@djavusydney wrote:
Hi, are you sure DHL eCommerce required $10 for pickup? From what I know they required $20 value of shipments, thus if you have at least 2 with trackable shipments, you usually good, no pickup charges. Let me know if those $10 charges appear in your statement, I can then look up mine.
The information on the website for the service (GM Packet) says if you reach at least $20 in products, there is no charge for pick-up, however my contract stated $10 per pick-up, regardless of the combined postage value. The first few invoices I received didn't include the fee, so at first I thought they weren't charging it (some other aspects of their contract were worded a bit funny, so I just shrugged it off).
Then I get the end of the month invoice and they had included the $10 fee for every pick up, plus GST (so, it's actually $11 per pick-up, as the $10 quote doesn'ty include GST). I've been using them nearly a year and I've been charged for every single pick-up, they invoice once per week, and then send a final invoice at the end of the month which includes the pick-up charges. I queried it with them when I got the first invoice because of what the website said (and I wasn't happy that they basically billed for it retroactively, at least from my perspective), and I asked what crietria I would need to meet to have the website conditions applied (no fee for $20+), and while I did get a reply to my email, they didn't answer those questions. I suspect it may be because I am considered a micro-shipper, as I only send 30-40 parcels internationally per week right now.
Several times I've had a DHL parcel delivery on the same day I've organised a pick-up, so we bascially exchange parcels at my door, and I (perhaps obviously, but still mildly gratingly) still get charged the pick-up fee (I'd never complain about it, I just find it a little bemusing).
The seller who encouraged me to use DHL said they don't pay it, but they also live close enough to a drop-off point that they usually do that anyway. I do know that contract terms are different for everyone - I was given lower parcel rates than them, as well.
@purplemon18 - it's interesting you're required to be present for pick-up - I asked a couple of questions of the driver on the first pick-up, and they told me I can just leave it on the porch and don't need to be there at all (which is good because they usually come after 3pm, and that's when I am generally at the post office).
One of the biggest drawbacks with them is how long something takes if it's returned - I've had a few and it can take up to 3 months once it is back in their system. I currently have a customer waiting for follow-up on a package that was RTS back in May (sent to the UK, arrived in April, VAT applied, not paid after 30 days, so it was returned).
Also, one of the drivers hit and broke a steel post on the property when they were backing out - witnessed by a neighbour, I wasn't home at the time. It cost my landlord over $400 to fix. I contacted DHL about it, they asked me some questions in order to process an insurance claim, and then they went silent. None of them drive on to the property anymore, though.
I do still recommend them, because the whole postage side is worthwhile, they're reliable for that, and cheaper. I don't think I've had one INR for an overseas package since I started using them (they are often a bit slower, so I do have to send a few 'just wait a little longer' messages, though that's slowed down since I was able to set an ETA of 4 weeks instead of the default 2 weeks Etsy had).
