# An Post vs Royal Mail



## aveeno2005 (20 Apr 2009)

I've been going though the various threads about cross-border shopping and rip off's etc. I thought I'd join in with a thread about sending Mail with An Post. I don't know if it's been discussed already but here goes.

I recently went to the GPO to post five book that I'd sold through Amazon. Three of the books were destined for UK addresses, one for Spain, one Denmark and the final two for Kildare and Galway respectively. Because of the different weights and An Post's classification of 'packet' rather than 'large envelope', the total price came to a whopping €40.30. This was more then the total price I'd sold them for. So I shook my head, took back the items, uttered a few choice expletives and left the building. I posted the books next day from belfast and paid a little less than £12 for all five books. Roughly €14, a saving of €26. What surprised me most was the two books destined for Kildare and Galway, they were 30% cheaper to post from Belfast than if I'd sent them from Dublin. This doesn't make sense. Needless to say, I'll be using Royal Mail when I can in future.


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## Caveat (20 Apr 2009)

Poor classification from An Post alright maybe - but at least they are _fairly_ reliable.  

You might change your mind about Royal Mail though when they start losing things or misdirecting them - very common IME.  

Royal Mail really can be a joke sometimes.


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## Towger (20 Apr 2009)

An Post have a special rate for posting books, the only problem is the staff don't know it exists! http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/PostalRates/Sending+Books+Abroad.htm


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## purpeller (21 Apr 2009)

Did you factor in the cost of your return trip to Belfast to post them?

I'm not defending either postal company but surely going to the North to post things is not cost effective in the long term?


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## askalot (21 Apr 2009)

Towger said:


> An Post have a special rate for posting books, the only problem is the staff don't know it exists! http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/PostalRates/Sending+Books+Abroad.htm



But going by their cheapest rate of €9 for less than 3kg the OP would have had to pay €45 for posting to Europe.


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## mcaul (23 Apr 2009)

I don't know how it came to this difference as the rates are pretty similar in both countries.

Europe incl UK
1kg small packet An Post €7.50, Royal Mail £6.29 (€7.15)
500g Large envelope An Post €4.25, Royal Mail £3.54 (€4.03)

500g Large envelope Ireland An Post €1.90
500g Large envelope UK Royal Mail - £1.24 (€1.40)

You do have an advantage in NI due to an agreement with an post that all letters to any part of ireland are shipped at NI local rates plus letter / packages to Uk are shipped at UK local rates.


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## aveeno2005 (20 May 2009)

You've been reading An post Guide to Postal rates. This is a mistake. It's a misleading pamphlet, and like the people working for An post, should be completely disregarded.

It's all about classification. An Post and Royal Mail both have rates for letters, large envelopes, packets and parcels. You'd think that a 510g book placed in a padded envelope would be classed as a large envelope. The Royal mail thinks it is and charge approximately £1.70 to send it to London. But according to An post, a padded envelope is a packet so they charge the packet 500g - 1kg rate of €7.50. You'd think that an aftershave gift set, sold on ebay, wrapped in a neat little bundle and weighing 755g would be a small packet. The Royal mail thinks it is and charge £3.85 to send it to Brighton. But according to An Post, it's a parcel and they want a whopping €18.25 to send it to the same destination.

Last week I sent a book to an address in Maynooth. It was a small thin book, and when placed in a padded envelope measured 20cm x 14cm and 1.5cm think. Even though it was well within the dimensions of a large envelope as specified in the 'Guide to Postal rates', it was considered a packet. And because it weighted 520g it was priced at the 1kg rate and I was charged €6. I sold the book for €5 so i was out of pocket by €1. It may have been cheaper to deliver the book myself.

If I've one or two items to send I've no choice but to bite the bullet and use An Post, it would be uneconomical not too. But if I've five or more with some of them boxed, I find it's well worth the trip north to use Royal Mail. I usually go once a week. An added bonus is I now shop there too and save even more of my hard eqarned cash. Marvellous.


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## extopia (20 May 2009)

aveeno2005 said:


> ...I was charged €6. I sold the book for €5 so i was out of pocket by €1.



Do you not get your buyers to pay for postage? I've sold many items, big and small on ebay over the years, all shipped via an post, always paid for by the recipient, and never had a complaint about postage costs.


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## mcaul (20 May 2009)

I use An Post for some items and write on them the rate and the service being paid for. - Had an argument once and was told the packet would be returned to me if there was not enough postage on it. I said it wouldn't be returned as it was within the guidelines printed.

It would be so easy for an post to have a couple of open ended measuring blocks that if the item fitted into it it was a packet / large envelope. - A miniture version of what airlines use to measure carry on baggage.

But then again - that would make too much sense!!


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## bond-007 (24 May 2009)

purpeller said:


> Did you factor in the cost of your return trip to Belfast to post them?
> 
> I'm not defending either postal company but surely going to the North to post things is not cost effective in the long term?


I often take my post to the north to post. It is far cheaper to post stuff in NI. Also I would already be doing my shopping so no extra costs.


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## Sue Ellen (24 May 2009)

Caveat said:


> Poor classification from An Post alright maybe - but at least they are _fairly_ reliable.
> 
> You might change your mind about Royal Mail though when they start losing things or misdirecting them - very common IME.
> 
> Royal Mail really can be a joke sometimes.



My daughter buys and sells on e-bay quite a lot and has found the same with Royal Mail.  They are very unreliable and items can take weeks to be delivered.  On one occasion she lodged a claim with Paypal, got a refund and the parcel arrived after this with the old postage date on it.


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## bananas (25 May 2009)

I recently had a large parcel to post to London.  To post it from Dublin would have cost €24.  Instead on my next shopping trip to Newry I posted it for £8.  I sent it at 11.30am on Friday, it arrived in London at 9am Saturday morning.


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## parsi (27 May 2009)

I once posted a package from Cork to Vienna. I posted it on a Friday and was gobsmacked when I got an email the following morning saying that it had arrived.


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