Delivery / Collection

[KyleSmith]

Can anyone recommend a courier service for the Olympus 35-100mm.

I want to hire it out, but it costs 21 pound two times.

One for delivery and one for collection so 87 in total which is a little over the price I wanted to pay.

I want the courier to insure me for 1.5k for the item cost.

Thanks

Kyle

[ringneck]

Re: Delivery / Collection

When I hired the 300mm with 1.4 T.C. I was only to happy to pay the £21 for the hirers own courier as 1. I did not have to lift a finger or go to the Post Office and worry if it would be O.K. in transit.
Once it was in their hands I could relax and just marvel at the images I managed to get with the gear.

Keith

p.s.....and I am renown for being an old skinflint....

[KyleSmith]

Re: Delivery / Collection

When I hired the 300mm with 1.4 T.C. I was only to happy to pay the £21 for the hirers own courier as 1. I did not have to lift a finger or go to the Post Office and worry if it would be O.K. in transit.
Once it was in their hands I could relax and just marvel at the images I managed to get with the gear.

Keith

p.s.....and I am renown for being an old skinflint....

I wouldn't mind it it was just 21, but its 42 in total for collection and delivery.

[Ian]

Re: Delivery / Collection

This is perhaps the biggest hurdle we face when quoting to prospective clients. We try our best to provide the best value for money in terms of shipping costs. For example, we find that if the consignment weighs less than 2kg, then Royal Mail Special Delivery is pretty much unbeatable and we always aim to use them where possible, even though it means we have to bring parcels to the post office, which means journey in the car. We have tried many other courier services for heavier parcels and currently we are using Parcel Force. We do add a small premium for handling, but if you would like to save on that you could arrange your own courier to collect from us and deliver back - and we can recommend Parcel Force. If you are not too far from us in Hemel Hempstead you can of course arrange to collect and return your items personally.

Ian

[Zuiko]

Re: Delivery / Collection

Considering the size, weight and value of this lens I don't think £42 delivery and collection combined is expensive. Should you arrange an alternative courier it is imperative that you ensure that it is fully insured - if you flinch at £42 delivery, you sure won't want to pay for a new lens if anything goes wrong!

[KyleSmith]

Re: Delivery / Collection

Considering the size, weight and value of this lens I don't think £42 delivery and collection combined is expensive. Should you arrange an alternative courier it is imperative that you ensure that it is fully insured - if you flinch at £42 delivery, you sure won't want to pay for a new lens if anything goes wrong!

I agree it isn't alot if you're making money out of the shots, but in this case I'm not.

Also I'm a student and I'm sure you know we have to live on student budgets, spending 42 pound on postage alone is a fair bit for a student budget.

[Chevvyf1]

Re: Delivery / Collection

I agree it isn't alot if you're making money out of the shots, but in this case I'm not.

Also I'm a student and I'm sure you know we have to live on student budgets, spending 42 pound on postage alone is a fair bit for a student budget.

Kyle, I would balance the cost of fuel or rail and time to collect it and do that journey x 4 AND Insurance is included in case of damage or theft en route

[Zuiko]

Re: Delivery / Collection

I agree it isn't alot if you're making money out of the shots, but in this case I'm not.

Also I'm a student and I'm sure you know we have to live on student budgets, spending 42 pound on postage alone is a fair bit for a student budget.

I do appreciate that, Kyle, and I sympathize with you. However, the costs are unavoidable and have to be covered somehow. By all means seek a cheaper alternative but do be wary of exposing yourself to potential losses which you couldn't afford to cover. It may be that, for now, hiring a lens such as this is unfortunately beyond your reach.

[Wally]

Re: Delivery / Collection

Having used RMSD for 'expensive gear' sold here on the forum, £21 each way isn't all that expensive. The costs rise at certain weights and jumps considerably above 2Kg (from £9.75 to £25.50). I can only guess that the weight of such a lens has an impact on the quoted postage costs. Additionally, there are over and above insurance costs to factor in. Add in packing materials and it becomes more of a bargain as it can be re-used on return. Other couriers may not be all that much cheaper and, as has been hinted, what price do you put for piece of mind?

Not wanting to teach granny to suck eggs, even as a student, if you’re struggling with £42, the gear is out of your reach, at least for the time being. You need to ask some serious searching questions on the need of the project or look at an alternative approach/solution to the problem.

[Ian]

Re: Delivery / Collection

One possibility could be to pay more for the hire by extending the days and then choose a cheaper but slower courier service. Basically hire costs per day reduce, per day, the longer the hire period. If you can save more on the courier service than you spend more on the hire, you could be quids-in. Basically hire costs per day reduce, per day, the longer the hire period. As long as you get the gear back to us by the quoted date, what you do with the days booked is down to you.

Ian

[ringneck]

Re: Delivery / Collection

I always see on the "for sale" forum the cost inc RMSD and didn't think much about it until TODAY....I went along to the Post Office to get a quote for a lens over 2kg (almost 3 I think) with insurance to cover £750 and was told £26.50.

She also said Parcel Force was over £40 ...but I could also check it all on line which I have done but they do not let you get a quote for 750 ...only 500 or 1000...this is for 1000.....



Having it to deliver over 2-3 or even 5 days does not mean THAT much less.

Makes Ian's £21 an even better service.

Keith