Amazon/An Post

Bleurgh

Really hope I have the right forum.

I recently purchased my first high value package from Amazon UK, never really had any problems getting anything small from them before, and I had never used their FREE Super Saver shipping option either because the items I previously purchased hadn't been eligible for it.

With postage being nearly €30 this time I decided to avail of it, but to my horror realized after I had paid that An Post was the carrier, I have had huge problems with An Post in my local area not delivering parcels from eBay before, which ended up costing me a tidy sum, but I won't get into that now.

My panic subsided though when I saw the other day that my parcel had been handed to the carrier a day earlier than expected, I was given an An Post tracking number and all was well. Until 48 hours later the parcel is still not on An Post's tracking system. The parcel is due to be delivered withing the next 24 to 48 hours, which I have to assume isn't going to happen after the following contact.

I rang An Post they have no record of the tracking number ever being used, and suggested I contact Amazon. When I contacted Amazon they said that apart from the tracking information they have no further information, and they also admitted that they have no idea where my stuff is right now. They also stated that it has been most likely handed to the wrong carrier, and if it doesn't arrive by the 15th of March to contact them again. All pretty standard stuff, and needless to say I'm a bit peeved, I don't really mind what date it arrives but I don't like not being able to track it. And I know if it goes missing, or get's damaged from travelling all over the world before reaching my house, it will be replaced by Amazon, but that's not really the point.

A friend that works with An Post said it's also possible that the tracking number may not have been booked in correctly, and that it may be somewhere in the An Post system already.

I was just wondering if this problem with being unable to track the parcel with An Post from Amazon has ever happened to anyone here before, and what was the outcome?

Feels really good to get all that off my chest.

Sorry if this has been posted before, but I couldn't find anything quite like it.

Xzen

I've never had any problems with An Post in Cork or the other rural areas I've lived since coming to Ireland way back.

I have noticed weird status delays on An Posts trackables recently though. Sometimes the tracking occasionally fails to show-up until just a few hours before delivery.

I wouldn't worry too much, your stuff should arrive on time. I get orders nearly every week or 2 and only had 3 issues in the last year (2 DHL - never showed up and 1 An Post that was just 2 days late - but it was free delivery...so not complaints )

If it doesn't show up on their delivery date, Amazon are pretty good about it, they usually send replacements if it doesn't show up after a few days.

Beats most eBay sellers, who'll have a fit and accuse you of lying :mad:

galwayjohn89

When did amazon send you the dispatched email? I would guess Amazon have dispatched the item but it hasn't been received by An Post yet. Normally it takes around 24 hours for it to be received by An Post but I have had it take longer.

Rascasse

This is completely normal. Usually when I order stuff it can take 2 or 3 days to show up on An Post tracking as packages are often dispatched from the UK or Europe, put on a truck to Ireland and posted here. Until they are posted here they won't show up on the tracking. Also bear in mind that you won't always get a tracking number, as I had with a order last month.

Edit: Just as a FYI, I checked the last order that I had a tracking number for and I got the dispatch email late on the Monday, showed up tracking late Thursday, delivered Friday. It arrived the day after their estimated date, but it was Xmas time.

JaManSnowFlake

Xzen wrote: »

Beats most eBay sellers, who'll have a fit and accuse you of lying :mad:

My brother sells through his Ebay store and through deal sites. For one deal on Grabone 8 of 36 items sent were not received. An Post were unhelpful and the customers still demand their product.

The only option for him now is to increase the price of the goods sold.

N64

Amazon transship the package to Ireland.

The process goes something like this:

1. Package is dispatched from fufillment center in UK
2. Package is loaded on to container in UK destined for Ireland
3. Container reaches Ireland - Contents offloaded onto AnPost network (where it will be scanned)
4. Delivered by Anpost

Korgman

Hi
On the link to amazon it says free shipping for purchases over 25 pounds. Will that apply if I'm shipping to ireland .
Thanks

N64

Yes.

Source:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200039400

Korgman

Does that qualify for every item?
What must I click on to get a free delivery?
Thanks

Jarren

We also offer Free Super Saver Delivery as an option for UK and eligible European customers. To take advantage of FREE Super Saver Delivery follow these steps:

Place eligible items (listed in the table above) in your Shopping Basket (over £25 of items if the order is for delivery outside the UK). If your order qualifies for FREE Super Saver Delivery, you'll still be charged a delivery fee for any ineligible items in the order.
Proceed to checkout
Select Super Saver Delivery as your delivery method
Select "Group my items into as few deliveries as possible" as your delivery preference
Place your order
Changing your delivery address, speed, or preference might affect your order's eligibility for FREE Super Saver Delivery.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=1204872#how

Korgman

When my package from amazon passes the customs will there be any more obstructions to it or delays?
Thank you.

nitromaster

Korgman wrote: »

When my package from amazon passes the customs will there be any more obstructions to it or delays?
Thank you.

Shouldn't be!

Korgman

Hi just one more question.
When buying form the UK Amazon, are the customs the only thing that check the item and decide if it can be delivered or not . Can that be done by an actual postman when he is delivering it to my door?
Thank you.

JaManSnowFlake

Korgman wrote: »

Hi just one more question.
When buying form the UK Amazon, are the customs the only thing that check the item and decide if it can be delivered or not . Can that be done by an actual postman when he is delivering it to my door?
Thank you.

What do you mean?

Amazon will tell you if there is no delivery option to Ireland. If there are any problems with delivery to your Irish address you can always use Parcelmotel.

jos22

my past few orders have shipped via royal mail and took 10 days to be delivered. have amazon stopped using an post 2 day delivery to Ireland

AH92

Yea same placed an order for earphones on May 2nd and seen the delivery day estimate at May 10, was hoping it would come eary but so far nothing. Absolute load of bollocks that im waiting this long never using free super saver delivery again. P.S. Also shipped by Royal Mail, useless fudges.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

AH92

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Yea im gonna stick with parcel motel for the foreseeable future. How long did it take you on average to receive you parcel using super saver delivery? Is an post the courier for it still?

brock92

Have used parcel motel a few times now. Its great. Ordered off amazon on Sunday and ready to be collected at 6:00 am on Wednesday in cork.

jos22

AH92 wrote: »

Yea same placed an order for earphones on May 2nd and seen the delivery day estimate at May 10, was hoping it would come eary but so far nothing. Absolute load of bollocks that im waiting this long never using free super saver delivery again. P.S. Also shipped by Royal Mail, useless fudges.

my order is 3 days late so far taking 13 days

meoklmrk91

Pity that they have decided to stop using An Post 2 day delivery, I have ordered literally hundreds of things from amazon over the last couple of years and have never had a bit of bother. I could count on it arriving two days after dispatch. I haven't ordered anything in a few weeks but if my package comes slower next time I will be writing to amazon to ask them why they have ,are this decision.

OP I really wouldn't worry about tracking, it hardly ever works for me until the day before the package is delivered and sometimes not until it has been delivered. Plus even if there is an issue Amazon have exceptional customer service, they really are my favourite company to deal with if anything goes wrong.

Xzen

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

Pity that they have decided to stop using An Post 2 day delivery, I have ordered literally hundreds of things from amazon over the last couple of years and have never had a bit of bother. I could count on it arriving two days after dispatch. I haven't ordered anything in a few weeks but if my package comes slower next time I will be writing to amazon to ask them why they have ,are this decision.

I had 5 orders placed on Friday and Saturday last week, two were with An Post and the other three were Royal Mail and all were free delivery.

All my Royal Mail packets arrived on Wednesday (nearly a week before the delivery date they gave) with one An Post box, the other An post parcel was delayed in Dublin for days but I got this morning, so they seem to be the same speed as An Post generally.

Can't really complain when it's free shipping Now, if they delayed an order that I PAID postage on, that'd be a whole other matter.

I sometimes have to order a from other places like Komplett, Dabs and they take waaaay longer...and you pay plenty



Oh, I did notice that the three Royal Mail ones one of the smallest boxes Amazon seem to do, just above a DVD box size. Maybe Amazon's only using them for the small stuff and An Post are doing bigger boxes? (who knows)

sunbeam

They always use An Post for the super heavy boxes of pet food I buy using the Subscribe and Save service, but even those seem to be taking an extra day from dispatch lately.

I'm very annoyed that they have recently changed Subscribe and Save so that you have to have all items delivered on one set day per month to avail of the 10 percent discount and automatic free delivery. It used to be dead handy being able to buy a couple of extra boxes when I needed them.

jos22

Xzen wrote: »

I had 5 orders placed on Friday and Saturday last week, two were with An Post and the other three were Royal Mail and all were free delivery.

All my Royal Mail packets arrived on Wednesday (nearly a week before the delivery date they gave) with one An Post box, the other An post parcel was delayed in Dublin for days but I got this morning, so they seem to be the same speed as An Post generally.

Can't really complain when it's free shipping Now, if they delayed an order that I PAID postage on, that'd be a whole other matter.

I sometimes have to order a from other places like Komplett, Dabs and they take waaaay longer...and you pay plenty



Oh, I did notice that the three Royal Mail ones one of the smallest boxes Amazon seem to do, just above a DVD box size. Maybe Amazon's only using them for the small stuff and An Post are doing bigger boxes? (who knows)

the 3 orders I got via royal mail taken 10- 15 days every one being at least 3 days late.

every other before that even it it was just a SD card were ship via an post and arrived with 2 days.

even orders shipped from amzon German and Italy take no more than 5 days.

so I would have to wander why it takes royal mail over 5 times longer than an post and twice as long as other EU amazon branches to ship to Ireland.

losttheplot

I have placed four orders to Amazon this year. Three were sent by Royal Mail. Each of these took two weeks or more to be delivered from date of placing order and were later than estimated. I also ordered a Wii-U recently. This was delivered via An Post and arrived in time but with both the amazon cardboard box and wii-u box torn. Looks like Amazon's quality of service to ireland has really disimproved. I must check out the parcel motel option.

galwayjohn89

Had an item dispatched Friday Night by An Post. Was delivered today. Second order was dispatched on Monday again by An Post.

Korgman

How come amazon can't deliver certain items to certain addresses. I checked and it's not a restricted item i.e chemicals.
Anyway I can get the item delivered to my address?

Xzen

Korgman wrote: »

How come amazon can't deliver certain items to certain addresses. I checked and it's not a restricted item i.e chemicals.
Anyway I can get the item delivered to my address?

It's probably an item that'd sold by a seller rather than Amazon. You can identify they seller and delivery type in general by looking at the name of the seller under the stock message.

This gets asked on Boards.ie 100s and 100s of times, so I have a few handy examples below to help - The important part of each image is what's under the green text:

---

* Dispatched and Sold by Seller.
These are sent to addresses at the seller's discretion. In my experience most Amazon UK sellers only ship to UK mainland - so you can pretty much ignore these.

---

* Sold by seller, dispatched from Amazon's warehouses
Again, the seller can limit where these items are delivered, but the majority can be delivered outside the UK - And because its shipped by Amazon you get free delivery too

---

* Sold by Amazon, dispatched from their warehouses
Almost all of these items can be sent to Ireland and free over £25. There are a few exceptions for really large TVs or chemicals, but otherwise this category is what you need to look for when buying in Ireland.

pleasant Co.

Placed a "super saver" order with amazon UK on saturday, dispatched sunday night and delivered to my door in galway on tuesday morning - very happy with that

brokenarms

This is a perfect example of why you should always use Parcel Motel.

I have used them over 20 times now and my package has been there within 2-3 days max. Tracked on some larger items.

AnPost reminds me of Father Teds.

pleasant Co.

brokenarms wrote: »

This is a perfect example of why you should always use Parcel Motel.

I have used them over 20 times now and my package has been there within 2-3 days max. Tracked on some larger items.

AnPost reminds me of Father Teds.

eh? I doubt PM would be any faster than my 2 working days (technically only 1 working day as my parcel did arrive early tuesday morning :P)

brokenarms

pleasant Co. wrote: »

eh? I doubt PM would be any faster than my 2 working days (technically only 1 working day as my parcel did arrive early tuesday morning :P)

In relations to the OP and in general. I have had the same problems in the past with online stuff.

I phoned retailers to be told.

We post it the next day.
Package get sent to Ireland and arrives the next day

The the package sits in an AnPost warehouse for a week or so till someone there finds it .

PM all the way.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Korgman

The thing about getting free shipping if you order over 25 pounds does not seem to apply anymore. I added on item into the basket worth 32 pounds and clicked on "calculate shipping'' it gave 9 pounds shipment fee. So does the free shipping for over 25 pounds still apply , or must it be some certain type of item?
Thanks

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

pleasant Co.

...and the item has to be coming from Amazon, not one of their marketplace sellers.