ve never had any problems with excess postage being charged.
