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Help Centre - Selling Back Issues - Despatching Orders



Selling Back Issues Guide - Table of Contents

  • Introduction to Selling (Quick Start Guide)
  • Accessing Account (inc. password recovery)
  • Listing items for sale
  • Advice on Pricing
  • Packaging Contribution & Selling Fees
  • The Order Process (as viewed by Sellers)
  • Processing Orders
  • Cancelling / Refunding Orders
  • Packaging Advice
  • Despatching Orders
  • Your Shopfront
  • Account Profile / Suspending / Closing
  • Extra ways to promote your items (coming soon)
  • (Click links above to jump to that page)


    Despatching Orders

    How much do I receive to pay the shipping costs?

    When a customer places an order they pay a delivery cost which is calculated automatically by the website. This is passed to the Seller to enable them to pay the cost of despatching the parcel to the customer.

    The small commission fee earned by Magazine Exchange is taken out of the shipping cost payment before is is passed to the Seller - BUT - the shipping payment the Seller receives is still higher than the actual cost of despatching the parcel. The box below explains how the "Shipping cost" received by the Seller is calculated:-


    Understanding the "Shipping cost" figure:-
    The Order Details page in your Seller Account shows the total Shipping cost you have received for an order. This is the sum of the following elements:
  • The total WEIGHT CHARGE for the order - A payment matching the actual shipping cost of the parcel*

  • The QUANTITY CHARGE for each item - For private Sellers this is an extra payment of ?0.30 for every item on the order
  • *The weight of every magazine is recorded in the website database and is used to calculate the weight charge of an order, taking into account the destination and delivery service specified by the customer.

    Practicalities mean that estimated weights are often used, which can occasionally be lower than the actual weight of a given magazine - although they are far more likely to be higher. If, having despatched an order, you find that the actual shipping cost was higher than the shipping payment you received, let us know and we will correct the situation.



    Recommended Postal and Courier Services

    Shipping options available to customers when placing orders are deliberately kept very simple - just one option for inland (UK) customers, and two options (Airmail or Surface Mail) for overseas customers.

    The postal and courier services described below are the ones we recommend Sellers use, and it is the costs of these services that equal the shipping WEIGHT charge that the Seller receives. Sellers may upgrade to an improved service if they wish (for instance, sending items by First Class rather than Second Class post), but this will be at their own expense since the payment they receive will not increase.

    Sellers may not downgrade the service they use (for instance, sending items by Surface Mail if the customer has specified Airmail).




    INLAND (UK) DELIVERIES

    Items below 0.75kg
    Recommended service - Royal Mail 2nd-class 'Large Letter' (three price bands - 0.25kg, 0.5kg & 0.75kg)

    Items between 0.75kg and 2kg
    Recommended service - Royal Mail 'Small Parcels'

    Royal Mail Prices
    Note: For these items the Seller receives the full 'retail' Royal Mail postage cost - ie. the cost paid by the general public in any Post Office. Trade Sellers with a Royal Mail franking account will typically pay around 10% below this retail price, increasing their profit margins.


    Items between 2kg and 5kg
    Recommended service - Collectplus Regular Parcel service

    Items above 5kg
    Recommended service - Collectplus Heavy Parcel service


    About Collectplus
    Collectplus is currently our recommended courier for Sellers sending larger parcels, with prices lower than Royal Mail for items over 1kg, and a superior (faster and fully tracked) service.

    Collectplus differ from other couriers in that they don't collect the parcel directly from the sender - instead they have arrangements with thousands of local shops around the country who receive parcels from senders and hold them ready for daily collection by the Collectplus van.

    Before taking the parcel to the shop the sender first books and pays for the delivery on the Collectplus website, and prints-off a barcoded label to attach to the parcel. The shop scans this label and gives the sender a receipt with tracking information.

    Parcels are delivered directly to the customer in the normal way, with a signature obtained as proof of delivery (Note: Collectplus do also offer an even cheaper service where the recipient collects their parcel from the local store - however Magazine Exchange Sellers should not use this service).

    For more information and to find your local Collectplus shop visit: www.collectplus.co.uk



    OVERSEAS DELIVERIES
    Always check the order invoice to see whether Airmail or Surface Mail has been specified.

    Surface Mail Deliveries
    Recommended service - Royal Mail Surface Mail (price bands in 0.25kg increments)

    Surface Mail Prices
    Royal Mail Surface Mail delivery costs are the same for all destinations; for European destinations Surface Mail delivery is very often only marginally cheaper - and can even be more expensive - than Airmail delivery. Customers often specify Surface Mail without checking the Airmail cost so it's recommended that Sellers always compare the prices themselves on the Royal Mail website (www.royalmail.co.uk), to see whether they can save some money and/or upgrade the customer's delivery service.

    Airmail Deliveries
    Recommended service - Royal Mail Airmail (price bands in 0.25kg increments and three price scales depending upon destination)


    Larger Overseas Parcels
    Courier companies also offer overseas delivery services and on larger parcels can be cheaper than even Surface Mail prices - as well as offering a vastly faster and fully trackable service. The 'break-even' point where courier delivery becomes cheaper varies depending upon the destination and the courier company concerned but it's recommended that Sellers compare prices for parcel weights from around 2kg upwards. As well as improving the service offered to the customer, Sellers can potentially reduce their costs / increase their profits substantially on these larger overseas parcels.





    Courier Booking Websites We Recommend:

    There are many 'price comparison' websites which make it easy to choose and then book a courier collection and delivery. Below are some services we particularly recommend - click on the screenshots below to go straight to that company's website

    Parcels Please:

    My Parcel Delivery:

    Worldwide Parcel Services:

    Parcel 4 Delivery:




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