why do an post vary on prices depending on branch?

jillyb

Hi there

I know this prob has been up before but its so frustrating.

In some post offices they charge a packet rate for a small padded envelope and in others is the price of a large letter.

There is a big diff in price & it so annoying especially when you selling items in adverts, ebay etc and want to keep costs down. anyone have similar experience?

I bought a small scales and I have started weighing at home and putting stamps on the items but afraid sometimes the items might not make it.

anyone know a post office in dublin 12 or 24 that errors on the cheaper side??

thanks

rubadub

jillyb wrote: »

I bought a small scales and I have started weighing at home and putting stamps on the items but afraid sometimes the items might not make it.

anyone know a post office in dublin 12 or 24 that errors on the cheaper side??

If you find one that does allow you the cheaper one then you would have the exact same worry as buying the stamps yourself. I don't think its a big worry if you are a tiny bit outside though.

You have seen the definitions I presume?
http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/What+Are+You+Sending+Details.htm

wmpdd3

I write the dimensions and price that I think it should be on the front where the stamp should go. If I am wrong the guy explains to me how I was wrong. In the last year I have been right every time.

It also good to see what service is better, sometimes a courier is much cheaper, sometimes not.

Judgement Day

OP - you need to ask for one of these Mail Check cards at your local post office. They open out and you can test your envelopes/large envelopes etc. to see which category they fall into. Don't squeeze them through i.e. err on the side of caution otherwise you may get an unpleasant surprise when you have to pay more than you expected.

wmpdd3

Handy! do they charge for them?

Judgement Day

FREE - if they are still available - mine's a couple of years old.

rubadub

The hardest thing to measure is depth, the limit is 25mm on large envelopes and then it becomes a packet.

You could get yourself 3 books or similar things. 2 of them 25mm high, sit them side by side with the third book on top, making a bridge, now see if the item can slide inside under the "bridge". Or get a bit of cardboard and cutout the dimensions and make your own checking thing like in the picture above.

sandin

yep it depth that catches most out.

Same item, but put in envelope a different way can mean packet rather than large envelope.

Reason for it (and most countries have exact same emasurements) is an item under 25mm and a4 in size will fit into a letterbox. If its bigger, it won't fit into some letterboxes so postie has to ring the bell and hope someone is in. Time = money, so therefore it costs extra.

So think of 2 large magazines on top of each other such as Top Gear and that's your template. Bigger than that in height/width or length and it goes as small packet.

Pacing Mule

An Post staff across the board are very inconsistent though when it comes to deciding what is a standard, large envelope or packet. We've even had items returned to us after being stopped by revenue protection in the central sorting office that actually was in spec and was agreed to be in spec by our An Post rep. Quite frustrating.

ronankan

I sent a cd in a bubble envelope as a normal mail,not large envelope ,it was under 100g
I still don't think it was a large envelope as a cd is smaller than 1/2 an a4
it was returned to me as not enough postage
who is right because the depthis the only thing I can think and a cd in a cd bubble envelope is pretty thin
What do you guys think ?

Pacing Mule

ronankan wrote: »

I sent a cd in a bubble envelope as a normal mail,not large envelope ,it was under 100g
I still don't think it was a large envelope as a cd is smaller than 1/2 an a4
it was returned to me as not enough postage
who is right because the depthis the only thing I can think and a cd in a cd bubble envelope is pretty thin
What do you guys think ?

If it was in a standard cd case it would most likely have been a large envelope as the depth of the case plus a bubble envelope would exceed the dimensions.

The specs are not only for weight, width and length which yours would have come in under but also depth (thickness) of the item which is where you were caught out.

andreas_220D

Pageant Messiah wrote: »

If it was in a standard cd case it would most likely have been a large envelope as the depth of the case plus a bubble envelope would exceed the dimensions.

The specs are not only for weight, width and length which yours would have come in under but also depth (thickness) of the item which is where you were caught out.

Correct. The maximum dimension for a letter/postcard are: Length 235mm; Width162mm; Depth 5mm

A standard cd case exceeds the max depth so it should have been posted as a large envelope.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

andreas_220D

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Why should I pay for a delivery with insufficient postage? I'd simply refuse to accept the delivery.

rubadub

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I have never heard of people being charged by normal post to receive stuff. People could be posting bricks to people they hate so they incur costs!

I remember years ago getting stuff delayed because of low postage, I got it with some label notifying me this is why it was delayed. If there is no return address I guessed this might still happen.

andreas_220D

rubadub wrote: »

I have never heard of people being charged by normal post to receive stuff. People could be posting bricks to people they hate so they incur costs!

About 30 years ago when I lived in Germany the postie rang and tried to charge me for a letter with insufficient postage. They used to do that in the 80s. I asked him who's the sender and when it turned out that it was from the city council asking for a speeding fine I refused to accept it. He grinned broadly, put a sticker on it "insufficient postage, refused" and put it back into his bag. Never heard of the city council again.

rubadub

Classic!

Judgement Day

Years ago there used to be special postage due stamps applied to envelopes/parcels etc. that had insufficient postage paid. See below.



They seemed to have still been in use in the 1980s but I never recall seeing them. I should imagine that the economics of having the postie hanging about while the payment was sorted out must have been prohibitive. More information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postage_stamps_of_Ireland#Postage_dues

jillyb

hey thanks for all the replies!!

I must check out the mail checker- that looks handy

I've just been weighing and attaching stamps at home so far *fingers crossed* everything has reached its destination

Important things I take to be weighed at the post office. Its just ridiculous the cost difference between a large letter and a packet.

A small padded envelope that has something narrow in it is categorised as a packet aswell as shoes been sent in a shoe box!!

andreas_220D

Maybe you should think about your own stampprinter (https://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/MainContent/Business+Customers/Postage+Options/Stamp+Printer/)

It's € 5,- per week but reduced postal rates apply to your mailings of National and NI Letters, Large Envelopes and Packets.

I just print the stamps I need, put all packets, large envelopes and letters in a bag provided by my local post office and drop it back in to them. I took a week, then they remembered my face and never again questioned my postings.

For registered post ring the customer care and ask for a C1027 Customer Posting Book and a batch of labels, so you can prepare and stamp your registered post as well.

If you have lots of stuff to be posted outside of Ireland, drop me a line. I reduced my average posting costs from € 3,50 (with An Post) to € 1,72 (other carrier).

allthedoyles

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Handy! do they charge for them?

They sent out new ones to all businesses about a year ago .

We have one at work , and it is never used .

At home I made my own one from cardboard