What are the best postage options for you?
Christmas is well and truly upon us now: if you have not listed all your Christmas stock, then you will be running out of time.
Yes, I know there are still a few weeks to go before the last postal day, but buyers begin to panic when they purchase an item and see how long the estimate time Amazon place on delivery.
Buyers email and ask if there is any chance I can post quickly because they are afraid their items will not arrive in time for Christmas.
I assure them that all orders get posted within 48 hours: most are posted within hours.
Over the Christmas period, couriers often deliver until last minute, which is fine if you have the budget within the sale to pay for next day postage.
Yes, I know there are still a few weeks to go before the last postal day, but buyers begin to panic when they purchase an item and see how long the estimate time Amazon place on delivery.
Buyers email and ask if there is any chance I can post quickly because they are afraid their items will not arrive in time for Christmas.
I assure them that all orders get posted within 48 hours: most are posted within hours.
Over the Christmas period, couriers often deliver until last minute, which is fine if you have the budget within the sale to pay for next day postage.
Many couriers charge much less than Royal Mail for certain services. Royal Mail are missing a trick for not allowing the weight of a middle-sized parcel to go as high as 3kg or 4kg – their allowance of 2kg is not that much use if you are selling heavier items. I think couriers are taking advantage of this ‘oversight’ and Royal Mail must be losing business.
Last year Royal Mail increased the small parcel allowance from 1kg to 2kg. I find this weight very useful when selling books: I hope they keep this price bracket and do not increase it; although, before they increased the allowance for a small packet, couriers were also able to benefit from parcels weighing between 1 and 2kg.
When it comes to posting parcels, it is always wise to shop around. I first began selling books on Amazon in 2005, and back then there really was only Royal Mail that you could use. The parcel market has really opened up over the years.
On the whole I do find delivery services reliable, but I have to admit just one missing order can create frustration and chaos. I do hate to receive email enquiries concerning lost books.
I am off now to make my Christmas online orders: fingers crossed all Christmas orders arrive safely and quickly and that no customers are left feeling disappointed.
What do you think?
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