Green Week Day 1 – Reusing Big Boxes

Posted on March 18, 2014 by admin

In honour of St Patrick’s Day, we at RAND Logistics have decided to make this blogging week ‘Green Week’. Recycling is incredibly important particularly when it comes to posting parcels internationally as individual packaging can be quite expensive.

By recycling parcels and cardboard boxes that you receive through the post and through day to day living, you can cut the costs of packaging greatly, and plus you’ll also be doing your bit to help the environment!

Electronic Boxes

You know those hefty cardboard boxes you get when buying a new set of headphones or a big plush toy? You can recycle them by using them as delivery boxes! If you don’t want to disappoint your recipient you can always turn the packaging inside out so that the blank sides are on the outside, and then stick a stamp onto the box.

You can also use old instruction manuals as packaging by shredding them, as this ensures that any packages or parcels delivered are sufficiently protected when going through the post.

Sweden is the fourth greenest country in the world, with plans made by the government to eventually switch most houses and businesses to renewable energy sources. You can send a friend or relative a parcel to Sweden through RAND Logistics, safe in the knowledge that we will ensure it reaches its recipient in first class condition.

Postage of the Future: Day 5

Posted on March 14, 2014 by admin

On our last day of focusing on the future of postage, we concentrate on how social media has changed the face of the delivery industry and whether or not it could have a telling effect in the years to come. The vast majority of delivery services have managed to achieve excellent results through their online campaigns with social media playing a stand-out role.

Client interaction is something that many delivery services look to build on, whether its regularly updating a Facebook page with new international parcel delivery opportunities or making the most of twitter to provide more clients with a information about their delivery, similarly to that of our Help & FAQ’s page here at RAND.

What’s more, clients can use social media to leave feedback regarding the services they have received. This gives delivery companies the chance to expand by promoting the feedback that they receive.

So how could the delivery industry continue to expand with social media onboard? For starters, social media is the first point of contact for most people nowadays so the option of enhanced tracking and communication is all the more probable in the future.

Delivery companies can also maintain a competitive service by staying in touch with social media and clients will be able to offer their own opinions on how they feel delivery services should operate. In the meantime, you can get a great quote from us here at RAND today should you intend to ship a parcel abroad in the near future.

Postage of the Future: Day 4

Posted on March 13, 2014 by admin

Yesterday we touched on how tracking parcels could really boost the efficiency of international parcel delivery. Whilst there are plenty of tracking systems available online today, many of us would love to be able to know exactly where our parcels are and exactly how long they might take to arrive, especially if it’s a delivery of particular significance or a heavy parcel.

Thankfully, it seems that the introduction of smartphones, tablets and other kinds of handheld technology might completely change the way in which consumers deal with postal services.

We mentioned the idea of using e-mail as means of getting in touch with addressees in yesterdays blog post. Rather than restricting tracking services to email, we could even see an application of some sort that lets delivery companies provide information to customers directly to their handheld devices.

There are also many useful applications already available on the app store that could benefit delivery companies and their drivers including ZipCodes, Postal Code and UK Postcode, all of which provide in depth information regarding locations and so on.

There has been a real explosion of tracking applications available on both Apple and Android’s app store recently. As long as delivery services continue to explore the possibilities of parcel tracking, customers could gain all sorts of useful benefits from the service in the future.

With regards to future technologies, work is currently going into tracking systems that could potentially tell us exactly where our parcels are in the world using state-of-the-art GPS trackers.

Postage of the Future: Day 3

Posted on March 12, 2014 by admin

Today we take a look at how parcel delivery might develop to avoid one of the more frustrating aspects of receiving a parcel in the post. It can be incredibly annoying to come home and be welcomed with a message from the driver saying that you weren’t in to receive your parcel.

So how could parcel delivery change in the future to compensate for us not always being at home? Here are some of the possible solutions that the Royal Mail came up with last year that could make international parcel delivery a whole lot more efficient:

Many of us use smart phone applications as part of our everyday lives and we could now introduce tracking applications to give us a better idea of exactly how long our parcels are going to take to arrive on our doorstep.

In order to make sure your letters and parcels cannot be accessed when you aren’t in to receive them, lock boxes were also suggested so that drivers could deliver parcels in PIN-protected storage compartments rather than delivering to your neighbours.

E-mail is a form of contact regularly used in other forms of delivery service and it could prove to be extremely beneficial should someone need to know exactly when they have to be home to receive their parcel.

Visit our Help and FAQ’s page at RAND Logistics if you need to learn more about our current collection and delivery service.

Postage of the Future: Day 2

Posted on March 11, 2014 by admin

Yesterday we focused on Amazon’s Prime Air service that could change the face of how parcels are delivered on a global scale. Today we take a look at how Google has responded to Amazon’s “drone” project. Google have been widely recognised in recent years as they look to take the technology world by storm with driverless cars and “Project Glass”.

Towards the end of last year, Google revealed that they were planning the introduction of droids that could deliver groceries and heavy duty parcels to our doors. A Google executive partly responsible for Android smartphones, Andy Rubin, was the first to reveal Google’s postage project to the public.

Since resigning from his position at Android, Rubin has managed to get several companies onboard at Google, all of whom possess technologies that are capable of working towards a robotic postal service. Whilst it may seem too far off to challenge something like Prime Air which already has prototypes in operation, Google are confident that they can cover all sorts of activities with their robots including manufacturing and ultimately a parcel delivery service.

So what’s the realistic outlook for this particular form of delivery service? It might seem like something from a science fiction movie but Google have managed to join forces with a Japanese company that already make the most of digital robotics in delivery services. With that in mind, could we end up being greeted by a robot the next time our groceries arrive at the front door?

Horses and Mail History

Posted on February 7, 2014 by admin

As the Chinese New Year Festival draws to an end, we have a look at the history of the Zodiac animal for this year; the horse, and its history in conjunction to the delivery of packages and mail across the world. Aside from Pigeons, one of the most common forms of animal mail was by horse.

Horses were a primary method of delivering mail and sending important messages for several years, in countries across the globe. Accompanied by riders, horses could deliver hand messages or small bundles across great distances, and were later used to pull larger carts with bulk packages and large amounts of mail across long distances.

The service can date back as early as the 13^th century, as horses are an incredibly fast animal, not capable of tiring easily, so can travel long distances with little effort. At times dogs were used to deliver smaller pieces of mail, but often horses would be used due to their stamina and speed.

For a quick and efficient delivery of your parcel to China or anywhere else worldwide, no matter how large or small the delivery, choose RAND Logistics where with free tracking options, you can check your parcel at each step of its journey. Posting parcels has never been easier.

Shopping Safely Online: Day 5

Posted on January 31, 2014 by admin

We’ve come to the end of our week that focuses on online safety awareness when shopping. To wrap it all up we’re going to look at how important a positive reputation is when purchasing from online sellers. Many people have had problems with sellers because they failed to analyse their previous dealings, something that many online shopping outlets now let you do.

When shopping on sites such as eBay, Amazon or Play you should always be wary of the fact that the sellers could be either a business or an individual seller. Whoever the seller is, it’s vitally important to make the most of the reputation analysis section of these websites so that you can make a definitive assumption of who you are purchasing from.

EBay provide buyers with the opportunity to look at the feedback scores of sellers, thus giving you the chance to see how other buyers have judged the services they received. If you are keen to avoid problems with online deals, whoever the shopping outlet may be, you should always do the research beforehand to get a detailed review of their reputation.

RAND Logistics work closely with eBay as we regularly ship parcels from reliable sellers to buyers across the world. Our international parcel service is the perfect choice for anyone looking to get their parcel from A to B. If you’ve got a parcel to ship internationally, get your quote from us today here.

Shopping Safely Online: Day 4

Posted on January 30, 2014 by admin

When purchasing goods online it can be quite daunting if the expected delivery date passes without a knock on the door from the postman. You might also be dreading the thought of opening your parcel to reveal a damaged item that doesn’t work and has missing parts.

Thankfully, consumer rights are in place to aid people who purchase online and don’t get what they expect. Here are a few things to consider with regards to consumer rights before purchasing online.

If you are not satisfied with the item you have received after an online purchase, you may be entitled to a refund. In most cases the chance of a refund expires after a certain amount of time, which could be anything from a few days to a whole month. Always check the refund or returns section carefully before purchasing an item online.

It is advised that you use a credit card to make a purchase that exceeds £100. The Consumer Credit Act states that anyone who spends over £100 on their credit card has legal rights, giving you an upper hand should something go wrong with the purchase.

RAND Logistics can deliver items promptly on an international scale, so if you need to ship a parcel to Italy or anywhere else in the world make sure you come to RAND first for a great quote.

Shopping Safely Online: Day 3

Posted on January 29, 2014 by admin

Today we’ll be looking at what it is you need to watch out for when purchasing something online in order to prevent criminals from accessing your card details and making transactions in your name. You can significantly reduce the risk of this happening to you in the future by following our guidelines here at RAND.

If you are ever required to enter your PIN number when shopping online, do not proceed with the payment. PIN numbers are only meant for physical card transactions from a cash machine and a physical store checkout. Criminals can easily obtain your PIN number by asking you for it in a transaction, so always watch out for this!

In most cases, websites that you purchase from will require you to enter a security code found on the back of your card. This is the usual practice when purchasing online and doesn’t need to be avoided. Websites are not allowed to store personal information, so if they request this without express permission, think twice before purchasing here.

Finally, many sites will save your card details so that you can make transactions easily in the future. It is much safer to delete your card details and provide them again only when you make another purchase, unless you know the site can be trusted.

If you are sending a parcel internationally this winter, make the most of our services here at RAND and make sure any purchase you make in the near future complies with our guidelines.

Shopping Safely Online: Day 2

Posted on January 28, 2014 by admin

It’s our second day of awareness for safely shopping online and today we’ll be focusing on the ins and outs of making a payment online. It’s vital that you are made aware of the reliability of the seller before offering up your card details, so make sure you follow our guide before making a payment.

The vast majority of online shopping sites will encourage you to purchase items by adding to an online shopping basket. Sites like this are usually major outlets and can be trusted. Always read the terms and conditions before making a purchase as all shopping outlets are different. This process usually occurs before you’ve made the payment. The final step is always making the payment from your credit or debit card, so keep this in mind when shopping online.

Another indication that a sites online shopping option is reliable is if they use PayPal to process a payment. PayPal is a secure payment option whereby you sign up and register your credit or debit card details. Any payment you make online is activated by PayPal using your account details.

Finally and most important of all is the security protocols when making a payment. Whilst it doesn’t happen all the time, usually you will be greeted with another layer of security before processing a payment. This is another password associated with your online transactions, often used by Visa and MasterCard for added security.

The above steps are commonly associated with making a reliable payment online so always make sure that you analyse the payment process carefully before submitting your payment. If you are planning on shipping a parcel to an online buyer in the near future, make the most of our services here at RAND. We ship internationally making our service ideal for any online seller.

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