AddressPal & Lockers - An Post's Parcel Service SEE MOD WARNING FIRST POST

rubadub

blade1 wrote: »

May as well just go US to Ireland then as it'll probably cost the same.

Some US stores will not even ship outside the US so are ruled out as a direct option from the start. Others will have "free delivery" within the US but stupidly high prices outside the US, since you pay VAT on the postage it can be a non runner. If you can avail of "free" shipping and then low cost shipping to Ireland then customs should only be charging on that, and so it could be more feasible.

e.g. you might get a memory card for $10, but $80 postage, and so charged 23% on $90. While you might get the card for $10 and an post $10 delivery and 23% on $20

I also wondered if an post could come up with some loophole so as not to make people liable for VAT on their services at all. e.g. if there is 100 euro worth of postage you own 23% on that as VAT, I wondered if they could somehow deliver it but legally say its a local delivery and so the postage/service is exempt from vat.

There are potentially huge savings from some companies which try and have different price ranges in different countries. e.g levis infamously try and control prices within different regions, e.g. levis or apple. Some major US companies are recently already doing international deliveries, I am surprised more are not using them.

Dan Jaman

It will be interesting to see how and if it works.
I can immediately think of several items on US ebay that I'd have tomorrow if the shipping was reasonable. This could neatly side-step ebay's notorious Global Shipping Program and spit in the eye of Pitney-Bowes.

blade1

rubadub wrote: »

Some US stores will not even ship outside the US so are ruled out as a direct option from the start. Others will have "free delivery" within the US but stupidly high prices outside the US, since you pay VAT on the postage it can be a non runner. If you can avail of "free" shipping and then low cost shipping to Ireland then customs should only be charging on that, and so it could be more feasible.

e.g. you might get a memory card for $10, but $80 postage, and so charged 23% on $90. While you might get the card for $10 and an post $10 delivery and 23% on $20

I also wondered if an post could come up with some loophole so as not to make people liable for VAT on their services at all. e.g. if there is 100 euro worth of postage you own 23% on that as VAT, I wondered if they could somehow deliver it but legally say its a local delivery and so the postage/service is exempt from vat.

There are potentially huge savings from some companies which try and have different price ranges in different countries. e.g levis infamously try and control prices within different regions, e.g. levis or apple. Some major US companies are recently already doing international deliveries, I am surprised more are not using them.

Good post but why is it in response to my post which was just in response to a poster saying it might be better to use your UK address pal.

rabjoshu

rabjoshu wrote: »

AnPost looking to the US
"We now have 100,000 registered customers.
Our 2017 plans include the launch of AddressPal from the United States and a home delivery option for all AddressPal shopping."
http://www.adworld.ie/2016/12/02/addresspal-delivers-success-post/

Someone ripped off my post :mad:
Given the actual article is 3 months old, fess up imposter!

nsa0bupkd3948x

rabjoshu wrote: »

Someone ripped off my post :mad:
Given the actual article is 3 months old, fess up imposter!

Apologies, I've added a link to your post.

crasy dash

Really happy with AddressPal lately really seem to have sorted things out had an item delivered to them at 11am on Friday morning and got the text at 10am this morning to be collected and im down on the limerick cork border .

Thought it might have been flagged as oversized but nope just 3.50:pac:

McLoughlin

Well I've moved over to Address Pal from Parcel Wizard manly due to I'm working and I'm not at home during the day to sit around and wait from a Parcel, I know Parcel Wizard have their collection points but the post office is much easier for me. A bonus is that its cheaper have a couple of things on order so hoping it goes well.

The USA to Ireland post redirect is certain something I would use allot but the price is the issue

ei9go

Ordered a small item last Sunday, was in my post office on Wednesday. Quicker than direct from the UK.

SD_DRACULA

Anyone used AddressPal this get large items, something like 55" TV from UK?
Even with 50 for oversized is still way cheaper than the Powercity like rip-offs.

NinjaTruncs

SD_DRACULA wrote: »

Anyone used AddressPal this get large items, something like 55" TV from UK?
Even with 50 for oversized is still way cheaper than the Powercity like rip-offs.

I think there is an upper limit on the size of something they will take. It the box is too big it could be rejected from their depot.

Personally I would use a service like this for a TV. As what happens if it breaks during deliver how will you establish which service broke it and APs liability is limited to something very small.

SD_DRACULA

Yeah just checked the T&Cs and they only cover €40 worth of damages which is insane if they are the ones that damage the parcel.

whiterebel

Most transport companies are the same. Standard Trading conditions normally limit them to €800 per Tonne. It is up the sender or buyer to insure it in transit.

diego_b

First time using this service and worked very well, ordered some items off Amazon last Friday, was notified it was delivered to the An Post site in the UK on Wed and it was my local post office in rural Kerry this morning around 10am.

Might have been mentioned in the thread already but the site in the UK is apparently an An Post facility that is used for printing household bills etc that even though they have an Irish stamp originate in the UK. The postmaster said to me that postal service from the UK site to Ireland via address pal is probably quicker than traditional post due to the frequency stuff is coming from that site anyways.

harr

diego_b wrote: »

First time using this service and worked very well, ordered some items off Amazon last Friday, was notified it was delivered to the An Post site in the UK on Wed and it was my local post office in rural Kerry this morning around 10am.

Might have been mentioned in the thread already but the site in the UK is apparently an An Post facility that is used for printing household bills etc that even though they have an Irish stamp originate in the UK. The postmaster said to me that postal service from the UK site to Ireland via address pal is probably quicker than traditional post due to the frequency stuff is coming from that site anyways.

That's true I have used it for stuff friends send me from uk ...cheaper and generally quicker all round. They nearly always use my address pal to send me stuff now.

Outlaw Pete

Just signed up this week with AddressPal after having had enough of Parcel Motel and am currently waiting for three parcels.. hope it all goes well.

One initial gripe I have though is with the needlessly long AddressPal number. Here's a made up example: AP 20B 0235 0729677.

There are many reasons why a number like this is absurd but the main ones are 1) it's almost impossible to remember, 2) it's a pain to write / type out and 3) shops / Ebay sellers are very likely to make an error writing it out as a result or may even not bother with it.

There's no reason that the system that generates these numbers can't just generate a very simple seven digit number that automatically incorporates your initials at the start and the last two digits of the year you were born at the end (such as: JB****77).

There could be 9000 AddressPal members with J and B as their initials,
all of whom were born in '77 (which would be highly unlikely of course) before they would need to bump the eight digit number up to a nine digit number.


Just out of interest... are AddressPal numbers on parcels they receive checked by an actual human or do they attempt to scan the numbers? I know the number would generally be handwritten on parcels rather than typed but bookies like Paddy Power now scan handwriting on betting slips and their system can read almost anything written on them: horse name, race, price taken etc... so the technology is there.

Anyway, not the biggest deal in the world, just not a fan of such a long number being needed to be used when using the service and sure if it all goes smoothly (which of course is the main thing) it will be even less of a concern.

bluestrattos

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Just signed up this week with AddressPal after having had enough of Parcel Motel.

Am currently waiting for three parcels.. hope it all goes well.

One initial gripe I have though is with the needlessly long AddressPal number.

Here's a made up example: AP 20B 0235 0729677.

There are many reasons why a number like this is absurd but the main two are 1) it's almost impossible to remember, 2) it's a pain to type out and 3) shops / Ebay sellers are very likely to make an error writing out such and number.

There is no reason that the system that generates these numbers can't just generate a very simple seven digit number that automatically begins with your initials and ends with the last two digits from the year you were born (such as: JB****77).

They could even have 9,999 AddressPal members with J and B as their initials,
all of whom were born in '77 (which would be highly unlikely) before they would need to bump the number up to a nine digit number.

In fact, you could actually make an argument that your name and address could be used by them to find out all your details including of course which PO you have chose and what your contact details are.

Out of interest... are AddressPal numbers on parcels they receive checked by an actual human or do they attempt to scan them?

I know the number would generally be handwritten on parcels rather than typed but bookies like Paddy Power now can scan handwriting on betting slips and can tell horse(s) backed and price(s) taken, so the technology is there.

Anyway, not the biggest deal in the world.. just not a fan of such a long number being needed to be used when using the service.. and if it all goes smoothly (which of course is the main thing) it will be even less of a concern.

I understand the frustration, yes it's a big address, but so far (1 year with many orders) no vendor from Amazon or eBay, EU or Non-EU, zero problems. And it's handier (for me) because the post office it's just down the road. And on a personal note, I usually order during the weekend or Monday, because Saturday morning all have to do is stroll to the post office and collect it, rather leave work early just to get to the PO before it closes for the day.

Dan Jaman

Yes, the absurdly long customer ID number was a concern of mine, but so far, amazingly, it's not caused a parcel addressed to me to actually go missing, even when the sender has missed off some digits or mangled it. I suspect An Post staff in St Albans or Portlaoise are well tuned to decipher the inevitable cock-ups, through force of circumstances.
It's still a major clanger in design, though.

Discodog

Parcel Motel have closed my local branch so I am even more grateful for Addresspal.

Dan Jaman

Discodog wrote: »

Parcel Motel have closed my local branch so I am even more grateful for Addresspal.

PM feeling the pinch, by the looks of it. Not surprised though; I was a regular user of PM but I had to traipse 12 miles to collect things, in the middle of winter, whether I liked it or not. The local PO will hold on to my parcels for far longer than the stipulated max of 72 hours, and they know I'll always collect them at the end of the week - much handier for me, as even if foul weather it's just a hop down the road.

Discodog

Dan Jaman wrote: »

PM feeling the pinch, by the looks of it. Not surprised though; I was a regular user of PM but I had to traipse 12 miles to collect things, in the middle of winter, whether I liked it or not. The local PO will hold on to my parcels for far longer than the stipulated max of 72 hours, and they know I'll always collect them at the end of the week - much handier for me, as even if foul weather it's just a hop down the road.

Yes I agree. My local postmistress is helpful & I drive past twice a day. The really annoying thing with PM was when parcels arrived on a Saturday & I had to make a 16 mile round trip because they wouldn't hold them till Monday.

Plus I like being able to just pay. No need for accounts, credit card debits etc.

Yggr of Asgard

I used AP a couple of times for smaller items that I don't need 2 days later, but since my local post office now is a zoo I won't do that anymore.

They went from a ticket system over a separate queue (depending on service) to a single queue which at times can spin to the outside of the office if you don't time it correctly.

I just don't have the time to stand in queue for a long time to than wait until the parcel is collected from the back, my ID is examined and all paperwork completed.

PM and even PW is quicker to collect.

Sorry, nice service but I guess it really depends on the facility of the collection point. A busy post office with a mad queuing system is not good.

Discodog

Yggr of Asgard wrote: »

I used AP a couple of times for smaller items that I don't need 2 days later, but since my local post office now is a zoo I won't do that anymore.

They went from a ticket system over a separate queue (depending on service) to a single queue which at times can spin to the outside of the office if you don't time it correctly.

I just don't have the time to stand in queue for a long time to than wait until the parcel is collected from the back, my ID is examined and all paperwork completed.

PM and even PW is quicker to collect.

Sorry, nice service but I guess it really depends on the facility of the collection point. A busy post office with a mad queuing system is not good.

Yes I rarely queue & I never have to show id. I suspect that it works best in rural post offices.

DivingDuck

Yggr of Asgard wrote: »

Sorry, nice service but I guess it really depends on the facility of the collection point. A busy post office with a mad queuing system is not good.

This is my issue with the service also.

I wish they would institute a locker system for this service like PM. Being able to collect parcels out of hours is the primary draw of PM for me.

lukin

I want to use the AddressPal service to buy a vacuum from a site called shop-at-ease. I asked the site do they deliver to parcel motel and they said they don't.
I have registered for AddressPal and been given a virtual UK address. If I buy the vacuum and use the virtual address will the site reject it?
Have they any way of knowing that the "UK" address is a virtual address? Sorry if this has been answered in the thread already but I haven't time to read through the whole thing.

bluestrattos

lukin wrote: »

I want to use the AddressPal service to buy a vacuum from a site called shop-at-ease. I asked the site do they deliver to parcel motel and they said they don't.
I have registered for AddressPal and been given a virtual UK address. If I buy the vacuum and use the virtual address will the site reject it?
Have they any way of knowing that the "UK" address is a virtual address? Sorry if this has been answered in the thread already but I haven't time to read through the whole thing.

They may refuse Parcel Motel because it's not mainland UK, but anPost is mainland so there's no reason to say no. May be virtual for us customers, but it's a physical building in London that gets the package.

lukin

bluestrattos wrote: »

They may refuse Parcel Motel because it's not mainland UK, but anPost is mainland so there's no reason to say no. May be virtual for us customers, but it's a physical building in London that gets the package.

Thanks mate, I'll chance buying it so.

The_Conductor

bluestrattos wrote: »

They may refuse Parcel Motel because it's not mainland UK, but anPost is mainland so there's no reason to say no. May be virtual for us customers, but it's a physical building in London that gets the package.

St. Albans actually, but hey.

Dan Jaman

Just be careful of the overall package size of the vacuum cleaner. There's a savage cutoff point for parcels, and above that it's €25 out of your pocket.

ei9go

lukin wrote: »

Thanks mate, I'll chance buying it so.

Too big, you could end up with a 25 euro charge to collect it.

gizmo81

Parcel delivered early this morning to my St Albans Address Pal, any chance this will make it to me before next Tuesday considering Good Friday and Bank Holiday Monday?