Postage price rise.. April 2nd 2013

[James990]

I had a simular problem with Myhermies.

First time when I chased a delivery - They said that they had delivered it to the next door neighbour, the address was an office, which had security and is open 24hrs, the next door property is a boarded up pub, hum!

Second time - I wasn't in so they couldn't deliver it, still same addess with same open 24hrs!

Third time - driver forgot to put it on board

Fourth time - driver still has it on board but is not in the area

Two weeks after it was supposed to be delivered, I was just leaving the office when they turned up with it, all battered and looking like it had been run over by a tank! They wondered why I wasn't very happy to receive it in that condition and was going to lodge a formal complaint. Mind you I know that they would take no notice of that anyway!

[meldean]

I believe there used to be such a box (probably from subli-nation, if memory serves). I can't recall the outer dimensions, but I doubt they were that tight (the mugs will need to be pretty close together to get the length of the box under 16cm).

It wouldn't matter about being polystyrene, because the weight bracket is now 1Kg - two mugs weigh about 600g, leaving well over 300g for the weight of the box. Double-walled cardboard would be fine.

The double-mug boxes stopped being sold so now we're just left with single ones. Maybe it's time now for some supplier to get in double-mug boxes? I bet they won't, though, because not enough people sell two mugs at a time. People invariably send either one mug, or a bunch of them. I think they would sell well, though, because people would use them for other things - not just mugs - in the knowledge that they fit in the "small parcel" price bracket.

I used to have a habit of sending any "misprinted" mug to my customer as a freebie, but I shan't be doing that once the prices change.

I have done some measurements and if you draw a 16cm square you have to have the mugs at each corner opposite each other to fit within the boundaries. This does obviously leave 2 corners that are empty. However what i am thinking is if the box 16 x 16 could double up as just a small packet as well as a mug mailer therefore people would purchase for all kinds reasons not just mugs.

I am in contact with a company that is local to me that make polystyrene mug mailers and boxes so i have emailed them and just waiting on a reply. Surely there is money in this as you can market the product very easily just by labelling it Small Packet Approved.. lol

Would anybody else be interested and what price would you be willing to pay for them.. Just a question for when they get back to me. Would be good to see how many people would use. Even if it would not just be for mugs.

[meldean]

Ummm i have found a box that is 150mm x 150mm x 100mm that will actually fit 2 mugs in. Probs would have to bubble wrap the mugs as well but you get them free with BMS anyway..lol

Link if anybody interested and let me know what you think. Personally i think they would work and are classed as a small packet...

http://www.boxbargain.co.uk/goods/goods ... &pCode=010

[JMugs]

Hmm I have just measured my mugs, and as I suspected, too big, are you using small mugs? Janners.

[socialgiraffe]

You can get boxes specifically made from this company

http://www.ascdirect.co.uk/box_builder. ... A#bbuilder

Not sure if the numbers/prices stack up but it a few of you are interested then get together and work something out, it may work.

For the record I'm out as its not my bag :biggrin:

[viccar]

From what i read, we are all very lucky to have the exception 16x16x16, i read that this was only put in at the last minute after consultations.

14. Following the responses to our consultation we have modified our format changes and will introduce the following exception:
The following items will also be priced as Small Parcels:
Items that are greater in size than our Large Letter formatbut do not exceed 160mmin length and 160mmin width and 160mmin depth (in any of the three dimensions) and do not exceed 2kg in weight.
15. For clarification roll or cylinder shaped items that do not exceed 450mmin length and 80mm

http://www.royalmailgroup.com/sites/default/files/Decision%20Document%20Final.pdf


So a big thank you to all those that complained on the consultation.

[JMugs]

First I was wrong, I can get two mugs in 15x15, but better news is the 16x16, more room for packaging.

Janners

[meldean]

Yeah there is more room in 16x 16x but you would need to pack them out alot.
The 15x 15 will fit nicely and you will need to use less packaging. As long as the mugs are nice and tight then should not be a problem. Place each mug in bubble wrap that comes free with BMS. Extra card between mugs and outside walls and mugs should be pretty tight.
Actually thinking about it everything you need to package 2 mugs in said 15x15 box would not cost anything because of the amount of cardboard i normally throw away anyway.

[gavtheoldskater]

i'm going to be really hit by this, my regular item is going from just over a fiver to well over 8quid and my next item just over 8quid to about 13. thats 3 times more expensive than when i started trading in 2011. so with chinese cheap imitations of my core product over here now, and the reality of a tenner postage to the consumer and me taking a profit hit on the higher weight rate. iso thanks royal mail for such a great help for small businesses in these hard times.

the other key issue is that i like to support my local village post office. but after april courier rates are better value for me especially as i just order from the office and they collect, the village is a 4 mile round trip. i'm afraid i will not be able to use the local po any longer.

[purpledragon]

of course there is always the upside to this (not much of one admitadly) but what it will do is get rid of the cheap and nasty brigade lets face it theres plenty out there doing mugs for £3.50 and free postage some how i cant see them lasting to long now or one can only hope anyway its not much of a consolation but it is some . Also this is going to be interesting how ebay deal with this they already try and force you to give free postage well that aint gonna happen so will a lot of small businesses now disappear from ebay due to unrealistic postage prices will ebay be bothered about this personally i think not but if enough go it will hit their profits. will ebay be left to all the big businiesses out there? again some would say thats what ebay wants . I think its going to be an interesting year