delivery - completed lost

[imadam]

just loooking for some more advice on this as i feel a bit lost since last looking into this and it's petty much the last major thing standing in my way to get going.

i've sent a message to p2g so will wait see what they say but basically i'm looking to sell mainly cleaning products online. i have sorted most things out but i still feel a little lost as to what we'd do about the courier. would i simply email them say this is what we want to sell and send how much after each order? i know companies same day send items before a certain time, would we be able to get something like this?

whilst we're still small is there any companies that have it where we take it to a local courier depot like with royal mail to save a bit on postage costs?

how do you decide who to go with? i assume prices are going to be similar whilst we're still small but is there something we should be looking for e.g. always insured, proven fast to get delivered, track record for taking care of our items?

i appreciate whilst we're still small we may not make much money until we get large enough orders to reduce our postage costs but i'd like to be as competitive as possible from the get go and see what figures we should be expecting in the future if we hit x amount of sales etc.

finally any suggestions for packaging? i assume the best is to buy online and we're looking for something light, but also has decent size for larger items, and also sturdy, and to use bubble wrap or polystyrene things, or perhaps shredded paper (possibly HnS issue and weight issue?)

 

[MDG]

It's tricky to get decent rates direct from couriers until you've got the volumes. When you're starting off you'll probably find companies like Parcel2Go and DispatchBay will offer cheaper rates than going direct. Once you get your volumes up you can generally get an account direct with a courier and negotiate a flat rate for parcels. We use parcelforce and pay a flat rate for any parcel up to the maximum rate parcelforce will accept.

We did used to use Parcel2Go before we switched to parcelforce. The rates are ok and Parcel2go are reselling services from the likes of Parcelforce so the actually delivery service is the same. When you book a collection with P2G it's generally for the following working day so it's difficult to offer your customers the "orders placed before 12pm ship the same day" type service. I also think customer service from P2G isn't great when things go wrong, there's no real telephone support as it's all web chat based, we had a couple of lost parcels and they didn't really seem interested in helping.

 

[roydmoorian]

We could set you up with a competetive account with one of the better major overnight carriers for your more important, perishable and larger items - For the smaller less important stuff Royal Mail / Parcelforce takes some beating

You would be able to book a sameday collection online for delivery the next working day.

 

[APC Nexday Overnite Ltd]

I'm biased because I run the Bolton and Wigan depot of APC Overnight but why not call your local depot! www.apc-overnight.com I think we're the best at what we do. Often I'll have companies want an account and maybe theyre not sending a lot as they've just started out but they would like a late collection time but it's not a problem if there's a company next door/on the same estate who sends out a lot.

I'm happy because I've made that driver's route just that little bit more worthwhile and the customer is over the moon as they're getting special treatment....WIN-WIN

It's worth enquiring...

State:
Do you want online booking or consignment pads/notes with the latter you'll have to call the depot for collection?
What collection time do you require?
How much are you currently sending on average?
Do you have invoices/manifests to back it up?
What are the weights/dimensions of your consignments?
Could you utilise a CourierPack (<5kg and A3) or MailPack (<1kg and A4)?
Do you require additional insurance?
Would you be willing to drop into your local depot ?( I gave this option to a customer and got "CAN I?!!!" back) they were able to drop in to us last minute, we didn't have to collect and they got slightly cheaper rates for doing so.

 

[catsandcanines]

I use APC Overnight and (touch wood) they have been the best courier I've used in over 12 years.

It does cost me £6.50 for next day delivery but they are pretty heavy and large size parcels that I send. The lightweight and smaller stuff, I use Royal Mail.

Give your local APC depot a ring and see what they can do for you.

I try to reuse our packaging, so when we get a delivery of goods I will use the boxes and the large plastic bags they come in. I still buy the bubble wrap and packaging tape though.

All the best with your new business venture

 

[KidsBeeHappy]

Check the prohibited list. P2G's is quite extensive includes most chemicals. If you direct with a carrier (APC, DPD, Parcelforce etc) then you can usually negotiate terms to your contract outside of the standard terms.

For example, i used to send Antiques, China and Glass with parcelforce, and as they'd inspected our packaging etc per our contract these were all covered under insurance where normally they'd be excluded.

 

[APC Nexday Overnite Ltd]

Catsandcanines thanks for that!!!!!! I know it's with regard the depot you use (not Bolton/Wigan by any chance?) but we consider it a team effort, it's quite a good team ethic we have between all the depots.

 

[catsandcanines]

Its a depot in Kent.