Mustang Maniac has a very exciting announcement to make regarding the WebShop and it’s functionality. We are going to trial some new postage options. But first an amusing tale that instigated Adam’s investigation. 

A little while ago we had an email from a new customer who wanted to buy a small single part, the part was a single rubber “O” ring. However, the customer who will now be known as “Mr O Ring” didn’t see why he had to pay £8 for our standard courier charge. (We have covered this topic on number of occasions and we won’t go into it again). Mr. O Ring sent a follow up email to say; “can’t we just put it in a Jiffy bag and take it to the post office?” Adam responded with his standard (cut and pasted) response to these type of emails, “if you were to buy other items then the courier will still be the same cost and proportionally it then works out more cost effective”. The Mr. O Ring still wasn’t having any of it, Mr O Ring was adamant he didn’t want the courier but he still wanted it fast. Adam again responded to say he could pick it up himself or the courier is still an option. Needless to say Mr. O Ring paid the courier service in the end. All this back and forth for an item that cost less than a can of coke. Mr O Ring was trying to dictate the terms of our business. As Mr O Ring was a new customer and never ordered before, his part was tiny in comparison and yet Mr O Ring was causing chaos for a rubber O ring! We suspect that Mr. O Ring won’t be placing future orders with us as he is probably using somebody else, as we know that we are the only company in the country that has this part in stock. 😉 

Adam’s explanation was quite simple on this one; “so I’m expected to go to a post office which is just over four miles away, burning my time, using my vehicles and fuel to get there. The post office is currently on restricted opening hours at the moment as it is. When the post office does eventually open it’s busy as the world and his mate wants something posted. I would have to queue for God knows how long as a result. I would have to buy the Jiffy bag, write the label out, stand in the queue exposing myself to potential Corona virus from some unhealthy Herbert coughing and spluttering while I wait to get served. The cost of postage would then be Jiffy bag plus the stamps to get there. The expected cost to be around £4. Make the return trip more fuel which would leave me out of pocket by £4. No we don’t do post office runs. If I was to do this a few times a day I wouldn’t get any work done!” 

There has been a few requests for cheaper postage since we stopped it a few years ago. Unbeknown to Mr O Ring, Adam was already working hard behind the scenes to get this postage option in place again for a couple of months now. The upshot is after a couple of months a new improved process is now on a trial basis. Some customers who have ordered smaller items have also had their postage of the courier fully REFUNDED, and Adam has sent out their order using the new system free of charge to the customer. 

Adam explains; Postage charge is not just the postage cost you see on the stamp or franking mark. The money that is paid in stamps is for the “service” to transport that package from A to B, based on the size and weight etc. So if the the postage cost is £0.77, it will cost Royal Mail £0.77 to move it. 

Then there is our costs to go on that as well, our overheads to stock the item, somebody to pick the item, packaging for the item, physically packing the item and then dispatch. All of which is standard online retail stuff. 

What does this all mean?

Well, Adam has now got a trial contract with Parcel Force who will now call into Mustang Maniac offices and pick up the postage. This is in addition to the courier service we still provide.

On the WebShop there will be some NEW postage options which you can choose from, this will now include the normal and cheaper option of Parcel Force.

Yep – the cost of postage of smaller parts could well be cheaper. However; the cost will still be size and weight dependant still, so costs will vary depending on the items you purchase.

So you could now buy a single O Ring which could be packaged and posted out to you. Keep in mind that the we have to buy the weighing scales, boxes, franking machine, credit for the franking machine and of course the contract with the post office to collect from us, all of which is included in the postage & “packaging”. 

The down side, is that you are now waiting for normal postage and not next day courier. So if cost is your concern we now have an answer that has been requested for a while now. 

Your help needed:

We are asking that if you are one of the lucky ones that has been getting the new trial service of mail delivery, can you let us know via email; adam@mustangmainiac.co.uk what you think of the service. We will also have proof of postage for your items being sent out to you. 

We did have postage option many years ago and found that certain items “weren’t arriving” to the customer. As a result we were out of pocket for replacements. Hence the signed for courier service stopped all of that when we replaced the standard post process. If we find that history starts to repeat itself, then we will just revert back to the tried and tested courier option. 

Mustang Maniac has listened and reacted on your feedback. 

We have some other really exciting news for you next week regarding our new stock, stock kits and stock options, the details wasn’t quite ready for this post so you will have to wait for the next update. It will be worth it!