Can I mark Prime orders as dispatched at night and have them collected the next day
Hello
I am considering making my whole catalogue of personalised prints available as Prime. I have staff working for me currently and myself and one other employee quite often work at night and on a weekend. So we know where we are with the orders technically working as a group at different addresses we always mark the orders as dispatched straight away regardless of the time or day. This is done so that no other staff member logs onto seller central and does the same work that has already been done. Basically by marking as dispatched it leaves only work to do left in the orders so it effectively twins as a work schedule. Currently this does not have any negative effect because I take it all to a post office in a spar shop that evening that is open till 11pm every single day including the weekends. All the orders marked as dispatched do indeed get labelled and receipted and fully processed by Royal Mail that day as stated and they are always orders that did not have to be sent until the next day as per Amazon requirements so quite a good system all round and customers are getting their orders much quicker than the estimated arrival dates. If I went prime on all orders and used Royal Mail 24 Tracked I understand I would have a cut off and collection in the late afternoon/evening. What would happen if I then marked more as dispatched after the collection say at 6pm onwards. Would marking the order as dispatched still allow it to be collected the next day without any problem and would this breach Amazon rules in any way. I read somewhere I would have 24 hours from marking it as sent to it being collected but was not sure if this is true. It is quite an important consideration becuase there are more than one of us accessing the orders and also because it is personalised being able to mark as dispatched and fully complete the order in the evenings after a collection or on a Sunday for example would make the collection for the next day much easier and doable. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated please.
Thanks Paul
30 replies
Seller_ILTNDCj7DXuua
I don’t think what you want to do will work as with SFP using a tracked service, Amazon would expect to see an arrival scan on the same day as you said it was dispatched. If they don’t then I think this would affect your on-time shipment.
To go onto SFP you have to buy your shipping through Amazon which would mean you’d need T24 added to your Royal Mail account (you can’t just do it via C&D online). One last thing, I don’t think you can drop Tracked off at the Post Office, it has to be a Royal Mail Service Centre. If you get tracked added to your account and commit to sending a certain volume they’ll give you free Mon-Fri collections, you’ll need to pay for a Sat/Sun one though to meet Amazon’s SFP requirements
NOTE: I no longer do SFP now so hopefully one of the other SFP sellers can comment as well and confirm my thinking
Seller_taDBgt7LctucW
I’m not sure how it works with SFP, nor indeed how it works with a linked RM account, but with standard buy shipping (no linked account) you can state the actual dispatch date from a drop down list when buying the label. The order then goes into your list of shipped orders.
I don’t know what happens on the customer side of things. Do they get a dispatch confirmation immediately or is it sent on the actual dispatch date? Who knows.
Seller_AeSYBToQ271lM
I don’t do SFP but when I looked into it, there is a cut off (I think when I looked it was 2pm) so basically any orders received between Day 1 2pm - Day 2 2pm had to be sent on Day 2. I think it would work as technically when the customer orders they will be given a date of when to expect delivery, which would normally be order before 2pm and get the next day, if they order after 2pm then the delivery shown would be a day later. So if you are just talking about orders placed after 2pm, then I believe marking them as dispatched that evening for collection the next day would be fine.
If you use Amazon buy shipping for “normal orders” then you can even forward date the postage label when you print/purchase it, someone who does SFP would need to confirm the same. This then marks the item has dispatched when you purchase the label - it may even not notify the customer of dispatch until the forwarded date on the label (again not sure). Using this method would mean you are posting when you say you will.
Seller_9q2g5FJGs1LMf
Hi [Paulspersonalcrafts]
i have just marked my item to be dispatched tomorrow as my cut off time has already been and gone.
At the bottom left of the page, when bought through Buy Shipping there is 2 boxes where it says shipped from and Dispatch date which can be changed to the next day. so to be fair any orders after my cut off period i can pack and forward the dispatch day.
Hope that helps
Az
Seller_lhG3Y690i4Qj9
We do a lot of SFP and can confirm it is not possible to create the shipping label without marking the order as dispatched.
Basically, if you create the shipping label at 9pm on a Sunday night the Amazon system expects the first scan before Midnight on the same day (before midnight on the Sunday night.)
The best solution is to simply package the products and create the shipment at 00:01 on the Monday or alternatively during normal working hours on the Monday morning.
Seller_u1s06L1qTt1iH
Dispatch date : Sun 25 Sep
I can confirm we have been doing this for two years with no issue. Where you see dispatch there is a drop down box and you can change that to Monday so the custom still sees the confirmed delivery date they have on there order
We use Royal Mail Tracked 24 and DPD however there are very few orders that allow prime next day with Royal Mail Tracked 24
Seller_bhSWqoVh7Pn98
Hi Paul,
Firstly, PLEASE use paragraphs when writing, it makes it so much easier to read. I nearly gave up and did not bother reading the next ones you wrote (I hope your Cards are better!).
We sell using SFP (for some orders).
You must link Amz to your RM Account. Then use Buy Shipping on all SFP orders. Virtually no exceptions. You pay RM, not Amz, and can negotiate the rates with RM.
Only RM Tracked 24 can be used for SFP, not any other RM service, so not CRL RM24 for example (you can add Signed for if required to RM Tracked 24). You can also use DPD (Amz set up tpo their DPD Account), and Amz own shipping if you qualify. You may be able to use Large Letter RM Tracked 24 if set up ok at RM as well.
You have to also qualify and be invited to send SFP (so if offered say yes even if not used).
Amazon set up a deadline time on weekdays, it is 4pm (you can make later) - after that time you can send the day after. Up to 4pm though it must be with RM that day to a Depot (not a Post Office). You could not take to them late at night, it has to be in their system, scanned. Most are delivered the next day.
Generally, RM collect at a time after 4pm from you and that is free.
We will now come to weekends. SFP rules state you either choose Saturday, or Sunday (or both) to send out.
Most RM Depot’s are saying only Saturday working at the moment, although ours says they are there on Sunday as well working and will open for regular customers (but if an issue our SFP would be taken away, so do not rely on Sunday, unless officially open). If open Saturday, show Saturday and not Sunday, but if you can take Sunday as well, that is a bonus. (Weekend deadline is 11am, but can make it later to send).
Otherwise, DPD will collect on a Saturday and/or Sunday. Which we use instead of RM on those days. Build into your prices. (RM Tracked 24 is not usually low cost anyway).
Therefore, all by the deadline time, MUST be in the RM system that day, and most delivered the next day. After 4pm, deduct, and send the day after is ok (if on a Friday after 4pm, that would mean in the system by Saturday, or Sunday, depending on your chosen SFP day/s).
The RM scan MUST happen the same day as sent, and they generally only scan at a Depot if processing that day, so ensure if going to a Depot to be there by their cut-off time, otherwise SFP will be taken away from you.
Amz could estimate as a 1-day or 2-day delivery, depending on how they feel even though it is a SFP order. It depends on average delivery time by your RM or DPD Depot.
You also have the option to show non-Prime Buyers as being a standard delivery (costs you less), with optional Prime fast delivery, and you can set a cost. You do not have to send RM Tracked 24 / DPD Parcel / DPD Next Day ExpressPak (although they can go that way still). You still must use Buy Shipping though, so that would use Evri Drop-off by 11.59pm the day ordered.
Clear as mud?
==
Hi Paul, Firstly, PLEASE use paragraphs when writing, it makes it so much easier to read. I nearly gave up and did not bother reading the next ones you wrote (I hope your Cards are better!). We sell using SFP (for some orders). You must link Amz to your RM Account. Then use Buy Shipping on all SFP orders. Virtually no exceptions. You pay RM, not Amz, and can negotiate the rates with RM. Only RM Tracked 24 can be used for SFP, not any other RM service, so not CRL RM24 for example (you can add Signed for if required to RM Tracked 24). You can also use DPD (Amz set up tpo their DPD Account), and Amz own shipping if you qualify. You may be able to use Large Letter RM Tracked 24 if set up ok at RM as well. You have to also qualify and be invited to send SFP (so if offered say yes even if not used). Amazon set up a deadline time on weekdays, it is 4pm (you can make later) - after that time you can send the day after. Up to 4pm though it must be with RM that day to a Depot (not a Post Office). You could not take to them late at night, it has to be in their system, scanned. Most are delivered the next day. Generally, RM collect at a time after 4pm from you and that is free. We will now come to weekends. SFP rules state you either choose Saturday, or Sunday (or both) to send out. Most RM Depot’s are saying only Saturday working at the moment, although ours says they are there on Sunday as well working and will open for regular customers (but if an issue our SFP would be taken away, so do not rely on Sunday, unless officially open). If open Saturday, show Saturday and not Sunday, but if you can take Sunday as well, that is a bonus. (Weekend deadline is 11am, but can make it later to send). Otherwise, DPD will collect on a Saturday and/or Sunday. Which we use instead of RM on those days. Build into your prices. (RM Tracked 24 is not usually low cost anyway). Therefore, all by the deadline time, MUST be in the RM system that day, and most delivered the next day. After 4pm, deduct, and send the day after is ok (if on a Friday after 4pm, that would mean in the system by Saturday, or Sunday, depending on your chosen SFP day/s). The RM scan MUST happen the same day as sent, and they generally only scan at a Depot if processing that day, so ensure if going to a Depot to be there by their cut-off time, otherwise SFP will be taken away from you. Amz could estimate as a 1-day or 2-day delivery, depending on how they feel even though it is a SFP order. It depends on average delivery time by your RM or DPD Depot. You also have the option to show non-Prime Buyers as being a standard delivery (costs you less), with optional Prime fast delivery, and you can set a cost. You do not have to send RM Tracked 24 / DPD Parcel / DPD Next Day ExpressPak (although they can go that way still). You still must use Buy Shipping though, so that would use Evri Drop-off by 11.59pm the day ordered. Clear as mud?
Seller_J2H5GprhaORbt
Simply yes tou can, so long as the order is collected by the couriers on the day that it is supposed to be .
When you buy shipping from Amazon, the order is automatically dispatched .
I work at weekends all through the night and whether SFP or standard orders , they are all marked as dispatched , once the courier label is printed and applied to the order.
Seller_24Bec1n3QCVmi
A couple of thoughts on this.
Firstly, as has already been said, you will have a cut off time which is currently 4pm (as standard) although I believe you can set it to later if you wish. Any orders sent by the cut off have to be ‘manifested’, and you give that paperwork to Royal Mail when you hand over the parcels. The general rule is that the manifested paperwork should be handed to Royal Mail on the day it is generated.
The issue I think you’ll have here is that a) you’ll need to buy your Prime postage via buy shipping on Amazon, and b) at any point during the evening, Amazon will automatically manifest any parcels that haven’t been manifested that day, so, you might get issues with Royal Mail accepting manifests that are generated a day earlier.
Secondly, with regards to Royal Mail collecting the post, you need to have spent £17,000+vat in the previous 12 months in order to get the free weekday collections otherwise it will cost you £825+vat for the year and Royal Mail will determine the collection time (although once they allocate a time, you can guarantee they turn up on time). You can pay for a Saturday collection which is £260+vat per year, and you can specify a time rather than RM specifying but it costs serious money to do so.
We started offering Prime a while back but have only moved a few products over to prime so far. We find it good but I wouldn’t say sales have particularly increased because of it.
Seller_tRuvBEHDedp4q
Basically you cannot do what you want.
Any order received before the cut off time has to be sent the same day.
You cannot take Tracked24 items to the Spar shop.
If you attempt to purchase a Prime label close to or just after to the cutoff Amazon may say it cannot meet the delivery deadline (if you purchase a Prime label then delivery has to be within 24 hours) or it may even give you a label for a different courier (not Royal Mail) where you then have to take those parcels yourself to their collection point.
So basically, it is not possible anyway. Amazon will not let you buy a Prime label at 6pm if it cannot find a courier who will deliver the next day. You will need to change the date of dispatch when buying the label and then keep those items back from the collection or else the manifests will not match.
