Friday, April 22, 2011

Using a courier to send eBay packages


Online shopping through eBay, and other similar sites, has increased dramatically over the past decade. Shoppers and retailers all around the world have learned to take advantage of the convenience and affordability of this new method of doing business. If you’re a regular eBay user, it is important to find a reliable and affordable method of transporting your packages. This means locating a same day courier service that will deliver your packages on time, in good condition, and at a reasonable price. Here are some of choices available to eBay users when it comes to delivering parcels.



Using Royal Mail Postal Services

Royal Mail offers standard shipping services for parcels that are within certain cash value limits. Beyond that, they require you to use a more secure level of shipping service. Special service deliveries are handled with increased care, and better security features. When you use Royal Mail’s shipping services, you are informed when your package arrives, but cannot monitor the progress of the shipment en route.
When it comes to customer service, Royal Mail is not traditionally known for its high standards. It can take quite a while for them to investigate claims of lost or damaged parcels: up to three months for international parcel deliveries. Compensation is handed out according to the cost price of the item based on the company’s assessment of the current market value, not on the original retail value.



Using a Courier Service

Couriers come in all shapes and sizes, affording a wide selection of parcel delivery options. This is useful when you require eBay shipping for a variety of different items, and comparison shopping between the different courier services on offer can result in finding the best deals. Couriers offer both economy and express shipping, as well as specialty services for high-value or oversized items. Also, the majority of courier companies will provide parcel tracking with their orders. This means that you can monitor the progress of your delivery throughout the entire process.

Couriers are also known for their higher standard of customer’s service in many cases. They have the resources to investigate claims promptly, and respond to other questions and complaints. In addition, they often provide a number of insurance options to fit a variety of different shipment types and preferences.
If you’re interested in locating an affordable eBay courier services  in your area, try searching price quotes on myParcelDelivery.comTM. This website gives you access to many of the UK’s top courier services, as well as eBay-linking options.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Couriers and Uniforms


We are all used to seeing our local courier in uniform, wearing customized shirts and pants that either tout the company’s name or reflect the company’s colors. If you’re thinking about becoming a courier, but are hesitant because you aren’t too fond of the concept of wearing a uniform, the following are a few thoughts to ponder about the importance of couriers in uniform.

Number one, it is important to keep in mind that as a courier service you will be representing your company. When the community sees you in action, you want to be dressed well as a statement that you are a true professional. Whether you realize it or not, people will develop their opinion of your courier service through how you present yourself. Many times, wearing a uniform makes a statement that you are a clean, responsible and proficient. You present yourself as looking more like an expert rather than if you were delivering packages in a t-shirt and jeans.


Your company also may expect you to wear a uniform as a way to market their name to the community. As people become more familiar with the company colors, every time they see you and your co-workers making a delivery around town, they immediately will recognize the business and thus the name of your delivery service will further be engrained in their mind. Name and color association increase the chances of individuals doing business with your company, because when they think of shipping they will associate it with your business. 

Wearing a uniform also helps the customers that you deliver to know that you are genuinely with the company. Seeing a stranger standing at the front door can be frightening for many individuals if they don’t know who they are. However, if the person sees a uniformed worker standing at the door, they know, “Oh, the parcel company is here!” People need to recognize you and who you are with, as there are legitimate security concerns that people have when it comes to strangers coming to their door.

Although you may not think that you feel the most comfortable wearing a uniform, the pros far outweigh the cons and demonstrate that doing so is quite important. If you want to become a courier, you need to keep in mind the reasons why you desire to do so. If your heart is in the right place, it is likely because you love serving people and believe that becoming a courier will be a great job for you to meet and serve people in your community. Certainly that reason alone should be far greater than any concern about wearing a uniform.


If you’re looking for great courier companies to work with, why not check out some of the top companies that are listed on the comparison and booking website myParcelDelivery.com. They have tons of information on their site about the best courier services UK has to offer, including articles and news about the courier industry, as well as the rates of top-notch companies like Home Delivery Network.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

How Couriers Calculate Costs

Sometimes you may wonder how the various parcel delivery companies come up with their prices. You may be interested in knowing about the factors the ultimately determine the price you pay.
First of all, your parcel is assessed by its freight class. The freight class of an shipment depends upon its contents as well as its weight, if those contents will handle well, and are not fragile nor pose risk to breakage. There are 18 freight classes in the world today. 

The second factor is how far the package is traveling. If the package does not have to travel far, then the cost of shipping will be much cheaper than if it had to be sent to the other side o the country, or even overseas.

Third, without knowing it, you may be paying a gas surcharge. The current gas prices may affect whether the surcharge increases or decreases, and the distance in which the delivery service must travel also factors into the surcharge as well.

Fourth, the courier must charge based upon the size and weight of your package. If it is a larger, heavier parcel that you are needing to ship, than obviously it is going to cost more than the price of shipping a small object.

And lastly, the cost of shipping your parcel will be determined by the delivery method that you choose. As you may be aware, standard rate shipping is the lowest rate available as it is the slowest, and same day or next day shipping is the most expensive, as it causes the parcel courier to have to expedite your delivery. Additionally, if your package must be delivered at a special time, it also will incur an added charge.

It is wise to compare the various rates of courier companies, as not all are the same. One of the best resources for doing so is the website myParcelDelivery.com. myParcelDelivery.com provides free instant quotes to its users, and allows them to review the rates and services some of the most top-notch courier services UK has to offer, such as Home Delivery Network, UPS and City Sprint. By simply inputting the dimensions and weight of the package, users can instantly discover which courier is best for them. They can book a pickup while online and have address labels emailed to their computer, which they can print out and affix to their package, so that it is completely ready for pick up.

So now that you know the factors that determine the cost of shipping your package, you can have a greater understanding of why certain parcels differ in price from others, as well as what you need to do to keep your charges as low as possible.