3
Demise of the
POD What Now ?
For
nearly 20 years, stamp club members have relied on Proof of Delivery labels for
posting on circuit boxes. However at the beginning of this year, NZPost
announced that they were withdrawing PODs from sale. All representations from
philatelic societies to provide a secure alternative that would allows us to
continue using stamps on parcels, have fallen on deaf ears!
Whilst
PODs have not been foolproof, largely through ignorance of staff in some Postal
Outlets, and the irresponsibility of a few delivery contractors. Whenever a
stamp box has been lost by NZPO, we have received compensation through their
insurance scheme, as long as a POD was on the parcel.
As
we have only enough PODs in stock to last us through to sometime next year, we
need input from members, particularly country members (who frequently have to
post on boxes) as to how we should plan for the future. We have discussed the
problem with some other clubs and their exchange superintendents. We list below,
some of the suggestions we have been offered. Please can send us your reactions
to these ideas.
1.
Only
post to members who have a PO Box, or who are happy to collect parcels from the
counter at their nearest postal agency ?
2.
Where
there is more than one member in the same town and one has a PO Box, always
post to that person first - that member can share other members postal costs
for sending on ?
3.
Use
parcel tickets (with signature required labels) ? We would be able to get these at a discounted rate if we buy in
bulk - the recipient will miss out on getting stamps on their parcels but there
is an increased weight limit to 5kg.
4.
Use
Courierpost Trackpacks (with signature required) ? Again no stamps but a 3kg weight limit.
5.
Continue to
use stamps and trust to NZPost's delivery agents to leave parcels in a safe
place ? We would have to dramatically increase insurance levies to sellers to
cover lost parcels or take a "bad luck" approach to sellers whose
books are lost and pay minimal compensation.
6.
Abandon country
circuits ?
? 
? 
? ?
I repeat, please send
us your reactions and feedback to these suggestions - we need them ASAP
Selling
Members Corner
Thanks for all the books you have sent in for circulation
recently - receipts are enclosed
with this newsletter - also circuit book
returns, plus statements and cheques
for those who have significant balances in their account and have requested
mid-year payments.
When preparing future books, please give consideration to
two of the practical constraints we work under for sending out books to
members, many of whom are on postal circuits ~
à
If a parcel weighs under 2 kg, the postage is $4.85
nationwide,
but
if it is even 1 gram over this limit, the postage jumps to $10.95
à
Our contract with NZPO has an insurance maximum of
$1500 for each consignment
We send out
circuit boxes in pairs ~ usually a regular box containing 15 or 16 books, and a
discount box containing 20 books.
Packaging and advice slips are often around 200g.
In theory, this means that an average
circuit book should weigh 50g and
have a value of $40. Obviously, we
expect wide variations, and with books from a variety of vendors in each box,
it normally works out fine.
However a few members still persist in sending in books
weighing up to 90g or books valued at $800 (even $1400!). Jan finds it rather
impossible to find 35 books from 35 other members valued at $3 to fill a box
and keep within the limit !!
We
now weigh each box before we take it to the PO, and the heaviest books get
"off-loaded" if the scales flip over the 2kg mark.
So we ask = please don’t send in
books weighed down with Hagner sheets or heavy covers
= spread your valuable
stamps over a number of books and space out them on the pages