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International postage, a word of advice


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Recently I was slugged a very large amount for a parcelforce global priority package when purchasing several items from a well known store.  If I was able to buy the same items from another  store then the store would have automatically broken the order down into smaller packages reducing the cost significantly by keeping each package less than 2 kg and saving me around GBP30.00 in postage cost.  The total weight of the combined package would have been less than 2.5 kg.  The cost to ship the package was almost GBP60.00 with the value of the contents less than GBP100.00.   If broken down into two packages then the cost would have been close to GBP30.00 total.   Also with the other store I could have chosen to have my items shipped by DHL  on a single package exceeding 2 kg (with 2-6 days shipping time) for little more than two packages with Royal Mail with the same combined weight.    I do not believe that parceforce global priority is any quicker than a standard Royal Mail package.

 

In future when purchasing from the initial store I will place an order with a single item only or be sure that the items ordered weigh less than 2kg.  Unlike another well known store this store does not list the weight of an item when ordering, so for items such as resin cast structures one has little idea of the actual weight of the item.

Edited by GWR-fan
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1 hour ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

It's not just for international postage.

 

I recently sent two books to another RMweb member here in the UK. It was much cheaper to send them separately than in one packet.

I just sold a loco kit on ebay. I had a magazine article on builing it that I said I would chuck in the packet. As it happened, that took the total over 2kg and was going to cost me an additional £14 postage. Safe to say, it came back out the box!

 

Roy

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  • 2 weeks later...

My expensive almost GBP60.00 postage package by Parcelforce global priority arrived this afternoon.    I was expecting a very heavy package given the quoted postage price,  however,  when weighed on arrival the total package weight was 2.260 kg.  Now a store such as Hattons would have offered the three items included on the order as shipped in two packages and the total postage cost would have been less than GBP30.00 and the shipping time the same.  The invoiced weight was 4.790 kg.     Now one must assume that Parcelforce charge a "volumetric weight"  based on the volume of the package,  given the actual weight was half the invoiced weight. The contents of the box barely filled 2/3 of the package volume.   For almost GBP60.00 postage cost  I would have expected  2 - 6 day delivery,  not over two weeks.

 

The store in question,  Rails,  will only receive small orders from me in future ,  less than 1.0 kg,  given that I have no confidence in getting the "best postage" price as they state on their emails.    In hindsight I should have cancelled the order and then ordered the items separately. 

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2 hours ago, GWR-fan said:

 

 

The store in question,  Rails,  will only receive small orders from me in future ,  less than 1.0 kg,  given that I have no confidence in getting the "best postage" price as they state on their emails.    In hindsight I should have cancelled the order and then ordered the items separately. 

I think you are being a bit hard on Rails. It might have escaped your notice but in our part of the world there is a bit of a problem and this is having quite an impact on couriers and delivery procedures. I am just pleased to be able to obtain certain items and quite willing to pay a few bob over the top, especially when they are mere hobby items rather than life preserving essentials.

Bernard.

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On 21/06/2020 at 02:43, GWR-fan said:

Recently I was slugged a very large amount for a parcelforce global priority package when purchasing several items from a well known store.  If I was able to buy the same items from another  store then the store would have automatically broken the order down into smaller packages reducing the cost significantly by keeping each package less than 2 kg and saving me around GBP30.00 in postage cost.  The total weight of the combined package would have been less than 2.5 kg.  The cost to ship the package was almost GBP60.00 with the value of the contents less than GBP100.00.   If broken down into two packages then the cost would have been close to GBP30.00 total.   Also with the other store I could have chosen to have my items shipped by DHL  on a single package exceeding 2 kg (with 2-6 days shipping time) for little more than two packages with Royal Mail with the same combined weight.    I do not believe that parceforce global priority is any quicker than a standard Royal Mail package.

 

In future when purchasing from the initial store I will place an order with a single item only or be sure that the items ordered weigh less than 2kg.  Unlike another well known store this store does not list the weight of an item when ordering, so for items such as resin cast structures one has little idea of the actual weight of the item.

 

Certainly with domestic postage most of us believe the Royal Mail stands head and shoulders above other delivery services providing the parcel weighs less than 2k. Thankfully I think I have only sold one item in 10 years above this and it went using Hermes. I bought two lots off the same seller this weekend, I was informed they were being sent separately as the combined weight exceeds 2K

 

I have sent 3 parcels in the past week or so, 2 of which were quite heavy and the cost of airmail is quite high, but then it seems most overseas buyers happily factor this in to their bidding, I am quite careful in my postings to explain that postage will be high due to the weight of the items, I find this type of item can cost four or five times the cost of UK postage. Having said this the cost of posting medium weight parcels inland is quite competitive.

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Cost of shipping (to Canada) from some sources like e-bay and some retailers is becoming a very big issue reaching the point that I now no longer look at e-bay and I select my retailers very carefully hoping that they are not a sole source supplier.   Apparently it is the same for people in the UK who want to buy from NA.  FYI there is a thread on this

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11 hours ago, Theakerr said:

Cost of shipping (to Canada) from some sources like e-bay and some retailers is becoming a very big issue reaching the point that I now no longer look at e-bay and I select my retailers very carefully hoping that they are not a sole source supplier.   Apparently it is the same for people in the UK who want to buy from NA.  FYI there is a thread on this

 

With eBay always sending the seller a quick message, I and many others don't use the GSP and are happy to quote international postage, my listings show the worst case, I always state contact me first before bidding, but shipping internationally from the UK is expensive 

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1 hour ago, hayfield said:

 

................................................... I always state contact me first before bidding, but shipping internationally from the UK is expensive 

 

That is true for private sellers or those stores with insufficient sales to gain favourable rates from Royal Mail.  I receive multiple shipments most weeks from the U.K. and avoided UK eBay sellers a long time ago due the extremely high postage costs.  I tend to keep the majority of my purchases from Hattons,  but due the embargo on new Bachmann products,  I need to look to Rails for my purchases unable to be fulfilled by Hattons.

 

With Hattons I actually pay less to ship a loco to Australia from the UK  than I do to ship the same loco just one suburb away from me.  Rails shipping is almost comparable to Hattons for small items around 1 kg maximum.

 

What no one picked up on was my package weighed 2.260 kg,  whereas I paid for a package weighing 4.790 kg.  Does Parcelforce use volumetric weight when calculating international shipping, i.e., the volume of the package rather than the actual weight should it be less than the calculated weight?

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2 hours ago, GWR-fan said:

 

That is true for private sellers or those stores with insufficient sales to gain favourable rates from Royal Mail.  I receive multiple shipments most weeks from the U.K. and avoided UK eBay sellers a long time ago due the extremely high postage costs.  I tend to keep the majority of my purchases from Hattons,  but due the embargo on new Bachmann products,  I need to look to Rails for my purchases unable to be fulfilled by Hattons.

 

With Hattons I actually pay less to ship a loco to Australia from the UK  than I do to ship the same loco just one suburb away from me.  Rails shipping is almost comparable to Hattons for small items around 1 kg maximum.

 

What no one picked up on was my package weighed 2.260 kg,  whereas I paid for a package weighing 4.790 kg.  Does Parcelforce use volumetric weight when calculating international shipping, i.e., the volume of the package rather than the actual weight should it be less than the calculated weight?

 

 

In the UK we steer away from Parcel Force, they are so expensive. Anything over 2K unless it can be split into smaller packages goes vis Hermes.

 

Perhaps a not to rails about why Hattons gets the bulk of your business may get Rails to change their system

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3 hours ago, GWR-fan said:

 

What no one picked up on was my package weighed 2.260 kg,  whereas I paid for a package weighing 4.790 kg.  Does Parcelforce use volumetric weight when calculating international shipping, i.e., the volume of the package rather than the actual weight should it be less than the calculated weight?

 

YES.  All couriers do, although they all have their own idea of volumetric charging, Parcelforce in particular have a very complex system of charging. 

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11 hours ago, hayfield said:

 

With eBay always sending the seller a quick message, I and many others don't use the GSP and are happy to quote international postage, my listings show the worst case, I always state contact me first before bidding, but shipping internationally from the UK is expensive 

This is interesting because recently I found a loco that could be had for Pounds 60 but the shipping costs were quoted at pounds 25 and then there was a customs clearance charge of pounds 15 or thereabouts.  The customs clearance charge was particularly frustrating because in the last 10 years,customs have only got me once and at about Can$140, (60 Pounds) experience says they will not bother.  As a result I went no further and having experienced this sort of 'mark up' on several items in the last 6 months or so I decided why bother to waste time looking. 

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13 hours ago, GWR-fan said:

I tend to keep the majority of my purchases from Hattons,  but due the embargo on new Bachmann products,  I need to look to Rails for my purchases unable to be fulfilled by Hattons.

I do the same. Their DHL tracked option is more than covered by the VAT savings, even if I buy a box of N Gauge Peco Flexitrack.

 

They just need to get the dispute sorted out and I would once again be buying almost everything from them.

 

Regards,

 

John P

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