Sending large letters within Aus, from home

[thesoulyearns]

A good portion of things I sell are able to be sent as large letters and I usually just head down to the PO for the items to be stamped and on their way. It's all fairly quick and easy and haven't had any problems yet but it would save a bit of time to be able to stamp them at home.

I have a little weigher and can check the price according to the Aus Post guidelines via eBay's Postage Calculator. Does anyone do this and how is it working out for you? Thanks for any help.

[bidbuyonline]

Hi, you can buy pre paid large letter envelopes that you can post up to 500g and no more than 20mm thick.

They cost $1.40 each or cheaper in bulk

Depending on what you are posting, these are a good buy as you save on envelopes and can post up to 500g for only $1.40 instead of $3.00 as long as the item will fit.

Cheers

[phorum_junkie*]

Yes I stick my own stamps on things I am posting as letters, I would make double sure that your scales are accurate by weighing a couple at home and then getting them weighed at the PO.

have you got a cardboard letter gauge? If not ask for one at the PO so you can make sure the envelope slides easily through the 20mm slot.

I also hope you are putting things in a ziplock or other waterproof covering inside the outer packaging. This is especially important for clothing, you can squeeze all the air out and seal them so there is no chance of the fabric bunching up and causing problems.

[thesoulyearns]

Thanks very much bidbuyonline, that's a good alternative for posting small things but the main things I need to post are CD to DVD size, which (as I've tried) are just a bit too big for C5, but they'd fit in the C4 size. Thing is, the cost already is about $3 for a PB3 bag + 2 stamps, which has padding, and I don't think the envelopes have padding.

Thanks, PJ. I'll test out the scale in the next round of things to post. Other sellers have those gauges but I don't yet, so I probably should get one for this specific purpose. I bought a big lot of CD/DVD sleeve protectors (which I strangely can't find in purchase history), as I was trying to find something to cover the product in, when inside the padded envelope. They're clear and sealable (not ziplocked though) but should be reasonably effective in waterproofing them. There are some small gaps that water could get into so a ziplock sleeve may be a better option.

[gemsweddingsupplies-online]

OP.. I post letters each day with stamps on them.

My preference is to pack them in the Australia Post tough bags which give are nice and sturdy and keep the item flat. Bought in boxes of 100 they work out to be around 70c each (A4 size). I always post big letters with $1.20 or $1.80 stamps.

My local box gets cleared on Sunday nights too, so I often pop a few letters in then to get off a bit quicker.

[wishuponastarcelebrationsandgifts]

I place my own stamps on large letter items. After a while you have a good feel for whether an item weighs over 125grams, 250 grams etc or not and don't need to weigh everything - just the odd one here and there. I bought a very reliable set of digital scales that are accurate to within 2 gramsand can be run off either electricity or battery. They weren't too expensive (around $60 + the cost of the cable for use with electricity if required). They weigh packages up to 20kgs

I buy my padded bags from eb packaging which have a store on ebay. They work out quite economical, and are far more competitively priced than the AP ones. Others have mentioned big red packaging but I haven't done a price comparison.

[thesoulyearns]

OP.. I post letters each day with stamps on them.

My preference is to pack them in the Australia Post tough bags which give are nice and sturdy and keep the item flat. Bought in boxes of 100 they work out to be around 70c each (A4 size). I always post big letters with $1.20 or $1.80 stamps.

My local box gets cleared on Sunday nights too, so I often pop a few letters in then to get off a bit quicker.

Thanks very much. I just don't want to start stamping a bunch of CDs or other small things only to have them sent back or not delivered because it wasn't allowed. Aus Post has been great but I don't know if they allow you to stamp them yourselves and send them.

Anyway, thanks for your help everyone. I'll probably just start stamping something with a message to the buyer that notifies them of the new situation and to let me know if it doesn't arrive in a week or two.

[thesoulyearns]

I place my own stamps on large letter items. After a while you have a good feel for whether an item weighs over 125grams, 250 grams etc or not and don't need to weigh everything - just the odd one here and there. I bought a very reliable set of digital scales that are accurate to within 2 gramsand can be run off either electricity or battery. They weren't too expensive (around $60 + the cost of the cable for use with electricity if required). They weigh packages up to 20kgs

I buy my padded bags from eb packaging which have a store on ebay. They work out quite economical, and are far more competitively priced than the AP ones. Others have mentioned big red packaging but I haven't done a price comparison.

Thanks alot, thats basically what I wanted to know. OK, I'm going to try it with one after doing what PJ said and testing my scales with AP's one. It's so much easier to be able to do it at home. Moreso for big sellers like you two but also for small sellers too.

[wishuponastarcelebrationsandgifts]

Thanks alot, thats basically what I wanted to know. OK, I'm going to try it with one after doing what PJ said and testing my scales with AP's one. It's so much easier to be able to do it at home. Moreso for big sellers like you two but also for small sellers too.

Glad if this helps. I don't have an AP gauge but the limit on thickness is 2cm for a large letter. I just use a ruler if it is for combined postage of items and I am unsure as to whether it can be sent as a large letter or not. I have found that depending on which post office you go to there can be some deviation between what is considered a large letter versus a parcel. Some post offices will let a large envelope dangle limply from one hand as they hold up the gauge and then claim it is a parcel as it cannot be easily fed through the slot (even when it is within the 2cm thickness range and can be easily fed through if done properly).

[thesoulyearns]

Glad if this helps. I don't have an AP gauge but the limit on thickness is 2cm for a large letter. I just use a ruler if it is for combined postage of items and I am unsure as to whether it can be sent as a large letter or not. I have found that depending on which post office you go to there can be some deviation between what is considered a large letter versus a parcel. Some post offices will let a large envelope dangle limply from one hand as they hold up the gauge and then claim it is a parcel as it cannot be easily fed through the slot (even when it is within the 2cm thickness range and can be easily fed through if done properly).

Thanks. I've posted a few CDs and DVDs, most of which were able to be sent as a large letter. One DVD had a slip-cover on, so it had to be sent as a parcel but I generally know that a regular-size CD and a DVD with no slip-cover meets the requirements. For other things that might be too big, I'll just take it to the PO. At least it's saving time on some things.

Regarding international post, this one is a bit trickier. I've asked whether a CD could be sent as a large letter internationally and told no. Yet, some sellers are able to and it halves the cost, which could mean more buys. How are they able to do it? Is it legal? I'm happy selling within Aus as it's just easier but some things would be good to sell internationally with a nice and cheap large letter rate.