Aus Post crack down....

[northern_4x4]

SO I just dropped off todays parcel to my Local AP outlet. The woman wroking there told me that AP are cracking down on the usage of large letters. I used the PB2's. A lot. As a large portion of my items are small and have a low sell price, so I use a PB2 and pay $2 for a larger letter and just wash the postage into the sell price of the item.

I was just informed that they are cracking down on anything or than documents that goes in their PB2's, and other padded bags and you will be made to pay the extra for a regular parcel. A woman came in to our local PO last week apparently and posted a key in a PB2. A key. It was sent back to her telling her she cannot do this anymore and must pay for parcel post. So whats the point of a padded bag now if nothing but documents can only go in them?

This is going to really kill my sales, and I will be left with oodles of stock I cannot move. Its hard enough these days just running a store in eBay, now AP are making things worse.

Top stuff AP!

Rant over.

Anyone want to buy my stock, going cheap.

[mbselections00]

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@thecatspjs wrote:

I saw that post, however rather than sledge the OP, I think the fault lies with the post office in the OPs situation given they have created the issue by not doing their job.

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True, but you know what they say 'karma - what goes around comes around', s/he can hardly complain - they knew they were doing the wrong thing all along by the sounds of it.  The way I see it there's fault on both sides - s/he's just upset because now it's come back to bite !  That said though, bottom line is, not all large letters are now considered parcels - only the oversize ones

[northern_4x4]

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@mbselections00 wrote:

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@thecatspjs wrote:

I saw that post, however rather than sledge the OP, I think the fault lies with the post office in the OPs situation given they have created the issue by not doing their job.

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True, but you know what they say 'karma - what goes around comes around', s/he can hardly complain - they knew they were doing the wrong thing all along by the sounds of it.  The way I see it there's fault on both sides - s/he's just upset because now it's come back to bite !  That said though, bottom line is, not all large letters are now considered parcels - only the oversize ones

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No I'm not "just" upset. I was confused with what they told me. Hence me bringing this up. Yeah I do "push the envelope" a few times. Sometimes we have to otherwise its just not viable selling the item. Or I charge $7.50 and don't sell it. Besides the outlet said ALL PB2's not just my oversized ones are affected. If they said just the oversized ones, yeah I'll take that on the chin.

10% of the time is only a guess too. So far this week, none have been out of 53... But I will be taking extra care now... 🙂

The post office I go to don't seem to care. If they said, no we won't post this item because its a tad too big, fair enough. But they didn't. Maybe because I'm a regular there and spent over 25k with them last financial year, they decided to turn a blind eye, and now they have been pulled up for it. I don't know. But it didn't make sense what she told me about the padded bags and they can only be used for documents....

[*tippy*toes*]

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@heihachi_73 wrote:
Sounds like an a$$hat employee rather than the company itself (and I'm not one to stick up for AP at all). If they refuse you service or try to charge you more than the cost of postage, tell 'em to get effed and move on to the next post office. The only thing not allowed in the mail as a large letter are items over 20mm or 3/4" thick (including the packaging/envelope), very large or heavy items (over 500g) or batteries, explosives and other items that like to spontaneously combust, and anything else that is restricted/illegal to send (but sadly not the Liberal/Labor/Greens "pick me!" propaganda which is currently filling everyone's letterboxes around here regardless of any large NO JUNK MAIL signs that may be around).

If I start sending games later this year (or later) and receiving the same games back in the next day or twenty-eight complete with a message from Australia Post saying they now refuse all large letters that don't contain flexible paper documents (because the 1940s just called and computers and television no longer exist), I will either remove my listings for good or list them as pickup-only if I haven't been defected to buh-gery from all the INR claims that would pop up if that did happen.

Meanwhile, I am looking at yet another item (Parcel Post this time, not Registered Post) which was supposed to be sent from VIC to NSW which is still "in transit" after seven days, scanned only once at my post office and never again. Can't wait to cop an INR defect over that $5 item, tracking, schmacking.

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Pssst, Heihachi, you don't get defects for INR's any more. That ceased in Feb I think. You only get defects for shipping (if you lodged over the counter and uploaded a tracking number within you're handling time, you're protected), cases closed without seller resolution and transactions you cancelled for being out of stock.

[mbselections00]

Ok, no offence intended, I was commenting on the way it sounded to me, the PO should never have really accepted the oversize articles in the first place.  I get what you're saying, but at the end of the day, better if everyone is honest 

All that aside, I post most days at the same PO, sure, I don't spend as much as you, but just the same am treated as a valued regular customer and as stated previously, 99% of my mail is large letter, and if it's even a fraction too tight for the slot (it is supposed to drop through with no force applied), then they knock it back.  There are some here who disagree, but the staff have told me, if it doesn't fit through the slot it is likely to be damaged by the machine/equipment (and the last thing I want is customers receiving damaged goods).

As I said bottom line is I confirmed with my PO yesterday and they are adamant, not all large letters are now considered parcels - only the oversize ones as has always been the case.  I would be checking again with your PO or changing PO's if that is possible

(and I wouldn't be tempting fate )

[chameleon54]

If you havnt got one already, ask your post office for one of their gauges, so you can check that your envelopes fit through the slot easily. This will simply resolve the problem of thickness. If it doesnt go through the slot easily, its a parcel and should be charged at parcel rate. I have one and find it very useful as I can sometimes use a thinner mailer or adjust contents so it fits. If you are a regular spending 25K per year on postage, they should give you one. 

This wont help with the confusion about wether the contents have to be written material or not though.

[northern_4x4]

None taken mate....

I think I'm going to find out if theres a better way to send some of my items that are that just too thick. I can't charge for a parcel on the item, i just wont sell them.

I'm going into the PO soon,  I will have a chat with them.

As far as I know, I only have two options, to post as a large letter in a PB2 and pay $2. Or send as a parcel for $7.50. If they had a comprimise somewhere in bewtween this it would be ideal. But then AP will lose out on charging for a parcel.

Its got me buggered how the Chinese can do this too. I ordered a few things from China for myself. Only small items but thicker than 20mm in the packaging. I spent a whole $4 on two items which both had free postage. How do they do it? I would have though AP would pull them up on this for sure.

[247newdeals]

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@chameleon54 wrote:

If you havnt got one already, ask your post office for one of their gauges, so you can check that your envelopes fit through the slot easily. This will simply resolve the problem of thickness. If it doesnt go through the slot easily, its a parcel and should be charged at parcel rate. I have one and find it very useful as I can sometimes use a thinner mailer or adjust contents so it fits. If you are a regular spending 25K per year on postage, they should give you one. 

This wont help with the confusion about wether the contents have to be written material or not though.

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They give them to anyone no need to spend 25k a year, thankfully, because I keep breaking mine (do not mix well with water) and I have had a few 🙂

[northern_4x4]

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@chameleon54 wrote:

If you havnt got one already, ask your post office for one of their gauges, so you can check that your envelopes fit through the slot easily. This will simply resolve the problem of thickness. If it doesnt go through the slot easily, its a parcel and should be charged at parcel rate. I have one and find it very useful as I can sometimes use a thinner mailer or adjust contents so it fits. If you are a regular spending 25K per year on postage, they should give you one. 

This wont help with the confusion about wether the contents have to be written material or not though.

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I actually thought of that today. Plus using the TB2's aswell as these are thinner, which might be just enough extra mm or two I need. 🙂

[mbselections00]

Phew, I'm glad cause I'm not usually one to stir the pot or go out of my way to cause trouble

Check out what the PO has to offer, but I buy all my packaging from an eBay seller & they are way less expensive than the PO (it also means I'm not familiar with all the PO terms & codes though ).  For items that are only marginally too thick for a large letter padded envelope I use these boxes 221181290924 and they are brilliant as they still offer good protection and come in a variety of sizes.  Hopefully they might do the trick for you too.  And yes, definitely ask for a card.  I was told they are not supposed to give them away - as they handed me mine , but it's less work for them if you have already pre-tested and as mentioned, if you check first, you have the opportunity to re-pack.

[*tippy*toes*]

The Chinese get away with cheap postage as it is subsidised by their government.