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Monday 2 November 2009

Can you help with the post!

Last Monday i sent a few parcel to buyers in the UK, which have still not arrived.
So i have held back with putting any new minis on etsy until i can find an alternative postal service or wait for the strikes to end.
Seems they are not ending and have more strikes planned for later this week.
Plus because of the 3 day strike last week they will have a backlog of post from today onwards to deal with, which scares me parcels will be damaged or lost.

Does anyone have any suggestion of a postal service/company i could use while the strikes are happening.
It needs to be a company that will also ship outside of the UK and have good postal prices.

I really have searched this morning but unsure where to go or what to do.

Hope you can help.

Nikki xxx
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11 comments:

  1. Tabitha Corsica2 November 2009 at 13:06

    Nikki, I know FedEx has a UK office. The are not only for over-night; they have a ground service which is less expensive. I have used them with success. Do you have an equivalent of the United Parcel Service (UPS) in the UK. I know durin the last US postal strike, they pretty much took over for packages.

    Tabitha

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  2. Whittaker's Miniatures2 November 2009 at 13:44

    Nikki I was assured at the PO that anything going internationally by Airsure that is tracked and also special delivery parcels in this counrty are largly unaffected by the strikes. I went to post a small parcel recorded first class only to be told it could take 5 days....if it got there at all!!! How is that for no confidence!!
    So it may be wise to stick to special delivery, the customer paying for it if they want it sent securly. However John thinks its all a con to get you to spend more money on the extortionate fees for special delivery they charge so they can make money out of the poor worried sellers!! I am so dispondant right now, as I said to you i sent an item recorded to ensure safety only to find the person didnt pick it up within a week so despite all the strikes going on the Royal Mail return it to Sender and now I havnt got it back meaning me refunding the customer when its not my fault!! I dont think you can win, and such a shame with Christmas coming up, the best time of year for you to be selling your minis. Hope you find an alternative. The parcel guy just came and John jumped up but its a parcel from the US, dosnt seem to be any hold up coming from there!! Kate and John xx

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  3. Michelle2 November 2009 at 14:02

    To date I have received all parcels sent via Special Delivery and they were all received the next day too. However, I am still waiting for two parcels from the USA and they sent over two weeks ago (no special service), and another one has never showed up. :o( It seems a bit hit and miss.

    I hope that you can get something sorted Nikki, I'd hate for you to miss out on such a great time of year to sell.

    Michelle xx

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  4. Julia and Hywel2 November 2009 at 14:18

    Hi Nikki,
    I was told by the PO not to bother sending with recorded delivery, as it gets put in the same bag as the other mail and has the same chance of getting lost. They recommended Special delivery and yes, the cynic in the me thinks its a money grabbing exercise on the back of the strikes. If you sign into your Ebay account, Ebay are offering advice to UK sellers on the strike and if I remember rightly, they have a list of UK delivery services to use instead of Royal Mail.
    I hope your missing parcels turn up, this is going to be a nightmare for us little people.
    Julia xx

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  5. nikkinikkinikki722 November 2009 at 16:57

    Thank you all for your help and advice so far.
    Its hard for me to ask at my post office because the lady that runs it has just lost her child to cancer. It's ever so sad, he was only 19.
    But she is really not in a good mood (who would be with such a loss) and cries lots, so i dare not ask too much.
    At my other post office i have Mr I Think I Am Full of Whit and Sarcasm, so he isn't much help either. All the others are out of town so too far away considering i don't drive.
    Thank you Julia for advising me about ebay and off to check their page out now.
    Thanks, Nikki xxx

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  6. shannonc602 November 2009 at 20:42

    Just because I want to whinge - I've been waiting 3 weeks for a parcel from the UK!!! Terrible! Hope it ends soon. What a nightmare.

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  7. nikkinikkinikki722 November 2009 at 20:53

    Hi Shannonc60.

    Hope it gets there soon for you.

    I'm really struggling to find an alternative post and have decided to send all UK parcels special delivery, but now i'm really stuck with how to send out of the uk and what to do.

    All the courier service are so expensive for me to ship out of the UK.
    I'm more concerned about compensation and insurance should the worst happen.
    The postal option which offers the right insurance are so expensive and may have to hold back with overseas selling for a while.
    Its not that i'm selling and sending lots but this problem has taken hours of my day trying to find what to do.
    I fear quite a bit of my post from last week has been lost too and getting worried.
    Poor Kate and john have not got there pumpkins yet and i sent them 8 days ago.
    Maybe i'll just store up everything and when the strikes are over start selling again.

    Nikki xxx

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  8. Michelle2 November 2009 at 21:22

    Hi again Nikki,

    You pack your mini's 'extremely' well, so at least they couldn't get damaged in any way! I'm sure they will turn up. Everything crossed for the little parcels. :o)

    Michelle :o)

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  9. Witchkrafting with Kat2 November 2009 at 22:00

    Hi Nikki again I recomend special delivery. I also got told by my post office not to post during strikes as it gets put in the backlog but to post on non strike days as this is treated as new post!! I hope this doesn't carry on as I know some artists who are going to have to close as it's affecting their business dreadfully bad enough with people not having too much cash for hobbies this year! Still we will all stick together eh our miniaturist are a hardy lot. Lots of love to you and your readers Kat xxxxxx

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  10. kathi3 November 2009 at 01:30

    I just recently purchased several things from the UK. They are to be sent via Royal Mail. I sure hope I get them!

    UPS and FedEx have a good reputation here in the USA. Perhaps you could find one near you?
    You can also go online to check their prices and schedule a pick up. Hope you find an easier and more reliable way to send your minis!

    xo Kathi

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  11. Whittaker's Miniatures3 November 2009 at 09:47

    Nikki I sent 2 parcels 'Airsure' , one to the Us and one to Slovakia and they got there in 3 days!!!All has to be signed for and has a tracking number so the same as recorded delivery really over here. that should amke sending abroad safe?
    Im ready too pounce on the posty everyday poor man!!! xx

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