Postage Rates Idea

[Russoul1]

hi all, as more and more sales seem to be going outside the uk, lately ive not charged enough for recorded/signed for which seem to be

quite expensive dependant on where there going, have recently sent 2 records to Australia at a cost of approx. £10 each, and to Spain £8.80

 

is it visable to have a sort of postage rate list for outside the UK for sending 45s and I suppose LPs? as a sub forum to sales? which could be

updated as postage cost changes etc

 

hope this is possible as it would most probably benefit a lot of us selling/wanting records on here when it comes to postage costs as the soul

world grows

 

any thoughts.....?

 

also would it work if there was a set charge for p&p inside the UK for the different postage options so that this would be a standard charge,

same sort of thing as the soulsource grading system if you get my drift.....

 

 

russ

Edited February 19, 2014 by russoul1

[Swifty]

Great Idea Russ , I've had the same problem , I recently sold my first LP (never again)  I got £1.99 for what I thought was a £30-£40 Lp and charged £3.30 P&P but it actually cost me £5.50 , do the Maths ( I know it's Math but doesn't sound right lol) . I don't want to rip anyone off but want to get my costs back. I buy mailers , nick some weaved tape that would hold an angry Rhino and use proper stiffeners which all cost me money and I charge £1.90 for 45's UK , which I think is reasonable ?

 

Good Idea mate

 

Swifty

Edited February 19, 2014 by SWIFTY

[Guest DELORENZO]

I send everything (of any value) registered post from my home in France, I charge £4-50 for the EU (less than 250g), when it actually costs me nearly £7, I just take the hit ............

[Pete S]

Post is pretty easy really.

For a single in the UK, £1.20 first class is fair, £2.50 recorded.

For a single overseas, charge £4 to Europe and £5 elsewhere.  Add on £5 for tracked delivery.

An LP in the UK costs £4.10 to send 1st recorded.

Overseas, should be around £5.50 to Europe, £7 elsewhere.

[Guest DELORENZO]

Off Topic post deleted.

Regards,

Dave (Mod Team)

[Chalky]

I priced the cost of a 45 a few weeks ago....

 

UK

First class = £1.20

Recorded = £2.15 up to £50 in value.

Special delivery = £6.35

    

 

Europe

First class = £3.50

Int. Signed For = £8.80 up to £50

                            £11.40 up to £500

 

Rest of the world up to £50 worth of records is £9.80 plus your P&P.

Packet up to the value of £500 is £12.40 plus your P&P.

 

All the above is postage only , no packaging. 

[Chalky]

Post to Europe first class and you are asking for trouble, post it recorded.  I'm not blaming buyers by the way, just heard so many stories of records going missing with no recompense because it was posted first class., the fault of the post office over there more than likely although not in all cases.  Many dealers won't post to France, Italy, Spain, Russia.............

[Chalky]

Post is pretty easy really.

For a single in the UK, £1.20 first class is fair, £2.50 recorded.

For a single overseas, charge £4 to Europe and £5 elsewhere.  Add on £5 for tracked delivery.

An LP in the UK costs £4.10 to send 1st recorded.

Overseas, should be around £5.50 to Europe, £7 elsewhere.

 

Do you not charge for packaging Pete, must cost you a fortune every year if you send majority first class.

[Chalky]

I send everything (of any value) registered post from my home in France, I charge £4-50 for the EU (less than 250g), when it actually costs me nearly £7, I just take the hit ............

 

Thats mad.  Might not sound a lot for the odd package but add it up over a year if you post on a regular basis then you are losing a fair bit of money.

[Guest DELORENZO]

Post to Europe first class and you are asking for trouble, post it recorded.  I'm not blaming buyers by the way, just heard so many stories of records going missing with no recompense because it was posted first class., the fault of the post office over there more than likely although not in all cases.  Many dealers won't post to France, Italy, Spain, Russia.............

 

The French postal service is superb, I would put anything going missing here down to shady buyers playing on the myth ...

It's very difficult to get a job for La Poste, it doesn't just employ anyone like the Royal mail.

[Chalky]

The French postal service is superb, I would put anything going missing here down to shady buyers playing on the myth ...

It's very difficult to get a job for La Poste, it doesn't just employ anyone like the Royal mail.

 

I haven't said it wasn't very good.  But you hear stories of records goi g missing all the time.  Personally I've never had a problem, if I don't know the seller I ask around and get a recommendation.

[Jnixon]

I haven't said it wasn't very good.  But you hear stories of records goi g missing all the time.  Personally I've never had a problem, if I don't know the seller I ask around and get a recommendation.

 

 

there are enough sellers here in the UK that simply wont send to france (or italy for that matter) unless its recorded, so dont think its a myth that lots of things go 'missing' in those countries.  its experience. some wont deal with these countries at all. not worth the agro they say.  

 

on the  P & P issue, i just add 30p and (almost always) use new mailers

[Pete S]

Do you not charge for packaging Pete, must cost you a fortune every year if you send majority first class.

 

Yeah there's a kind of 10p add on to most of those mate.

I am fairly easy with postage, half the time if it's expensive I pay the postage myself as way of a discount for the buyer.

European post isn't as bad as people think by the way, since I've been on Discogs I've sent to places like Russia uninsured with no problems.  But I always point out that it's at their own risk if they don't want to pay for insurance.

[Pete S]

there are enough sellers here in the UK that simply wont send to france (or italy for that matter) unless its recorded, so dont think its a myth that lots of things go 'missing' in those countries.  its experience. some wont deal with these countries at all. not worth the agro they say.  

 

on the  P & P issue, i just add 30p and (almost always) use new mailers

 

A friend of mine who lives in France told me that it is definitely not the French postage system which is to blame, it's the individual people trying to rip sellers off.  He says there is very little wrong with the system, he's just embarrassed about the reputation France has got due to dodgy ebay buyers.

[Alan T]

What's the score with 'International Signed For', can it be tracked all the way and can you get signature proof that the buyer received it. Is anything still tracked by Royal Mail after leaving the U.K. ? 

Is using 'International Signed For' the only way you'll be covered as a seller against a Paypal claim for non delivery.

[Pete S]

What's the score with 'International Signed For', can it be tracked all the way and can you get signature proof that the buyer received it. Is anything still tracked by Royal Mail after leaving the U.K. ? 

Is using 'International Signed For' the only way you'll be covered as a seller against a Paypal claim for non delivery.

 

You never used to get proof that they had received it, it was just signed for at the airport!

It might be better now, being tracked a bit further.

The alternative is airsure, costs slightly more but I think it is signed for all the way to the door

[Jnixon]

A friend of mine who lives in France told me that it is definitely not the French postage system which is to blame, it's the individual people trying to rip sellers off.  He says there is very little wrong with the system, he's just embarrassed about the reputation France has got due to dodgy ebay buyers.

 

yeah i can see that being the case. have had issues on discogs selling disco/boogie tunes mainly, so much so that i wont even bother answering their mails anymore and just wait for buyers from another country to buy. not worth the agro.

 

i would be asking people from france and italy to pay for the top service available where they have to sign for the parcel themselves.

 

the full price should definitely be passed onto the buyer but it does vary also depending on how you package the tunes. moerer style cartons (how good are they?) cost more to send than our  uk standard ones. 

[Chalky]

there are enough sellers here in the UK that simply wont send to france (or italy for that matter) unless its recorded, so dont think its a myth that lots of things go 'missing' in those countries.  its experience. some wont deal with these countries at all. not worth the agro they say.  

 

on the  P & P issue, i just add 30p and (almost always) use new mailers

 

You se many ebay ads etc that say they won't ship to x,y,z countries. 

 

I charge £1.50 first class, £2.50 recorded which I think is fair.  Even if I use a second hand mailer it is inside a postage bag which is about 40p.

[Pete S]

You se many ebay ads etc that say they won't ship to x,y,z countries. 

 

I charge £1.50 first class, £2.50 recorded which I think is fair.  Even if I use a second hand mailer it is inside a postage bag which is about 40p.

 

Also, if you send a record by registered mail, in a mailer, and it breaks - you will NOT be compensated - unless you have put that mailer inside a jiffy bag.  The guy who had his registered Barbara McNair TMG demo snapped in half lost his case, exactly because of that reason. It's in their small print somewhere.

[Chalky]

I will be ordering jiffy bags when i reorder some mailers.  I guess if you use a jiffy bag you could do away with the extra card stiffeners?

Edited February 20, 2014 by chalky

[Pete S]

I will be ordering jiffy bags when i reorder some mailers.  I guess if you use a jiffy bag you could do away with the extra card stiffeners?

 

No it's only superficial mate, it offers little or no protection, if I send a record in a jiffy bag I put 3 or 4 pieces of card inside.

[Jnixon]

Also, if you send a record by registered mail, in a mailer, and it breaks - you will NOT be compensated - unless you have put that mailer inside a jiffy bag.  The guy who had his registered Barbara McNair TMG demo snapped in half lost his case, exactly because of that reason. It's in their small print somewhere.

 

i did not know that. thought it was odd when i got a tune from a well known UK dealer only this morning, sent SD and in a jiffy bag with a mailer inside.  

[Premium Stuff]

I use US style mailers rather than the UK ones. These are a little heavier than the UK style.

 

With these, 1st class UK Recorded Delivery is always £2.30 and UK Special Delivery is £6.90.

 

For sending Airsure overseas it depends on location and the value for insurance. You can check the price on the royal mail website first if you know the size and weight.

 

I have recently sent packages to Austraila - they were both just under £13.00. I also sent one to France and it was the same price due to the value 

 

Two parcels sent to the USA were about £10.00 and £13.00 - the pricier one was due to the insured value.

 

Cheers

 

Richard

[Chalky]

No it's only superficial mate, it offers little or no protection, if I send a record in a jiffy bag I put 3 or 4 pieces of card inside.

 

What size is the jiffy bag Pete.  Usually a C followed by a number I think?

[Kegsy]

.

European post isn't as bad as people think by the way, since I've been on Discogs I've sent to places like Russia uninsured with no problems.  But I always point out that it's at their own risk if they don't want to pay for insurance.

 

Trouble is Pete that wont cut any mustard with Paypal, they will

refund the money not matter what your terms are on Discogs.

Its happened to me twice lately on UK items.

 

Kegsy

[kevinsoulman]

Post is pretty easy really.

For a single in the UK, £1.20 first class is fair, £2.50 recorded.

For a single overseas, charge £4 to Europe and £5 elsewhere.  Add on £5 for tracked delivery.

An LP in the UK costs £4.10 to send 1st recorded.

Overseas, should be around £5.50 to Europe, £7 elsewhere.

DELETED  SHOULD ALWAYS READ THE THREAD FIRST

KEV

Edited February 20, 2014 by kevinsoulman

[Gogger]

The French postal service is superb, I would put anything going missing here down to shady buyers playing on the myth ...

It's very difficult to get a job for La Poste, it doesn't just employ anyone like the Royal mail.

 i take offence to that my  friend , regards john royal mail employee

[Mick Holdsworth]

Also, if you send a record by registered mail, in a mailer, and it breaks - you will NOT be compensated - unless you have put that mailer inside a jiffy bag.  The guy who had his registered Barbara McNair TMG demo snapped in half lost his case, exactly because of that reason. It's in their small print somewhere.

 

Ditto all that - When I received a "broken" Jon Ford demo a few years back, the seller claimed from the PO but never got the compensation. Lucky for me the seller gave me his own copy so I was quite fine, but of course the seller was then out of pocket.

 

I did suggest at the time that there might be a case against the packaging company, as the mailer he used was designed for records, and if the PO wouldn't honour a claim against damage using said packaging then maybe that packaging isn't fit for the purpose. (Sort of like buying a smoke alarm that doesn't work and having your Insurance company tell you it was the wrong make.)

 

Cheers

Mick

[paultp]

I didn't know about the Jiffy bag thing, Royal Mail will do anything these days to squirm out of actually coughing up for damage/loss caused by their appalling service, despite happily charging extra for the insurance.

 

Recorded Delivery is the biggest rip off there is, most stuff sent to me just gets pushed through the letter box. I've complained and been told "well it's only recorded delivery". Special Delivery is the only service I trust but it is ridiculously expensive particularly when it only ensures Royal Mail actually do what they are supposed to do in the first place.

 

Evidently diamond dealers did away with all the extra charges years ago and just use the ordinary post as it is really safe if your package doesn't look expensive. Difficult to disguise a 45 though.

Edited February 21, 2014 by paultp

[Mace]

Pete, do Royal Mail insist on Jiffy Bags as the specific brand make, or would any old pound stretcher jobbie be eligible?

[Chalky]

I would have thought if you had paid for special delivery, declared a value and they accept the package to deliver then it would be deemed suitably packed?  If not they shouldn't accept it?  A mailer with card stiffener(s) is industry standard.  Is there anywhere we can read the disclaimer if not in a jiffy bag?

[Pete S]

I would have thought if you had paid for special delivery, declared a value and they accept the package to deliver then it would be deemed suitably packed?  If not they shouldn't accept it?  A mailer with card stiffener(s) is industry standard.  Is there anywhere we can read the disclaimer if not in a jiffy bag?

 

Yeah there is, because I read it and that's how I'm able to pass this information on.  I didn't believe they could do that after they rejected the McNair sellers appeal, so I found out for myself.  It'll be on one of their leaflets.

[Pete S]

Pete, do Royal Mail insist on Jiffy Bags as the specific brand make, or would any old pound stretcher jobbie be eligible?

 

I only ever use poundshop ones...

[Thecivilservice]

Just use this if you're not sure

 

https://www.royalmail.com/price-finder

 

BTW I never send special delivery / int signed for unless requested, keeps costs down -  I sell to all over the world and out of over 800 sales I have only had two or three records apparently not arrive - and they were all to South America

[Chalky]

Yeah there is, because I read it and that's how I'm able to pass this information on.  I didn't believe they could do that after they rejected the McNair sellers appeal, so I found out for myself.  It'll be on one of their leaflets.

 

 

all in this pdf..... https://www.mailroom.qmul.ac.uk/Docs/80243.pdf

[Pete S]

"Place between thick card and surround with cushioning material"

[Chalky]

"Place between thick card and surround with cushioning material"

 

and then there is packaging on top according to the PDF.

[Premium Stuff]

I have had records delivered between two pieces of card in a jiffy bag - and I'm surprised they ever made it intact.

A US-style mailer with card inserts inside that is well made-up is a sturdy affair - much better than the 'mandatory' requirements in that PDF.

These US-style mailers are properly manufactured products for mailing vinyl 45s - Bags Unlimited stylee I don't really rate the envelope type UK mailers a lot of people use.

Although I have seen these Royal Mail documents and similar before, I bet most people don't even know they exist.

Richard

Edited February 23, 2014 by Premium Stuff

[Modernsoulsucks]

I don't think it's feasible for the site to do a comprehensive guide.

 

Either google online

 

https://www.royalmail.com/price-finder

 

or pop into PO and pick up "Handy Guide" which lists amongst other things rates for Airsure or ISF.

 

Personally when selling abroad I ask what the buyer wants [but always recommend signed for] as to postage and insurance. Then get exact cost from my local PO before getting back to them with the cost. At that stage you can factor in cost of materials if you so wish.

 

ROD