What’s the best courier for small expensive stuff like Canon cameras and lenses? I used to just queue up in the Post Office and pay whatever they suggested but now the price has shot up and there’s lot of other options.

I just buy postage via Ebay, it’s all integrated now, you get a choice of options. I normally use RM and just drop it off at the local PO to be scanned for Recorded delivery.

Absolutely not

Glad you agree.

Canon cameras and lenses?

What’ve you got? </thread hijack>

What’s the best courier for small expensive stuff like Canon cameras and lenses?

Running a postoffice – your only option would be special delivery to cover the insurance costs. You could try parcel monkey for a parcel comparison (which will ultimately be cheaper than walking into a postoffice), but make sure your insured for the correct amount…..

Royal Mail Tracked 24 (but you can’t buy it or drop it off at a Post Office) or Special Delivery.

PRetty sure the T24 option is deliberate attempt by Royal Mail to take Special Delivery sales away from Post Offices, so I tend to pay the extra for SD at mine. Otherwise they’re basically the same.

What’ve you got? </thread hijack>

I’ll be selling all of these…

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/lenses/17-55mm.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/lenses/24-105mm-ii.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/lenses/70-200mm-f4-is.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/lenses/100-400mm-ii.htm

I’ve also got a 7D mk1 and mk2. I’ll either keep the mk2 for now or sell the lot and go mirrorless. Currently undecided.

Royal Mail Tracked 24 (but you can’t buy it or drop it off at a Post Office) or Special Delivery.

RM tracked 24 only insures to £100…
Special delivery insurance starts at £500 and you can also add in additional insurances.

On the other hand, selling a used mobile phone – blimey, that was like a whole different world. So much illiteracy, so many blagging attempts (“wats ur best price m8”, “wood u take a PS2” etc).

I had a guy once win an auction for a phone and opted for cash on collection. He then tried to haggle with me when he came to collect. 😒

Perhaps I am lucky when selling but I am a ration of 1 in 1000 idiots so far.

The one idiot annoys me per thousand but if you’re honest in your description, cordial and have the “prat” radar on high alert I’ve always (so far!) been OK and agree with all the above comments around things being what someone is prepared to pay.

As a buyer I’ve had 99 out of 100 good experiences with one dodgy wheel buy (weird axle tolerances) and some good bargains but like all things go in as an intelligent buyer and don’t get caught up in emotions or auction or thinking eBay will be cheapest – it often isn’t.

Tried to buy a new (to me) bike recently and responses from seller sounded dodgy radar and wanted (in my own view) to much as an offer (but would take outside eBay with no seller protection – no thank you) so backed away politely.

If it feels dodgy probably safer to back away.

What’s the best courier for small expensive stuff like Canon cameras and lenses?

They’re all equally good and bad. You’ve no idea who is going to handle it through the chain – you only need a temp cover driver on the final drop for it all to fall apart.

the only real question is whether you shell out for full insurance or ‘self insure’ and chance it at the default compensation. (I’ve nearly always chanced it and saved far more in insurance that it will cost me if something goes missing one day). the only things that have gone missing are low value items in standard post that aren’t even worth the effort of chasing up with the Post Office.

What’s the best courier for small expensive stuff like Canon cameras and lenses? I used to just queue up in the Post Office and pay whatever they suggested but now the price has shot up and there’s lot of other options.

Still the Post Office IME. The others end up costing about the same once you’ve added up the insurance etc.

I send anything camera related or expensive electronics via special delivery, it’s not that much more (because it’s insured for a lot more as standard) and you know its tracked and gets there by 1pm. Even for big boxes (PC’s etc) it’s only £3 more than the regular options.

Jeez, I’ve not posted on here for ages!

Ebay’s not as good as it used to be, but it’s still more good than bad IMO. The bargains get rarer and the n0bs get less so, but as people have already said, you usually get a feel for what’s right or not.

I’ve not done so much of the blocking as someone’s said, but I do have a mental list of stuff I’ll never sell on there (electrical goods being my main one but musical instruments are a close second).

If you list “free returns” ebay will automatically refund you 50% of your sale price once the item gets back to you, which is worth knowing. I only found out after I sold a cymbal which was disputed as cracked despite it not being when I shipped it (dented, yes, but well described…). The buyer was an Ebayer of cymbals so I think he bought it to try and bend the dent out, cracked it and as ebay tends to side with the buyer I got stuffed. I disputed it but it was a lot of hassle but talking to the ebay staff I learned a lot.

What’s the best courier for small expensive stuff like Canon cameras and lenses? I used to just queue up in the Post Office and pay whatever they suggested but now the price has shot up and there’s lot of other options.

I just buy postage via Ebay, it’s all integrated now, you get a choice of options. I normally use RM and just drop it off at the local PO to be scanned for Recorded delivery.

Worth reading the small print – many carriers don’t insure glass which means they don’t insure lenses and cameras We sold a video camera recently (a broadcast one so a bit spendy) and it ended up cheaper for me to drive it to London from Scotland than send it with any courier who could actually insure it.

There is no point in putting in a highest bid (or any bid) with any more than 45 seconds to go, that only leaves a shill bidder seconds to think about it and can miss out while their screen is refreshing.

Boight a bike and a frame and forks recently. My highest bid was the figure at which I felt I would be gutted if I missed out. So with the aforementioned 45 seconds to go I click on the algorythmned ‘bid now’ figure and immediately put in my highest bid amount when the window opens, then click confirm with 5 seconds to go.

For the bike I put a maximum bid of £415 and got it for £217.

For the frame and forks I maxed £225 and got them for £142.

Never gambled before but the final minute rush as you place the bid is quite something. Felt like a winner on both occasions.

So folks, don’t bid a thing until literally the last minute. You’ll just be showing your hand and wasting money if you do.

So folks, don’t bid a thing until literally the last minute. You’ll just be showing your hand and wasting money if you do.

Doesn’t everyone just use sniping software?

Sadly not if it’s a Best Offer, as I recently found out to my cost.

I always sell Buy It Now, immediate payment required, no offers accepted.
When someone then emails me an offer, I just reduce the price to that offer price and they buy it having to pay immediately which removes the problem you have raised.

Still the Post Office IME. The others end up costing about the same once you’ve added up the insurance etc.

Yep, post office for me. Special Delivery is good. It is expensive buy I am not paying it, the buyer is. If they don’t want that level/cost of postage then don’t buy the item.

I just buy postage via Ebay, it’s all integrated now, you get a choice of options. I normally use RM and just drop it off at the local PO to be scanned for Recorded delivery.

Remember if you value your local post office then they make zero money from your buying post from eBay and dropping it off there.

If you value royal mail then why not buy online from them and use their postie pickup service?

I sell everything on FB now through Groups. Agree a price, they come round and see the “thing”, shake hands and done.

No commission, no PayPal, no refunds, buyer gets to see the item and is happy, no messing.

Selling through a virtual bulletin board is the way forward!

I sell everything on FB now through Groups. Agree a price, they come round and see the “thing”, shake hands and done.

I don’t really want loads of people coming round (and I am certainly not shaking anyones hand!), and I don’t mind paying fees as I am getting better prices by selling to the whole of the UK rather than someone who can pick the item up.

Remember if you value your local post office then they make zero money from your buying post from eBay and dropping it off there.

We do make something on eBay prepay, but cirtainly no where near as much as an item that needs to be processed. Postoffices make zero money from any royal mail processed items – which is why they are refused.

It almost always runs smoothly you just hear about the problems

Although that’s true the problems can end up being quite severe depending on what you sell and price etc.

Just a cautionary word over selling cars ATM, seem to be a lot of Audi’s being stolen locally where the buyer comes for a look, clones the key and comes back at 3am…

Just a cautionary word over selling cars ATM, seem to be a lot of Audi’s being stolen

I wouldn’t think that would affect anyone on here.

Just my van on ebay a couple of hours ago. 120 views and 3 watchers already.

45 views and no bites in 5 days on Facebook marketplace.

How often do ebay offer the free listings? I notice there’s one on now but it ends on the first and I’m totally unorganised with everything I’d like to sell.

I’d say that they come up about once a month but they’ve been every couple of weeks recently

Vehicles are never on free listings Tom, don’t get included.

Yeah I’ve paid 15 quid to list the van. Already had more interest than I got in a week on Facebook.

We do make something on eBay prepay

That’s good to hear.

Facebook Marketplace sucks compared to eBay. Not that this actually means much.

It’s worse with free stuff – the number of “can you deliver this to xxx miles away for nothing” was remarkable.

Having said that I gave some stuff away on here via the classifieds a few years ago – even covered the postage – and didn’t get a single thank you from the recipients so who knows?

My first lens went live a couple of hours ago for a 7 day auction. I was a little nervous starting at 1p no reserve but it had bids within minutes and now it’s over £600.

Madness. I’ve been putting this off for ages. Now I’ll be racing to sort all my other gear out tomorrow before the free listings end!