Does anyone go to the PO to get proof of lodgement?

[ty.erd]

Hi,

Do people go to the PO everyday just to get proof of lodgement?

Do customers even notice?

I've noticed some parcels that are just posted in street boxes don't get scanned even once they reach the delivery facilities.

Is there an alternative?

It's funny because I expect to see other ebay sellers waiting in line around 4pm but I never do! Is everyone just lodging in a street post box?

Thanks

[chameleon54]

Short answer is Yes, I go to the Post Office each day and stand in line to have parcels scanned.

I used to use my nearby red box for large letters once, until I was driving past one day and saw an AP contractor parked on the side of the road in a very grimey looking van having a smoke. It was school holidays and he sent his young son to clear the mail. The child opened the box and a gust of wind sent mail swirling up the street with the child chasing it.

I,m not sure what the procedures for this are, but I,m sure this guy wasnt following them.

I use a large suitcase on wheels to take my mail into the PO.  I pre sort it as I pack so that satchels and heavy boxes are on the bottom, small parcels next, Australian delivery large letters and finally International large letters. Anything going OS has a customs document already filled in at home and stuck to the package with a small bit of tape. ( Same goes for registered mail ) .

This system makes it quick for customer staff as they use the same computer screen for OS mail, then go to large letters screen on computer, quickly weigh all large letters, sorting them into piles for weight. They count them and print the stickers in bulk.

Next is small parcels, with another seperate staff member scanning in pre paid satchels. As scans ins are a seperate reciept, the second staff member prints this out while the first staff member prints the payment reciept. 

This is the most efficient system we have been able to come up with and is very effective as to the time it takes.

I dont see many other obvious ebayers at the PO but there are a couple of businesses with their own websites that bring in A LOT of parcels. One sells eco friendly baby items, the other medicinal emu oil products. Most of this guys sales are OS. Both niche players and very interesting.

[bettyboopsadaisy]

I like many posters here always get a lodgement receipt over the counter and I also pay for either Registered (Letters) or Signature on delivery (parcels) as an additional safeguard.

I still don't feel completely protected by these postage options though.

When others speak about obtaining a lodgement receipt, even with Postcode included, I don't see how this would prove to either a buyer or ebay that the seller has actually posted the item in question. There is no buyer's name or address on the receipt, only their postcode, which really proves nothing except that you have posted SOMETHING to that postcode.

In the good 'ol days, you were able to get from the PO employee processing your parcels, a lodgement slip with recipient's name and address on it and this was stamped by the PO - this really proved who you had posted the parcel to and exactly where it was headed.

These are no more - in recent times, when I asked at the PO for these, I've been told that they stopped using these a fair while ago.

It would seem to only way to completely protect yourself, is, as I know many ebay sellers do, take photos of each parcel after it has been franked by the PO employee, showing name and address of recipient.

[black*poppy]

TBH I can't understand why sellers keep using prepaid parcels.  I reckon the majority of purchases I receive come in the red satchels and I cannot work it out.  The cheapest I have ever seen them for sale is $7.85 each (500g) so it can't be a cost saving thing (unless people are stealing them from work, haha!).  

If you use click and send or ebay labels, then you do have proof of the address you sent it to, and it's cheaper.  

What am I missing?????

[247newdeals]

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@*tippy*toes* wrote:

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@ty.erd wrote:

Hi,

Do people go to the PO everyday just to get proof of lodgement?

Do customers even notice?

I've noticed some parcels that are just posted in street boxes don't get scanned even once they reach the delivery facilities.

Is there an alternative?

It's funny because I expect to see other ebay sellers waiting in line around 4pm but I never do! Is everyone just lodging in a street post box?

Thanks

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How would you know they were eBay sellers? Not everyone who posts parcels sells on eBay. Do they have something that indicates they are eBay sellers? Like having a sign across their forehead?

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I would of thought Ebayers would be easy to spot they would all be poor and highly stressed JK

[247newdeals]

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@egglesdtp wrote:

I also go to the PO and get every parcel scanned, but I am lucky in that I live near a small LPO.

For items that don't go in a satchel, but in my own packaging (usually because it won't fit in a satchel) then I also ask that the scan includes the postcode, so I know which tracking number goes with which parcel. Back in the day when I would have several parcels to take to the PO - those were the good old days, like last year - it was very confusing if I didn't have a postcode to go with the tracking number. More work for the postmaster, but he knows me pretty well by now.

Only very occasionally do I tempt fate and use a large letter for posting.

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If you use mypost, all they need to do is scan your card before they lodge the parcel then when you check not only fo you have the postcodebut the whole address. Worth having a look at makes tracking multiple parcels a lot easier

[Anonymous]

TBH I can't understand why sellers keep using prepaid parcels.  I reckon the majority of purchases I receive come in the red satchels and I cannot work it out.  The cheapest I have ever seen them for sale is $7.85 each (500g) so it can't be a cost saving thing (unless people are stealing them from work, haha!).  

i dont get what you mean.

buying flat rate satchels in bulk

works out to be about 20c each.

australia post business customers

also receive a discount on postage.

as to the OP, no, i never get proof

of lodgement.  working full time

there is no time to queue up at the PO. 

[transport-posters]

The girls at my local PO say that the parcels get collected at about 3 pm at their PO most days, so I don't ever go first thing in the morning unless I have other plans that require it.

[chameleon54]

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@black*poppy wrote:

TBH I can't understand why sellers keep using prepaid parcels.  I reckon the majority of purchases I receive come in the red satchels and I cannot work it out.  The cheapest I have ever seen them for sale is $7.85 each (500g) so it can't be a cost saving thing (unless people are stealing them from work, haha!).  

If you use click and send or ebay labels, then you do have proof of the address you sent it to, and it's cheaper.  

What am I missing?????

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For me its a speed and efficiency thing. I cant be bothered waiting for the printer to print, replacing ink cartridges all the time ( at $35 each ) replacing the paper, unblocking the paper jams and attaching the printed label to the parcel. In the time it takes, I can write the address on two parcels manually with my ten biros from Coles at 2 bucks a pack. If you buy the satchels in multiples of 100 you can save a signifigant amount on the purchase price and they are convenient for packing.

The KISS principle - Keep it simple stupid.

I dont lose many parcels in the AP system, so it really isnt a big deal. Unlesss your items are very high value, you can spend more time and money on tracking than its worth.

TIME IS MONEY, just pack the items, get them in the mail, add a bit to your postage costs as self insurance and churn stock.

For most small sellers of low to mid priced items,  bulk turnover is what really makes money. Everyone has a different business model, but sellers should assess wether spending time, effort  and money tracking every single parcel is the most effective use of their time and resources. ( not to mention turning buyers off with higher post costs )

With around 2000 sales on three accounts since the defect for slow post thing came in, I have only got one defect, and that was for an item sent to Germany that appears to have caught up in customs.

Unless you are selling high value items or losing a lot of parcels it may not be worth it.  Maybe look at why the parcels are going missing.  Is it AP ???  Are you selling to a dishonest buyer demographic or maybe you are just addressing some of them incorrectly ???   ( I know I have done it once or twice )

[black*poppy]

I've never lost any parcels.  I just find the online labelling systems so quick and easy.. and cheap! 

Maybe I've been lucky cos I don't have printer issues, all works good and effortlessly, much easier than writing labels out by hand.  

I do have a few express post satchels kicking around, and actually used one the other day.  OMG what a drag having to write it out. Plus all the double checking to make sure I wrote the address correctly (easy for me to mis-write a number) and then photographing the damn thing to prove I sent it to the right address.  Pfft.

[chameleon54]

Everyone to their own I guess.

I just find when I have a lot to pack, writing by hand is quicker for me. As mentioned before, I run on the KISS principle, and cut out every un-needed operation and expense. I dont photograph anything ( wastes too much time ) , just write and go and writing the address with a pen certainly saves money. If you are just a casual seller, I imagine printing the address would give you an added sense of security, knowing the address is correct and the cost factor wouldnt be a biggy..

If you find the printing and sticking addresses on works better for you, go for it.

Everyone needs to find what works best for them.