Posting 12ft two piece fishing rods

[wilcox8437]

Hi all,

I'm selling a number of fishing rods that are 12ft (3.65m) long and break down into 2 pieces of 6ft (1.82m). Currently I offer the rods as collection only as I'm being quoted approximately £45 + VAT to post, which in most cases is more than the value of the rod and buyers are unlikely to want to pay such high postage.

However, I've recently purchased a 12ft fishing rod with a postage fee of £12.97, and I see other similar length rods listed with the same postage. I've scoured eBay and other people's listings to try and figure out how they're able to offer postage at this or similar price but I can't find out how it's being done, can anyone let me in on the secret?

Regards

Dan

[xyz307xyz]

First guess would be Revise item and select the below; then enter your own postage. (PC/Windows/Chrome.)

[wilcox8437]

Thanks for replying. I've tried revising the item, selecting oversized postage then adding my own postage but it's at this point that I can't find any postage that is a reasonable amount. I've had a good dig around and I can't find a courier that will deliver a rod over 150cm for anything near £12.97.

Is it possible that the sellers are business sellers so they get preferable postage rates?

[xyz307xyz]

Certainly possible - what service did they use to send the one you bought?

What's an example item number of a 2 piece 12 foot rod with postage of £12.97?

("Interestingly" £12.97 is the Simple Delivery DHL price but looks to handle up to 120cm only. )

[wilcox8437]

Yes it was DHL but again when I looked at the DHL website I couldn't get anywhere near £12.97 and as you've stated the maximum length they go up to is 120cm and the rod I purchased was way over that.

I've also seen rods being offered for £12.99 postage with parcel Force 48 and it was parcel force that were quoting me nearly £50.

I've included a few item numbers below of rods that have postage for prices I'd be willing to offer (I can't find one with postage  for exactly £12.97 now!)

Hopefully that helps. Thanks a million for your input, really appreciated.

[brainuk]

Why don't you contact the seller of the other one and ask which service they used or how they got that price?

[wilcox8437]

Thanks for replying. I did message the seller of the rod I purchased and they told me they used DHL, it was at this point I turned to the eBay community.

Maybe you just say the rod is 120cm and hope that it goes through the system without anyone checking? However, I've been pulled up by evri before for getting the weight of a parcel wrong and charged extra so I assume it's the same thing with length?

[wilcox8437]

Just for reference this is the message that I received from the seller when I asked them how they posted the rod to me for £12.97.

Hi.. glad your happy with the rod... Postage.... Well I used the Ebay postage programm... options for postage/collection were via royalmail - evri - dhl... I didn't choose evri.... ( i only use evri for books ).. I put the parcel as over 2kg ( which it was not )... then Ebay gave me the price... when auction ended rather that take to post office I found it easier for DHL to collect from me..they bring label  ( just have to have item securely packaged )... They collected next day... Hope this helps you...

[xyz307xyz]

The one you bought certainly appears to be delivered by Simple Delivery even though it's too big.

It's possible-

DHL didn't notice.

DHL didn't care (it was likely quite light).

DHL did notice and care enough to charge ebay extra; and ebay could pass that on to the seller: https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/posting-items/setting-postage-options/simple-delivery?id=5575#se...

Either way, if you/anyone tries to send in the same way; any of those options could happen for you. I guess it could also be returned to you or just "lost" ... etc.

[xyz307xyz]

What price does this site give you?

https://send.dpd.co.uk/order?step=parcelDetails

[wilcox8437]

I'd rather make sure that if I'm sending items out to buyers I'm doing it properly. I don't want any hassle for either the buyer or myself. Also I'm really not a fan of DHL, I've sold quite a few items on eBay and I've never had a good experience using DHL for posting so I avoid them at all costs.

I've had a look at DPD and (drum roll......)

they look to provide a service that covers the size of parcel that I need to send at a very competitive price. Amazing! To be honest it looks a bit too good to be true, I suppose the only way to find out is to try it in anger which I will in the near future. I'll change one of my rods to offering postage and see what happens. 

I'll report back with my findings.

Thankyou xyz307xyz you've been really  helpful.

[ed_58611]

DHL do have a service precisely for fishing rods with a web page here: 

https://send.dhlparcel.co.uk/resources/sending-fishing-rod

However, and I quite understand your reluctance to use DHL, I had a quick browse and found the following option which allows you to specify the size requirements beforehand, and then provides a selection of couriers/carriers/services to suit your needs

https://www.parcel2go.com/shipping-advice/fishing-rods