[iampulo]

This is going to be a review post on my recent IndiaPost Parcel/Courier booking experience.

So I recently got married (Thank you for your wishes) and since I stay in Delhi NCR, my hometown being is in Assam, there were lot of utility gifts that we discovered which my Madam said could be used.

On a side note, just an honest confession, why do people gift cheap/low quality gifts/ornaments just for the sake of gifting. I mean just don't gift, we shall be more happy.

Alright we selected many gifted articles (bed sheets/casseroles/cutlery/dining sets/electric appliances) which would be completely utilized but not worth the transport hassle & charges. Moreover, we can't carry those bulky items plus the flight/train carrying capacity is very limited. On top of that, we needed proper rest so none of us were ready to carry any luggage at all except essentials. I began exploring the parcel options. To be honest, for me DTDC, Trackon, etc were costly. Yes costly, when you are talking of about 85 Kg shipment. Then the thought crossed my mind, why shouldn't I check out India Post.

So I went to Indian Post Office and inquired the postage facility. I was of the assumption that the rates shall be near or at least less than private courier vendors. The rates are satisfactorily cheaper.

Now there are 2 modes of parcel/courier:-
1. The EMS Speed post, which is their fastest service . ( A disclaimer on this later)
2. The Registered parcel service.

We all know about the Speed Post facility. But the Registered Parcel facility is a boon for people who move bulky consignments/ huge quantum of materials at an affordable rate (much affordable).

The Cons of registered parcel facility are:-

1. You should take all proper precautions in packaging the material as it will mostly be transported through surface and will be handled numerous times.

2. There should not be any urgency in receiving the material.
Now, folks, don't misinterpret this point, it does takes time but that's at max 2-3 days more than speed post time. Gone are those days when parcels used to be delivered in 20-25 days. My experience using this service has been satisfying. Around 35 Kgs of material transported across 1813 KMs in 7 days. And Cost- Around Rs 2100. (Details below).

3. List of prohibited Goods to not parcel is attached below. (Here's a loophole, if you look at the list, it doesnot explicitly mentions any Electronic materials, so you can parcel your appliances, provided it is very well cushioned and packed for small height drops)

4. Max load per parcel is 20 Kgs. So if you have bigger loads, kindly redistribute it.

5. If your destination is small sub-post office and consignment is huge (more than 12-13 Kgs large boxes), it might happen that Post Office would request you to take the deliver from the post office as their Postman alone can't handle such huge courier, which was fine for me.


List of Prohibited Items is listed as:



India Post's New Feature. Own Parcel Box and Tape :
Now, what I have discovered is that India Post have started providing its own parcel boxes (uniform size cardboard box, label mentioning not more than 25 Kgs) and its own adhesive tapes. This is a part of their rationalising delivery box sizes and weight in order to maximize delivery volume.

But the Cardboard Box material is not too sturdy to handle 20 kgs load with adhesive tapes. I would advise you to load max 11-13 Kgs per box and stick the adhesive duct tape all around the borders, all edges (even those edges which donot have a break as usually the wear and tear first). And above that, tie the whole package with plastic ropes so that overall the load is distributed while lifting and also when stacked.


You have to pack all your stuff then and there itself so that is a little hassle. Try to go in morning hours so that there is adequate time. Usually parcel booking facility is closed around 3:30 to 3:45 pm. The box and adhesive tapes are compulsory to be packed and charges around Rs 150.

India Post Parcel Box -




25 KG Parcel Branding -




The Loophole

This facility has just started and being implemented across big divisional post offices only. Small sub post offices donot have it. So here's the catch. Just book your parcel at a small post/sub post office (every office has parcel booking facility).
In those small offices, all you have to do is bring your own super sealed parcel, book it and voila, have the consignment safely delivered. Also, you would have to pay around Rs 150 less for the parcel packing charges. Double benefits.


My Parcel Booking Experience

I booked my parcel from two places, one from my hometown (783380, has a post office) and another from my In-laws place (788815, has a sub-post office). Reference for the distance covered:





The parcels booked from my hometown faced much damage (I did not seal the India-post parcel box completely with adhesive tapes all around, I did not tie up the parcel box with plastic ropes). But the parcels booked from my in laws were delivered in pristine condition (credit to my good packing ability too).



My delivered parcel packed in India Post Parcel Box

The abrupt inadequate packaging and lesser adhesive tapes applied at post office led to this condition. Again I emphasize, put adhesive tapes all around, horizontally, vertically and around the covered edges also!





However, ta-da, look at my delivered parcel's condition from my In -laws (sub-post office, own packing).

Its as neat as any other courier service:




My review

Overall, I would say it is a great material mover facility and you can really trust on it. I know building trust on IndiaPost (except speed post facility) is a risky affair, but just try it out. The sense of relief for transporting over long distances in the cheapest rate is beautiful. Just for the sake of a larger picture, around 85 KG of materials from two different location was delivered at around Rs 4178/-. How much less can you ask for? What I could understand from the post officials regarding this low shipping rate is that for these rates are determined by the Parliament.

Refer the link.
https://www.indiapost.gov.in/VAS/Pag...tal_rates.aspx


Parcel Cost Weight Summary:

Total Cost and weight of Parcels from 783380(1813 Kms): (595.90 + 153.00) + (407.10+153.00 -) + (539.26+153.00) + (633.66 +153.00) = 2787.92 for 51.8 Kgs

Total Cost and weight of Parcels from 788815(2254 Kms) : 350.46 + 426.00 + 615.00 = Rs 1391.46 for 33.97 Kgs


Disclaimer about EMS Speed post

If you are of the notion that Speed post service will be a superior service than registered parcel, To be honest, its just the speed that changes. Nothing else. The whole handling and shipping service is same. In my recent parcel (mother in law sent some Sankranti Sweetmeats through speed post), the consignment took same as my older registered parcel time, although the Speed Post parcel was of only 4-5 Kgs. May be its an exception, but I just want to highlight the fact that you can trust Registered Parcel service at par with EMS Speed post.

Speed Post took 6 Days time!





Same delivery time in registered Parcel:



Parcel Delivered Condition( Credits to average packing )


I would advise people to utilize this service that in order to build trust on this service, start sending items which are non urgent through Registered Parcel facility.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[ninjatalli]

Thanks for the review.

Originally Posted by iampulo

So I recently got married (Thank you for your wishes)

And congratulations.

My review
Overall, I would say it is a great material mover facility and you can really trust on it. I know building trust on IndiaPost (except speed post facility) is a risky affair, but just try it out.

It is not at all risky. We have been using the parcel service for several years; with most if not all packages reaching the destination without any issues. Pro-tip: most post offices would be able to point out nearby shops who do the packaging very well for a moderate fee (or maybe we have been lucky at our end) I.e. if you don't want to do it yourself.


Alternate option: use the parcel services of Indian Railways for large packages. They are extremely efficient and very cost effective. They also provide tracking services. I have expanded on this at this post (I talk about transporting cycles but it is applicable for anything). I know of a friend who moved their entire house (stuff) from Mumbai to Bangalore years ago.

[d.w.w.]

I have been using services of Indiapost to ship out my handmade crafts since 2020. Contrary to the popular belief, their service is extremely reliable, cheap and efficient. The only thing to make sure is you pack the items properly and provide adequate protection. I have sent delicate stuff like this (The Woodworking Thread) and it reached with out any damages.

Speed post is a premium service from Indiapost and is recommended when sending value articles. I believe they are also insured up to some amount, so in case of a loss (which is highly unlikely) you get some compensation. Also from what I understand from my friend in India post, registered parcel can be routed to other destinations and will not be sent via the shortest route.For ex: I had a consignment sent from North Kerala to Chennai and it was routed through Mumbai.

Some interesting facts.

1. I've had next-day deliveries to Bangalore, Hyderabad and Jaipur when shipped from Chennai; yes you read it right - the shipments were delivered the very next day.

2. I must have sent over 300 articles and there was a delay only once. The tracking was not working, so I headed to our post office. They tracked it on their internal system and it had already reached the destination PO.

3. IndiaPost staff are extremely professional and courteous, especially in Chennai. Sometimes it makes me wonder whether it is still a government office. Of course, there are a few exceptions, mostly people above 45 or the likes.

4. Most of the consignments including big packages were home-delivered except in Kerala. For some reason, few Postmen in Kerala has problems delivering stuff. They call the consignee and ask them to pick it from post office.( DTDC does the same thing here, so cant complain)

5. I've lost sales after I told I use Speedpost for shipping.

6. Indiapost tracking is not real-time. They copy over tracking updates to a customer facing database at regular intervals. 99% of the time the tracking will be dead on weekends. (thanks to TCS who maintains the website)

7. I pack my stuff very carefully, but still I had one incident where the items were damaged in transit. They were miniatures kept in a plastic container inside a cardboard box and the container was crushed on receipt. Looked like a deliberate attempt. May be the delivery guy was angry with the customer for some reason and damaged the packet. Anyway i took it on me and promptly sent replacements which was delivered without damages.

[Cooltronics]

your feedback really helps a lot
We tried using Porter to ship goods across cities in India, and while its very convenient being door to door service and nearly same on price, we faced 2 instances where the box was cut open, items stolen and wrapped again .
We raised request with the local police station and even with the delivery partner Delhivery but got no support.

We will surely try the post office route now

[dass]

Speed post is my preferred mode for anything that is document/book related. Cheap, reliable and trust worthy. I have been using this service for 5+ years and so far, nothing has ever been misplaced.

This parcel service seems quite good as well. Will give this a try as any need arises. Thanks for sharing.

[hrman]

Originally Posted by iampulo

This is going to be a review post on my recent IndiaPost Parcel/Courier booking experience.

Thanks for the detailed and interesting post on India Post. I have had mixed experiences with India Post. To summarise:

1. Ok to transport non breakable stuff over longer distances. Eg. Clothes, accessories, apparel, books etc. I did this for Bangalore to Chennai by parcel and at a very reasonable price (I think 250 bucks), I was able to send ~4 kgs of clothes which were delivered intact in 3 days.

2. Sent dry fruit ladoos from Bangalore to Jamshedpur by Speed Post. The package was supposed to be a surprise to the recipient, hence we did not pre-inform. The package was delivered after 25-30 days with a hole in the plastic container and all sweets missing.

3. An OTG oven from Himachal to Bangalore by Speed Post. This was the most recent delivery. The oven was packed fine at the source, but was possibly dropped multiple times along the way. It arrived with the external metal body all dented at many places. The door alignment was fully off and the internal trays were not fitting due to this misshape. Fortunately the oven's door glass was intact and the oven was still usable.

I will use India post only when there is a low value unbreakable item to be transported, with no constraint of time or condition of delivery.

[jeganatu]

For cheap and quick delivery, especially with large size and weight The Indian Railways Parcel System offers cheap and safest mode for logistics. I use regularly for my business. The system is computerized and with tracking facility. Also we get sms updates from booking to delivery.

The charges will be as low as Rs 2 per kg, yes you heard it right TWO rupees per KG.

Here are some examples,

Recently I incurred freight charges of Rs. 900 for 15 articles with gross weight of 350 kgs. This was transported from Madurai to Mysore with 450 kms approximately, on an overnight train.

In another instance, the freight was about Rs. 40 for transporting 20 kg parcel from madurai to trivandrum with 400 kms.

The only hardship is we have to go and collect from railway station with Original receipt of Booking.

Ensure the station to and from are serviceable by Train. A Junction stop with 5 minutes of stoppage is advisable for safe booking as the guard and porter won't miss to load/unload our parcel.

Railways can cover any length and breath of India with its connectivity. Make use of It.

Pl. Note. Porter personally charge for loading and unloading like any other truck/ lorry transport. The amount vary between 100/200 per article.

[siddhant]

Originally Posted by iampulo

However, ta-da, look at my delivered parcel's condition from my In -laws (sub-post office, own packing).

Its as neat as any other courier service:

Very neat! I don't know why but it pleases me immensely to see good quality packing.

In the past, I have wanted to avail IndiaPost's parcel services but couldn't because I wouldn't know where to get good quality packaging material (boxes mainly). I really hated packing in used cartons because they were prone to breaking or deforming, even after taping properly. So, I usually went with DTDC or BlueDart who did everything for me for a premium.

IndiaPost offering standardized parcel boxes is an excellent initiative and would certainly drive up adoption. In recent years, with a surge of online shopping, the packaging industry has also come online in some form and a wide variety of packaging material is available online. https://packaging.shiprocket.in/ for example.

[Sohail_91]

We have been consistently using India Post to ship items from Bangalore to Ranchi, primarily clothes and other household goods. However, I learned a valuable lesson about avoiding fragile items after a securely packed metal lampshade arrived completely deformed.

Following another instance where a shipment was delivered almost ripped apart, we started wrapping our packages with stretch packaging film. This not only keeps the boxes intact during transit but also provides an added layer of protection against water damage.

In my experience, while the delivery time can be somewhat inconsistent, all my shipments have been delivered to my doorstep without any significant damage or missing items. India Post, in my opinion, offers great value for money when it comes to shipping non-delicate items.

The stretch packaging film we purchased cost 110+GST per Kg, and it is sold by weight.

Below image is of a 10 Kg roll.



The latest shipment that we sent few months back

[sse]

So happy to see so many have good reviews of India Post. I wish to contribute to the post in saying that India Post handles International shipping as well and they cost about 40% less of FedEx or DHL or Aramex or UPS.

A recent example, In december, We had to ship a free trade sample to a customer in USA. The parcel weighed a little less than 1.5 kgs including packaging. Other private courier charges about 4500 + GST, while India Post charged exactly Rs.2238. Only downside, private players deliver it in 5 days while India Post took 14 days. So depending on urgency, I use India Post.

Infact, over the last few years, we have used India Post numerous times and only twice or thrice that I can remember we faced issues ( and those were huge like loss of package or damage ).

But, they do not handle export commercial shipments. I am told they can, but given the procedure and risk that comes with export, I still stick to private players for commercial shipments.

[vaibhav_a_a]

I have been wanting to get a photo frame with an old painting in it from Pune for last couple years. If my friend there packs it in a crate and yet ensures the weight is less than 25 kgs, is post parcel a decent option? We evaluated railway parcel as well but I suspect it not survive the journey. It does have glass on front hence the thought of making a wooden flat crate around it. Any suggestions welcome.

[finneyp]

India Post is not at all reliable!
My brother sent me a sweets box by Speed Post from Hyderabad to Bangalore & they took 1 week to deliver and that too after escalating on Twitter! Pathetic.

[d.w.w.]

Originally Posted by vaibhav_a_a

I have been wanting to get a photo frame with an old painting in it from Pune for last couple years. If my friend there packs it in a crate and yet ensures the weight is less than 25 kgs, is post parcel a decent option? We evaluated railway parcel as well but I suspect it not survive the journey. It does have glass on front hence the thought of making a wooden flat crate around it. Any suggestions welcome.

Parcels come with size and weight restrictions.


Weight and Size
(1) The weight of an un-registered parcel should not exceed 4 kilograms (4000 grams). The weight of a registered parcel should not exceed​​

(a) 10 kilograms if posted at or addressed to, a branch post office

(b) 20 kilograms in other cases​

(2) The size of a parcel shall not exceed 1.5 m for any one dimension or 3 m for the sum of the length and the greatest circumference measured in a direction other than the length.​​

Assuming the painting comes has value and sentiment associated with it, I would suggest NOT using postal/local courier services. Once the item it shipped, it can get mishandled at multiple places, can come in contact with water/rains etc. You have to ensure the parcel is well protected against all these.

[iampulo]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Thanks for the review.


And congratulations.


Alternate option: use the parcel services of Indian Railways for large packages. They are extremely efficient and very cost effective. They also provide tracking services. I have expanded on this at this post (I talk about transporting cycles but it is applicable for anything). I know of a friend who moved their entire house (stuff) from Mumbai to Bangalore years ago.

Thanks for your wishes. Also, I read your post on Indian Railways Parcel System. Its incredible to know for this super cheap yet efficient service. Although my work city and home locations are intermediate cities, I will definitely try this service at the opportune time.

Originally Posted by d.w.w.

I have been using services of Indiapost to ship out my handmade crafts since 2020. Contrary to the popular belief, their service is extremely reliable, cheap and efficient. The only thing to make sure is you pack the items properly and provide adequate protection. I have sent delicate stuff like this (The Woodworking Thread) and it reached with out any damages.

Some interesting facts.

1. I've had next-day deliveries to Bangalore, Hyderabad and Jaipur when shipped from Chennai; yes you read it right - the shipments were delivered the very next day.

True, the packing point is extremely crucial. You need to double ensure you are doing it right. and next day deliveries is something i am hearing for the first time.

Originally Posted by siddhant

Very neat! I don't know why but it pleases me immensely to see good quality packing.

IndiaPost offering standardized parcel boxes is an excellent initiative and would certainly drive up adoption. In recent years, with a surge of online shopping, the packaging industry has also come online in some form and a wide variety of packaging material is available online. https://packaging.shiprocket.in/ for example.

Thanks for the compliment. And I too will try to explore the packaging options.