You’re definitely not! I bought boxes that were labelled “large letter size” and the items I put inside are very light they just need a little bit of padding (the box itself and some tissue paper is enough) and my local post office make me pay small parcel! I’m definitely going to get one of those red things
Thanks for highlighting this, I thought it was just me having this problem, going to various post offices does make a difference, as well as various regional sorting offices.
Completely with you on this and was just on the receiving end of this today. Had an item that I argued was exactly 2.5cm and the post office staff even measured it with a ruler and agreed it was 2.5cm, but still said it would have to go as a small parcel as it wouldn’t go through the template slot when they barely ‘touched’ it against the template. I was wound up enough at that point so just paid and walked out - but won’t be using that post office again! My biggest bug bear is why 2.5cm when a letter box is around 4cm. Simple rule should be if it fits in a post box/letter box then it’s a letter, if not then I accept it’s a parcel.
Thanks Vikkie, I've always had problems with this, I have a list of Post Offices that I will just not bother to go to. I even had a Post Office refuse my prepaid parcel because there was a 2 gram difference in the weight. The main Post Office I try and go to don't even bother to check, they are experienced enough to know and they are so polite.
I don't usually leave comments on YT but after my experience at a post office today I wanted to share to reassure people who are still experiencing problems. I run my own business and most of my products are sent by large letter (I use the small boxes that are 25mm or less) or small parcel for the larger items. Today I wanted to get a receipt for an international tracked order and the young woman on the desk refused to take the parcel saying it was too large to be a large letter (I'd already paid just short of £10 for the postage label). I said that I have my own parcel size checker at home and it quite clearly fits through with minimal force. She said it had to "glide" through. I walked out and posted it in the RM box outside the shop (she wasn't even a RM employee, she works for the shop). 5 hours later I checked on the order online and it was already on its way to Heathrow Airport from Preston. I've been sending packages for a number of years now and have NEVER had a refusal or box returned in the post due to incorrect postage (despite some of my large letter boxes needing a quick shove through the measuring device I have). I have recently moved to a new area and for some reason the woman has taken an instant dislike to me which is a shame as the staff at the last post office were absolutely amazing and kind. I can only assume its because she's on commission and thought I'd buy another label there and then but I really wasn't having any of it. Experience tells me that provided you use a priority post box (one that gets collected periodically throughout the day - you can check on RM website) then this is generally a very safe and reliable service despite no proof of postage. I hope this comment reassures anyone who finds themselves in the same predicament.
Thanks and sorry to hear you're having a problem in a new area. I'd be very tempted to make a complaint to their head office to nip this behaviour in the bud.
After seeing your video I decided to get large letter posting boxes. This box requires no help going through their large letter size guide it falls straight through. Royal mail went to put this through as a small parcel until I said it was a large letter. The size guide proved this. The woman then said the person receiving this may be charged additional postage because someone in the sorting office may assume just like she did it's a small parcel. What kind of business does that. I haven't had any problems yet with this but we'll see.
So ridiculous trying to scare customers. Whoever at the sorting office wouldn't be doing their job properly then, would they? I would absolutely report this post office as am convinced they're breaking trading standard rules.
I will report them you're right. I'm so sick of their corrupt business. I've also had so many parcels stolen too. Last week one of my friends sent a tracked/ recorded parcel which was approximately a £500 phone to have it's screen fixed. That was lost, sure it's covered but what a inconvenience.
@@bethmitchell4122 I've had the same argument with P.O. staff on more than one occasion. They said if it's "tight" it's too big. I told them if it goes through then it must be under 25mm, otherwise it's defying the laws of physics. Their standard cover is very low too, unless you use Special Delivery which is the only one with that amount of cover you're screwed. They never pay out anyway if they get get out of it, and believe me they'll try and you have to fight them BUT if you're an online seller it's worth considering that they will only pay out what you paid for it, not what you sold it for. They also don't refund the postage cost which I think is a disgrace given that they haven't done what you paid them to do. Odd title for the video. If it's over 25mm thick it's a small parcel. Nothing mystifying about it.
@@severnsea madness isn't it. I've said in my previous message that I would report the problem I had. I haven't done so yet. My partner was diagnosed with cancer and frankly I have bigger fish to fry rather than fighting with Royal Mail and their dodgy shenanigans. It does make me wonder to what extent companies get away with screwing people over because they simply don't have the time to take them up on the bad service.x
So you made this video in 2016 surprisingly this is 2020, and I am still experiencing exactly the same thing!! All you emotions are true and real and I've experience them all
Absolutely no surprise :( What I can't believe is that i went to the post office the other day to find they've now rolled this ridiculous system to airmail packages. I posted 2 t-shirts the other day instead of just one, which had to go as small parcel and it jumped from £5.00 to £9 something. It's a rip off business....
This is how screwed up royal mail/post office system is: I always post items "Recorded signed for" and they weight it and tell me how much it costs but also try it on the template to see if it will go through a letterbox - WHAT ! Whats the point in seeing if it will fit through a letterbox if it has to be signed for ?
@@adeelshabirasproductions8384 Yes, correct. That said though, I've had them try the template with small size Special Delivery items which is completely irrelevant as SD doesn't use the large letter/small parcel size rules.
@@severnsea they do that so if you need to make a claim they can have it printed on your receipt as to what size item you were sending... All things are done for a reaaon
@@adeelshabirasproductions8384 Not with Special Delivery they don't, it's just staff incompetence. Try taking a letter size SD item into several different post offices, you'll find that 9 out of 10 don't check the size. It's not necessary, Special Delivery goes off the value not the size. As I said, SD doesn't use the size rules, the only thing that matters is the weight. Even with any other service they don't record the size, they only record the weight and the service used. I assure you this is correct, we've been trading for over 20 years. If you had to make a claim you would have to provide proof of what the item was and it's value. SD has a limit of up to £500 compensation (and that's it's real purpose, to cover expensive items, not to provide a guaranteed next day service). You can pay for extra compensation. Also be aware that Royal Mail will only compensate what you paid for the item in the event of a claim, not what you sold it for AND they don't refund the postage cost. Very important to understand this if you're sending items with a high profit markup and/oror expensive postage, such as a heavy item sent by next day/SD.
i squeeze all the air out and sometimes enclosed garments in card, from cornflake packets to keep the garment flat i then put in a grey postal bag and fold over and sellotape all excess of the bag bigger that what is enclosed and tape it. I have been selling on Ebay for 14 years 12k feedback. I agree with you totally but use my hermes a lot for the bigger items
I think postage is WAYYY overpriced, they either need to make large letters a lot bigger or just make the postage a lot cheaper!! it’s super frustrating
Christ its not that over priced , when you think a 1st class stamp that costs what ? 90 something pence , can get something quite literally from one end of the country , to the other in most of the time (80 something percent or whatever they say) under 24 hrs , i think thats pretty good , who or where else would do that for you for less , its a business it has to make money , its not a free service
If it was one letter being taken across the country for that price yes it would be worth it, but they don't send one letter, its thousands all going in the same journey qnd they get well paid at the end of it
A very big thank you for doing this video and clearing up the Royal mails differentiation of what classes as a large letter or small parcel. I have a better understanding of what size to send my parcels as.
Excellent video. Thank you SO much for addressing and clarifying this hugely annoying issue. The Post Office's website completely fails to do this. Thanks again.
I think a large letter should be accepted as something that can fit into a postbox slot (probably around 4cm-5cm). Postboxes are for letters and if its not going to fit in a postbox, then its clearly a parcel. Simples!!!!
But we bought a larger letter slot for our door, and a saw! Because we were fed up with large business envelopes and magazines being folded. And don’t get me started on how they use rubber bands which rip through thin items. Hmm. Sorry. Digressing. My point is, all letterboxes are different. Tiny ones on old houses, typically. I’m here because I’m uncertain whether my grandson’s birthday card, with a novelty nose bump -will it require a large letter stamp? I guess I need a template. Tricky thing guesstimating 5mm
yeahhhh so true they already have those see through booths as well so it would be easy to just make a postbox sized hole in one of them and use that as a measure (if you can pass it to us through this hole, its a large letter BOOM)
Glad it was not just me who was feeling like I was being ripped off. I was so unhappy that I switched all my parcels to UPS and MyHermes. I now only use Royal mail for letters and large letters only. I did this so I can be sure that I have no small parcels to pay for when I go to the post office. I am now thinking of removing the responsibility and the post office profit by opening a business account with Royal Mail online and booking in m own post. My way of getting my own back at the post office.
Mail is pushed through a letter box horizontally, not dangled over a letter box vertically and expect gravity to do the rest, that is totally unrealistic, Royal Mail scam.
How long does it take for an Express and ordinary mail to reach Africa respectively? How is a mail which has twice or three times the normal postage stamp costs gets treated? Is it ordinary or standard
@@sonnyp6790 It is a scam. I've mentioned it before but if it goes through the slot, assisted or not then it has to be within the size range. Otherwise it would be defying the laws of physics.
Loved this video :) as I wanted to start selling on depop and have never done anything like this before!! :) and also did not have a clue about postage and packaging and that you could even send things as a large letter.
I came to the UK as an international student. In my country, the procedure is rather easier. If you are a seller on an online platform like Shopee (similar to Amazon, slightly similar to vintage), you buy any parcel/letter size that fits the weight and size of the item, and just drop them off at the designated area in the post office. No need to face the staff/etc. As simple as that. I’m trying to sell items on vintage and have been watching all the comments on Royal Mail. I would say this is my very first time shipping out a preowned item using Royal Mail so I’m quite wary when reading the remarks from Royal Mail user in the UK. Thank you for your video because it does help me to prepare for any inconvenience when using this service in the future.
You seem to be getting confused between the royal mail (the people that deliver the letters) and the post office (the people that you give the letter to)
I have EXACTLY the same issue. Take things to my local post office, they are GREAT! (Moseley post office Birmingham). However, if I take items to the post office that’s housed within a local branch of WHSmiths (kings heath Birmingham), they ALWAYS charge the larger cost even when I disagree that it’s merely a large letter. (They’re open on a Sunday which is the only reason I go there if I really have to.) ALL post office staff, concession or not should be made to watch this video before being allowed to deal with the public. The exert should also be put on the wall as a visible saying. Transparency equals calm and happy customers and staff :)
Hi love, Can you kindly let me know where you buy those mailing bags from i.e. small parcel size? Would be much appreciated. I feel your frustration, has happened to me a few times.
If you live near the depot, where you would pick up parcels they are unable to deliver, then this is a great way to bypass the issue. Print the labels online and drop them off there. I have never had any issue at all!
I never go to my local post office for this precise reason! Even if the difference is less than £1, as a student with a small business that money could make the world of difference in the long run. Thank you for making this video!
Former Post Office Manager who worked in a few different branches here (2014-2020), and what I was told was sort of a mix of the two; if possible, you should guide the large letter into the guide vertically, and give it a sharp tap it on top to help it fall through if it is something relatively firm (as if it would be momentarily stuck in a sorting machine, but would be dislodged by another large letter gently pushing it from behind). If it's clothing and wouldn't stand vertically on it's own, then you could guide it through by pulling with a small amount of force - see the force used to tap it on top. Often if something was debatable (like it gave some amount of resistance but you could see it was maybe because it was a hem on trousers), we'd give the parcel a little shake or squish (....with the customer's permission!!) and more often than not that would resolve the issue. Sometimes a customer would present something that does go through the large letter slot with zero issues, but is too long for a large letter (this was more common with calendars, if it happened with clothing I'd just fold over an end and tape it). However, when the office sends out an item of the wrong size (often it would be large letters being too long or too wide) then the managers would crack down and change advice to has to fall through without any guidance as the office would be fined. It was something like £10-20 per wrongly sized item, but I wouldn't quote me on that. Staff who repeatedly got caught out by that would then play it really safe and just bump it up to the next size if it was debatable. I should say I'm not posting to defend the Post office but to offer a bit of insight. Sometimes the pressure is especially on the staff to ensure that there is zero doubt that an item is correctly sized and that it isn't a matter for debate on the sorting end of things, hence why some places might adopt the "has to slide through with very little resistance" position. It also doesn't help matters that in my offices, there wasn't refresher training for staff. Often the owner would receiving training, and then be in charge of training staff; which works fine in theory but after awhile things get lost and not passed on.
Hey, probably to long ago to get a reply but worth an ask... We use the click and drop service for tshirts and send them as large letters, I weigh and put every packed order through a royal mail slot guide I purchased. I put some prints and a hard backed envelope inside the tshirt to keep it rigid. We drop it off at the royal mail depot, but tshirts are arriving with 1.50 to pay or not arriving at all... do you know where the issue is lying? If I took them to a postoffice, would their stamp of approval ensure it will get through the system without a charge, or do they also try to put the packages at the other end of the chain and find issues there? Thanks in advance if you see this and reply Elliott
That's ridiculous!! They should absolutely be using the template and stand your ground if they just eyeballed it. I've caught a few members of staff out by insisting they test it.
7 years on and I had issues the other day sending letter size as the label was making it "too thick." So I took the label off, then it would only pass though. Then they made me buy another label and put it back on. 😣😣 Then it would only go through one way using the "drop through test". ("we can't pull it through") So still as clear as mud!! Oh and that was the second post office.
Good on you I'm starting to realised I'm being ripped off I sold a parcel today definitely a small parcel but I was charged medium I was not happy. I go into the city and this post office will sometimes put medium parcels through as small which I'm not complaining about
Why don't you just put a large letter stamp on it and stick it through a letter/post box, they cant say it doesn't fit otherwise how did it get in the postbox. Because of this, they don't even check it.
If you are doing a few parcels a week, apply for a DMO account this allows you to print off your own labels and you get a discount on std prices its not much but every little helps as they say. You take the parcels to the PO counter or Royal Mail Acceptance Point they sign a summary sheet and you are good to go !
I do love a good rant about Royal Mail glad I found your video after three years lol. When they changed the price of their 2nd class stamp they made a mess of it, and overcharged people by a penny. And they posted a tweet about it saying they made 60K in seven days as a result of that error which they will donate to a charity. I would link the tweet but knowing UA-cam it will get flagged for spam haha
The Carpenter's Daughter Unless you follow them on Twitter you won’t know they kept it on the hush hush. They posted the tweet two months ago tomorrow on 23/02/2019. No probs check it when you’re on desktop next.
I have the same issues with sample bottles being mailed back to me. I provide an A5 addressed padded envelope 1st class stamped with the bottle inside 2.5cm width on the lid. It will fit through with a gentle tug but not free flow. My outgoing postage is now paid for online label printed and dropped in a post box. I avoid the post office like the plague these days. What we need to be looking at is are postmasters incentivised to upsell Do they get paid per item or is it a % on the value £1.45 to £2.85 is a nice little upsell if they can get away with it.
I do click and drop and post things straight through a large letter post box. As far as I’m concerned if it fits through that gap it’s a large letter. Sometimes it’s a squash but that’s mostly air and I’m not paying for air. If you want proof you posted video it going in. Job done
It’s now almost January 2022 and the same thing is still happening! Just been to the post office to send what I classed as a large letter. The post mistress managed to get it through the slot fairly easy but she said that because she had to “force it through” that I had to send it as a small parcel. I then had to pay £3.20 second class instead of around £1.50. I have now made a loss on that item that I was selling/sending!
just happened to me today and i am furious, it’s ridiculous, she only touched my 2 large letter in the template and said no sorry its small parcel, i paid this and left, i made loss too, i will be looking for other couriers now..
Online it clearly says what the max dimensions have to be. If it falls through without pushing it through, it means it is MUCH smaller than that max. If it goes through with pushing/pulling, it means it is at the limit, which is completely allowed. I would be infuriated if someone refused me with that argument. I think I might attempt to just stick it in the mail post box and bypass the post office altogether...
The one time I decided to post it through, it annoyingly never arrived, which, admittedly, put me off completely. This postal method really shouldn't be up for debate. And I think it absolutely stinks that they've now rolled it out to international parcels.
@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK Really? That's really worrying. On the website they say they send it back to you if there are any issues. BTW, I went to the postbox today and I couldn't push it through, because the width of the slot is about 20 cm (5 cm smaller than the max large letter width). It turns out that slot varies across postboxes and the height can even be larger than the max of 2.5 cm... Which means shoving it through that whole does not mean what you shoved was a "letter"... Madness.
Here's a question: I sent a fabric snood(it's like a scarf) and it fits in as a small letter when flat, however if it gets moved about in the post and in the packaging envelope it no longer will be flat and may not slip through the "large letter" reference whole guide thing....what happens then? What I mean is let's say you send a t shirt and flatten it in an envelope and at the post office it fits through the large letter guide but when being moved through the mailing centre it becomes tussled about and is no longer flat what happens then?
Loved your video. Totally fed up with Royal Mail/Post Office too. I use a food vacuum packer (like Andrew James) so suck all the air out of my parcels, I get loads into smaller categories now (obviously depends on the item). I've found a UK supplier for the bags for a few pence so save loads of money. And sometimes I use those 'letter' sized boxes which can apply some pressure on the item and maintain the 'optimal size' lol.
I know! I hate the fact we don't have a choice when it comes to letter mail. I've recently opened a business account and get the 76p down to 56p and 1.22p to 76p. So anyone out there who does a lot of posting open an account!
Personally I just buy large letter stamps in bulk @ 79p each. I measure it with my tape measure at home, and if it's not thicker than 25mm (or 1 inch) at the thickest point, I stick a large letter stamp on and shove it through the letter box outside the Post Office. For items over 1 inch thick, I use My Hermes (via eBay) as it stops the nosey parkers at the post office saying "what's in your parcel" and being scared/frightened about wrist watches, as they contain a tiny battery. This method works absolutely fine and I've sent large letters that I know are over 100g, but still within the 25mm, perfectly fine with the same 79p stamp - which would have cost more had I taken it to the counter. And no reports of held or refused deliveries! This is especially recommended as the staff at the larger Post Offices vary their interpretation. I once sold an item of clothing on eBay which was potentially a Large Letter, they only had to check on their size measuring thing, but they didn't even get the measurer out and just shoved a £2.90 "small parcel" on it! Chances are, it would have gone through as a 79p large letter! Conclusion: bulk buy the 79p and 58p stamps if you send a lot of letters. If its a letter, shove a 58p stamp on. If it's a large letter, shove a 79p stamp on. If it's thicker than 2.5cm/25mm/1in, forget it and use eBay's Shutl service with one of their couriers (usually MyHermes or UPS, depending on size/weight). Especially as MyHermes take all and any batteries without a problem yet Royal Mail complain even if it's a tiny watch battery!
Hi Spotify95, I'm an eBay seller and I just got ripped off by royal mail which lead me to see this video. Please how do I buy large letter stamp for royal mail postage . Thanks
I have the same problem constantly also with my parcels that I sell for example yesterday I was sending and items to Portugal and as I went the first time I was told £16 as I wants to confirm this was on with the client I said I would come back after the client confirmed I went back to send But was surprised to be told it was now £13 it was the same parcel nothing has changed same address same method of delivery. So if I would of sent it the first time I would of be charged £3 very odd!
Had same issue today. Had a small jiffy envelope with some round plastic caps for a car door inside, very light and small item. The lady got the template and said the item has to drop through of its own accord. If not the machinery will reject it? ! It could be pushed through with very minimal force. The difference of cost was 88p for large letter stamp or £3.10 for small parcel, the item sold for just £3.50 on eBay. I said what if I put 2 normal first class stamps on - would it go? She said you’ll have to take your chances. I said I wanted proof of postage, but she wouldn’t give it to me so I ended up purchasing one large letter first class stamp for £1.15 and put it in the post box outside - it fit in the postbox with no issue at all.
Sick of some staff's scare tactics. This will have worked on one customer, so she's now doing it with everyone. I would report this branch in a heartbeat. And I can't believe I saw a petition this morning to get Royal mail to buy PPE for their staff. I still believe the brand constantly earn more money they shouldn't have because of staff like this not following the rules. I wouldn't be upset if other businesses undercut them and put them out of business.
The Carpenter's Daughter Yes I will think twice about using that branch in future. It was my first time there as my usual ones all close early currently. Perhaps she thought she’d try and get a bit more money out of me, as she wouldn’t have recognised me and I probably looked a bit gullible. For larger items I never use Royal Mail, but for small light things I do.
I totally agree, I would use Hermes, but my nearest shop I'd miles away. I am sick of paying for substandard services, even the postmen post parcels to the wrong addresses as I have told by my customers
If selling on e Bay best to use Packlink they offer a Hermes postable service. Royal Mail are somewhat complacent about service they provide. I am lucky to have a really good local sub post office (Hale End Road E4) so I still use them for smaller postable items.
The Post Office is not Royal Mail and we know that things differ from branch to branch. Get yourself a Royal Mail account so that you can apply the postage yourself. Then Post Office don't have top get involved.
I used to have this at my then local branch. I'd check myself with the gauge *bought from the post office* then take it to the branch, but if it even touched the side they'd reject it. Getting fed up, I also used to weigh my stuff at home, print postage and take it up. This one branch time after time would weigh it and refuse to take it without selling me a new postage label for *more* . I'd then take the package to another branch who would weigh it and confirm I was absolutely correct and would take the parcel no bother. Oddly at the first branch it was always *more* and never less that they wanted. Time after time.
The worst one is when you take a medium parcel in without them measuring it declare it needs parcel force. I had visited my local branch two days before sending exactly the same medium parcel but they were unsure but quickly checked the measurements and was just in by a few cm each way given i made the box and measured it i knew it was but was on the edge but still within the allowed size i had another order of the same item but was heading out somewhere else and decided to post on the way at different location to be told before being weighed or measured thats too big for royal mail it need parcel force to which i responded it the size and weight of a medium parcel to be then told there is no such thing as medium parcel at that point i showed him online the guidelines on medium parcel size's and informed him i would be reporting his branch to both royal mail and trading standards he then just so happened to remember the medium parcel and wanted me to send at his store to which i refused taking it else where to be called a f ing time wasting twat was a joke royal mail need to sort there crap out
That's possibly the worst experience I've ever heard so far! When you're dealing with that kind of money and terrible service, it definitely needs reporting!
I work in a shop with a post office counter, and I've never heard of anything about not being allowed to pull the package through the template. The whole system is a bit silly, sometimes people post tiny square boxes, but it has to go as a small parcel because of the size, with the postage label being nearly as big as the parcel.
Thanks so much for this. If in any doubt I always send as a small parcel as too paranoid! Our main PO is appalling now - lots of teen trainees who don't know what they''re doing, some pretend cash till not working so can't give you proof of postage, open Sundays now allegedly and after a 2-mile round walk other day no one there except a boy who didn't know how to work self-service machines. All the brilliant old staff who were there years have vanished! Very disconcerting.
I feel your pain... I used to go to a different post office years ago and the person who ran it used to shut up shop early when he shouldn't have done. I'd then have to drive to another post office quite and often get there 5 minutes to closing time... then I'd get moaned or threatened they wouldn't serve me if I got there late again. Then it happened again, but this time, a group of people, including pensioners, had walked all the way there. And the next week, he got sacked. I had no sympathy 😂
Just found this video and for YEARS I have had issues with it. I have measured things prior to going and have had rows with people at post office with it, One staff member laughed in my face. I like to do ebay to get the odd bit of extra money, so like you when you have charged the customer one thing you dont want to over pay as your profit then goes down.
The Postmasters or whatever they're called these days get a commission of the postage that goes through the counter so its in their interests to make it a small parcel. The amount of times I have witnessed them lie to people sending mail to get them to use signed for or use special delivery is just ridiculous. They also hate it when you take prepaid mail. Obviously this is just what I have seen and not how all will behave. Mine also struggles pushing things through the large letter flap, in fact he doesn't even try so I just get the stamps off him now and use the post boxes.
Nice one! I just buy large letter stamps myself after the problems I've had at the PO before, and if it's a small parcel, I use another service. The "what's in your parcel" question always bugs me. At least if it's a bigger Post Office with self scanner machines, you have the option of going to the machine and pressing the button that says "no, I don't have prohibited items" (even if you do).
@@andrewbeacham2504 spotify95 I tell them its the im returning a used worlds largest dildo or butt plugs or anything that will make the postal worker wish they never asked as now they are gonna no all day there is something used and been in places siting behind them the amount of staff that grab the disinfection gel too funny. i love winding them up. except now i do mine online and only have to drop them off and found me a lovely post office now. have about 6 from a 3min drive to a 15 min drive from here my closest is the best
Nice to know about this commission. Is this from a reliable source. If so, that is ridiculous, I never heard of a scheme like this in any country so far. It is clearly designed to incentivise exaggerating costs. I will always use the post box from now on, if I can.
I've had then tell me they can't hand out any kind of postage to take away and post something, they said I had to bring it in and have it weighed and give it to them to send..... I do understand weight etc is relevant, but if I'm asking asking for something like a large letter stamp, surely they should simply give me it and if it's wrong then it's not their problem?!
@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK I Told her to! I said genuinely that I had a loss on the item at the higher amount and a tiny profit at the lower. She then pulled a face and visually summed up my 2nd parcel as bigger than letter.... Again I got her told and she pulled it thru joking that oh it must've been air in the parcel that made it look too big!!! I'm trying to run a small business here and this is appalling 😭
@@alexryan3527 I absolutely agree. Sadly pulling faces seems to be quite common from what I've experienced and can't stand how they're so unprofessional... but they've clearly been getting away with it.
thank you for the video! just experienced a post office turning down my international packages that are more than meet the large letter dimensions because they are in slim boxes rather than envelopes lol
Yes that happened to me. I think it's who's behind the counter. One particular chap wouldn't pull my large letter through, eventhough I'd sent many before of the same size! He wanted it to go parcel post. I said no thankyou, I'd take it home & re wrap. I didn't, lol. I took it to another smaller post office & to my amazement they never checked the thickness. Nice video by the way & a very pleasant rant may I say.....
+Dennis Shaw thanks :) it's a bloomin pain though, isn't it? And it really shouldn't be happening still. Perhaps one day they'll scrap it as I think it's too flawed to roll out across the board.
ty for this i have requested my own copy while processing my own complaint about speedy bulk receipts (post office staff simply scan the bar caode on recorded singed for etc on paypal postage) which fail with the royal mail as a certificate of posting and post office staff like but the royal mail do not include in their insurance. the post office cust service state that it must be entered with a post code on the brabnch computer.
yes ty . About 18 months ago I complained about the attention i had received at a PO. as a result the Post Office offered me £150 compensation which I accepted. I had initiated the process of a subject access request and i consider that apart from being badly treated the cost of the SAR would have cost them far more.
Mine was 2 cms bigger than a large letter length wise, asked nicely if I could buy a letter that was slightly smaller (within the requirements) to be able to be charged less, they said no it wouldn’t change the price! My letter was really thin too! Got charged £4.50 instead of £3.3
Vikkie I can't believe I came across your video! Just yesterday I went to my local post office in London and tried to post 3 'shopping bags - like the Marks & Spencer Cooler bags' as Large Letters. I measured the size etc. When the lady used the ruler she just put the front through and told me it could not go through ... so I told her to just push and pull lightly ... she refused and said they were Small Packets and would cost £3.75! ( I went home and checked the booklet - 1kg is £3.40!!). Also, the pkt you sent as a Large Letter was bigger & likely heavier than my empty lightweight shopping bags - since you send Clothing, so it's likely to weigh more. Yup .. I definitely got swizzed!! I'm going to wrap the same bag up the same way and try at a main post office ... and if it comes up as a Large Letter ... I will put in an official complaint. How do I know the sub post office doesn't doctor their Scales! No way did my bag weigh 1kg.
:( Thankfully I'm clearing all my stock now but I will probably flip out next time if I ever have to post something and it still happens years later (that's if the large letter policy still exists). When will it stop?
This happens to me all the time, I'm so fed up with it and when I try and disagree, they make me feel so embarrassed! 😒 I'm definitely going to get one of those letters printed!
Omg. I got stung today. I'm a small business owner, packaged my small letter - 250g pack of coffee and the lady put it through the plastic letterbox at the counter, it went half way in then got stuck a bit and she said 'no its not large letter' so I have to fork out £3 something. Thank you so much for this video, I'm posting more items tomorrow-will go to another postoffice and this time I will refuse to allow myself to get robbed. Thats what this is-robbery
I send all thsirts as large letter a but with my fingers crossed cz I dont know what happens with the parcels whrn they reach royal mail and if they are passed through machines or what. Depending on the treatment they receive in the depot and how strict they are the extra postage would be paid by customer if the clithes get puffed up in the depot. Does anyone know the route and treatment of the large letter once it leaves the PO
Yep! That's happened to me at my local post office. This happened sometime last year so I can't remember all parts. I packed up a canvas shopping bag in a bubble wrap envelope to go as large letter and went to use the self service. I even tested it with the sizing guide and it went through fine as I pulled it out with ease. When you make your payment on self service things need to be verified so the staff come over and input their codes. The staff member on this occasion input his code and I put it on the side to be posted. That was the end of that! I posted the another bag in a bubble wrapped envelope, but this time the self service wasn't open so I had to go to the counter. The lady serving me put it through the sizing guide, not even bothering to pull it out from the other side, just a little tug and it'd be out. She said it needs to go as a small parcel. I'm sure I told her I've posted before as a large letter and she repeated herself that it has to go as a small parcel. So I asked for my item back and went to another post office. I used the self service there, when the woman at that second post office came to input her code she noticed I selected large letter and without saying anything, took my item and put it through the sizing guide. It went through and she carried on with her verification of the large letter item! Sometimes it's the post offices which are different and sometimes it's the staff members which say different things (even though they're based in the same post office). A lot of inconsistencies and they're taking it out on their customers. It was extremely annoying and frustrating that you know something can go as a large letter and they're trying to tell you different.
I hate how this system isn't black and white for many branches. It leaves far too much wiggle room for them to try and reach targets. I can't believe how it's still going.
@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK Yep! I've also bought myself a large letter size guide like the one you have. It will help so much with knowing what can and can't go as a large letter.
Hi there. What is the name of your vintage shop for selling and buying? Im thinking about ooking for a good home for my mother’s 1960’s wedding dress. Thank you.
If you are doing an average of 11 parcels a day then you would probably qualify for a free collection service if you send all your parcels via Tracked 24 or Tracked 48. Get RM to come to you...
Last week I still had the same issue. The measurements of the parcel falls within the category of a large letter. I stick the second class large letter stamp that I bought earlier on the parcel then I went to the post office to post it. The lady in the counter tried sliding the item through (she didn't pull it), and all of a sudden she said £3.70. She didn't even explain anything. Then I asked and she said its too thick. But that price she's charging me is for a first class and the stamp I originally put was for second class, and I didn't even request first class, nor did she ask! She also didn't take in account that I've already put down a stamp. People from royal mail are just trying to get you pay more!
Let me give you tip as I am eBay seller by myself, You can save time and money. Use Royal Mail click and drop and print Pre Paid stamps.Lebal the pracels, Drop them all just in Red Box and Job done. If you think it is large letter than it is large letter.
Hi Vikki, very good post. This is ussually an issue that can be hard to resolve inside a post office branch, with out sounding like you are a moaner with a 1st world problem. What happens if you just apply the official pricing system, buy the necessary stamp, stick it on the package and drop it in the mailbox yourself.
What if you had sent that same package in the postoffice and the person behind the postoffice counter was trained on the latest rules and he agreed with you on what type of stamp you needed? What im geting at is that, do the packages you send through the counter have some kind of special approval and they dont get scrutinized in the sorting office, and packages in the mailbox do?
As a guide, Mail from Post offices and Business collections are randomly checked to ensure the guidelines are being adhered to, mail collected from pillar boxes goes through revenue protection
I ordered something.....An email came to me saying it will be delivered by royal mail today........That morning i saw the van........Then the van drove away.... WHY!?
Sorry to heat it! I'm now absolutely sick of the post office for how it's financially run... particularly with their software scandal where many managers were sent to prison for their issue.
@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK Wow, I wasn't even aware of that! No wonder the ground level staff are so poorly trained if the head is rotten. I never go into the nearest post office, as they the people working there are incompetent and occasionally rude. Luckily, there's another one not too much further away, a family business with the best service in town. I only ever use them.
Does it not get tested again at the sorting office? I sent something I sold on eBay and you could pull it thru a large letter slot but I took it to the post office to be sure. The PO attendant did what you said about barely allowing it to balance in the slot and charged be for a small parcel. Ok, fine. But if I slap a large letter stamp on the same product and put it in a pillar box am I going to end up getting the package returned to me because it’s under postage?
No customer has EVER come back to me and said they got fined their end. They may frighten you with it as a possibility, but I no longer back down if it goes through. If there's something making it REALLY tough to pull through, then that's when I'll post it as a small parcel. Also, I'd personally not post via the letterbox - I've done this once (and maybe it was a rare occasion), but the customer never received it. At least at the post office, you can get proof of postage.
@@Oldmonstrosityshop I looked into it once, but because my business was small, I didn't bother with the set up. Hope you find a way of it working for you.
I sold something and postage was about 80p which I prepaid on eBay. when I went to the post office it said on the receipt it was £1.20 I don't know if this was a mistake.
great video. This is exactly the answers I needed as I'm also posting clothing items to people I've sold to on eBay and wasn't sure if a plastic envelope / letter was allowed. it meets all the measurement requirements so IMO should be fine but I also have had issues between post offices. one guy even told me if it doesn't fit through the little slot where you hand him money then it doesn't qualify even though that space is a lot smaller than the actual measurement doo da they use. ridiculous. I find the post offices found in newsagents to be the worst.
I absolutely agree about the gap under the sneeze guard.... I've had that one a few times too 😤 I'd still report them. They should all be following the same rules. Sometimes I do wonder if they have sales targets to meet. Since printing off this letter, a month or so after, the same post office said along the lines of "we've had some new rules come through and we're not allowed to pull the parcel through". Then I called their head office again and apparently nothing had changed at all, so they sent me a newer dated letter. It's absolutely ridiculous and can't believe how much stamps have gone up since this video. They're earning more money off people they shouldn't have, yet still increasing prices. I do feel it's a flawed business and that they're going to have to get competitive.
@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK the large letter is definitely their USP at the moment as its cheaper to use services like parcel2go to find alternative shipping for small parcels. Anything larger than that or valuable I tend to use collect plus. If they increase their prices too much at the end of the month then they are going to go out of business very soon. I'll definitely make complaints against particular stores if they say they cannot accept my plastic envelopes.
This happened to me TODAY 18.08.2020. And the difference for me was almost £2.50. And it is how you say, the problem is if we are sending a large amount of parcels.
we have just had a similar incident but this time if the package even touched the sides as it went in it would have to go as a small parcel..... bloody nora some people are taking the piss even though he was embarrassing us in public saying WE WERE WRONG !!
I recently dumped my local post office as the postmaster there decided it was perfectly acceptable to have a pop at me in public because I'd handed in some franked mail with the wrong date on it. It happened over a bank holiday period and I'd started to frank my mail for the following day, forgetting it was a bank holiday. Out of over 30 items I only did one with the wrong date on it but that was enough for the sorting office to phone up the post office and have a go at them - you would think getting the mail sorted and sent would be more important - so the guy at the post office decided to have a go at me. He also told me they were charged a fee for incorrectly stamped mail, not the first time he has said that. I checked and they're not, so not only did he think it was perfectly acceptable to have a go at me in public, he even lied too. I wrote a formal complaint to RM and all I got back was advice on how to prepare my mail. They completely ignored the actual complaint, the fact that I had been a victim of unacceptable behaviour by a member of staff. I wrote back but didn't get a further reply. I then decided to put a review on Trustpilot but they refused to accept it, which suggests to me that they don't want to bite the hand that feeds them, as RM obviously pay Trustpilot for their account - which means that if they're cutting out poor reviews (and this isn't the first one they have rejected) then you can't trust Trustpilot.
Dear The Carpenter's Daughter, I have been over charged so many times; the Post Office star insist that they are right and I just pay. I will now get one of your letters from Royal Mail and follow your lead. A big thank you. Kind Regards, Allan.
My local post office...or the people in it are useless, it is in a onestop (a conveinience shop owned by tesco) and they did not even know they had to stamp the printout you get for compensation if it is lost. Another issue i have is they make up their own rules....each store and person i mean. and like you said you get some saying it has to fall through...well it is odd how it does not fall through my letter box and the post woman is ragging the hell out of my parcel/large letter to get it through haha. I just wish there were more options to send items that are classed as a large letter or small parcel as courier companies never cater for large letter sizes and small parcels are often just over what roya mail charges. Though anything i sell that costs over £5 via royal mail i then use a parcel comany as its usually a tad cheaper for some things. I am hoping my item i am posting tomorrow is ok its just 1 coaster and all i have done is wrapped it in 1 layer of thin paper and then 2 thin bits of card either side and into a small plastic postage bag..i have done the postage via ebay and it only weighs 50g and the size is ok and measurement wise on depth is the 0.5cm as far as i can tell with my ruler lol i am wondering if sticking a 1st class stamp on as well will prevent any issues if it is too big? do you know if that would work? I have a book of them thanks to royal mail not giving me back compenstation via the payment menthod i used ..they paid me back in stamps :/
Thanks for sharing your video. I feel less alone now as I was tired of trying different post office near me to get my postage send at the right price. Have you tried their new free service collection from home? Are you experiencing the same issue? Thanks for getting back to me ❤
I agree with you 100 % it’s still happens I went to leeds main post office so I took it back and had to go somewhere out of leeds to send them it’s nightmare I was doing business in small margin so i had to given up business I just cant afford to pay £2.90 instead it should be £1.40
Oh yes that is totally right to pull it though until it comes out and a lot of post office branches are not fully trained and post office training team have probably told them the wrong thing.
I had a "large letter" package (hair extensions), honestly I packed it flat-flat, just the same as your demonstration, and took a photo of it going smoothly through my letter box!!! Royal mail said it's "a unpaid postage" after customer raised a concern that they didn't receive the order! Obviously, years later they minimised the size guidance even more 🙄
Thanks for this Vikkie. I sell small items for railway modellers all over the world and have the same issue just over letter thickness from time to time. My local PO is great but take it somewhere new and as you say your confronted with a queue (surprise surprise) and made to feel like a criminal when what’s in the envelope is less in value than the postage. Anyway sorry to remind you of painful memories but I cant wait to read a copy of your letter next time I’m at a post office when it happens. Hopefully there will be queue behind me for maximum effect!
As an ebay trader I have the same problem, as do other traders posting to me. I think some of the Royal Mail sorting offices judge on whether if it doesn't look like it contains a letter, they put a fine on it. I received an item today less then the specified large letter dimensions in length, breadth and depth and they slapped £3.50 not enough paid on it! I believe its just another money making scam.
im sick of the post office, i send the ''exact'' same thing every time, and i get charged different prices depending on which branch i go to.....its a scam.
I'd print a copy of the letter and take it around with you for definite +DEADASTRONAUTFX. Prices have also gone up again so I can't imagine things getting better.
The Carpenter's Daughter . cheers yeah i.ll do that. im also going to video as proof. i just like yo know where i am on costs...everytime lol.. cheers again
It's amazing that some in the comments calling me Karen are OK with being ripped off.... maybe I should change jobs! (PS, my name's Vikkie).
You’re definitely not! I bought boxes that were labelled “large letter size” and the items I put inside are very light they just need a little bit of padding (the box itself and some tissue paper is enough) and my local post office make me pay small parcel! I’m definitely going to get one of those red things
So I’ve being selling stuff on Vinted! This happens to me! Can I have this a4 rule you have for Royal Mail please!
People are fucking stupid you cant help em. Anyone with an issue is a karen apparently...
Thanks for highlighting this, I thought it was just me having this problem, going to various post offices does make a difference, as well as various regional sorting offices.
Nah it’s not. They barely make anything. £3 sometbing for a fairly big 2kg box is nothing
Completely with you on this and was just on the receiving end of this today. Had an item that I argued was exactly 2.5cm and the post office staff even measured it with a ruler and agreed it was 2.5cm, but still said it would have to go as a small parcel as it wouldn’t go through the template slot when they barely ‘touched’ it against the template. I was wound up enough at that point so just paid and walked out - but won’t be using that post office again! My biggest bug bear is why 2.5cm when a letter box is around 4cm. Simple rule should be if it fits in a post box/letter box then it’s a letter, if not then I accept it’s a parcel.
Thanks Vikkie, I've always had problems with this, I have a list of Post Offices that I will just not bother to go to. I even had a Post Office refuse my prepaid parcel because there was a 2 gram difference in the weight. The main Post Office I try and go to don't even bother to check, they are experienced enough to know and they are so polite.
I don't usually leave comments on YT but after my experience at a post office today I wanted to share to reassure people who are still experiencing problems.
I run my own business and most of my products are sent by large letter (I use the small boxes that are 25mm or less) or small parcel for the larger items.
Today I wanted to get a receipt for an international tracked order and the young woman on the desk refused to take the parcel saying it was too large to be a large letter (I'd already paid just short of £10 for the postage label). I said that I have my own parcel size checker at home and it quite clearly fits through with minimal force. She said it had to "glide" through. I walked out and posted it in the RM box outside the shop (she wasn't even a RM employee, she works for the shop).
5 hours later I checked on the order online and it was already on its way to Heathrow Airport from Preston.
I've been sending packages for a number of years now and have NEVER had a refusal or box returned in the post due to incorrect postage (despite some of my large letter boxes needing a quick shove through the measuring device I have).
I have recently moved to a new area and for some reason the woman has taken an instant dislike to me which is a shame as the staff at the last post office were absolutely amazing and kind. I can only assume its because she's on commission and thought I'd buy another label there and then but I really wasn't having any of it.
Experience tells me that provided you use a priority post box (one that gets collected periodically throughout the day - you can check on RM website) then this is generally a very safe and reliable service despite no proof of postage.
I hope this comment reassures anyone who finds themselves in the same predicament.
Thanks and sorry to hear you're having a problem in a new area. I'd be very tempted to make a complaint to their head office to nip this behaviour in the bud.
After seeing your video I decided to get large letter posting boxes. This box requires no help going through their large letter size guide it falls straight through. Royal mail went to put this through as a small parcel until I said it was a large letter. The size guide proved this. The woman then said the person receiving this may be charged additional postage because someone in the sorting office may assume just like she did it's a small parcel. What kind of business does that. I haven't had any problems yet with this but we'll see.
So ridiculous trying to scare customers. Whoever at the sorting office wouldn't be doing their job properly then, would they?
I would absolutely report this post office as am convinced they're breaking trading standard rules.
I think the member of staff who served you was desperately trying to cover their own backs with that excuse.
I will report them you're right. I'm so sick of their corrupt business. I've also had so many parcels stolen too. Last week one of my friends sent a tracked/ recorded parcel which was approximately a £500 phone to have it's screen fixed. That was lost, sure it's covered but what a inconvenience.
@@bethmitchell4122 I've had the same argument with P.O. staff on more than one occasion. They said if it's "tight" it's too big. I told them if it goes through then it must be under 25mm, otherwise it's defying the laws of physics.
Their standard cover is very low too, unless you use Special Delivery which is the only one with that amount of cover you're screwed. They never pay out anyway if they get get out of it, and believe me they'll try and you have to fight them BUT if you're an online seller it's worth considering that they will only pay out what you paid for it, not what you sold it for. They also don't refund the postage cost which I think is a disgrace given that they haven't done what you paid them to do.
Odd title for the video. If it's over 25mm thick it's a small parcel. Nothing mystifying about it.
@@severnsea madness isn't it. I've said in my previous message that I would report the problem I had. I haven't done so yet. My partner was diagnosed with cancer and frankly I have bigger fish to fry rather than fighting with Royal Mail and their dodgy shenanigans. It does make me wonder to what extent companies get away with screwing people over because they simply don't have the time to take them up on the bad service.x
So you made this video in 2016 surprisingly this is 2020, and I am still experiencing exactly the same thing!! All you emotions are true and real and I've experience them all
Absolutely no surprise :( What I can't believe is that i went to the post office the other day to find they've now rolled this ridiculous system to airmail packages. I posted 2 t-shirts the other day instead of just one, which had to go as small parcel and it jumped from £5.00 to £9 something. It's a rip off business....
This is how screwed up royal mail/post office system is: I always post items "Recorded signed for" and they weight it and tell me how much it costs but also try it on the template to see if it will go through a letterbox - WHAT ! Whats the point in seeing if it will fit through a letterbox if it has to be signed for ?
They don't check for a letterbox size... They check the dimensions for the item to qualify as a large letter small parcel etc.
@@adeelshabirasproductions8384
Yes, correct. That said though, I've had them try the template with small size Special Delivery items which is completely irrelevant as SD doesn't use the large letter/small parcel size rules.
@@severnsea they do that so if you need to make a claim they can have it printed on your receipt as to what size item you were sending... All things are done for a reaaon
@@adeelshabirasproductions8384
Not with Special Delivery they don't, it's just staff incompetence. Try taking a letter size SD item into several different post offices, you'll find that 9 out of 10 don't check the size. It's not necessary, Special Delivery goes off the value not the size. As I said, SD doesn't use the size rules, the only thing that matters is the weight. Even with any other service they don't record the size, they only record the weight and the service used.
I assure you this is correct, we've been trading for over 20 years. If you had to make a claim you would have to provide proof of what the item was and it's value. SD has a limit of up to £500 compensation (and that's it's real purpose, to cover expensive items, not to provide a guaranteed next day service). You can pay for extra compensation.
Also be aware that Royal Mail will only compensate what you paid for the item in the event of a claim, not what you sold it for AND they don't refund the postage cost. Very important to understand this if you're sending items with a high profit markup and/oror expensive postage, such as a heavy item sent by next day/SD.
@@severnsea I was asked for the size of the item when claiming for a late special delivery
i squeeze all the air out and sometimes enclosed garments in card, from cornflake packets to keep the garment flat i then put in a grey postal bag and fold over and sellotape all excess of the bag bigger that what is enclosed and tape it. I have been selling on Ebay for 14 years 12k feedback. I agree with you totally but use my hermes a lot for the bigger items
ditto 😂i hoard other people's boxes and yes love using the cereal box At least we don't landfill, all positive 🙏
I think postage is WAYYY overpriced, they either need to make large letters a lot bigger or just make the postage a lot cheaper!! it’s super frustrating
THE ROYAL MAIL HAVE ALL THAT COVERED AND THEY WILL NOT GIVE THE COSTUMER AN INCH !
Christ its not that over priced , when you think a 1st class stamp that costs what ? 90 something pence , can get something quite literally from one end of the country , to the other in most of the time (80 something percent or whatever they say) under 24 hrs , i think thats pretty good , who or where else would do that for you for less , its a business it has to make money , its not a free service
Not something, only a letter, hence the video.
If it was one letter being taken across the country for that price yes it would be worth it, but they don't send one letter, its thousands all going in the same journey qnd they get well paid at the end of it
I pay 20 o per large letter
A very big thank you for doing this video and clearing up the Royal mails differentiation of what classes as a large letter or small parcel. I have a better understanding of what size to send my parcels as.
No problem :)
Excellent video. Thank you SO much for addressing and clarifying this hugely annoying issue. The Post Office's website completely fails to do this. Thanks again.
I think a large letter should be accepted as something that can fit into a postbox slot (probably around 4cm-5cm). Postboxes are for letters and if its not going to fit in a postbox, then its clearly a parcel. Simples!!!!
B M that would be a life saver
But we bought a larger letter slot for our door, and a saw! Because we were fed up with large business envelopes and magazines being folded. And don’t get me started on how they use rubber bands which rip through thin items. Hmm. Sorry. Digressing. My point is, all letterboxes are different. Tiny ones on old houses, typically.
I’m here because I’m uncertain whether my grandson’s birthday card, with a novelty nose bump -will it require a large letter stamp? I guess I need a template. Tricky thing guesstimating 5mm
yeahhhh so true they already have those see through booths as well so it would be easy to just make a postbox sized hole in one of them and use that as a measure (if you can pass it to us through this hole, its a large letter BOOM)
The size they say is the minimum post box size though
You are awesome, good on you!
+Islam Explained aww, thanks :)
Glad it was not just me who was feeling like I was being ripped off. I was so unhappy that I switched all my parcels to UPS and MyHermes. I now only use Royal mail for letters and large letters only. I did this so I can be sure that I have no small parcels to pay for when I go to the post office. I am now thinking of removing the responsibility and the post office profit by opening a business account with Royal Mail online and booking in m own post. My way of getting my own back at the post office.
And it should be cheaper for you 😀
I was working at the post office in 2013 and I can tell you for a fact we were allowed to help the parcel through.
Well all I can say is you were advised incorrectly. It needs to be able to freely pass through.
Mail is pushed through a letter box horizontally, not dangled over a letter box vertically and expect gravity to do the rest, that is totally unrealistic, Royal Mail scam.
can you tell them you "want it sending large letter and if there is a problem they can charge the receiver"?
How long does it take for an Express and ordinary mail to reach Africa respectively?
How is a mail which has twice or three times the normal postage stamp costs gets treated? Is it ordinary or standard
@@sonnyp6790
It is a scam. I've mentioned it before but if it goes through the slot, assisted or not then it has to be within the size range. Otherwise it would be defying the laws of physics.
Loved this video :) as I wanted to start selling on depop and have never done anything like this before!! :) and also did not have a clue about postage and packaging and that you could even send things as a large letter.
so it was you thats selling the second hand dildos :O
😶
I came to the UK as an international student. In my country, the procedure is rather easier. If you are a seller on an online platform like Shopee (similar to Amazon, slightly similar to vintage), you buy any parcel/letter size that fits the weight and size of the item, and just drop them off at the designated area in the post office. No need to face the staff/etc. As simple as that. I’m trying to sell items on vintage and have been watching all the comments on Royal Mail. I would say this is my very first time shipping out a preowned item using Royal Mail so I’m quite wary when reading the remarks from Royal Mail user in the UK. Thank you for your video because it does help me to prepare for any inconvenience when using this service in the future.
Royal mail the greatest delivery service.from the 1800's and they are still stuck there...
Greatest by what measure?
You seem to be getting confused between the royal mail (the people that deliver the letters) and the post office (the people that you give the letter to)
I have EXACTLY the same issue.
Take things to my local post office, they are GREAT! (Moseley post office Birmingham).
However, if I take items to the post office that’s housed within a local branch of WHSmiths (kings heath Birmingham), they ALWAYS charge the larger cost even when I disagree that it’s merely a large letter. (They’re open on a Sunday which is the only reason I go there if I really have to.)
ALL post office staff, concession or not should be made to watch this video before being allowed to deal with the public.
The exert should also be put on the wall as a visible saying.
Transparency equals calm and happy customers and staff :)
Hey thats my local post office too but it will be my first time posting a small parcel 2nd class do you know the procedure plz?
Hi when you list item how to setup the cost recored and insurance in the listing so they know the cost.
Use a food vacuum sealer to suck the air out.
The letter can be founded here: thecarpentersdaughter.co.uk/reviews/demystifying-royal-mails-large-letter-vs-small-parcel/
I just wanted to say, you have saved my life with this tip ! It is such a pain to be losing money over these discrepancies. Never again I say!
Hi love,
Can you kindly let me know where you buy those mailing bags from i.e. small parcel size? Would be much appreciated.
I feel your frustration, has happened to me a few times.
Thanks for highlighting this problem, it's happened to me and Royal Mail need to get their act together to sort this out
Hi. Does your dad do a portable chair and bed with computer mobile tablet food drink holder etc. Thanks.
If you live near the depot, where you would pick up parcels they are unable to deliver, then this is a great way to bypass the issue. Print the labels online and drop them off there. I have never had any issue at all!
I never go to my local post office for this precise reason! Even if the difference is less than £1, as a student with a small business that money could make the world of difference in the long run. Thank you for making this video!
I love you. That's completely echoed my sentiments exactly.
Former Post Office Manager who worked in a few different branches here (2014-2020), and what I was told was sort of a mix of the two; if possible, you should guide the large letter into the guide vertically, and give it a sharp tap it on top to help it fall through if it is something relatively firm (as if it would be momentarily stuck in a sorting machine, but would be dislodged by another large letter gently pushing it from behind). If it's clothing and wouldn't stand vertically on it's own, then you could guide it through by pulling with a small amount of force - see the force used to tap it on top. Often if something was debatable (like it gave some amount of resistance but you could see it was maybe because it was a hem on trousers), we'd give the parcel a little shake or squish (....with the customer's permission!!) and more often than not that would resolve the issue. Sometimes a customer would present something that does go through the large letter slot with zero issues, but is too long for a large letter (this was more common with calendars, if it happened with clothing I'd just fold over an end and tape it).
However, when the office sends out an item of the wrong size (often it would be large letters being too long or too wide) then the managers would crack down and change advice to has to fall through without any guidance as the office would be fined. It was something like £10-20 per wrongly sized item, but I wouldn't quote me on that. Staff who repeatedly got caught out by that would then play it really safe and just bump it up to the next size if it was debatable.
I should say I'm not posting to defend the Post office but to offer a bit of insight. Sometimes the pressure is especially on the staff to ensure that there is zero doubt that an item is correctly sized and that it isn't a matter for debate on the sorting end of things, hence why some places might adopt the "has to slide through with very little resistance" position. It also doesn't help matters that in my offices, there wasn't refresher training for staff. Often the owner would receiving training, and then be in charge of training staff; which works fine in theory but after awhile things get lost and not passed on.
Hey, probably to long ago to get a reply but worth an ask...
We use the click and drop service for tshirts and send them as large letters, I weigh and put every packed order through a royal mail slot guide I purchased. I put some prints and a hard backed envelope inside the tshirt to keep it rigid.
We drop it off at the royal mail depot, but tshirts are arriving with 1.50 to pay or not arriving at all... do you know where the issue is lying? If I took them to a postoffice, would their stamp of approval ensure it will get through the system without a charge, or do they also try to put the packages at the other end of the chain and find issues there?
Thanks in advance if you see this and reply
Elliott
Ive just been screwed by my local post office for £3 when I should have only paid £1.35 ,they didn't even use a letter sizer
That's ridiculous!! They should absolutely be using the template and stand your ground if they just eyeballed it. I've caught a few members of staff out by insisting they test it.
7 years on and I had issues the other day sending letter size as the label was making it "too thick."
So I took the label off, then it would only pass though.
Then they made me buy another label and put it back on. 😣😣
Then it would only go through one way using the "drop through test". ("we can't pull it through")
So still as clear as mud!!
Oh and that was the second post office.
Good on you I'm starting to realised I'm being ripped off I sold a parcel today definitely a small parcel but I was charged medium I was not happy. I go into the city and this post office will sometimes put medium parcels through as small which I'm not complaining about
Why don't you just put a large letter stamp on it and stick it through a letter/post box, they cant say it doesn't fit otherwise how did it get in the postbox. Because of this, they don't even check it.
Yes, that's what I will do. Am I glad I went on UA-cam before visiting the post office!:)
Because, particularly if it's for a business, you need to get proof of postage in case it goes missing. Can't get that from a post box
@@tandago7281 Need proof of postage in case it goes missing.
If you are doing a few parcels a week, apply for a DMO account this allows you to print off your own labels and you get a discount on std prices its not much but every little helps as they say. You take the parcels to the PO counter or Royal Mail Acceptance Point they sign a summary sheet and you are good to go !
I do love a good rant about Royal Mail glad I found your video after three years lol.
When they changed the price of their 2nd class stamp they made a mess of it, and overcharged people by a penny. And they posted a tweet about it saying they made 60K in seven days as a result of that error which they will donate to a charity.
I would link the tweet but knowing UA-cam it will get flagged for spam haha
Link it :) I'll approve once home so people are aware of the impacts
Alright no worries, here it is: twitter.com/royalmailhelp/status/1099326265818054656?s=21
It just shows every penny counts. Hopefully you’ll see the link once you get chance to approve it.
Thanks! Had never heard of this story. And don't know why the UA-cam creator app never shows the review option. It's only on desktop for some reason
The Carpenter's Daughter Unless you follow them on Twitter you won’t know they kept it on the hush hush.
They posted the tweet two months ago tomorrow on 23/02/2019.
No probs check it when you’re on desktop next.
I have the same issues with sample bottles being mailed back to me.
I provide an A5 addressed padded envelope 1st class stamped with the bottle inside 2.5cm width on the lid.
It will fit through with a gentle tug but not free flow.
My outgoing postage is now paid for online label printed and dropped in a post box. I avoid the post office like the plague these days.
What we need to be looking at is are postmasters incentivised to upsell
Do they get paid per item or is it a % on the value
£1.45 to £2.85 is a nice little upsell if they can get away with it.
I do click and drop and post things straight through a large letter post box. As far as I’m concerned if it fits through that gap it’s a large letter. Sometimes it’s a squash but that’s mostly air and I’m not paying for air. If you want proof you posted video it going in. Job done
I was told the other day that if the content isn’t an actual letter that it would be considered a parcel lol.
It’s now almost January 2022 and the same thing is still happening! Just been to the post office to send what I classed as a large letter. The post mistress managed to get it through the slot fairly easy but she said that because she had to “force it through” that I had to send it as a small parcel. I then had to pay £3.20 second class instead of around £1.50. I have now made a loss on that item that I was selling/sending!
It's absolutely disgraceful. I know it will take time on the phone, but each and every of these post offices need reporting
just happened to me today and i am furious, it’s ridiculous, she only touched my 2 large letter in the template and said no sorry its small parcel, i paid this and left, i made loss too, i will be looking for other couriers now..
Online it clearly says what the max dimensions have to be. If it falls through without pushing it through, it means it is MUCH smaller than that max. If it goes through with pushing/pulling, it means it is at the limit, which is completely allowed. I would be infuriated if someone refused me with that argument. I think I might attempt to just stick it in the mail post box and bypass the post office altogether...
The one time I decided to post it through, it annoyingly never arrived, which, admittedly, put me off completely.
This postal method really shouldn't be up for debate. And I think it absolutely stinks that they've now rolled it out to international parcels.
@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK Really? That's really worrying. On the website they say they send it back to you if there are any issues. BTW, I went to the postbox today and I couldn't push it through, because the width of the slot is about 20 cm (5 cm smaller than the max large letter width). It turns out that slot varies across postboxes and the height can even be larger than the max of 2.5 cm... Which means shoving it through that whole does not mean what you shoved was a "letter"... Madness.
Here's a question:
I sent a fabric snood(it's like a scarf) and it fits in as a small letter when flat, however if it gets moved about in the post and in the packaging envelope it no longer will be flat and may not slip through the "large letter" reference whole guide thing....what happens then?
What I mean is let's say you send a t shirt and flatten it in an envelope and at the post office it fits through the large letter guide but when being moved through the mailing centre it becomes tussled about and is no longer flat what happens then?
I found squeezing out as much air as possible and taping areas well so minimal air can get in.
@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK bloody brilliant idea thanks!
Loved your video. Totally fed up with Royal Mail/Post Office too. I use a food vacuum packer (like Andrew James) so suck all the air out of my parcels, I get loads into smaller categories now (obviously depends on the item). I've found a UK supplier for the bags for a few pence so save loads of money. And sometimes I use those 'letter' sized boxes which can apply some pressure on the item and maintain the 'optimal size' lol.
I'd wondered about vacuum packed packaging. It's just a shame we have to take extra measures for a silly system :(
I know! I hate the fact we don't have a choice when it comes to letter mail. I've recently opened a business account and get the 76p down to 56p and 1.22p to 76p. So anyone out there who does a lot of posting open an account!
Personally I just buy large letter stamps in bulk @ 79p each. I measure it with my tape measure at home, and if it's not thicker than 25mm (or 1 inch) at the thickest point, I stick a large letter stamp on and shove it through the letter box outside the Post Office. For items over 1 inch thick, I use My Hermes (via eBay) as it stops the nosey parkers at the post office saying "what's in your parcel" and being scared/frightened about wrist watches, as they contain a tiny battery.
This method works absolutely fine and I've sent large letters that I know are over 100g, but still within the 25mm, perfectly fine with the same 79p stamp - which would have cost more had I taken it to the counter. And no reports of held or refused deliveries!
This is especially recommended as the staff at the larger Post Offices vary their interpretation. I once sold an item of clothing on eBay which was potentially a Large Letter, they only had to check on their size measuring thing, but they didn't even get the measurer out and just shoved a £2.90 "small parcel" on it! Chances are, it would have gone through as a 79p large letter!
Conclusion: bulk buy the 79p and 58p stamps if you send a lot of letters. If its a letter, shove a 58p stamp on. If it's a large letter, shove a 79p stamp on. If it's thicker than 2.5cm/25mm/1in, forget it and use eBay's Shutl service with one of their couriers (usually MyHermes or UPS, depending on size/weight). Especially as MyHermes take all and any batteries without a problem yet Royal Mail complain even if it's a tiny watch battery!
Hi Spotify95, I'm an eBay seller and I just got ripped off by royal mail which lead me to see this video. Please how do I buy large letter stamp for royal mail postage . Thanks
I have the same problem constantly also with my parcels that I sell for example yesterday I was sending and items to Portugal and as I went the first time I was told £16 as I wants to confirm this was on with the client I said I would come back after the client confirmed I went back to send But was surprised to be told it was now £13 it was the same parcel nothing has changed same address same method of delivery. So if I would of sent it the first time I would of be charged £3 very odd!
I dont get the small parcel template. It says the depth is 16cm on the Royal Mail website, but the template is clearly smaller.
Had same issue today. Had a small jiffy envelope with some round plastic caps for a car door inside, very light and small item. The lady got the template and said the item has to drop through of its own accord. If not the machinery will reject it? ! It could be pushed through with very minimal force. The difference of cost was 88p for large letter stamp or £3.10 for small parcel, the item sold for just £3.50 on eBay.
I said what if I put 2 normal first class stamps on - would it go? She said you’ll have to take your chances. I said I wanted proof of postage, but she wouldn’t give it to me so I ended up purchasing one large letter first class stamp for £1.15 and put it in the post box outside - it fit in the postbox with no issue at all.
Sick of some staff's scare tactics. This will have worked on one customer, so she's now doing it with everyone. I would report this branch in a heartbeat. And I can't believe I saw a petition this morning to get Royal mail to buy PPE for their staff. I still believe the brand constantly earn more money they shouldn't have because of staff like this not following the rules. I wouldn't be upset if other businesses undercut them and put them out of business.
The Carpenter's Daughter Yes I will think twice about using that branch in future. It was my first time there as my usual ones all close early currently. Perhaps she thought she’d try and get a bit more money out of me, as she wouldn’t have recognised me and I probably looked a bit gullible. For larger items I never use Royal Mail, but for small light things I do.
I totally agree, I would use Hermes, but my nearest shop I'd miles away. I am sick of paying for substandard services, even the postmen post parcels to the wrong addresses as I have told by my customers
Great video thank you! Any idea how I can get hold of/ buy one of those plastic letter size guides? ☺
I bought mine off Ebay. Although, years ago I made a simple one from thick cardboard.
If selling on e Bay best to use Packlink they offer a Hermes postable service. Royal Mail are somewhat complacent about service they provide. I am lucky to have a really good local sub post office (Hale End Road E4) so I still use them for smaller postable items.
The Post Office is not Royal Mail and we know that things differ from branch to branch. Get yourself a Royal Mail account so that you can apply the postage yourself. Then Post Office don't have top get involved.
I used to have this at my then local branch. I'd check myself with the gauge *bought from the post office* then take it to the branch, but if it even touched the side they'd reject it. Getting fed up, I also used to weigh my stuff at home, print postage and take it up. This one branch time after time would weigh it and refuse to take it without selling me a new postage label for *more* . I'd then take the package to another branch who would weigh it and confirm I was absolutely correct and would take the parcel no bother. Oddly at the first branch it was always *more* and never less that they wanted. Time after time.
Thanks for sharing. It really does wind me up that it's not black and white for some branches. Hopefully the first branch now do things properly :(
The worst one is when you take a medium parcel in without them measuring it declare it needs parcel force. I had visited my local branch two days before sending exactly the same medium parcel but they were unsure but quickly checked the measurements and was just in by a few cm each way given i made the box and measured it i knew it was but was on the edge but still within the allowed size i had another order of the same item but was heading out somewhere else and decided to post on the way at different location to be told before being weighed or measured thats too big for royal mail it need parcel force to which i responded it the size and weight of a medium parcel to be then told there is no such thing as medium parcel at that point i showed him online the guidelines on medium parcel size's and informed him i would be reporting his branch to both royal mail and trading standards he then just so happened to remember the medium parcel and wanted me to send at his store to which i refused taking it else where to be called a f ing time wasting twat was a joke royal mail need to sort there crap out
That's possibly the worst experience I've ever heard so far! When you're dealing with that kind of money and terrible service, it definitely needs reporting!
Im going through this grey area now so thanks for the video.
I work in a shop with a post office counter, and I've never heard of anything about not being allowed to pull the package through the template. The whole system is a bit silly, sometimes people post tiny square boxes, but it has to go as a small parcel because of the size, with the postage label being nearly as big as the parcel.
Thanks so much for this. If in any doubt I always send as a small parcel as too paranoid! Our main PO is appalling now - lots of teen trainees who don't know what they''re doing, some pretend cash till not working so can't give you proof of postage, open Sundays now allegedly and after a 2-mile round walk other day no one there except a boy who didn't know how to work self-service machines. All the brilliant old staff who were there years have vanished! Very disconcerting.
I feel your pain... I used to go to a different post office years ago and the person who ran it used to shut up shop early when he shouldn't have done.
I'd then have to drive to another post office quite and often get there 5 minutes to closing time... then I'd get moaned or threatened they wouldn't serve me if I got there late again.
Then it happened again, but this time, a group of people, including pensioners, had walked all the way there. And the next week, he got sacked. I had no sympathy 😂
Just found this video and for YEARS I have had issues with it. I have measured things prior to going and have had rows with people at post office with it, One staff member laughed in my face. I like to do ebay to get the odd bit of extra money, so like you when you have charged the customer one thing you dont want to over pay as your profit then goes down.
The Postmasters or whatever they're called these days get a commission of the postage that goes through the counter so its in their interests to make it a small parcel. The amount of times I have witnessed them lie to people sending mail to get them to use signed for or use special delivery is just ridiculous. They also hate it when you take prepaid mail. Obviously this is just what I have seen and not how all will behave. Mine also struggles pushing things through the large letter flap, in fact he doesn't even try so I just get the stamps off him now and use the post boxes.
Nice one! I just buy large letter stamps myself after the problems I've had at the PO before, and if it's a small parcel, I use another service. The "what's in your parcel" question always bugs me. At least if it's a bigger Post Office with self scanner machines, you have the option of going to the machine and pressing the button that says "no, I don't have prohibited items" (even if you do).
spotify95 I hate the "what's in it" question as it is really awkward sometimes :(
@@andrewbeacham2504
spotify95 I tell them its the im returning a used worlds largest dildo or butt plugs or anything that will make the postal worker wish they never asked as now they are gonna no all day there is something used and been in places siting behind them the amount of staff that grab the disinfection gel too funny. i love winding them up. except now i do mine online and only have to drop them off and found me a lovely post office now. have about 6 from a 3min drive to a 15 min drive from here my closest is the best
Nice to know about this commission. Is this from a reliable source. If so, that is ridiculous, I never heard of a scheme like this in any country so far. It is clearly designed to incentivise exaggerating costs. I will always use the post box from now on, if I can.
I've had then tell me they can't hand out any kind of postage to take away and post something, they said I had to bring it in and have it weighed and give it to them to send.....
I do understand weight etc is relevant, but if I'm asking asking for something like a large letter stamp, surely they should simply give me it and if it's wrong then it's not their problem?!
I got this twice on Saturday! I told her to pull it thru as I literally had a tiny profit in it large letter and a loss at small parcel!!!
Did she do it?
@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK I Told her to! I said genuinely that I had a loss on the item at the higher amount and a tiny profit at the lower. She then pulled a face and visually summed up my 2nd parcel as bigger than letter.... Again I got her told and she pulled it thru joking that oh it must've been air in the parcel that made it look too big!!! I'm trying to run a small business here and this is appalling 😭
@@alexryan3527 I absolutely agree. Sadly pulling faces seems to be quite common from what I've experienced and can't stand how they're so unprofessional... but they've clearly been getting away with it.
thank you for the video! just experienced a post office turning down my international packages that are more than meet the large letter dimensions because they are in slim boxes rather than envelopes lol
Yes that happened to me. I think it's who's behind the counter. One particular chap wouldn't pull my large letter through, eventhough I'd sent many before of the same size! He wanted it to go parcel post. I said no thankyou, I'd take it home & re wrap.
I didn't, lol. I took it to another smaller post office & to my amazement they never checked the thickness.
Nice video by the way & a very pleasant rant may I say.....
+Dennis Shaw thanks :) it's a bloomin pain though, isn't it? And it really shouldn't be happening still. Perhaps one day they'll scrap it as I think it's too flawed to roll out across the board.
Are USPS and Royal Post cut from same clothes?
im having problems with delivering signed for items, they keep losing them
Pls give me solution I want to ship item 5cm*5cm*4cm but only 140g and I live in canada pls give me solution
ty for this i have requested my own copy while processing my own complaint about speedy bulk receipts (post office staff simply scan the bar caode on recorded singed for etc on paypal postage) which fail with the royal mail as a certificate of posting and post office staff like but the royal mail do not include in their insurance. the post office cust service state that it must be entered with a post code on the brabnch computer.
+phs ron hope you get your letter x
yes ty . About 18 months ago I complained about the attention i had received at a PO. as a result the Post Office offered me £150 compensation which I accepted. I had initiated the process of a subject access request and i consider that apart from being badly treated the cost of the SAR would have cost them far more.
Mine was 2 cms bigger than a large letter length wise, asked nicely if I could buy a letter that was slightly smaller (within the requirements) to be able to be charged less, they said no it wouldn’t change the price! My letter was really thin too! Got charged £4.50 instead of £3.3
Wish I had seen this earlier and I would’ve gone to another post office
Vikkie I can't believe I came across your video! Just yesterday I went to my local post office in London and tried to post 3 'shopping bags - like the Marks & Spencer Cooler bags' as Large Letters. I measured the size etc. When the lady used the ruler she just put the front through and told me it could not go through ... so I told her to just push and pull lightly ... she refused and said they were Small Packets and would cost £3.75! ( I went home and checked the booklet - 1kg is £3.40!!). Also, the pkt you sent as a Large Letter was bigger & likely heavier than my empty lightweight shopping bags - since you send Clothing, so it's likely to weigh more. Yup .. I definitely got swizzed!! I'm going to wrap the same bag up the same way and try at a main post office ... and if it comes up as a Large Letter ... I will put in an official complaint. How do I know the sub post office doesn't doctor their Scales! No way did my bag weigh 1kg.
:( Thankfully I'm clearing all my stock now but I will probably flip out next time if I ever have to post something and it still happens years later (that's if the large letter policy still exists). When will it stop?
This happens to me all the time, I'm so fed up with it and when I try and disagree, they make me feel so embarrassed! 😒 I'm definitely going to get one of those letters printed!
Print the letter, and take the guide template with you too. And that should be the end of the conversation.
@@Jake-vd8os how do you get the letter?
Omg. I got stung today. I'm a small business owner, packaged my small letter - 250g pack of coffee and the lady put it through the plastic letterbox at the counter, it went half way in then got stuck a bit and she said 'no its not large letter' so I have to fork out £3 something.
Thank you so much for this video, I'm posting more items tomorrow-will go to another postoffice and this time I will refuse to allow myself to get robbed. Thats what this is-robbery
I send all thsirts as large letter a
but with my fingers crossed cz I dont know what happens with the parcels whrn they reach royal mail and if they are passed through machines or what. Depending on the treatment they receive in the depot and how strict they are the extra postage would be paid by customer if the clithes get puffed up in the depot.
Does anyone know the route and treatment of the large letter once it leaves the PO
Thanks for making the effort; a great help!
Tip- when ur parcel is taped up poke a metal straw into it suck ALL the air then tape the tiny hole the straw made.
Why don't you use Royal Mail OBA? you can put your own labels on and sort the mail yourself.
And negotiate the cost
Happened to me countless times but I hate confrontation so I say ok which is wrong well done for addressing this issue
Yep! That's happened to me at my local post office. This happened sometime last year so I can't remember all parts.
I packed up a canvas shopping bag in a bubble wrap envelope to go as large letter and went to use the self service. I even tested it with the sizing guide and it went through fine as I pulled it out with ease. When you make your payment on self service things need to be verified so the staff come over and input their codes. The staff member on this occasion input his code and I put it on the side to be posted. That was the end of that!
I posted the another bag in a bubble wrapped envelope, but this time the self service wasn't open so I had to go to the counter. The lady serving me put it through the sizing guide, not even bothering to pull it out from the other side, just a little tug and it'd be out. She said it needs to go as a small parcel. I'm sure I told her I've posted before as a large letter and she repeated herself that it has to go as a small parcel. So I asked for my item back and went to another post office. I used the self service there, when the woman at that second post office came to input her code she noticed I selected large letter and without saying anything, took my item and put it through the sizing guide. It went through and she carried on with her verification of the large letter item!
Sometimes it's the post offices which are different and sometimes it's the staff members which say different things (even though they're based in the same post office). A lot of inconsistencies and they're taking it out on their customers. It was extremely annoying and frustrating that you know something can go as a large letter and they're trying to tell you different.
I hate how this system isn't black and white for many branches. It leaves far too much wiggle room for them to try and reach targets. I can't believe how it's still going.
@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK Yep! I've also bought myself a large letter size guide like the one you have. It will help so much with knowing what can and can't go as a large letter.
do you use signed for when sending your large letters?
Hi there. What is the name of your vintage shop for selling and buying? Im thinking about ooking for a good home for my mother’s 1960’s wedding dress. Thank you.
Hiya, sorry, I closed the business to focus on my channel and blogs :)
Thank you for replying anyway. Love your DIY blogs too. 😊 🔨
If you are doing an average of 11 parcels a day then you would probably qualify for a free collection service if you send all your parcels via Tracked 24 or Tracked 48. Get RM to come to you...
Last week I still had the same issue.
The measurements of the parcel falls within the category of a large letter. I stick the second class large letter stamp that I bought earlier on the parcel then I went to the post office to post it. The lady in the counter tried sliding the item through (she didn't pull it), and all of a sudden she said £3.70. She didn't even explain anything. Then I asked and she said its too thick. But that price she's charging me is for a first class and the stamp I originally put was for second class, and I didn't even request first class, nor did she ask! She also didn't take in account that I've already put down a stamp. People from royal mail are just trying to get you pay more!
Yes, absolutely... and they're ALWAYS right and you're wrong. Drives me mad - some staff have been getting away with it for far too long.
Let me give you tip as I am eBay seller by myself, You can save time and money.
Use Royal Mail click and drop and print Pre Paid stamps.Lebal the pracels, Drop them all just in Red Box and Job done. If you think it is large letter than it is large letter.
Hi Vikki, very good post. This is ussually an issue that can be hard to resolve inside a post office branch, with out sounding like you are a moaner with a 1st world problem. What happens if you just apply the official pricing system, buy the necessary stamp, stick it on the package and drop it in the mailbox yourself.
I've heard that they don't get delivered and tried it once a few years ago and it went missing. it may have been a coincidence though
What if you had sent that same package in the postoffice and the person behind the postoffice counter was trained on the latest rules and he agreed with you on what type of stamp you needed? What im geting at is that, do the packages you send through the counter have some kind of special approval and they dont get scrutinized in the sorting office, and packages in the mailbox do?
As a guide, Mail from Post offices and Business collections are randomly checked to ensure the guidelines are being adhered to, mail collected from pillar boxes goes through revenue protection
I ordered something.....An email came to me saying it will be delivered by royal mail today........That morning i saw the van........Then the van drove away.... WHY!?
Awesome job sissy. 👏👍💙
It's still happening in 2020! Thank you for the video though, at least I know I'm not alone.
Sorry to heat it! I'm now absolutely sick of the post office for how it's financially run... particularly with their software scandal where many managers were sent to prison for their issue.
@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK Wow, I wasn't even aware of that! No wonder the ground level staff are so poorly trained if the head is rotten. I never go into the nearest post office, as they the people working there are incompetent and occasionally rude. Luckily, there's another one not too much further away, a family business with the best service in town. I only ever use them.
Does it not get tested again at the sorting office? I sent something I sold on eBay and you could pull it thru a large letter slot but I took it to the post office to be sure. The PO attendant did what you said about barely allowing it to balance in the slot and charged be for a small parcel. Ok, fine. But if I slap a large letter stamp on the same product and put it in a pillar box am I going to end up getting the package returned to me because it’s under postage?
No customer has EVER come back to me and said they got fined their end. They may frighten you with it as a possibility, but I no longer back down if it goes through. If there's something making it REALLY tough to pull through, then that's when I'll post it as a small parcel.
Also, I'd personally not post via the letterbox - I've done this once (and maybe it was a rare occasion), but the customer never received it. At least at the post office, you can get proof of postage.
The Carpenter's Daughter Thank you good to know. Do you use a franking machine or have you considered it?
@@Oldmonstrosityshop I looked into it once, but because my business was small, I didn't bother with the set up. Hope you find a way of it working for you.
The Carpenter's Daughter Thanks for taking the time out to reply 🙏
i have sold cd's before and put it as a small package for £3.00 what should I put this at? and how much?
It really depends on the packaging size to prevent them from getting damaged but as they are on their own, they are a large letter.
ok that helps how much would you say I would have to pay? and I have seen people post through the normal post box before how does this work?
I'm not sure but could the postage be about 98p as a large letter for a cd
I think it'd be more like 1.20-ish 2nd class due to the weight. Under £1 tends to be under 100g
I sold something and postage was about 80p which I prepaid on eBay. when I went to the post office it said on the receipt it was £1.20 I don't know if this was a mistake.
great video. This is exactly the answers I needed as I'm also posting clothing items to people I've sold to on eBay and wasn't sure if a plastic envelope / letter was allowed. it meets all the measurement requirements so IMO should be fine but I also have had issues between post offices. one guy even told me if it doesn't fit through the little slot where you hand him money then it doesn't qualify even though that space is a lot smaller than the actual measurement doo da they use. ridiculous. I find the post offices found in newsagents to be the worst.
I absolutely agree about the gap under the sneeze guard.... I've had that one a few times too 😤 I'd still report them. They should all be following the same rules. Sometimes I do wonder if they have sales targets to meet.
Since printing off this letter, a month or so after, the same post office said along the lines of "we've had some new rules come through and we're not allowed to pull the parcel through". Then I called their head office again and apparently nothing had changed at all, so they sent me a newer dated letter. It's absolutely ridiculous and can't believe how much stamps have gone up since this video.
They're earning more money off people they shouldn't have, yet still increasing prices. I do feel it's a flawed business and that they're going to have to get competitive.
@@TheCarpentersDaughterUK the large letter is definitely their USP at the moment as its cheaper to use services like parcel2go to find alternative shipping for small parcels. Anything larger than that or valuable I tend to use collect plus. If they increase their prices too much at the end of the month then they are going to go out of business very soon. I'll definitely make complaints against particular stores if they say they cannot accept my plastic envelopes.
This happened to me TODAY 18.08.2020. And the difference for me was almost £2.50. And it is how you say, the problem is if we are sending a large amount of parcels.
we have just had a similar incident but this time if the package even touched the sides as it went in it would have to go as a small parcel..... bloody nora some people are taking the piss even though he was embarrassing us in public saying WE WERE WRONG !!
I recently dumped my local post office as the postmaster there decided it was perfectly acceptable to have a pop at me in public because I'd handed in some franked mail with the wrong date on it. It happened over a bank holiday period and I'd started to frank my mail for the following day, forgetting it was a bank holiday. Out of over 30 items I only did one with the wrong date on it but that was enough for the sorting office to phone up the post office and have a go at them - you would think getting the mail sorted and sent would be more important - so the guy at the post office decided to have a go at me.
He also told me they were charged a fee for incorrectly stamped mail, not the first time he has said that. I checked and they're not, so not only did he think it was perfectly acceptable to have a go at me in public, he even lied too.
I wrote a formal complaint to RM and all I got back was advice on how to prepare my mail. They completely ignored the actual complaint, the fact that I had been a victim of unacceptable behaviour by a member of staff. I wrote back but didn't get a further reply. I then decided to put a review on Trustpilot but they refused to accept it, which suggests to me that they don't want to bite the hand that feeds them, as RM obviously pay Trustpilot for their account - which means that if they're cutting out poor reviews (and this isn't the first one they have rejected) then you can't trust Trustpilot.
Hi, Why don't you use the PIP box? eventually, it will pass through the template for large letter..im an ebay seller too :)
+asraf mohamed hi, thanks for the tip. Thankfully I've cut most it out now and changing paths 😁
Dear The Carpenter's Daughter, I have been over charged so many times; the Post Office star insist that they are right and I just pay. I will now get one of your letters from Royal Mail and follow your lead. A big thank you. Kind Regards, Allan.
Sorry to hear you're having trouble too! Hope the letter helps! 😊
My local post office...or the people in it are useless, it is in a onestop (a conveinience shop owned by tesco) and they did not even know they had to stamp the printout you get for compensation if it is lost.
Another issue i have is they make up their own rules....each store and person i mean. and like you said you get some saying it has to fall through...well it is odd how it does not fall through my letter box and the post woman is ragging the hell out of my parcel/large letter to get it through haha.
I just wish there were more options to send items that are classed as a large letter or small parcel as courier companies never cater for large letter sizes and small parcels are often just over what roya mail charges. Though anything i sell that costs over £5 via royal mail i then use a parcel comany as its usually a tad cheaper for some things.
I am hoping my item i am posting tomorrow is ok its just 1 coaster and all i have done is wrapped it in 1 layer of thin paper and then 2 thin bits of card either side and into a small plastic postage bag..i have done the postage via ebay and it only weighs 50g and the size is ok and measurement wise on depth is the 0.5cm as far as i can tell with my ruler lol
i am wondering if sticking a 1st class stamp on as well will prevent any issues if it is too big? do you know if that would work?
I have a book of them thanks to royal mail not giving me back compenstation via the payment menthod i used ..they paid me back in stamps :/
Thanks for sharing your video. I feel less alone now as I was tired of trying different post office near me to get my postage send at the right price. Have you tried their new free service collection from home? Are you experiencing the same issue? Thanks for getting back to me ❤
I agree with you 100 % it’s still happens I went to leeds main post office so I took it back and had to go somewhere out of leeds to send them it’s nightmare I was doing business in small margin so i had to given up business I just cant afford to pay £2.90 instead it should be £1.40
Oh yes that is totally right to pull it though until it comes out and a lot of post office branches are not fully trained and post office training team have probably told them the wrong thing.
I had a "large letter" package (hair extensions), honestly I packed it flat-flat, just the same as your demonstration, and took a photo of it going smoothly through my letter box!!! Royal mail said it's "a unpaid postage" after customer raised a concern that they didn't receive the order!
Obviously, years later they minimised the size guidance even more 🙄
Thanks for this Vikkie. I sell small items for railway modellers all
over the world and have the same issue just over letter thickness from
time to time. My local PO is great but take it somewhere new and as you
say your confronted with a queue (surprise surprise) and made to feel
like a criminal when what’s in the envelope is less in value than the
postage. Anyway sorry to remind you of painful memories but I cant wait
to read a copy of your letter next time I’m at a post office when it
happens. Hopefully there will be queue behind me for maximum effect!
Make sure they pull the parcel though if it does, or they rip you off if they just wriddleing it and they didnt pull it to see.
Definitely!
As an ebay trader I have the same problem, as do other traders posting to me. I think some of the Royal Mail sorting offices judge on whether if it doesn't look like it contains a letter, they put a fine on it. I received an item today less then the specified large letter dimensions in length, breadth and depth and they slapped £3.50 not enough paid on it! I believe its just another money making scam.
im sick of the post office, i send the ''exact'' same thing every time, and i get charged different prices depending on which branch i go to.....its a scam.
I'd print a copy of the letter and take it around with you for definite +DEADASTRONAUTFX. Prices have also gone up again so I can't imagine things getting better.
The Carpenter's Daughter . cheers yeah i.ll do that. im also going to video as proof. i just like yo know where i am on costs...everytime lol.. cheers again
How much would it cost to ship out a aerosol bottle (size of impulse perfume) on 2nd class? Would it cost me £1.50?
Hmm... it may not be allowed to post as there's restrictions, but if ok, google price finder and should give you an idea.
Also, I dont run this business anymore, but I suspect £3+