Post by copigeon on Aug 11, 2006 22:21:56 GMT
Theres alot of debate over postage on live inverts, generally rather than recently. And you will notice that postage costs may vary from person to person supplier to supplier.
Thought it best to lay out some of the reasons this may occur.
Postage and postal services.
Royal mail states living creatures must be sent by Special delivery.
Special delivery comes in two flavours, before 9am...
* Guaranteed next day delivery by 9.00am - or your money back
*
* Prices start at £8.95, saving you over 50%
*
* Four weight bands from 100g to 2kg
And next day...
* Guaranteed next day delivery before 1pm - or your money back
*
* Prices start at just £4.10
*
* 99% of the UK covered
The full pricing guidelines can be found here...
ftp.royalmail.com/Downloads/public/cmwalk/doc/active/doc2800003/Final_April_2006_matrix.pdf
But to condense things down, in general most people will use the "Guarenteed next day" service of Special delivery (SD).
This starts at £4.05 although generally when posting snails, you wont have a package lighter than 100g. So you'll be seeing a start price of £4.50.
Where possible, it is always advisable to use SD as your postal service for inverts as it is guarenteed first day (and officially necessary by royal mail).
The other primary service you may be seeing offered, is recorded delivery.
Unlike special delivery, this post comes with the same guarentees as first class. But with the added benefit of a signature. This proves that collection has been made by the purchaser.
* Automatic receipt and signature on arrival
*
* Just 68p plus First or Second Class postage
*
* Next working day delivery for most First Class Recorded items
Pricing is fairly simple, add 68p to standard first class postage costs, and you have recorded.
Maximum weight First class cost
60g 32p
100g 49p
150g 68p
200g 84p
250g 99p
300g £1.14
350g £1.29
400g £1.49
450g £1.70
500g £1.90
600g £2.30
700g £2.69
750g £2.89
800g £3.10
900g £3.49
1kg £3.89
For First Class items over 1kg, it's 85p for every extra 250g plus the 68p Recorded Signed For™ fee
Royal mail insists live stock is sent by first class, however, recorded delivery is often used as a cheaper alternative.
First class recorded is a perfectly adequette way of sending many things, but if it requires heat, or may suffer for more than one day in transit be sure to request or utilise special delivery.
Personally I have alot of difficulty with the SD service, parcels arriving damaged or wet. Compared to FCR. So there are genuine reasons a buyer may wish a different postal service.
Be aware. If you request FCR as your choice of recieving inverts, a seller will often refuse any compensation or replacement if the animal is harmed or arrives doa. It really is worth the extra £2 if you know your SD service is reliable.
Packing and Paypal.
Other charges which may be bundled with your postage charge, are paypal and packing costs.
Paypal deduct a percentage of any recieved payment if you have a buisness account (which allows you to recieve card funded payments), this is thier commission on the service.
Its worked out at 3.4% + £0.20 GBP.
Most sellers who have some interest in profit will add this "fee" to the postage costs. As the convenience of paypal is in the buyers interest. And certainly, were you to send a cheque or cash in post, not only would it take you time (For cheque to clear) but be risky (if sending cash) and still costs you a stamp.
So this sort of addition shouldnt be resented.
Packing costs will vary, and will also often feature in the postage charge.
Unless you work for pc world and can buy huge great 20m rolls of bubble wrap for the price of a Mcdonalds, youre looking at retail market value for void fill or bubble.
Currently we sell it for £3.99 for 3m of standard, or £7.99 for 5m of large bubble. Extortionate yes.
Void fill can be aquired on ebay, but is similarly expensive as an initial inverstment and takes up alot of space when not being used.
Cardboard boxes may be a consideration. Again not everyone recieves alot of post, or works in a place where they can be cheaply aquired. Some may have to purchase the boxes themselves.
Or alternatively jiffy envelopes. Which at sainsburies are priced at £5 for 3 just over A4.
Then theres the tubs the animals are posted out in, dependant on the sellers choice of tub, these can vary from 75p asda tuppawares. Or 20p cricket tubs. Or even old food containers.
And finally postal wallets, or labels, tape, packing tape, rubber bands for holding down lids on boxes... it all adds up.
A few money saving tips...
Keep old boxes and jiffy bags. Dont rip them open when you recieve your lastest ebay bargain. Flatpack them and reuse when the time comes.
Save void fill, alot of people use poly or bio void fill on ebay, if you get something sent to you packed in this tip it into a bin liner and keep it somewhere safe.
Use balls of newspaper as packing/insulation. Works a treat.
If you have a pet that eats livefood, cricket tubs are perfect for packing snails in. If you dont, ask around see if someone you know does.
Also poly cups... cheap can buy in bulk, usually about 100 for a tenner with lids. Make perfect containers for sending individual juvenille snails, slugs, phasmids. Great things.
So why do people buy packaging? Its costing me money.
I'd imagine convenience factors.. but there are other reasons.
A professional image is one. If youre sending out live stock, not everyone wants thier sales to be presented as a one off hobby job. Personally I prefer to use new cricket tubs as these always make whats being sent out look fantastic on arrival.
Likewise beat up reused boxes, and half popped bubblewrap dont always convey the image some sellers wish to carry.
For me, Ive started to print leaflets, cards and reciepts. All this costs ink and paper, but in the long run I think it will be worth the investment and the feedback Ive had thus far has been positive. People genuinely dont mind paying an extra 50p for something that looks good and provides them with all they need to get started.
So what it comes down to...
It comes down to the preferance of the person posting out the inverts.
Motivation will vary, some people dont mind losing a little money here and there, and others, for whatever reason dont.
Theres no shame for asking for a full reimbursement on your costs, and only you know how much it cost you. Dont be put off by cheaper postage options on similar stock elsewhere. Virginia cheeseman still trades and has done for many years. Her postage costs have been higher than anyone Ive seen online for a long time.
If you dont like the postage charge, look elsewhere?
Thought it best to lay out some of the reasons this may occur.
Postage and postal services.
Royal mail states living creatures must be sent by Special delivery.
Special delivery comes in two flavours, before 9am...
* Guaranteed next day delivery by 9.00am - or your money back
*
* Prices start at £8.95, saving you over 50%
*
* Four weight bands from 100g to 2kg
And next day...
* Guaranteed next day delivery before 1pm - or your money back
*
* Prices start at just £4.10
*
* 99% of the UK covered
The full pricing guidelines can be found here...
ftp.royalmail.com/Downloads/public/cmwalk/doc/active/doc2800003/Final_April_2006_matrix.pdf
But to condense things down, in general most people will use the "Guarenteed next day" service of Special delivery (SD).
This starts at £4.05 although generally when posting snails, you wont have a package lighter than 100g. So you'll be seeing a start price of £4.50.
Where possible, it is always advisable to use SD as your postal service for inverts as it is guarenteed first day (and officially necessary by royal mail).
The other primary service you may be seeing offered, is recorded delivery.
Unlike special delivery, this post comes with the same guarentees as first class. But with the added benefit of a signature. This proves that collection has been made by the purchaser.
* Automatic receipt and signature on arrival
*
* Just 68p plus First or Second Class postage
*
* Next working day delivery for most First Class Recorded items
Pricing is fairly simple, add 68p to standard first class postage costs, and you have recorded.
Maximum weight First class cost
60g 32p
100g 49p
150g 68p
200g 84p
250g 99p
300g £1.14
350g £1.29
400g £1.49
450g £1.70
500g £1.90
600g £2.30
700g £2.69
750g £2.89
800g £3.10
900g £3.49
1kg £3.89
For First Class items over 1kg, it's 85p for every extra 250g plus the 68p Recorded Signed For™ fee
Royal mail insists live stock is sent by first class, however, recorded delivery is often used as a cheaper alternative.
First class recorded is a perfectly adequette way of sending many things, but if it requires heat, or may suffer for more than one day in transit be sure to request or utilise special delivery.
Personally I have alot of difficulty with the SD service, parcels arriving damaged or wet. Compared to FCR. So there are genuine reasons a buyer may wish a different postal service.
Be aware. If you request FCR as your choice of recieving inverts, a seller will often refuse any compensation or replacement if the animal is harmed or arrives doa. It really is worth the extra £2 if you know your SD service is reliable.
Packing and Paypal.
Other charges which may be bundled with your postage charge, are paypal and packing costs.
Paypal deduct a percentage of any recieved payment if you have a buisness account (which allows you to recieve card funded payments), this is thier commission on the service.
Its worked out at 3.4% + £0.20 GBP.
Most sellers who have some interest in profit will add this "fee" to the postage costs. As the convenience of paypal is in the buyers interest. And certainly, were you to send a cheque or cash in post, not only would it take you time (For cheque to clear) but be risky (if sending cash) and still costs you a stamp.
So this sort of addition shouldnt be resented.
Packing costs will vary, and will also often feature in the postage charge.
Unless you work for pc world and can buy huge great 20m rolls of bubble wrap for the price of a Mcdonalds, youre looking at retail market value for void fill or bubble.
Currently we sell it for £3.99 for 3m of standard, or £7.99 for 5m of large bubble. Extortionate yes.
Void fill can be aquired on ebay, but is similarly expensive as an initial inverstment and takes up alot of space when not being used.
Cardboard boxes may be a consideration. Again not everyone recieves alot of post, or works in a place where they can be cheaply aquired. Some may have to purchase the boxes themselves.
Or alternatively jiffy envelopes. Which at sainsburies are priced at £5 for 3 just over A4.
Then theres the tubs the animals are posted out in, dependant on the sellers choice of tub, these can vary from 75p asda tuppawares. Or 20p cricket tubs. Or even old food containers.
And finally postal wallets, or labels, tape, packing tape, rubber bands for holding down lids on boxes... it all adds up.
A few money saving tips...
Keep old boxes and jiffy bags. Dont rip them open when you recieve your lastest ebay bargain. Flatpack them and reuse when the time comes.
Save void fill, alot of people use poly or bio void fill on ebay, if you get something sent to you packed in this tip it into a bin liner and keep it somewhere safe.
Use balls of newspaper as packing/insulation. Works a treat.
If you have a pet that eats livefood, cricket tubs are perfect for packing snails in. If you dont, ask around see if someone you know does.
Also poly cups... cheap can buy in bulk, usually about 100 for a tenner with lids. Make perfect containers for sending individual juvenille snails, slugs, phasmids. Great things.
So why do people buy packaging? Its costing me money.
I'd imagine convenience factors.. but there are other reasons.
A professional image is one. If youre sending out live stock, not everyone wants thier sales to be presented as a one off hobby job. Personally I prefer to use new cricket tubs as these always make whats being sent out look fantastic on arrival.
Likewise beat up reused boxes, and half popped bubblewrap dont always convey the image some sellers wish to carry.
For me, Ive started to print leaflets, cards and reciepts. All this costs ink and paper, but in the long run I think it will be worth the investment and the feedback Ive had thus far has been positive. People genuinely dont mind paying an extra 50p for something that looks good and provides them with all they need to get started.
So what it comes down to...
It comes down to the preferance of the person posting out the inverts.
Motivation will vary, some people dont mind losing a little money here and there, and others, for whatever reason dont.
Theres no shame for asking for a full reimbursement on your costs, and only you know how much it cost you. Dont be put off by cheaper postage options on similar stock elsewhere. Virginia cheeseman still trades and has done for many years. Her postage costs have been higher than anyone Ive seen online for a long time.
If you dont like the postage charge, look elsewhere?