Scottish Highlands

[viewbayer]

Having just moved to the Scottish Highlands I have made an astonishing discovery - the Royal Mail operates up here at the same postal rates as the rest of the UK. So why do some sellers specifically refuse to post to the Scottish Highlands? I have asked a few and they don't even have the courtesy to reply. Anyone out there have an answer?

[right-then-petal]

maybe they think it's a different country

[aernethril]

If they go for independence, it will be!

And then the postage will change for sure - to European rates - both ways.

[i-am-legion-too]

Not all sellers use Royal Mail.

Especially for large items, other couriers charge considerably more for delivery to Scotland and N.Ireland.

[myraandjim]

It's certain postcodes that seem to attract higher postage although there is no reason for Royal Mail deliveries to cost more, just sellers trying it on. Courier deliveries attract a supplement to some Scottish postcodes, I just don't buy from sellers charging more.

[millielilac]

Although RM rates are the same , courier rates are not .....

It is also easy for a seller to tick the exclusion box re Highlands and Islands in error when setting up buyer requirements ....did this myself despite the fact that I should know better as I lived in Scotland for some years ...

Another reason is that some sellers list a variety of items , some courier , some RM . Occasionally sellers do make errors ( they are human after all ) and you can bet your bottom dollar that some buyers will exploit this error , demanding sellers to post bulky items that need to be couriered to far flung places. Any seller that has made a silly error will not wish to repeat it ...much easier to exclude instead.

However as a buyer you can contact the seller to ask for an exemption if the item is listed with postage by RM. The seller may appreciate the info if they have excluded in error or even in ignorance ...

[mustard-tree]

Royal Mail charge UK rate for Northern Ireland, but Europe rate for Republic of Ireland.

And all the mail probably goes on the same plane.

[millielilac]

That is because Northern Ireland is part of the UK ....Southern Ireland is not ....

At the moment Scotland is part of the UK .........

[septiccpeg]

SOME carriers do charge more  but mostly they shouldn't.  A little extra to cover ferry charges to the islands is acceptable, but not for mainland deliveries.

I have sent a 4x4 towbar from the north of Scotland to the south of England for £10.  It arrived the next morning.

The carrier leaving London will only go as far as perhaps Manchester where they will transfer parcels to another courier who will perhaps go to Glasgow or Edinburgh where the same will happen again with a carrier from here.  It works in both directions.

I don't think anybody tries to get away with charging more for goods going south.  Perhaps they should.

PS. Scotland will still be part of a United Queendom.  James I of England (VI of Scotland) inherited the throne of England from his cousin Elizabeth I  so we share a Queen - unless she decides to move here permanently. 

[right-then-petal]

wave wave Septic

[septiccpeg]

Hello petal! 

I have to use board smilies 'cos I've forgotten HTML a bit, been using BBCode. 

Why have I only got 20-something posts???????    Is it since the board was changed?

[al**bear]

Brigadoons  reappeared

 

Hi Septic

[septiccpeg]

Hi Al! 

<img src=http://i.imgur.com/abABU0D.png </img>

[septiccpeg]

Obviously I've got the coding wrong and I can't edit now.

:

This seems complicated and wrong.

[pickerskip]

It would really help and save time if those sellers not willing to post/send to the Highlands would put this on the listing of an item.  This would avoid the disapointment/ anoyance of looking at an item, then checking postage only to find they will not send it to you.

It would also help if the listing showed that additional charges would be made to posting to Highlands

[papko]

 Whats the popn of the Highlands and Islands  ?  One million ?

 and they are all spread out 

The couriers surcharge for remote locations (they dont want to send a van on a hundred mile round trip , to deliver 10 parcels )

 when they could do similar in Brimingham and deliver 130 parcels )

 Since Couriers ar eprivate companies , they can charge what they want , you the custumer dont have to use them , by surcharging for the Highlands and anywhere that involves sea travel , they are basically saying , "thats the price it sup to you "

Royal mail on the otherhand has by law to treat all parts of the UK the same ,, and thye deliver letters , small parcels , preferably 

 a one kilo parcel with a signature is approx £4.30 

 a 2 kilo parcel with sig is approx £6.odd 

 and a 17 kilo parcel by Parcelforce 24 booked at the post office is £31 ! 

 Wheras Couriers the like of UPS , Fed EX , DPD , etc , will deliver 30 kilo parcels in the populous ares of the Uk , for region £10 

 (and they collect from your door and provide fuill online track , with £50 insurance ) as default 

 If someone sells online for a living , and they sell plus 1 kilo items  , then the only way to deliver them is with a courier 

 So if we accept that one in sixty of our custumers live in a remote area , and  it will be expensive to deliver to them , surcharges imposed , or a seller may have to use a courier they are not comfortable with (like Hermes , collect plus ) 

 then they can decide its not worth the hasle for sub 2% of sales 

[tommy.irene]

[electric*mayhem*band]

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@septiccpeg wrote:

Why have I only got 20-something posts???????    Is it since the board was changed?

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Apparently Peg, most of your past postings have all been 'archived'. Whatever that means.

[evoman3957]

When they get Cobwebs on them, they put them in storage.