Does Royal Mail Large Letter 2nd Class count as valid tracking?

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Seller_bH5My4pQDILrT

Does Royal Mail Large Letter 2nd Class count as valid tracking?

I've been buying Large Letter 1st Class postage through Amazon's 'Buy Shipping' button and I wondered whether Large Letter 2nd Class postage would still count for valid tracking? I've been reading conflicting things online, so just want to make sure as currently my VTR is not looking great - on my first ever order I read some bad advice online and hand-delivered it as the customer was just around the corner from me...

As a separate question, for some reason under VTR it is saying the below, even though I've shipped more than 1 of the same item:

Number of non-exempted shipments: 1

Shipments with valid tracking: 0

Any ideas why this is?

Thank you

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30 replies
Tags:Fulfilment, Seller fulfilled, Shipping, Shipping costs, Shipping labels
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30 replies
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Seller_hOZNPw7G8FIjl

RM LL 1st and 2nd Class are acceptable. I use 2nd Class LL all the time and my VTR shows N/A because they are not valid tracking methods.

The VTR is a measure of the last 30 days - so could one of your orders be outside that time period hence showing only 1 order?

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Seller_bH5My4pQDILrT

Oh yes, you're right, it says 14 Oct 2024 - 12 Nov 2024 and all the other orders have come after the 12th. Thanks.

So you don't even have to have valid tracking then?

I think I'm confused why I was penalised for that first order though.

I hand-delivered it and just marked it as 'Shipping service Royal Mail 2nd Class', which surely isn't a form of tracking?

Good to know 2nd Class LL is fine as well as 1st - do you buy your shipping through Amazon, or do you use stamps?

Thanks so much for the help.

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Seller_hOZNPw7G8FIjl

No you don't need to have valid tracking on orders, as long as you buy shipping through Amazon. That's why I buy all through Amazon and to ensure my VTR is not affected.

I have noticed that the QR code is scanned in over 95% of times so I can check and see on the RM website when my 2nd Class LLs have been delivered.

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Seller_bH5My4pQDILrT

That's great, thanks for all the info - didn't even realise you could check a QR code was scanned on the RM website!

One last thing, I just read on the forums that if you send with stamps and mark it as 'Stamps/Franking’ instead of 'RM 2nd Class' it would be ok? Don't suppose you've heard about that at all?

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Seller_ZVAz3d5lZuGid

The use of 'stamps/franking' is no longer valid - I think because it was being abused. if you use Buy Shipping then all your shipments will be valid for VTR.

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Seller_bH5My4pQDILrT

Great, thanks for confirming that for me!

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Seller_RlZVPg3d6ZUGP

If you hand deliver you mark 'self delivery' the issue is you marked it 2nd class and didnt have a tracking number

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Seller_bH5My4pQDILrT

Oh, is that an option? I didn't see it, but possibly missed it as it was my first order a while ago.

From what I've read I thought it was penalised self-delivering things, but perhaps I misunderstoof?

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Seller_iZL0ysZFrLJmN

I use 2nd (and 1st) class LL all the time and have never had my VTR affected by the postie not scanning. I buy each order directly via Amazon buy shipping, rather than anything integrated RM, which may be an issue that others face?

Just in case you don't know, the series of letters and numbers above the QR code, is a tracking number. I always record this in case of any "where's my stuff" so I can check if the postie has scanned it on delivery. I do get about 80% scanned by the postie and because Amazon doesn't provide the customer with the tracking code, they don't send out the "your item is running late" emails which often happen when it's been delivered, but not scanned.

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Seller_nex6aLZ9HPynF

How do you find 2nd class these days.

I switched to 1st class a few years back but with a £1 difference these days am thinking switching back to 2nd once Xmas has passed?

That way I can charge £1 less and be more competitive.

My thoughts would be run 1st class at Xmas and when the weather could cause delays.

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Seller_tHDZMh56pq7gX

Most of my second class get delivered in 2-3 days, I do however get the occasional one that takes 5-7 days. Luckily, I have not had a customer claim a refund for a late delivery (so far....)

I do send higher value items using a tracked service for piece of mind and to offset the INR risk a little bit.

I have saved more using 2nd class over 1st class/tracked than any fraudulent / late / INR claims have cost me. For context, I have been trading just over a year and shipped around 1,200 items on Amazon.

I am using EVRI standard now when it's convenient for me (3 mile drive vs. 5 minute walk to PO), it's cheaper for small parcels and it is of course tracked, so hopefully INR will drop on these deliveries.

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Angie_Amazon

Hello @Seller_hOZNPw7G8FIjl,

Thank you for participating on this thread and help a colleague out with your knowledge! 🤝

Regards,

Angie 🦋

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Seller_mrfbUdT8q1SEO

Yes, it counts. The postman/woamn that actully elivers the large letter is sipposed to scan it to confirm delivery. The trouble is, they do not do this most of the time and so the VTR is negatively effected. We have had this same issue for years now and we have tried to explain to Amazon that - surprisingly enoug - we DO NOT OWN AND CONTROL the Royal Mail and so we can do nothing about this issue - just like you and many others.

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Seller_tHDZMh56pq7gX

I used to send almost everything RM 2nd (Parcels and LL). Be prepared for Amazon to invite customers to claim for lost / undelivered packages when using this service.

9 times out of 10, when you get these messages and you check the RM website, they have been scanned as delivered. When you point this out to the customer, most of them do not contact you again.

The problem arises when they haven't been scanned, as you have no proof of delivery and can only really refund them.

I have recently switched to Evri 2 day when convenient (for me), which is a tracked service, I use this for small parcels. It's cheaper than RM and I am finding that I get less INR claims from customers.

When sending LL size, RM is cheaper, but you run the risk of not getting the items scanned on delivery and Amazon encouraging customers to put in a claim.

It's a balance between risk really, I used to use RM 100% as it was convenient for me (walking distance), but with the number of INRs received, I am trialling the Evri tracked service to see if this improves (even though my nearest drop off is 3 miles away).

Good luck (PS never had an issue with my VTR when buying 2nd class through Amazons buy shipping option).

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Angie_Amazon

Hello @Seller_bH5My4pQDILrT,

I'm Angie, part of the UK forum community. It's a pleasure to greet you.

Buy Shipping is a good service to buy your labels individually or in bulk that has great benefits such as:

1. Smart Shipping Suggestions

Automatically suggests shipping services based on:

  • Customer delivery promise
  • Your carrier preference
  • Lowest available cost

2. Performance Metric Protection

Negative Feedback:

  • Can be reviewed if related to shipping delays when using Buy Shipping
  • If approved, feedback impact is removed from Order Defect Rate

A-to-z Guarantee Claims:

  • Protection against claims for delivery issues
  • Claims won't affect Order Defect Rate
  • Seller still responsible for financial loss

Seller Fulfilled Prime Preparation:

  • 98% of Seller Fulfilled Prime products must use Buy Shipping
  • Using Buy Shipping for all orders helps transition to Seller Fulfilled Prime faster

So I would recommend you to take advantage of the service offered. For more information and details you can visit the following help pages:

Use Buy Shipping services

Buy shipping via Seller Central

Now, the information reflected under the metrics of ODR is from 15 Sep 2024 - 13 Nov 2024. This information will be updated based on the time window of 60 days. You can review this information by clicking on Order Defect Rate from the Account Health page.

You can review more details about this on the following help pages:

Valid Tracking Rate (VTR)

Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) FAQ

Order defect rate

Regards,

Angie 🦋

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Seller_hOZNPw7G8FIjl

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Seller_nex6aLZ9HPynF
How do you find 2nd class these days.
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By checking the QR code on the RM website I find 2nd class is delivered 2 days after posting, except Fridays which are delivered Mondays. I have set the delivery to 3-5 days in my shipping template yet post the same day up to 2pm and I don't charge for delivery

I expect delivery to stretch a bit in the run up to Christmas but as I have set delivery to 3-5 days on my shipping template I should be OK. The last week or so before Christmas I will send stuff 1st class (at my own expense)

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