Can anyone offer experiences with courier companies outside of Auspost?

[youronlinemerchant]

As a seller I have been using Auspost for many years, but with the rising costs I am wondering if it is worth trying out someone else. 

A fair amount of what I sell are small low value items (small satchels), so saving a little on these packages would go a long way to making my business more profitable. I am sending somewhere in the region of 2,500 packages a year.

Even with the discounts I get from buying my prepaid satchels in bulk from Auspost, the cost is still way above what other companies are offering, but I am hesitant to try out any without having any experience.

So if anyone has experience with any of the other courier companies in Australia, how has it gone for you?

[eol-products]

The easiest and most reliable would be Aust. Post mypost business account which would be on average $7.16 per small satchel. Rural is $8.50 but still cheaper than a courier most times.It would take you 8 weeks to get the full discount as you will need to send 320 parcels to receive it but you will get the other discounts as you reach them along the way. 

[lyndal1838]

I have had decades of experience as a courier personally but not as an ebay seller so I will concentrate on advice from a buyer's perspective.

Many buyers, including me, do not like courier delivery.

There many reasons for this but in my case I have mobility issues and can not get to the door in time to take delivery before the driver is gone.

Even after arranging a redelivery the same thing can happen, although many companies will now allow a safe drop.

If you want to use a courier I would advise you not to use Fastway.....they are arguably the worst company in Australia.   Have a look at the very long thread on the boards about the problems with them.

Sendle is a courier broker advocated by ebay.....and with their own problems, including the fact that their main courier of choice is the dreaded Fastway.

Fastway for ebay purchases seems to have more problems that Fastway used by other private companies.....I believe it has something to do with the level of proof of delivery required by ebay sellers.  I get regular Fastway deliveries from Queensland with ATL....overnight to Sydney with never a problem.

Many courier companies require account holders to have a certain number of parcels per month before they will give you an account.

Australia Post is the only delivery company that can deliver anywhere in Australia.  Many couriers say they do but you find out the hard way that it is not true and often a remote delivery can take weeks when AP could do it in half the time.

[davewil1964]

Given your admitted turnover, surely a few extra cents for what is still the most reliable delivery system in the country is a no-brainer.

I don't sell anywhere near your levels and I would never consider a courier to be a viable option.

What you need to consider is whether or not your buyers will be happy with courier delivery. If not, you will be shooting yourself in the foot.

MyPost Business would be the way I would, and have, go/ne.

[dontmissthese]

Stick with AusPost.

[digital*ghost]

My Post Business rates are currently set up to compete with couriers, IMO, so unless you have the volume to access cut-rate pricing from multiple carriers, AP is generally the better option.

I'm speculating a little, but I suspect that they (AP), were being pretty royally trumped by metro couriers, because a lot of larger sellers I know used couriers for metro deliveries, and Aus post for everywhere else, because they have the kind of volume to access good discounts from multiple providers. 

Once AP realised they were providing great discounted rates to sellers who only used them for regional or remote deliveries, they re-adjusted their pricing to try and match couriers, and removed discounts for regional / remote (except for that 5% max discount), as it allowed them to offer very competitive same-state delivery price to get back metro deliveries from big sellers, while remaining the best option for regional / remote even without offering the same discount. (I'm on band 4 with My Post, and pay less than $6 for a 500g parcel if it's going to a neighbouring metro suburb). 

[glenbankloel]

From our perspective Aust Post are the best option.

They go pretty much everywhere across aust and really are fairly priced.

Many buyers do not like couriers as it means they have to be home to sign, or go and collect. And they get steamed if you don't disclose in your listings that you use Couriers as they have to readjust their thinking about being home.

Whereas AP will deliver to your door, or drop into the letter box if size permits, leave a card, and they cover the country.

For the service that they supply really their prices are reasonable and acceptable, and hopefully you have a "my post business" account and you qualify for a discount rate. Stick with them.

[youronlinemerchant]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, it has been good to hear everyones experiences. My knowledge of courier companies was really limited, and after hearing what people have said, I think I will just stick with Auspost.

[brightmored]

Warning for Sendle users! Has anyone else experienced this? [ New ]
8 minutes ago - last edited 8 minutes ago

Heads up if you use Sendle to post.



I suggest you photograph each and every parcel showing its size and weight as I've recently discovered that they have been adding extra charges to some of my parcels after they've been picked up without telling me.



One parcel had an extra charge for being a larger volume than booked, for e.g. they said it scanned at 2kg and was 34 X 10 x 33 cm.... BUT I have photos of this parcel showing it is so small it was smaller than the Sendle label (which is 10 X 15 cm and which was wrapped across 2 of its surfaces), about the size of a Rubiks cube. It contained a ladies watch weighing a total of 123g. I've now noticed they've put an extra $5 or $7 on a few other invoices.



I've since read posts of other users saying this has happened to them and sendle refuses to provide proof or refund. At this stage sendle is refusing to refund despite my photographic evidence. Fair Trading is my next step.



Has anyone else had this happen?