Royal Mail.......lost items!!!!!

[dancestationdirect]

Hi, has anyone noticed an increase in UK Royal Mail packages going "missing" recently. In the last 2 days I have had 3 different buyers claiming item has not arrived. One looks genuine as it is Recorded Delivery which has not arrived. The other 2 are fairly low value First Class items and of course I have no way of knowing if  this is genuine or not.

Prior to this (I have "lost" a few international parcels) but only 1 UK parcel last year went astray and never turned up.

Anyone else having problems with this?

[abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxy]

hello,

I sell lots of smallish items in the uk, And usually post standard first class, with a very small amount of losses.

(we can but guess what happens, but i guess postie has a few and a few customer are dishonest, but we all know this one!)

last month i decided to pump up my sales and branch out onto ebay.com.

Although international sales increased, my losses have been huge. (i offered both standard air mail and signed for as options) but only about 1 in 10 picked the more expensive international signed for service.

Today  i edited all my listing and removed international shipping, i simply cant absorb the extra costs of losses,

so as with so much in life the dishonesty of a small minority spoil things for the rest.

its a fact of life and i have bailed out on it!

just going to stick with uk sales.

[towelposter]

---

@spring-collectables wrote:

 ie., no lower case, or capitals  

---

So what do you use then?

[ukhealthhouse]

I find it amazing they don't use a simple tracking system with all the technology we have now. It would only require 2 scans, they do it all over the world except for here. 

[admslide]

I sell low end jewellery and have had about 6 go missing over the last few year and a couple this last month all sent recorded which is not worth a light as it just goes with ordinary mail so can easily be pilfered before it reaches its dest.I only use special delivery now that's in with the rems and has to be signed for at every change over

[nextdayfactorydirect]

I'm losing approximately 1 in 100, maybe even less

The ones who do lose it, generally seem to turn up at the sorting office or is genuinely lost.

Apart from the ridiculous price hikes, i'm quite positive about RM, They're quite reliable

[bankhaunter]

I received an item recently, my name and address were in very small font on a label measuring just 40mm x 30mm.

No return address and only the item inside the jiffy bag, some sellers almost ask to lose things.

[babygirl10873]

To be fair there are some genuine cases i have been buying off eBay for as long as i can remember and never had any problems till this year two items never appeared and i have now been waiting for 2 weeks although seller has just sent me proof of postage and they sent it next day but still have not received it so will check with sorting office tomorrow and show them. But this is not just eBay my auntie sent me something 4 weeks ago shown me proof of postage and this has not arrived either. I'm sure there are scammers on here but am starting not to trust royal mail.

[pantalooner]

I recently failed to receive an item sent by 2nd class standard so had to ask for a refund.

I have been told recently though that new foriegn migrants employed by Royal Mail locally are being shown the ropes by English postmen because they cannot read English.

Say no more.................

[babygirl10873]

Well I've been to sorting office they say an item there but no card ever left but they said if u have one signed for and one just first class and no answer they will not just leave the 1st class one. I'm not sure if it's this one they would not say had to rearrange for it to be posted. But when I first shown him he said u won't see that again. That does not sound great to me if they think that. The one my aunt sent had my mum's medication in and she needed it. Think in future will always ask to pay for signed for. Will let u know if it turns out to be item but people don't need this buyers or sellers well genuine ones anyway.

[belle-lingerie]

Royal Mail contacted us earlier this month to say that going forward they will be barcoding all parcels, this will mean that they can track the parcel for their own records and it should prevent fraud so this may be an end to Freebay

[towelposter]

---

@belle-lingerie wrote:

Royal Mail contacted us earlier this month to say that going forward they will be barcoding all parcels, this will mean that they can track the parcel for their own records and it should prevent fraud so this may be an end to Freebay

---

My account manager told me the same, but said that it would be an additional cost.

[smkstickersandshirts]

Yep me also, 2 items gone missing both sent 1st class its a joke. Have no way of knowing if its a rouge postie or a scamming buyer either way it cost me! The royal mail profit from the cost of the stamps ebay profit from the final value fee paypal get their cut and the postie or scammer profit from the item. I think i'll apply to become a postman!

[zoo1010]

Maybe several years on from the first thread, however, after 3 items of post missing within the last 2 months and the post office being unhelpful, my thoughts are that they have a major problem that they are not dealing with. I am using other postal services for parcels now they are cheaper and most importantly they are honest.

[smkstickersandshirts]

Just had a case opened for yet another missing item, the 3rd in the last month. This one ordered a month ago and only now has the customer opened a case.. not contacted me just opened a case!!!. Is it me or is waiting a month for something that is estimated within 2 days a bit strange.

[marc030667]

To give a balanced perspective. As a buyer, 500+ feedbacks 100%. Prior to this year I have never had an item go missing, but since Xmas this year there has been three deliveries I have not recieved. As far as I can tell the sellers are genuine. I have made claims against the sellers. Though I believe the problem is Royal Mail. They the sellers in turn have informed me they have made claims against Royal Mail. The items in question have all been magazines, the problem is I believe that through the packaging you can tell it is a magazine. I believe it is theft at the Royal Mail, though this is difficult to prove. Signed for deliveries are better, though I have caught a delivery person signing for it them self as the are making the delivery. Even though it is the responsibility is the seller to make the complaint. I am getting so fed up of not receiving items I will be making a complaint to Royal Mail, because I believe they have a seriouse issue with this problem.

[towelposter]

I have found 3 parcels this week in mailbags that RM have sent me to use.  That is 3 lost parcels, or would have been if I hadn't put them back in the post.

[fossilman1964]

its the same for me , lots of items not received, this never used to happen, been on ebay 14 years and never had any problems with "missing" items, it is now widespread, surely ebay can put some sort of visible mark on the buyers site of the number of  INR they have claimed for ?

[memorialjewellery]

Ive had 6 since the beginning of March - I now send signed for on everything. A couple I think were genuinely lost and these buyers asked for a replacement item which was sent. The rest wanted refunds - one who wanted a refund the next day even though the item was advertised as second class post she said she wouldn't wait any longer and opened an INR via Paypal (Not ebay).

Someone emailed me yesterday (day after ordering) at 11.07am asking where her item was (sent on two working day service), I didn't see it till 11.20am and by 11.17am she opened an INR. Today she has left me positive feedback for the item has been received! How do I get the INR removed??

[cottonplay0161]

hi.Two of my items have gone missing in the post with royal mail.Thanks.

[molesque71]

I have a new record.  Over the past 60 days I have sent 22 parcels via Royal Mail.  3 have arrived damaged and unusable and 2 are missing in action after 2 weeks.  I have now sent my last parcel via RM they are just not worth the hassle.  My hermes have only lost 1 of my items over the past 3 years and that was resolved quickly and compensation was paid in full.