Is Royal Mail the best option to send small parcels with?

[MadMullah]

So I inherited a business and have decided to sell online

Thankfully it seems to be taking off and we're sending out regular parcels to customers

Shipping wise the parcels are all under 1kg as such 2nd class recorded delivery is £4

are there any alternatives or is it just a case of waiting to get busier and then contacting someone with a business contract?

[cheekymeerkat]

Do you need tracking?

[MadMullah]

ideally to verify that its been delivered

you hear the stories of people claiming that they not received an item from ebay etc.

but as long as its insured for the value of the item.

the value of the items is generally sub-£50

[DSLiverpool]

Sending signed for will probably cost more than the comps for “lost” parcels so start on standard second.

If the address is a flat send it signed for

On the website give an option for 1st class for £1 more or so, just enough to make you a little more and to offer a better service.

Also offer a premium carrier UPS / Fed ex at whatever you want £

From an ecomm perspective look at Klaviyo and possibly loyalty lion - we’re seeing great returns for both apps.

[paulguitar]

I use Hermes for small items, up to 2 KG is £2.95 if you drop them off or about another 50p or so I think if you have them collected.

I have found them reliable although you do hear some stories of issues from time to time but I suppose you get that with all carriers.

[ashleyman]

paulguitar said:

I use Hermes for small items, up to 2 KG is £2.95 if you drop them off or about another 50p or so I think if you have them collected.

I have found them reliable although you do hear some stories of issues from time to time but I suppose you get that with all carriers.

Me too. I don't know if it's cheaper to buy direct but I buy Hermes from Parcel2Go. You can add 'compensation' for if it's lost and can also have them signed for.

I've sent about 30/40 small parcels this way and only one issue where something turned up totally destroyed. Everything else has arrived fine.

Be very careful on the sizing though, if you go above the dimensions the penalties are large so best to get it right the first time and pick the correct option - small, medium or large. You can even print labels in store to save having to do it at home.

[anonymous-user]

If I'm buying something and I know the seller is using Hermes I'll go elsewhere. Saves me looking under bushes or in bins for broken items I've "signed" for

[paulguitar]

keirik said:

If I'm buying something and I know the seller is using Hermes I'll go elsewhere. Saves me looking under bushes or in bins for broken items I've "signed" for

I've heard other people say this sort of thing, but not had any issues myself. Perhaps it depends on where you live and what your local courier is like?

[anonymous-user]

paulguitar said:

keirik said:

If I'm buying something and I know the seller is using Hermes I'll go elsewhere. Saves me looking under bushes or in bins for broken items I've "signed" for

I've heard other people say this sort of thing, but not had any issues myself. Perhaps it depends on where you live and what your local courier is like?

Could be except I had issue in London, Essex and now north Wales.

Last delivery was sent to Gatwick instead of Wales, and then dumped behind a bush in my garden, where I found it after 2 days of rain.

Luckily the items I side were wrapped in non ecologically friendly plastic as the packaging was a sodden mess.

Oh yes and it had been signed for by NRC.
Nope no idea who that is, I suspect it was the driver

[paulguitar]

keirik said:

paulguitar said:

keirik said:

If I'm buying something and I know the seller is using Hermes I'll go elsewhere. Saves me looking under bushes or in bins for broken items I've "signed" for

I've heard other people say this sort of thing, but not had any issues myself. Perhaps it depends on where you live and what your local courier is like?

Could be except I had issue in London, Essex and now north Wales.

Last delivery was sent to Gatwick instead of Wales, and then dumped behind a bush in my garden, where I found it after 2 days of rain.

Luckily the items I side were wrapped in non ecologically friendly plastic as the packaging was a sodden mess.

Oh yes and it had been signed for by NRC.
Nope no idea who that is, I suspect it was the driver

Mmm, definitely not good. I've had significant issues over the years with the Royal Mail as well. So, just hope for the best, I suppose.

[The Moose]

What volume are you doing? I seem to recall that £4 isn’t cheap for a small parcel especially second class

[okenemem]

a friend of mine used to work for a Hermes and from what he told me id stick with royal mail. especially the fact that they deliver to your local post office if your not in , instead of trying to hide it on your property somewhere

[khushy]

in 25,000+ orders over 6 years to anywhere in the world (30%) and UK (70%) - Royal Mail have lost just 2 parcels, which we replaced without any problems

They get my vote 100%, but dont try and claim from them - #impossible - so we dont

[Ph1listine]

If you're doing 50+ parcels a day then my employer may be able to help: https://www.parcelhub.co.uk

[dfen5]

I’m getting a franking machine for that new mailmark thing. Seems good & cheap for Jiffy bags and stuff like that.