CadburysFingers

A quick question for all the people here in Australia. We have recently started a business where we need to send out a lot of items in the post, I was wondering what the best way to do this is. I have tried various ways so far, but all are time consuming, and involve going to the post office.

Here is what we want to do.

Use our own padded envelopes (we pay less than 30 cents per envelope for them, the post office charge 1.20 for the same size)
Put printed address labels on them, then put them in a post box, (without the need to visit the post office) with the correct postage on them. All our envelopes weigh the same, so we are aware of the postal cost for each item. Everytime I go to the post office, they have me filling out a sticker on each one, to say it doesnt contain anything dangerous (we want to avoid doing this also) Yet I will see other people in there sending parcels within Australia, and they dont get asked to fill out a sticker!

Also our filled envelopes are around 19mm thick and do fit through the measuring letter gauge in the post office. However some days they let them go through, as letter post, which is what we want as the cost is $1 per item, and others they say that wont fit, it will have to be treated as a parcel (almost 4 times more in postage). The whole procedure is getting to be a pain to be honest, and I wondered if there was anyone else out there who has encountered these time consuming problems, and if so.....how?
All we want to do, is shove the correctly addressed and stamped packages in a letterbox every day, and cut out the daily visit to the post office.

Cheers if you are able to provide a solution.

Ozzy dog

Do the post office here not have a business section you could talk to???

DrWho

Check out Auspost's website... There's loads of stuff on there about their business solutions and I'm sure you'll find something to work out nicely for you...

CadburysFingers

Yes we have done all of that, I know the Auspost website almost word for word. This is one of those situations where it is better to get the actual experience of people, becuase as with many things in life this is probably going to be the best way to find out.
For example I recently flew to Asia, the travel agent told me it was a two flight scenario, because direct flights didnt go to where I wanted to go, a fantastic member on here, told me I needed ONE flight then a one hour bus ride to my destination.......this is what I duly did, and everything worked out perfectly. Consequently the Auspost website is telling me the general info it tells anyone........it wont be listing any loopholes and shortcuts......whereas other members may know them, and taht may provide a far better solution than the Auspost website.

DrWho

Well, best of luck...

Sam

If your sending yr parcels overseas then you have to have the form attached as its the customs declaration!
You have to provide ID for the same reasons (customs) so you have to go into post office

A right pain in the arse i know, i send small jiffy bags back to UK regularly and get a bit peed off having to queue in the post office every time.

May be as a business there is another way?????? export route or something??

Pollyana

Having had battles with Aus Post over mailing things ever since the day I arrived, I think you'll be lucky....but you never know!

Their latest amazing statement was that it was illegal to put the 50c stamps (like you buy in newsagents) on letters going to the UK, and every letter bearing them would be destroyed. According to the Chermside office, all letter MUST carry an official "international" stamp and be posted through an Aus Post office.........funny, I seem to have been using the 50c stamps for 4 years now and not had a problem yet, AND been putting them in the ordinary post box......

...then of course there is the moody woman at Toombul who STILL says a UK passport isn't valid ID.......

CadburysFingers

No all of this is domestic post within Australia, I am familiar with the customs form, as we send pressies to the UK regularly, this is ALL domestic Australian post though.

NickyC

I'm confused.

If you're just posting letter-sized items then you shouldn't need to do the identification bit at the Post Office and you should just be able to stick them in a post box. I always use books of stamps and when I post a letter, I just post it - don't go anywhere near a post office.

Have you tried just sending them via post boxes? Do they arrive OK?

Sam

oh i assumed it was overseas because you had to do the form thing?

I've never had to do a form for Australia stuff?? just stamped and popped it into box! or in the post office and they just stamp it and put it in the bag,

sorry i haven't been much help.....have i

Vash the Stampede

Every UK bank I have encountered in the last three years has told me that an Australian passport isn't valid ID. Consequently, I couldn't get a bank account over here until I received British citizenship at the start of 2006.

I was able to get a bog standard passbook account with West Bromwich Building Society, but of course this didn't come with Internet banking, phone banking or a debit card - just an oldfashioned paper passbook, and no access to my money unless I walked into a branch during regular business hours. It was immensely frustrating; like going back 100 years into the past.

Vash the Stampede

Speaking as a former employee of Australia Post, I would be very interested to see an official source for this allegedly official statement, since I find it quite impossible to believe that this could be Australia Post policy. It makes no sense at all, and runs contrary to Australia Post regulations (it is illegal to destroy the mail except for reasons of security; ie. dangerous contents, such as a letter bomb). Do you have such a source? I assume it has been posted on the Australia Post Website, so doubtless you have a link? Or has some menopausal old bint at your little Chermside post office suddenly become the official nationwide voice of Australia Post...?

When I lived in Australia, I rarely posted international mail through my local post office, and never had any problems with it.

Vash the Stampede

From your posts on this thread, it appears that you have not actually spoken to anyone at Australia Post about this problem. I suggest you do so at your earliest convenience.

It shouldn't be too difficult; just visit your local post office, explain your needs, and ask the staff to recommend a solution.

CadburysFingers

I have asked two different people, both were middle ages counter assistants, who didnt seem too keen to help, and said I had to bring in the items to be weighed. I know I dont as I could buy a franking machine for example, that would overcome the problem. I simply want to know, why some of my 19mm wide packets are sent parcel post, and some are sent letter post, as they should be (as an ex employee you will know anything under 20mm is a letter post item, yes I am aware of the lenght/width ratio) I dont want to start posting the stuff in conventional letter boxes, as I should be able to ($1 stamp required) then find some of the items dont reach their destination as Auspost have decided they were in fact parcels (even though they are not) and should have had $3,90 on them instead.

Just after a straight answer, or a personal experience, from someone that KNOWS for definite. I dont wish to diss anyone in the post office, they all do a good job, unfortunately there is zero consistency with what each employee says, I have had several different postage/sticker/price scenarios with my items, even though ALL are identical, in weight/shape/width /length/thickness

CadburysFingers

It is basically because all our items are on the thickness borderline (above 20mm is classed as a parcel. below is classed as a letter) ours are 19mm. I want to simply stick them all in a letterbox, but I dont want them all returning, because they have passed through the 'wrong' employees hands, who thinks they should be parcels, then we would have a lot of unhappy customers on our hands.