Advice about using a courier

[247newdeals]

I am going to be switching from AusPost to using couriers soon. I would love some advice from anyone using a courier service.

What do yo add to your ads to make sure (as much as possible) buyer know you are using a courier service?

Do you offer ( at an extra cost) AusPost for those unable or unwilling to use a courier service or just stop selling to them? If so do you allow posting to PO Boxes or will ths just causse problems?

Any pitfalls/problems you encountered use a courier rather than AusPost?

[lyndal1838]

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@247newdeals wrote:

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

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@thesoulyearns wrote:

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The Couriers Please tracking number is on the label, so if you give it to the buyer they can track it via the company's website. I don't have the Fastway label to check whether the same is available but I assume so. Most couriers should be the same, re: tracking.

As 247newdeals pointed out re: Sendle, you can advise the courier to leave it at the door, so you can get there in your own time. Communication is key when buying and selling. I'd advise always checking before purchasing whether they use a courier and/or making sure that each parcel is safe dropped so you can have time to get to it. Why an eBay seller wouldn't do that I don't know. I have trust in eBay and PayPal with regards to tracking being a good form of proof of delivery.

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Fastway couriers do have good tracking....at least my package was well tracked.   Any tracking is only as good as the driver who operates the scanner.  That applies to couriers as well as Australia Post.

Sendle is a reasonably new company so I have not had much to do with them.  However, they are a courier broker.....they do not deliver the parcels themselve but farm them out to other courier companies.  You actually don't know which courier may be entrusted with your parcels.

To be honest, why should a buyer have to check if a seller is using a courier?  If the seller states Australia Post that should be eht end of it....they use AP.

I don't think I have ever seen a seller state which courier service they use and I certainly would not ask them as I find couriers unsatisfactory for my needs anyway.  As the safe drop option is fairly new in the industry I think a lot of sellers don't even know that they can offer it.

But from ebay's point of view I doubt that the seller will be covered as the safe drop option absolves the sender of any responsibility.  If there is no signature then there is no proof of delivery.  To me this negates the very reason for using a courier....to get a signature as proof of delivery.

There are plenty of sellers getting upset because Australia Post wants to safe drop parcels requiring signatures.  If couriers are going to do that as well then where is the seller protection going to come from?

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lyndal your comments really have nothing to do with anything I asked and TBH you are the last person I would seek advice from. You clearly have no idea about what seller requirements are but you will tell us how it is anyway. You have had your little rant and yes you hate the evil couriers even though they redilvered the parcel the next day (what most people would see as good service) so give it a break

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My comments are not directed at you....they are in answer to points made by thesoulyearns.

How do you work out that I know nothing about seller requirements?  I thought it was all about getting the items to your buyers and making sure they received them safely while also having protection as a seller?  Correct me if I am wrong.

And for your information, I don't hate couriers at all.  In another life I was a courier subcontractor and my OH is currently with StarTrack after being in the industry since 1989.

[jensmanchester-australia]

I know there will be some extra work for me but I am willing to do that for what I believe will give the majority of my customers a better and cheaper service.

Just be aware you won't necessarily be offering a better service by using couriers. You will probably find that you will get just as many problems with couriers as you do with AP. The problems might be different to what you have experienced with AP but they will be there.

[*tippy*toes*]

                                                                         

                             

[247newdeals]

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@jensmanchester-australia wrote:

I know there will be some extra work for me but I am willing to do that for what I believe will give the majority of my customers a better and cheaper service.

Just be aware you won't necessarily be offering a better service by using couriers. You will probably find that you will get just as many problems with couriers as you do with AP. The problems might be different to what you have experienced with AP but they will be there.

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I have no doubts there will be problems, I am hoping I will be able to deal with them, fi not I would have the option of changing back to AP.  If I find couriers do not give me (and the buyer) the service I want I will have no problem changing back or looking at what I am doing wrong and trying to correct that.

One of the reason for this post was to try to get any tips and possible things to watch out but I do believe I am capable to give any problems a good go, at sorting the and of course I can come here for advice as well. I am not going in totally blindly thinking everything will be fantastic and I know changing will cause me a few headaches but I am hoping long term it will yield better results for me, but hey I may be wrong time will tell 🙂

[go-tazz]

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@247newdeals wrote:

What do yo add to your ads to make sure (as much as possible) buyer know you are using a courier service?

Put it clearly in your listing that you are using a courier and state which one,(that way anyone that doesn't

like or can't use couriers for deliveries can just hit the back button).

Do you offer ( at an extra cost) AusPost for those unable or unwilling to use a courier service or just stop selling to them?

Start putting in your listings that you will charge extra for AP and IMHO your sales will slump,(most people

trust AP and prefer them for deliveries).

If so do you allow posting to PO Boxes or will ths just causse problems?

Posting to a postage box is a safe option,(so why try and exlude them?).

Any pitfalls/problems you encountered use a courier rather than AusPost?

When we got our king size bed delivered by a courier the flat packs were left outside leaning against the unit

and it was lucky we arrived home and put them inside before it started to rain.

We can't get courier delivery now as we have a boom gate in place now and only residents can enter.

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[*tippy*toes*]

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@go-tazz wrote:

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@247newdeals wrote:

What do yo add to your ads to make sure (as much as possible) buyer know you are using a courier service?

Put it clearly in your listing that you are using a courier and state which one,(that way anyone that doesn't

like or can't use couriers for deliveries can just hit the back button).

Do you offer ( at an extra cost) AusPost for those unable or unwilling to use a courier service or just stop selling to them?

Start putting in your listings that you will charge extra for AP and IMHO your sales will slump,(most people

trust AP and prefer them for deliveries).

If so do you allow posting to PO Boxes or will ths just causse problems?

Posting to a postage box is a safe option,(so why try and exlude them?).

Any pitfalls/problems you encountered use a courier rather than AusPost?

When we got our king size bed delivered by a courier the flat packs were left outside leaning against the unit

and it was lucky we arrived home and put them inside before it started to rain.

We can't get courier delivery now as we have a boom gate in place now and only residents can enter.

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If the OP is going to only use couriers, PO boxes should be blocked as couriers don't deliver to PO boxes. Buyers are going to get pretty angry if they buy and pay, only to discover they have to cancel because they have a PO (because it's safer!).

I personally don't want items safe dropped. I have had some stolen from the front door. I complained to AP about it and asked them to card me for everything and explained why. The AP CSO said the courier/delivery driver is only allowed to safe drop a parcel if it's indeed a safe place. Putting them in full view of the street on my front door step isn't a safe place. Especially as my house is towards the front of the block and I don't have a front fence. Very easy for someone to wander in and pick them up (which they already have).

I don't buy from people who use couriers because most of the time I am not home to take delivery and my work hours some weeks makes it hard, if not impossible to get to the depot to collect. The last one I had to collect sat there for 18 days before I could collect it (I rang them and asked them not to send it back, that I'd get there eventually.

[4green2000]

i wont buy from sellers that only post via couriers.. had a few bad experiences not from sellers but the courier workers.. maybe its just my area but nooooooo thanks..

[thespianist]

I'm not goig to mention the seller(s) or the courier but I have recently purchased 2 items that stated "Postage: Standard" on their listing..... BOTH of these items were then sent via COURIER from Sydney to my address in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

One package was a "failed delivery" as it was delivered when I wasn't home - the tracking information on the courier's website said "In Transit" which (according to the courier's call centre staff) means between sorting facilities, where "On for delivery" means it is actually on the truck from the depot to me - It was then sent back to their depot in Dandenong South for me to collect - that would be a half hour drive EACH WAY!

The second package was marked as "sent" on the same day, again from Sydney.... The tracking states "sorting" which means it's still in Sydney! It is now 4 full business days since both the sellers updated the status to "item sent"! 

Since this I have set up a "Parcel Collect" address with my local Australia Post Shop, but of course they will only accept packages sent by Australia Post (or international post)! When the seller states "Postage: Standard" on their listings surely we should be able to trust them that the item has been sent by POST, not by COURIER?

[micbu1746]

1.  Stick with Australia post.

2.   Private couriers are pretty  unreliable and often fail to deliver items.

[daydreams_12]

Did you check the date of the thread you answered????

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