Since when has Royal Mail been so expensive?!

[southside]

Popped to the post office yesterday to post some things I sold on eBay.

ZR boot Handel and ZS front grill. Both made of plastic and not heavy atall. Wrapped as seperate parcels in just bubble wrap and parcel tape. Both sent to mainland UK.

How much? £24! I nearly choked when she said that was the cheapest.

[peteT16]

That is expensive, I wonder if she made a mistake.

www.royalmail.com

[southside]

Apparently it's because they were both over the new maximum length limit.

[Chaz]

Its always been expensive but the prices went up 1st of April AGAIN..

Stuff used to be £2.70 usually, now its £5.30.. Posted a maf sensor in a tiny box, weighed fukc all.. But because the box was 1cm taller over the maximum height limit, it went from £3.50 to £5.30...

What a joke.. I dont use royal mail for stuff bigger than little packets and letters now..

They lose an unreal amount of work to couriers now.. Its gunna happen..

[peteT16]

That will be it then, I noticed on the link that the price finder has changed format since I last used it.

http://www.parcel2go.com are pretty good

[ghall2004]

That will be it then, I noticed on the link that the price finder has changed format since I last used it.

http://www.parcel2go.com are pretty good

I use this and interparcel. never had any issues using ups first class, little more expensive for smaller items perhaps but collection within a couple of hours and always next day usually by midday

[Punx0r]

Ah, whut?

It looks like they've ditched the Standard Parcels service so now you have to use first or second class small/medium parcels, depending on the size. But the maximum size is 24" x 18" x 18". Not much good if you've got something long (used to be allowed up to 6ft6") but thin.

I guess then you have to use parcelfarce.

I've always used RM wherever possible, but these changes make it both expensive and restrictive of what you can send

[Chaz]

parcel2go, parcelmonkey, send it now and parcelforce (for big stuff or international) is all I use now...

Il use royal mail if its either a large letter or a small packet, thats it, even then its £2.70!

What an absolute piiss take!

[james3990]

I dont use Post Office as I'm finding them really expensive now.

Way forward is websites like this - http://www.parcel2go.com/

Punch in all the details, and it will give you all sort of options from different couriers.

Will come and collect the parcel from a given address.

[southside]

I think I was more shocked because I haven't really posted anything via RM for years. I remember about ten years ago when I was a poor student and was selling my life possessions on eBay to earn some money it only used to be £2-£3 to post small parcels.

[vinny19791]

To be fair myself and the other 120,000 posties are also shocked at the hikes.

We believe it's a privatisation scam.

Unbelievable.

[Punx0r]

The price of small parcels (the lower weight end of the standard parcels service) has been creeping up over the last 2-3 years, but how it is now is a huge jump compared to how things were just a few weeks ago.

I like RM because I don't have to wait in for a parcel pickup - just take it down the street. Also, I know when the postie normally comes if I'm expecting something. If I miss a delivery, no problem, just walk down the road to collect it. No driving 30-50 miles to the "nearest" courier depot. Obviously that level of infrastructure comes at a price.

Also, they have to support the huge cost of the final mile letter service - which no courier does.

People moan about the price of stamps, and I guess you notice it if you're sending hundreds of letters, but rationally it's a freaking bargain. Flat rate anywhere in the country, usually next day for ~50p. Anywhere in the bloody world, by air for about a quid. We take it for granted, but imagine the cost and complexity if such a system had never existed and you wanted to send a piece of paper to Mongolia...

[Semproxion]

To be fair myself and the other 120,000 posties are also shocked at the hikes.

We believe it's a privatisation scam.

Unbelievable.

Indeed it is. Raise the prices so that people don't use the service, making it a nonviable business and then sell it off to a private firm for next to nothing (Like £1, like Sheffield council did with our local airport after spending millions developing it)

To appease the public over the sale tell them it was losing millions of their taxes and hold a sham "inquiry" into the management where no-one is found accountable.

Typical TORY tactics.

Punxor - It won't be long before all the couriers strike deals with local supermarkets for people to use them as a drop-off/pickup point.

Hermes already do it with the Co-op in my village.

[mg-richard]

Its basically based on,

Will it fit through a letterbox?

If not they will have your eyes out.

Also my big tip:
If it measures 16cmx16cmx16cm or less you pay the small parcel amount.
The people at the post office have a box which they can check it fits into for you!

[Chaz]

Also my big tip:
If it measures 16cmx16cmx16cm or less you pay the small parcel amount.
The people at the post office have a box which they can check it fits into for you!

Yeah at my local posty she has a plastic board with holes in and she puts the parcels through see if they fit..

I had a gearbox in a little box and it was about 1mm off going through, If I squeezed the box it would of gone through and she was like "oh no, wont fit"

I was like NO try again!!!

Got it for the lower price in the end as it was so close but it was gunna be an extra £3 if it didnt go through!! How can they justify that!?

[Nom]

If Post Offices are on commission, its not in their interest to promote a cheaper service. I've had a few abashed employees try and pull the wool

[vinny19791]

No commission dude.

We will be on strike soon anyway

[1234dist]

if it makes you feel any better, this months postage bill came to just short of £1500

[Din]

I like RM because I don't have to wait in for a parcel pickup - just take it down the street.

Punxor - It won't be long before all the couriers strike deals with local supermarkets for people to use them as a drop-off/pickup point.

Hermes already do it with the Co-op in my village.

http://www.collectplus.co.uk/faqs/

And for larger bits, http://www.interparcel.com/

[Punx0r]

Interesting scheme

It still remains that it's expensive to run the level of service that RM do.

I can't see a conspiracy - IIRC they've been posting losses for quite some time now. Letter post is down, parcels up (which is less profitable). They're dependent on junkmail for a large portion of their income...

[GTMGSPARESLTD]

if it makes you feel any better, this months postage bill came to just short of £1500

No that feeling well.The benefit of parcel 2 go is if you choose hermes with them which are normally the cheapest on the majority of items you can drop your item off at drop off points,example co-op where it gets picked up by the courier,a benefit if you havent the time to wait in for courier to Turn up.

[rover220]

To be fair myself and the other 120,000 posties are also shocked at the hikes.

We believe it's a privatisation scam.

Unbelievable.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... icies.html

[lennox1185]

I use myhermes. They collect from my house (I leave parcels on the doorstep when I go to work) and have never had any issues.

It's about £3 for up to 1kg, and the maximum is £8 for 15kg. Not bad at all. I've sent spoilers for less than a fiver.