RM Alternative for Parcels
Hi Everyone,
We have been using Royal Mail since 2016 and have not used any other courier so far.
Since the prices have been going up at a pretty consistent pace and service has been ok’ish, I wanted to explore what else is available in the market. Price is an important factor for us as products are relatively low margins.
For large letters, I am assuming we’ll have to stick with Royal Mail as they may be the cheapest.
For Small parcels, our product weights are between 150 - 400 grams. We normally use Royal Mail 48 which cost us £2.80 plus VAT and an 8% Fuel surcharge.
Is there a courier that offers small parcels at a cheaper rate than the above? I would appreciate some input as it may save hours of online research.
Thanks
8 replies
Seller_7VbclcPFFRTnc
Many are cheaper including yodel and evri
Lots of sellers use parcel2go which will give other options too
You need to check where your nearest drop off points are though if you usually get a RM collection
Seller_esvgLzKXw2YAl
You may find a courier with better prices, but a lot depends very much on how much you are sending, as to the best price you will get.
If you aren’t sending enough to get an improved price, then your options are going to be the likes of Evri etc.
Seller_ILTNDCj7DXuua
Very similar position here, we have just started sending a couple of orders through Yodel (well Parcel2Go) which works out at £2.88 with £20 compensation. Initial view (10 orders) all have been delivered and no customer complaints. What I would like to see is a GPS map or delivery picture in P2G
We’re lucky as our local corner shop is a drop-off so we might save £105 on the monthly collection as well
Seller_vxeanJigTlOr3
Most of our parcels are Large letters but more recently we have started sending some small parcels out (on Average 10 parcels a day).
I wanted to look at alternates as in the coming months, we are expected to make a shift from large letters to small parcels due to a change of packaging type for our products.
Seller_ZjZ4slOF0jHpk
As many have said, Yodel or Evri through Parcel2Go.
- With P2G you get a real human to deal with any issues.
- It integrates with Amazon and others (Smart Send)
- They’re offering reduced rates atm on Evri
- Evri now do a LL size (they call it ‘postable’). Still more expensive than RM though.
But -
- Check Yodel’s prohibited list, it’s like war and peace. I found them slower than Evri when used.
- I lost more in 6 weeks than I have in 6 yrs when using Evri. Fair enough, it was busy (RM strikes, Xmas, etc)., but if they did turn up, they were often weeks late. And managed to lose a metre sized parcel containing a glass frame. And their Next Day+ service really means 2-3 days. Oh and I’ve had negative reviews for using them and the way they treated parcels - throwing them in gardens. And I forgot another - surcharges for N. Ireland, H&Islands, etc.
Everyone will have a different opinion on the alternatives. Just wish it wasn’t such a lottery.
I’ve since gone back to RM and have (so far, fingers crossed) not had any of the delays others have seen lately.
Seller_zKEt2RiaID5EU
Worth looking at Inxpress too, it would be price dependent on volume.
Seller_lljyzgTxr5fgI
You have another consideration…to consider. RM is the only service which will deliver to all UK addresses for a flat rate. Everybody else cherry picks.
