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Best way to send books that is not the Post Office

11 replies

UatuTheWatcher · 14/03/2019 14:13

I sold a bundle of 4 books on Ebay for £5. Ebay calculated the postage at £3.95 and I didn't question it. Took the parcel to the PO and the parcel is over 2kg and they wanted to charge me £15 to send it.

I realise I'm going to have to spend more than £3.95 but really don't want to spend £15. So lesson learnt and I won't be trusting the Ebay suggested postage again but can any one suggest any good delivery options.

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Zillaindie · 14/03/2019 14:26

Go onto parcel2go, fill in the parcel details and they will give you a quote from a number of couriers who will either collect from you or a drop shop.

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GiantKitten · 14/03/2019 14:32

Collect plus are good! You can book & print label online, drop off locally (there are billions of places) & can also have it delivered to a pickup point so the recipient doesn’t have to be at home

Under 2kg is £3.99 I think, 2-5 is a bit more

www.collectplus.co.uk

And they have an app with a brilliant bar code scanner, so you don’t even need your receipt to track Smile

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babysharkah · 14/03/2019 14:33

And that's why I can't be bothered with eBay!

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GiantKitten · 14/03/2019 14:34

Oh - 2-5kg is actually £6.29 - more than I thought, but still better than £15!

Best way to send books that is not the Post Office
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UatuTheWatcher · 14/03/2019 14:42

Thanks so much for the information. It's very much appreciated.

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19lottie82 · 14/03/2019 14:48

Yes, unfortunately anything over 2kg with Royal Mail is very expensive.

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minniemoll · 14/03/2019 15:10

Split the books into two parcels and send via Royal Mail - it's cheaper than one parcel even by most couriers.

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UatuTheWatcher · 14/03/2019 15:55

If I split it then it would be £2.95 each parcel. I've found Collect+ at my corner store who will do it for £4.85 +vat. Which for me is a better deal as I won't have to get a taxi into town for the PO and they are open to 11pm instead of 5.30 which fits around my life better.

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GiantKitten · 14/03/2019 17:03

Collect Plus is much easier than the PO, & their tracking is very detailed. (A lot of online shops use them for free returns, too. No weight restrictions with those.)

We have 2 drop places within a 5-minute walk, both open late, & also having the drop alternative the other end is much easier for all concerned Smile

I only really use the PO now if posting something abroad, or if it has to be there next day.

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imsorryiasked · 14/03/2019 17:37

Though can something's send books as large letter post (royal mail) if they're not too thick. You can also print the postage online and put in a post box drop off at sorting office etc if this is easier than the PO.
Personally I bundle my books and do combined shipping of £6.50 up to 5kg.

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RedWineAllMine · 14/03/2019 20:31

Why don't you split the parcel? Put it as 2 separate parcels. If they both weigh under 2kg it will cost £2.95 each second class, and you get a free tracking number with that.
If things can't be separated and if a product is over 2kg I always use collect plus, it's a lot cheaper than the Post Office for parcels over 2kg, and you get the option for signature upon delivery.
There are lots of places that do collect plus, your local shop probably does it. You can check online.

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