Today, the demand for sending parcels has increased significantly, because this type of service is also needed for online stores, and in order to send cultural and domestic items to your family or friends, and in order to send original documents on paper and electronic business media. partners. But in many cases, the question arises: is it possible to send a parcel at the expense of the recipient? And the answer to it is constantly accompanied by an ambiguous understanding of postal consumers.
Is it possible to send at the expense of the recipient and how to do it
You should immediately pay attention that it will not work just like that to send a parcel at the expense of the recipient by Russian post, which is quite logical. After all, if the recipient does not come for the parcel, then who will reimburse the postal service for delivery? - In any case, you will have to pay for the shipment.
Many people think that it is possible to send a parcel at the expense of the recipient with the so-called "cash on delivery", and then the receiving party will fully pay for the postal services. But this is not quite the same, because in this case we are talking about paying for the investment. To process cash on delivery, the shipment is registered, and must necessarily be issued with the declared value; when sending such a parcel, the sender documentally instructs the postal service to recover the indicated cost of the investment from the recipient and send this money to the sender's address. The amount to be received as cash on delivery must not be higher than the declared value of the investment itself. Also, for the services of a reverse money transfer with this type of shipment, the recipient of the parcel will have to pay (which is also recommended to be warned about), this amount will be 5% of its value.
Having considered the features of shipments and payments for postal services, the conclusion on how to send a parcel by mail at the expense of the recipient in the simplest possible way suggests itself: it is most rational to increase the amount of the direct payment by the amount required to pay for postal services. How much postal services will be estimated at, you can find out more precisely at the office (then, when paying, and adjust the required payment amount) or take preliminary prices and add them to the cost.
An important fact that the sender should take into account
If you are going to send a parcel at the expense of the recipient using the “cash on delivery” option, do not forget the fact that it may not be picked up at the post office. Do not forget that the recipient is not obliged to do this (after all, he can simply change his mind, for example, if he ordered a product in an online store). In this case, the parcel will automatically be sent back to the sender in a month, who will have to pay for postal services, including the cost of its storage (and these are already additional costs).
The check received when sending the parcel must be kept until the moment when the recipient received the shipment and the money was transferred for it.
The volume of purchases via the Internet shows stable growth. More than 30% of the working population of our country regularly makes orders in online stores. Over the past three years, the number of online shoppers has grown 2.5 times. Moreover, this growth occurs mainly due to residents of the regions and young people, who are among the most active users.
e-commerce. Among the most popular categories of goods bought over the Internet are - Appliances and electronics (more than 40%), clothing and footwear (15%), auto parts and household goods (10% each).
How does the product reach the delivery service?
After the customer has made all the required clicks, information about the order is entered into the database of the online store. The account manager necessarily contacts the buyer, confirms the purchase and sends a request for order picking and delivery to the logistics company.
Large stores often outsource logistics functions - with a large flow of orders, this is much more profitable than keeping even small warehouses in the regions.
How not to bring a chair instead of shoes
After the application has been received by the logistics company, it is processed by managers and transferred to the warehouse. Its employees select packaging depending on the method of delivery and the nature of the attachment, complete the shipment, pack, draw up accompanying documents, stick labels and transfer the order for delivery. This is a very important stage, since it depends on it whether the buyer will receive what he ordered.
The girl refused to swim in a vest, called the store, which had to fix
mistake at your own expense
Once, for example, a girl ordered a sports swimsuit in a well-known and very expensive Moscow store. The manager called, checked the price, the customer confirmed everything. We agreed on the date of arrival of the courier. At the appointed time, the courier arrived and brought her a vest. The girl refused to swim in a vest, called the store, which had to correct the mistake at its own expense. In the end, the client was satisfied, but where the first copy of the swimsuit was “lost” remained a mystery.
The reason for such cases, as a rule, is a store manager's mistake in the nomenclature when transferring an order for picking. A stock error is also possible. Therefore, the control of the conformity of the articles on the goods and in the accompanying documents is a very important component when completing an order. If, due to an error, the buyer receives something completely different from what he ordered, the store has to incur significant expenses. In addition to the cost of shipping a confused product, you have to pay for re-packaging, packaging, processing and re-delivery of the order. And to maintain the loyalty of the buyer, it is worth putting an additional small gift in the package.
How the order is sent
The online store, in the case of independent picking of orders, transfers the packaged shipment to the transport company. The transport company, if necessary, repacks it and draws up accompanying documents. After that, the order finally goes on the road.
Many errors can occur at this stage - from a failure in the IT system of one of the parties, as a result of which there is a confusion in addresses, to errors in the data provided by the online store, which impede delivery.
It is very important for buyers to be careful when filling out address data when placing an order: an error in even one digit can lead to the fact that your order will be sent to a completely different location. For example, there are two cities of Blagoveshchensk - in the Amur region and in Bashkiria. And if the buyer did not indicate the index, and the online store did not check it, the parcel may end up in a completely different region of Russia.
What are the parcels
The choice of the type of transport that the order will use depends on the target cost and target delivery time (moreover, logistics is aimed at minimizing the cost, and the commercial service is aimed at reducing the time). Most often, a distance of up to 500 kilometers is carried by cars, over 500 kilometers it is more expedient to carry by rail or air.
By the way, land transport also has its own restrictions on the duration of movement, on average it is no more than 500 kilometers per day for each type of transport. Plus, two days at least should be laid down for additional processing of the shipment.
At the same time, the distance almost does not affect the condition of the goods at the end of the journey. It is important here how many overloads and intermediaries will be, as well as what their competence is. It is possible to deliver a damaged shipment in the Moscow region, or it is possible to bring the order to Vladivostok intact.
Who pays for shipping
As a rule, online stores are divided into two camps: those who take all the costs of order delivery on themselves and shift these functions to the recipient. In the first case, the store guarantees free delivery of the order (as a rule, if the order amount exceeds a certain minimum) and chooses the delivery channel itself. In the second case, the online store offers the recipient to choose a courier company from several options, depending on the expected delivery time and cost.
However, there are also companies that offer a single delivery rate, which is paid by the recipient, and the difference between this rate and the rate of the courier company, if any, is reimbursed at their own expense.
What happens in the mail
After passing the highway and sorting, the shipment arrives at the post office and waits for the recipient to redeem it. However, it happens that it can lie for a very long time, since, for example, the recipient did not receive a notification.
And it happens that the customer, while waiting for the parcel, changed his mind and simply did not go to the post office to redeem it. No one will judge him for this, and this happens often. Online shopping is often emotional and momentary. And after a few days there is already a risk that a person will “burn out”.
Online shopping is often emotional and momentary. After a few days, there is already a risk that the person "burns out"
When we deliver orders, we try to competently build a dialogue with the client of the online store, and the number of shipments that refused to be redeemed is reduced. In 2014, the percentage of returns for all shipments passing through us did not exceed 6.78%.
In the case when the goods are delivered by courier service, difficulties may also occur. Starting from the complex process of agreeing on the time and address of delivery and ending with privacy issues. For example, when making purchases in intimate goods stores, many buyers are not ready to accept a courier in their office and prefer to pick up goods “on the street”. With one of our clients, we developed an entire order delivery system that guarantees the confidentiality of the purchase and minimizes possible embarrassing situations - from special packaging to instructions for call center operators and couriers.
How to return an order
If you refuse to purchase, the story for the online store and the transport company that carried out the delivery does not end. You need to take the goods back, return it to the online store. And the online store needs to dismantle it, place it in storage and pay double the shipping rate, without earning a penny on it.
Some online stores even use the possibility of returning unsuitable goods as one of the ways to attract a customer. But each return is an additional processing cost. Depending on the category of goods, both the buyer himself and the online store can pay for this.
In the case of unredeemed items, most often the costs are borne by the store. He will have to pay for delivery to the place of residence of the intended buyer (100% of the delivery rate), return delivery of goods - (from 50 to 100% of the rate, depending on the operator), disassembly of the shipment and placement of goods for storage (the cost depends on the fulfillment operator or on the cost of maintaining your own warehouse). In addition to delivery, the online store has already paid for the advertising that brought the buyer to it. It may pay fines to the supplier if the goods are returned to him. Sometimes, after long transportation, it is required to evaluate the goods for their suitability for further sale, and these are the costs of an expert, lawyer and other specialists who will deal with complaints with the transport company and the supplier.
Returning goods to an online store is one of the biggest problems of Russian e-commerce, since for most online stores these costs eat up up to 80% of profits. According to our data, reducing the number of return shipments by 3-5% increases revenue by 20-30%. If online stores begin to work effectively with buyers and logistics operators on last step delivery, many of those who are now on the verge of survival will be able to save their business.
Publication date: 04/24/2015
The sale of goods via the Internet, including bulletin boards, forums, specialized auction sites, is gaining momentum every day. Many people decide to sell some unnecessary things lying around at home, while others are constantly engaged in sales, ordering, for example, and reselling some goods from China. You can most often sell goods to a person in your city without much difficulty - in person, but transporting some thing to another city is already more problematic. In this case, the almighty Russian Post comes to the rescue, through which most of all parcel shipments across Russia pass. But is it possible send a parcel at the expense of the recipient using the services of the Russian Post? Not!
Naturally, no seller wants to send a parcel at his own expense. Even sending light and small parcels through the Russian Post costs at least 150-200 rubles. But the product itself is often not much more expensive.
Many sellers decide to send packages to their customers via cash on delivery. But I’ll say right away that it’s impossible at the expense of the recipient (buyer)! That is, no matter how you send the parcel through the Russian Post, in any case, the sender must pay for sending the parcel. That is, in this case, the Russian Post works according to the principle: Payment first, then delivery.
Why is it impossible to send a parcel through the Russian Post at the expense of the recipient? The answer in this case is simple: Russian Post is a commercial organization that does not take on the risks associated with possible non-payment by the recipient. After all, when sending a regular parcel to your relative or sending the goods by cash on delivery to the buyer, there is no guarantee that the relative or the buyer will decide to pick up the parcel and pay for postal services accordingly. Therefore, the sender pays for sending the parcel without fail!
The only way to send a parcel at the expense of the buyer is to take an advance payment from the buyer for delivery or include the cost of delivery in the amount of cash on delivery. But in any case, I repeat once again: if you send a parcel through the mail, then it is you who pay for the shipment!
Sending parcels by EMS (express delivery) is also not a way out of this situation. In the case of EMS, the same rule applies as when sending parcels via the Russian Post.
Delivery at the expense of the buyer
You can send a parcel at the expense of the recipient only using the services of some transport companies(TK). It is worth noting that not every transport company provides such an opportunity, but finding a suitable shopping mall is quite realistic.
The cost of sending parcels through transport companies is higher than sending a similar parcel through the Russian Post. Sending through some shopping malls can cost 2-3 times more, or even more. But even in this case, you can find a completely adequate shopping mall with reasonable prices and, most importantly, with the possibility of delivery at the expense of the recipient. At the same time, delivery times through the TC, as a rule, are much shorter than those of the Russian Post.
I personally live in Penza. There are quite a lot of different transport companies in our city, but I only used the services of PEK. PEK is a fairly well-known transport company; it has offices in almost every major city in Russia (Voronezh, Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg, etc.). Full list cities are on the official website: pecom.ru. PEC works on the principle: first payment, then delivery of the goods. That is, you can not pay a penny for delivery - and the recipient of the parcel will pay for it already in his city.
The cost of sending via PEC is very reasonable. The site has a calculator with which you can calculate the cost. And I’ll just say for example that today I sent a small parcel to Astrakhan weighing about 500 grams (photo below), and the recipient will pay only 300 rubles for it.
The stated delivery time for my package from Penza to Astrakhan is 4 days. Quite quickly!
I did not use the services of other transport companies only because of the higher cost of delivery.
If you have experience sending parcels at the expense of the recipient in other ways or through other shopping malls, share in the comments.
Payment for services can be distributed among the parties to the contractual relationship, while the cost of one service cannot be divided between several payers.
Example #1
In PEK, the client ordered the transportation of cargo from a branch in Moscow to a branch in Saratov, as well as delivery of cargo to the address of the consignee in Saratov. Payment option: the shipper pays for the “Transportation” service, the consignee pays for the “Cargo delivery” service, or vice versa. A third party may also pay for all of these services.
Example #2
In the company "PEK" the client ordered the transportation of goods from a branch in Moscow to a branch in Saratov. He did not order any more services. Only one person can pay for the “Transportation” service: either the consignor, or the consignee, or a third party.
WHEN you can pay
Payment for services can be made at any time convenient for the client:
- upon self-delivery of cargo in the branch "PEK";
- during the transportation of goods;
- upon receipt of the cargo at the PEK branch;
- upon targeted delivery of goods to the recipient.
Note!
Delivery of cargo is carried out only after full payment of the ordered services. In the case of payment for services by bank transfer, the fact of payment is considered to be the transfer of funds to the settlement account of the carrier.
How can I pay
Payment for the services of the company "PEK" is made in rubles.
- by bank transfer;
- in cash (restriction on the amount of 100,000 rubles in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation);
- by bank card at PEK branches;
- by offsetting when using the "Cash on Delivery" service.
Special conditions for legal entities
Advance payment
For clients with whom PEK has signed a freight forwarding service agreement, there is also an advance payment scheme. This payment method allows you to transfer funds in advance to the settlement account of the PEK company, which is convenient for constant and long-term cooperation. After the provision of each service, the corresponding amount is debited from the client's account, calculated strictly according to the company's tariffs.
Deferment of payment
In special cases, an additional agreement for deferred payment is signed to the forwarding service agreement. Such an opportunity is considered individually for corporate clients providing consistently large volumes of cargo transportation.
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Restrictions on payment for services
When providing the service "Cargo Pickup" cash payment through the PEK driver is not accepted, since the final cost of services is determined after weighing and measuring the cargo when it is received at the PEK branch.
If when ordering the service "Delivery of cargo" the client has chosen the form of payment "Cash", then it is possible to pay for all the services rendered, including the "Transportation" service (and receive all the necessary documents), directly to the "PEC" driver upon receipt of the cargo. Payment can be made provided that the consignee was originally declared the payer for the services. Payment to the driver by credit card is not possible.
Payment terms for international shipments
When organizing cargo transportation outside Russian Federation other payment terms apply.
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Turning to the services of a courier company for the first time, many customers do not know how much to expect. Often it turns out that the right amount of money is simply not at hand. Modern courier companies are ready to provide their customers with maximum comfort, so they offer a variety of payment methods. Unfortunately, this does not apply to small delivery services, since for the most part they prefer to pay in cash to the courier upon receipt of the parcel.
What causes an increase in shipping costs?
The calculation of the amount of the order is always made by the dispatcher of the courier company when inspecting the parcel. Factors such as:
- package type;
- cargo form.
By weight, postal items are divided into standard, heavy, bulky and non-standard. The higher the weight, the higher the shipping cost. The delivery time is also taken into account. If you need to deliver the parcel urgently, then the price for courier services will be higher. Some firms increase the cost of delivery by one and a half to two times.
Based on these parameters, the dispatcher will be able to name the exact cost of the shipment, and you will only have to choose the method by which you can pay the performers.
What are the payment methods for courier services?
Before contacting a courier organization, you need to clearly understand what options there are for making payment for courier services. There are several ways:
- cash;
- cashless payments;
- transfer of funds using an electronic wallet.
Cash is one of the most popular payment methods. Anyone who has used the services of couriers at least once is familiar with him. When registering a parcel, the company calculates its cost and declares it to the client. They pay it at the cash desk of the branch or transfer the amount of money directly to the courier in the hands. In the second case, it is necessary to put a signature on the form for receiving the parcel or processing the dispatch of the goods.
Bank transfer is the second most popular payment method. As a rule, the client does not always have the required amount at hand, and it is much easier for him to pay with a bank card. Almost every delivery service accepts MasterCard or Visa cards. However, this method has one drawback - you must warn the courier company employee in advance that you want to use plastic card. This will allow the courier to prepare and take the mobile terminal with him. Otherwise, you will not be able to use a plastic card.
The third most popular way is to pay for the parcel using electronic wallets. The low popularity of wallets is explained by the following factors:
- not every person today is familiar with the concept of electronic money;
- not every courier company offers to pay for the parcel using an online wallet.
This method is very popular among people who constantly shop in online stores. Large courier companies also focus on more modern customers, so they are ready to offer them to pay for the services of their employees using electronic wallets.
If you carefully read each method of depositing funds for the services of a courier company, you will have the opportunity to choose the most optimal option. Also, you will not get into an awkward situation, for example, forgetting to warn the dispatcher that the courier needs to take a mobile terminal with him, which will allow you to use a credit card or a storage card.
What payment methods do some courier companies additionally provide to their customers?
As organizations are constantly evolving, some companies allow their customers to use additional payment methods. These include:
- payment for courier services by the addressee;
- non-cash payment for delivery by a legal entity.
The first option is in demand among people who themselves want to pay for the cargo sent to them. This means that the recipient will be able to guarantee the delivery service the independent payment of funds for the parcel, thereby completely freeing the sender from the monetary costs.
Payment by bank transfer is convenient for entrepreneurs. An employee of the courier company issues an invoice to the client organization, after which a certain amount must be transferred to the service provider within a strictly agreed time.
Such options are not provided by every courier company. As a rule, they can be used in large organizations, since small enterprises prefer to limit themselves to depositing cash or provide the opportunity to use a bank card.
