Help with Domestic postage

[sagalaenterprises]

I run a small business started 5 months ago. Selling hairdresing scissors and some surgical instruments. On average I post 2 parcels a day. How can I reduce my postage cost as currently, I am paying $7.20 per parcel. Can expereinced sellers help me with that pelase.

[cq_tech]

Dylan, the back of the C5 envelope I have sitting in front of me specifically states...

This envelope is prepaid for one posting to any destination within Australia. The posted envelope is not to exceed 500 grams in weight or 20 millimetres in thickness. For full terms and conditions refer to the Australia Post Terms and Conditions at auspost.com.au

This is what the Terms and Conditions state regarding ALL large letters (not just C5)...

=================================================

Letter size and weight guidelines Click to expand

To be considered a letter, your item must:

• weigh less than 500g 
• contain flexible items**
• have a rectangular shape 
• be no larger than a B4 envelope (260mm x 360mm x 20mm) 
• be no thicker than 20mm

** Letters should not contain stiff objects such as bottle tops, pens, items enclosed in a hard case, and so on. High-speed letter sorting equipment could damage such objects, or the objects could damage other articles.

=================================================

Let's face it, if AP ever decided to enforce those rules, 99% of items currently being sent as large letter by eBay sellers would be rejected at the point of posting so it's pretty clear that while the regulation exists, it is certainly not being enforced. In any case, if there's any doubt, it's a simple matter to wrap the offending item in a small sheet of bubble-wrap which should prevent any of the hard edges that they appear to be worried about.

In addition, my large letters are specifically cancelled at the time of lodgement so I can photograph them for proof of posting, so they'll never see the inside of a letter sorting machine anyway.

[dylan11235813]

What I mean is they have seperate conditions for those prepaid envelopes in the postage guide.They are a large letter but they have extra conditions.

Usually it is only the small letter that needs to be flexible (they give examples) , but the C5 needs to be as well. For all other large letters there is a convenient absence of information.

I believe that once the post office excepts a parcel/letter and franks it, that is an exceptance of the rate to be paid.

[dylan11235813]

I meant the C5 *prepaid* envelope in the last post. There is a seperate section for the prepaid stuff.

[cq_tech]

Yes, it seems to apply only to standard weight envelopes as opposed to padded types, although having said that I've still never seen those regulations enforced, and I've used literally scores of the prepaid C5s here.

[dylan11235813]

I could only find a reference to it on the website and nothing in the actual postage guide pdf's. This is supposedly for all letters, yet it is not in the official guide.

Letter size and weight guidelines Click to expand

To be considered a letter, your item must:

• weigh less than 500g 
• contain flexible items**
• have a rectangular shape 
• be no larger than a B4 envelope (260mm x 360mm x 20mm) 
• be no thicker than 20mm

Is your item bigger than this? We would classify this as a 'parcel'. View domestic parcel services.

I though it was specifically for those prepaid envelopes but I guess I was wrong. I think they have conflicting information on the website and in the postage guides.

[dylan11235813]

Sorry I didn;t read your whole post before. What they say there is off the website, why do they not mention the part about a large letter being flexible in the postage guide. They only say it for a small letter in the guide. Yet on the website it is for all letters.

[cq_tech]

Do you honestly expect AP to get it right? After the postie left an expensive item from OS sitting on top of my letterbox yesterday for all and sundry to see (and steal if they wanted to), I wouldn't trust them to run a bloody chook raffle in a pub. 😞

And yes, I'll definitely be complaining about what happened yesterday.