nearing the end of on-line selling ?.

[diecastcarsvicki]

just had a chat with my local post office.

i live in a suburb west of Melbourne where our post office covers a large area.

the lady at p/o told me since mid january they have been reciving approx 40% less in parcels from sellers and they did have 4 contractors doing deliverys but now have two and one is only part time 3 days a week.

one has to wonder are online sales that bad or is it more that sellers have stopped selling due to little to no profit. usally on a saturday morning i would expect a line at p/o but mid morning i was the only one there to post. 

[i-love-my-sheep]

I have quite a few local couriers and all cost far more than Aust Post. I guess it depends on where you live as to the access to the cheaper couriers.

As also mentioned by Davewil back in March when this thread started, how far do you have to travel to the depot if you don't happen to be home when the courier decides to deliver? I know some people on here their full time job is selling online, but for the rest of us, we work during the day and often at ridiculous hours that don't fit in with courier deliveries. I may think I'm going to be home at 10am when they're due to arrive, but if I get a call to go to work, I have no choice but to go. That's the nature of my job.

[zanadoo_56]

As a buyer I avoid sellers that only use couriers because while some couriers will re-deliver, some won't.  Most of those I'd have had to contactt to rearrange re-delivery or pickup seem to take ages to get through to on the phone.  Those that safe drop must have some kind of authorisation paperwork - thankfully usually an email but some want me to leave the card they left signed and in a safe place - but I still have to spend time explaining where the safe drop place is (phone or email).  All this done while I am at work.  There's a courier service I've been stuck with having to collect from that closes early and is not open on weekends and their business is in a very seedy industrial area in the next town.  Grrrrrr.  Usually they are subcontracted by someone else so I never know if I will end up with them or not. So....give me Aust Post over a courier delivery any day.

[lane-ends]

More people using ebay labels & C & S prepaids and so posting straight in street box rather than PO.

Online selling is more convenience items now than low priced bargain hunting. Convenience buyers buy less. So less traffic.

Due to high postal costs and above reason, fewer sellers are turning over large volumes of cheap items.

Online selling wont end, buyers are just more selective