Parcel Tracking Labels on Letters

[airshark3d]

Good Day everyone,

So I purchased an item last week on Ebay from a seller in Melbourne. I got the package last Monday and was surprised it was in a padded bag with $2 stamps on it. From my knowledge, it is the stamp cost for a large letter. However, on the side of it, I see a "Parcel Post" Tracking label. I thought maybe the seller just placed it there as a dummy label but when I typed in the tracking, it was actually active. The item I bought was cheap so I don't think the seller would spend extra on sending it through parcel.

What's the go with these? Can those labels be used for letters? Or could it be the seller is well connected with a LPO so they are able to let it pass? 

[bakeandfry]

I just sent you a pm, im curious if your seller is the same one i brought off and did exactly same thing

[airshark3d]

PM replied

[thecatspjs]

Goodness me. 

I have a couple boxes of those stickers left over from when tracking was first introduced as standard quite a few years ago.   There was no cost to purchase them at the time.

As the stickers indicate they are meant for parcel post. 

Did the letter contain a "stiff" item or was the letter thicker than 20mm ?

[digital*ghost]

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@bakeandfry wrote:

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Wow, i thought it could be used, only because my post master is really strict with items that goes through my local po office. 

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There are a number of sellers who use them on letters (I've received a couple myself with the tracking labels on them, sometimes the tracking is activated, sometimes it isn't), but just to clarify, the info I've posted (both that the PO can get in trouble and that the tracking can be deactivated) came directly from an AP postie. 

[airshark3d]

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@thecatspjs wrote:

Goodness me. 

I have a couple boxes of those stickers left over from when tracking was first introduced as standard quite a few years ago.   There was no cost to purchase them at the time.

As the stickers indicate they are meant for parcel post. 

Did the letter contain a "stiff" item or was the letter thicker than 20mm ?

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Item is small, definitely thinner than 20mm. Less than 30g as well. It has bubble wrap lining though so it MIGHT pass as a parcel to the inexperienced postie. Cost is also cheap, not even worth spending the parcel cost. 

[amore_gwapa]

I used these label before, purchased from ebay 2 years ago, its very cheap compare to other, guess what, one day I got a surprise letter from AP, just a warning not to use it again as it is not allowed to use with a large letter, lucky me as it was only warning..... 

[clarry100]

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@tomtek_outdoors wrote:

Please see attached photo.

You can check the tracking number. It is still current.

Item was bought on Sunday, shipped on Monday.

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Just took a look at the tracking status on this one and it certainly appears to have been scanned on lodgement at a local PO.

Then must have been scanned again by your local postie as he/she delivered it to your letter box.

Must be they are a bit lax on the rules.

[rimo1614]

Tracking labels are made to facilitate tracking. A fee is paid to facilitate tracking. Does it matter weather you track a parcel or a letter item, work content is same. Why Australia post doesn't make labels for letter items similar cost to parcel? They want to ripp off consumers receiving tracked letter items. EBay person is helping consumer with lower postage cost using tracking labels which costs lot less for the purposes of tracking. At the end all cost are paid by consumers. Australia post charges are amongst highest in the world. Service quality is average. I hope it makes sense.

[sandypebbles]

Not so much over 5 years later after the question was posted

You said yourself  ' Australia post charges are amongst highest in the world'

So whatever they were doing 5 and a half years ago may have changed by now

[paper-jack]

sandypebbles you just enlightened me  - I had read down to your post to discover I'd been sucked in again to another exhumated thread.  Isn't it about time threads had an automatic expiry date 6 or 12 months after last post? At least I only wasted my time on 18 messages and my kettle has now boiled.

Good health and Happy Christmas to all.