ROYAL SNAIL

Its been a terrible month as an Ebay seller and a cautionary tale maybe not to post items during the run-up to Christmas, which is paradoxically the best time to sell!

I've had to refund four tracked items so far - Ebay and buyers were on my case -  and there are still some items yet to arrive at their destinations. One item I can put down to my unusually poor large letter packaging - a damaged cast soldier's head came off - but the other three, all part of the same combined parcel, I have to lay at Royal Mail's door.

Thankfully it's only a tenner's value all in, which I've refunded, as the buyer was getting increasingly frustrated with his purchases simply not arriving. I don't blame him.

It still hasn't arrived and it may never do! You won't believe where this parcel has been - literally everywhere in northern England - in the last two weeks!

It should have gone down the road to Donny but have a look at the tracking journey! Its now in Birmingham as of yesterday!

Looking at this again, I only hope that I put the right postcode on this parcel! Or indeed any postcode!

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POSTSCRIPT!

It turns out I didn't put the wrong postcode on this parcel and they did arrive two weeks later at their destination.... damaged with an apology from Royal Mail. The buyer sent me the pictures.

Unbelievable that the company entrusted to deliver a parcel delivered it damaged like this! Luckily, it wasn't worth much.

Needless to say I won't be claiming from a monolith. Its Christmas and I've better things to do!

Lost in Space?

This year I've been selling on eBay a lot again. As in times before, one thing always baffled me. What happens to lost mail? 

Where do all the thousands of mislaid parcels go? They must go somewhere? To neighbours or dare I say couriers themselves? Where?

I imagine a vast hill of packages somewhere between continents, the address labels slowly greening over and desperate gulls ripping them open. Occasionally a tin robot or wind-up spaceship will spill out and attempt an ascent, the gulls pecking at their bent antennae and flashing lights as they stagger towards the sun.

My reverie over, a more serious sub-genre of lost property is the relatively new and quite baffling phenomenon of tracked but mislaid.

Tracked but mislaid? Surely this is an oxymoron, like wet fire or bright dark: things that can't exist. Or so we thought. Tracked but mislaid is the latest insult to eBay sellers totally reliant on couriers of one kind or another, whether national or private. 

I have refunded five buyers this year already for lost mail. None were tracked, which I aim now to change, but it appears that that also offers no guarantee of delivery.

The biggest implication for the seller of lost eBay goods is the refund, sometimes substantial, leaving them out of pocket and without the goods.

For the buyer, well, they've got absolutely nothing either.

Have you experience of this readers?

T48 Parcels: A Note of Caution

 As an Ebay seller I rely on the Post Office and Royal Mail [unsure of the difference these days!]. Its my choice I know so I have to accept the consequences.

One recent foible is the new T48 service. Its a two-day tracked post for parcels. The tracking kicks in when the parcel is delivered.

Normally it costs around £3.70' ish I think for a second class parcel. 

Alas, I got stung with its other add-on this week, the signature! I didn't know about the signature!

I hadn't realised I'd been charged over £5 for T48 because the sub-postie automatically bolted-on the Signature option!

This meant I lost money on the sale.

I only discovered it when I got home and checked the Proof of Postage.

Just one to to watch out for if you use T48 here in the UK!

Grrrr!

LOST IN THE POST .... AGAIN!

I've just refunded my second UK Ebay buyer this summer/ autumn. The items, vintage toys all rooted out of car boot rummage boxes with care and attention by myself, were lost in the post and never arrived at their UK destinations.

I am getting pretty damn tired of it.

Just how many parcels do the Royal mail lose? Where the hell do they go?

I have learnt my lesson and will now have to charge extra for tracked mail every time. 

What's your experience of your postal service as sellers or buyers readers?

ROYAL MAIL GERRY ANDERSON STAMP SET INSERT FROM ED ICE BERG

Guys

Thought you might like this. I don't remember if it's been featured before, but this was a 4pg insert that came with the Royal Mail's tribute to Gerry Anderson stamps last year. My friend in Scotland sent me the set and it was great, along with the post cards they put out. The scans are hi-res so I'll send four separate e-mails.

Cheers!

Ed Ice B

USA

 

PS. Who else got the stamp set? Woodsy