International Priority Shipping is a major eBay ripoff. USPS is much cheaper.

[stuartvw]

All I can say I have bought ties (which have never gone missing) from the US where Airmail shipping has been as low as $US 4.99  USPS First Class Mail Intl / First Class Package Intl Service, whereas International Priority Shipping is quoted between $US20.12 $US 29.50.

[davewil1964]

Blimmin' 'eck. That's a long time to reply to your own thread.

Don't buy from sellers who use IPS or GSP then.

Problem solved.

[lyndal1838]

Stuart, you still do not seem to understand that both services are provided by the USPS.  Priority International provides a priority service with all the necessary protections for thhe sellers in the event of a dispute.  It is similar to an Aussie seller adding Signature on Delivery, Insurance and every other service you can think of.

First Class International is the US equivalent of bunging an Australia Post satchel in the post box and hoping for the best....there is no tracking, no insurance, no seller protection.

Of course it is going to be cheaper.

[afantiques]

All I can say I have bought ties (which have never gone missing) from the US where Airmail shipping has been as low as $US 4.99  USPS First Class Mail Intl / First Class Package Intl Service, whereas International Priority Shipping is quoted between $US20.12 $US 29.50.

Much misunderstanding here.

'International Priority Shipping' is a term used for the air cargo shipments used by the Global Selling Program, in effect a courier service delivered in Australia by Fedex and possibly other carriers. Items are sent in bulk, pass customs as one item, manifested in whatever detail is required, just like a container of mixed items imported by an Australian retailer. After clearance the shipment is broken down to individual parcels and distributed in the first instance by an Australian FedEx depot.

Priority Mail International is a USPS service. GSP items do not use any USPS services internationally. Most of the replies to this thread are false comparisons because buyers do not understand how GSP items are shipped. The similarity of the descriptions may not be intentionally misleading but it certainly works that way.

Any item you see with that 'international priority shipping' will be a GSP item. Ask the seller if they will ditch the GSP and sell and ship direct. Many US sellers do not even know that they are enrolled in the GSP as they do not see their items as you do. They only see what is relevant to domestic sales.

Stuart, you still do not seem to understand that both services are provided by the USPS.  Priority International provides a priority service with all the necessary protections for thhe sellers in the event of a dispute.  It is similar to an Aussie seller adding Signature on Delivery, Insurance and every other service you can think of.

First Class International is the US equivalent of bunging an Australia Post satchel in the post box and hoping for the best....there is no tracking, no insurance, no seller protection.

Of course it is going to be cheaper.

Partly correct, in fact,  but incorrect in context. It is not the USPS service that is the subject of the complaint. It is the GSP shipping.

USPS First class now has electronic delivery confirmation to Australia if the postage is bought online, it can be insured by US sellers with one of several independent transit insurers, and any international shipper knows 'seller protection' is just about worthless anyway.

[afantiques]

Stuart, you still do not seem to understand that both services are provided by the USPS.  Priority International provides a priority service with all the necessary protections for thhe sellers in the event of a dispute.  It is similar to an Aussie seller adding Signature on Delivery, Insurance and every other service you can think of.

First Class International is the US equivalent of bunging an Australia Post satchel in the post box and hoping for the best....there is no tracking, no insurance, no seller protection.

Of course it is going to be cheaper.

[chezzy]

Apart from the cheaper (and sometimes MUCH cheaper) prices there is of course now the free E-DELCON (electronic delivery confirmation/tracking) available with USPS First Class International....

http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immc2_022.htm

[lyndal1838]

Yes, I realise that there are now some services that make the First Class service more attractive to sellers.  I was just trying to make the point that the much more expensive services provide the seller with all the protection that they need in the event of a dispute.  Many sellers acknowledge that the First Class service is not going to give the same protection.

[afantiques]

I was just trying to make the point that the much more expensive services provide the seller with all the protection that they need in the event of a dispute.  Many sellers acknowledge that the First Class service is not going to give the same protection.

All sellers should realise that there is no real protection worth having however they send the item, and since US sellers can insure items for loss or damaged cheaply and easily, it is really baffling why there is such an obsession with 'protection' that really only covers provable fraud by the buyer, and ignores genuine loss and all damage completely.

The GSP is supposed to provide complete 'protection' once the item reaches Kentucky, but all it achieves in practice is making something that is cheap and easy, complicated and expensive. It's like building cast iron aeroplanes instead of using aluminium.

[lyndal1838]

Paypal and ebay have both buyers and sellers brainwashed to believe there is no protection other than that provided by them.

As far as that goes, on the Australian site the buyer has no paypal protection if the seller has used a complying postage method and no ebay protection at all.  It is all smake and mirrors as far as I am concerned.

[afantiques]

Paypal and ebay have both buyers and sellers brainwashed to believe there is no protection other than that provided by them

Rarely have truer words been said.

[kitty158]

I simply won't buy from sellers who don't use USPS First Class Mail International to Australia.  It's half the price of Priority as everyone knows. I am not so desperate for anything to pay double cost postage.

I have never had a problem receiving a package within 2 weeks. I assume tracking is important to keep overseas postal employees honest.  Why give more profits to the US post office?

What happened to good old American customer service? And freedom of choice. 

I just want the fun of getting a bargain.