Cost to produce and post a printed mug

[webtrekker]

DO NOT USE MYHERMES!! This isn't just a minor gripe but based on lots of experience both personally and from a business point of view. We finally pulled the plug from using them after the last THREE packages went AWOL. Even with tracking we were told they were lost and couldn't be found. They will not refund for personalised items we were told and would only refund if you have the original purchase receipt of the goods - which of course doesn't cover printed items. Although to be fair this includes most couriers anyway. We have had packages delivered damaged more times than I remember whereas a slightly more expensive courier (usually only +£1 more sometimes) such as Interlink Express or DPD have been perfect EVERY time. I'm sure we could start a whole new thread on couriers hey!

Exactly!

You have to remember, Hermes couriers only receive around 45p for the delivery. (I know ... I was one). Out of that 45p they pay for the use of their own vehicle (usually a car, crammed to bursting point), their own fuel, expensive courier insurance, repairs, etc. They have NO holidays unless they can find a suitable cover courier and they are almost impossible to find, get no sick pay (in fact, they usually have their work withdrawn if they are off sick or have to attend a family funeral), and, to top it all ........................ THEY HAVE TO MAKE THREE ATTEMPTS TO DELIVER YOUR PARCEL, ALL OUT OF THE 45p!!!!!

So, if your shipment ends up on the doorstep, in a customer's wheelie bin, stuck under a car in the drive, or pushed under a hedge, now you know why.

[Jimbo]

DO NOT USE MYHERMES!! This isn't just a minor gripe but based on lots of experience both personally and from a business point of view. We finally pulled the plug from using them after the last THREE packages went AWOL. Even with tracking we were told they were lost and couldn't be found. They will not refund for personalised items we were told and would only refund if you have the original purchase receipt of the goods - which of course doesn't cover printed items. Although to be fair this includes most couriers anyway. We have had packages delivered damaged more times than I remember whereas a slightly more expensive courier (usually only +£1 more sometimes) such as Interlink Express or DPD have been perfect EVERY time. I'm sure we could start a whole new thread on couriers hey!

The problem with DPD etc. is the cost, Now that I'm partially retired and working part time from home I don't send much out and the costs start from over £13

[Lucifax]

Thanks Lucifax, this is a big help .

Do you find many of the parcels going through Hermes being broken though? As one of the posters has mentioned above? I have invested in smashproof mug boxes, and ontop of that I still use some bubblewrap.

How much is it for Hermes tracked postage? And do your customers not object, when other people's postage is cheaper? (£2.85 2nd class royal mail, or £3.35 1st class R.M. for mugs) Or is the extra postage cost included in the price of your products?

Thanks for the advice also about international postage .

Never had a breakage with them but the majority of what we send out isn't breakable other than the mugs which go in the smash proof boxes plus a bit of bubble wrap, then wrapped with a green poly postal bag. Their lowest price for small parcel (inc mugs) is £2.75 that includes tracking. Signature is £1 extra but really don't see the point to be honest if they're tracking it anyway.

Don't get me wrong, they do lose things on occasion, but so does everyone else we've used. They just charge less for the privelige of being wound up! And we've never had them quibble over a refund as others seem to have done. We've never been asked for reciepts or item details etc, they just pass it on to their claim dept who email a claim form, we give them the etsy / ebay or our website item ID along with a screenshot attatchment of the sale and a week or two later we get the refund. I suspect having the item ID makes a big difference ....... although not with the post office who will still play the "not enough evidence" card.

We all have our own preferences and needs I guess. You'll find your own too eventually I'm sure.

[UK Printed Mugs]

Hi Jimbo. Take a look at www.parcel2go.com. We send a lot of our deliveries via DPD off here and you should be able to send a box of mugs (36) for around £6.

[Jimbo]

Hi Jimbo. Take a look at www.parcel2go.com. We send a lot of our deliveries via DPD off here and you should be able to send a box of mugs (36) for around £6.

Thanks for that. UPS look the cheapest

[UK Printed Mugs]

Depends on which shop is closest to you as most of the prices are for drop offs such as to a pharmacy or off license. UPS is ok but with DPD the customer is given a 1 hour time slot in the morning of delivery (via text and email) and can change it. UPS is just anytime and doesn't give a specific time. The feedback from customers/clients is take they prefer DPD/Interlink so they know when delivery is going to happen. Just a thought.

[Jimbo]

Depends on which shop is closest to you as most of the prices are for drop offs such as to a pharmacy or off license. UPS is ok but with DPD the customer is given a 1 hour time slot in the morning of delivery (via text and email) and can change it. UPS is just anytime and doesn't give a specific time. The feedback from customers/clients is take they prefer DPD/Interlink so they know when delivery is going to happen. Just a thought.

Couldn't agree more about DPD Never had a delivery that wasn't within the 1 hour time slot.
Unlike Parcel Force, when you don't know which millennium they going to deliver.

[ArferMo]

Who's this Parcel Force do you mean the overcharging Parcel Farce where you pay for next day but it arrives on the 4th working day but strangely to get compensation for late delivery it would have to arrive on the 5th or later working day.

[Lucifax]

Hi Jimbo. Take a look at www.parcel2go.com. We send a lot of our deliveries via DPD off here and you should be able to send a box of mugs (36) for around £6.

There's nothing there though that comes close to Hermes for Tracked, Insured 2kg small parcel @ £2.75. Most others are £6+. Significant, especially when you are sending out a good number of small parcels per day.

.... I just did some quick sums, around 200 small parcels a week via Hermes and RM, gives a saving in the region of 40k per year over other couriers. That even surprised me. I don't mind sorting out a handful of strays each month for that.

[kbho]

Personally I think its worth paying the extra for either shipping with DPD, or DHL as both provide decent tracking features - and for me, have both proved very reliable compared to other courier services such as UKMail - however, Hemes does also offer collection which would be a good thing for some customers of your sites.