2.14kg-How much to send to Finland?

[rancid badger]

I popped along to the post office this morning, with a couple of parcels, one was Tengu's kettle and the other; a few odds and ends for PRKL in Finland.

PRKL's parcel came to 2.14kg, so I expected to pay around maybe £10-£12 for surface mail.

When the post mistress tapped in the details, even she was a little surprised, she even rechecked the total without me asking her!

She said; "Are you ready for this?" I said "go on then"and she replied; " £37!".

Apparently, its to do with the package being over 2kg and it ends up going by parcel force.
Now the bizarre bit; if I break the shipment into separate parcels, it's supposedly a lot cheaper. ( I'll find out when I return to the post office this afternoon)

Baffling really, because surely it's easier and cheaper, for the postal system to deal with a single package, rather than four smaller ones

Is it a rip off or just bad business?

I don't know and they wonder why the post office is going down the pan?

R.B.

 

[rik_uk3]

3Kg parcel 30x30x30 sent DHL booked through interparcel £19 picked up from you. http://www.interparcel.com/

Forget the Royal Mail once your parcel hits the magik 2Kg barrier.

 

[Cap'n Badger]

Indeed it's mental when postin' anything 0'er 2kg.......
Posted a box that was o'er 2kg a while back t' norway.....Was quoted 47 quid by the postie!...I said I could drive it there mesel' fer that much..lol....
As it was a sale from 'evilbay'..the buyer paid the costs....
There are much cheaper alt's as Rik has shown.....shop around matey.

 

[Shewie]

3Kg parcel 30x30x30 sent DHL booked through interparcel £19 picked up from you. http://www.interparcel.com/

Forget the Royal Mail once your parcel hits the magik 2Kg barrier.

I used DHL to send a PC to Portugal, similar price to Rik quoted I think.

 

[PRKL]

Ive encountered same type of dilemmas,as ive calculated in post´s website,the cost of shipping,then went to the post office,sometimeds the cost has been -50% cheaper than in their websites calculator,and sometimes more expensive.its so complicated system they use,as its about packages volume,dimensions and weight,without any rational ratio.

 

[rancid badger]

Ahggh! CRAZY!

First of all; thanks for the advice

Now then; I sorted out the gear into three separate lots, parceled everything up, as advised by Jean our postmistress, and went back along.

It came to £11.30 for airmail

How on earth, can the Royal Mail continue with such crazy ideas?

At least Jean; had the decency to advise me on the sensible alternatives, the staff in the other offices, local to me, would almost certainly have just told me that was the price, take it or leave it.

So; a good experience with a reasonable outcome but it just shows how you can be taken for a mug.

best wishes
R.B.

 

[rik_uk3]

One of the stovies sent a parcel to the states and Royal Mail sent it back to him as the contents were a danger and illegal to send. The parcel contained spares for a heater, no fuel, nothing to go bang, nothing pressurised, but they classed it a danger

Mind you the idiot marked the parcel 'Heater spares', when I send stoves off to the States they are all 'Used camping equipment' and no problems to date.

 

[filcon]

Anything over 2kgs is dear.Split the parcels weight 2x1+kgs and you,ll find the cost half for the 2 parcels.

phil

 

[Eric_Methven]

I found that out when I sent a capote to the USA. It weighed 2.15kg and the price was £45. The postue advised me to split the parcel into two, but it would mean cutting the blanket coat in half, so no point. I didn't know about the alternitaves so I just paid and sucked it up. I stopped selling capotes outside the UK after that.

So, this Interparcel thing isn't just for high volume businesses then? They'll pick up single items from my home address? Hmmmm....

Eric

 

[rancid badger]

Anything over 2kgs is dear.Split the parcels weight 2x1+kgs and you,ll find the cost half for the 2 parcels.

phil

The thing is: What are they (the Royal Mail) thinking of!
I found the cost saving to be £25.70! and I split my package into three!
So that means, that instead of one item getting processed, the post office and everyone else down the line, has to faff on keeping tabs on three separate items.That can't be cost effective?
It's certainly not efficient


Then again; it may be just as well to live and learn or the daft bxxxers'll be upping the cost UNDER 2kg

atb

R.B.

 

[helixpteron]

The thing is: What are they (the Royal Mail) thinking of!
I found the cost saving to be £25.70! and I split my package into three!
So that means, that instead of one item getting processed, the post office and everyone else down the line, has to faff on keeping tabs on three separate items.That can't be cost effective?
It's certainly not efficient


Then again; it may be just as well to live and learn or the daft bxxxers'll be upping the cost UNDER 2kg

atb

R.B.

The cynic in me (the one that's had numerous recorded delivery parcels vanish and never had replies to any of the claims for compensation!) thinks that they may do things this way as then there's more variety of parcels for their staff to steal!