'Large Letter' JUST over 2.5mm

[Skinnycow]

Hi,

I have a small jiffy bag (A5/DVD size) parcel that's under 100g and could possibly be classed as a Large Letter by Royal Mail however it is JUST over 2.5 cm by only a couple of millimeters.

Does anyone know if I'd be able to get away with sending it as a Large Letter as it would cost me quite a bit more if I sent it as a Small Parcel (2nd Class) £2.80 as opposed to 74p.

Does anyone know how strict Royal Mail are in terms of this?

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks

 

[paulears]

In the post office they pass it through a slot - and you can imagine somebody else doing it, not facing a customer and sticking the penalty ticket on - depends how much you like upsetting customers.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

As Paulears alluded to, if you can pass it through the slot at your local Post Office, you should be fine.

PS: Within reason, of course. If you're using all your strength to force it through the slot, it probably won't be accepted. It needs to go through with little resistance.

 

[Skinnycow]

The item is 2.4 cm thick WITHOUT the packaging but obviously if I place it in a jiffy bag then it will just be over 2.5cm (Royal Mail max thickness for Large Letters).

 

[IanG]

It needs to drop through 25mm with little resistance, my local will pull it through if I insist on it but mine are never normally borderline now because I either make the decision to pack poorly to pay LL or know I'm paying SP so protect it properly.

You may have more success with a cardboard sleeve, you certainly have more control over the thickness than with air.

 

[wayzgoose]

If it's 2.4cms without the Jiffy there is no way it is "just" over. It won't go large letter.

 

[boring-friday]

if you stamp it yourself and put it in the post box it will be fine 95% of the time or if you get business mail then you decide whats a large letter yourself

 

[IanG]

Can I advise against the above - those times which its not fine, the customer will get the bill.

 

[boring-friday]

Can I advise against the above - those times which its not fine, the customer will get the bill.

less than 5% of the time

 

[IanG]

Yeah indeed or might never happen but you'll have an angry customer when it does.

 

[bharris]

Does it have to go in a jiffy bag? How about thin cardboard envelopes (don't know what the correct name is).

 

[alanc]

You can buy yourself one of the plastic size guides that the Post Office use and be certain.
Lil Packaging do the cardboard envelopes mentioned. They are a lot more expensive that jiffy bags so the postage saving would have to make up the difference.

 

[wayzgoose]

The OP says it is 24mm without packaging. The only thing that it may go in is one of those grey polythene envelopes.

 

[Pish_Pash]

When we are faced with this problem, if it's borderline & the product is light, we use a plastic mailing bag (vs. a jiffy bag). of course if your item is thicker than 25mm in the first place that won't work. The other thing we do is list the item as 'new re-packaged' & explain in the advert that "we've removed some of the outer packaging to fit through a 25mm slot thereby keeping the cost to you lower (& also the convenience of it fitting through your letterbox & not having to collect from your local delivery office").

Also brute force helps....i.e. you hand it over to the Post Office clerk & show them that it goes through the 25mm slot (try not to show muscle shake & go purple as you push it through the 25mm slot)....once it has been accepted by them & it goes into their sack behind the counter, you're home & dry

if you're *really* desperate to save £2 (large letter vs. small packet difference in cost)....try bursting the bubbles inside the jiffy bag ...the customer will barely notice & it might then go through the 25mm slot with a good shove!!

 

[owas]

We usually stamp up our own parcels, but funny enough today I took a parcel to the main post office in town to see if they would ship it as large letter, it was just over by our measurements. As it went though the size guide okay she sent it as a large letter, so we will send this product this way from now on. I would suggest get the plastic parcel guide £3 of ebay and if it fits though then you'll be fine.

 

[Aileen B]

I must be lucky as at my local post office they squeeze out air and give parcels a good tug to get through the slot. Helps that I'm on friendly terms I guess!

I'd like to know if its true that once it's accepted and stamped at a post office, it wont later be stopped for being oversize? As I've worried about it but never had a complaint.

 

[IanG]

try bursting the bubbles inside the jiffy bag

I like your style but I hope your labour bill for the above is less than the two quid in question!

 

[IanG]

I'd like to know if its true that once it's accepted and stamped at a post office, it wont later be stopped for being oversize? As I've worried about it but never had a complaint.

It can be stopped later on, customer gets the upgrade bill and PO get told off. That's first hand from the staff at mine.

 

[FuturePro]

Getting the right outer packaging will be important. Rajapack sell a range of jiffy bag products some are thicker than others. Their own brand jiffy bag uses 80gsm (as opposed to 70 or even 120gsm) and is an excellent product..

 

[bharris]

According to a Royal Mail price increase letter we had a couple of weeks ago if you use plastic envelopes the max size for a large letter is going up to 30mm. I think its just for volume business posters only but it might be worth looking into. Sorry i have binned the letter so i cant give the exact details.

 

[Pish_Pash]

According to a Royal Mail price increase letter we had a couple of weeks ago if you use plastic envelopes the max size for a large letter is going up to 30mm. I think its just for volume business posters only but it might be worth looking into. Sorry i have binned the letter so i cant give the exact details.

You piqued my interest, so I tasked my mate - Gregory Google - who found this...

https://www.royalmailwholesale.com/mint-project/uploads/437007916.pdf

but what pray tell is "20mm poly overhang"

 

[Karimbo]

It needs to drop through 25mm with little resistance, my local will pull it through if I insist on it but mine are never normally borderline now because I either make the decision to pack poorly to pay LL or know I'm paying SP so protect it properly.

You may have more success with a cardboard sleeve, you certainly have more control over the thickness than with air.

I have a very small local PO and they are complete arses. I had a package once that went through the LL slot but there was slight resitence. It would go thrugh by force of gravity but they insisted it was a "struggle" to go through so charged me larger package.

It's run by a husband and wife duo so they are very picky and seem to not want custom for certain stuff. They are very gossipy and love to chat with all their customers. It's a surreal environment for London because most people just keep communicate down to bare essentials. But in that PO everyone is chatty.

I think the PO had something against me personally, I'm not a chatty person I don't want to get into conversations with strangers about banal things like the weather, the latest headline on the banner outside or what was on telly the previous night. Whenever I go there they always make things difficult for me. I took 20 recorded delivery packets about 4 years ago and they insisted I take a recorded delivery book with me to make things quicker for them. I said it's a one off I wont be using recorded again. Tehy said they will refuse to serve me if I turn up with 20 recorded delivery packets like that.

Oh well. it's London and theres 3 other PO in 1 mile radius so I never went there again.

 

[Pish_Pash]

re 25mm slot .....thankfully the PO changed the rules on 'gravity' vs. 'being pushed' a couple of years ago....just as well, because for quite a few of my items I have to inconspicuously go purple while pushing them through the 25mm slot! (& if it doesn't fit through, the leap in price is huge ....it's 3.5x the cost for a small parcel vs large letter for items under 100g)

 

[bharris]

You piqued my interest, so I tasked my mate - Gregory Google - who found this...

https://www.royalmailwholesale.com/mint-project/uploads/437007916.pdf

but what pray tell is "20mm poly overhang"

Yep that's the letter. Not quite as i remembered.... No idea what it actually means.

 

[IanG]

Do also bear in mind they get in to trouble for under-selling, hence why they may not want to.

 

[sockman]

If it's not going to be every parcel then I'd just stamp it and wack it in the post box.

If it goes in the post box I believe they do spot checks, and I assume must have some sort of tolerance over the limit. I've put boxes in the post box before (about 10 at once) which were all 7-9g over the limit and didn't have any messages from angry customers.