No consistency in postage

[kojakshouse1]

Good old Ebay - ripping people off , if your outside the US - in effect with the GSP you pay twice for shipping - the seller posts to the Ebay shipping facility ( you pay for that ) and then you again for it to be shipped from there

And for the life of me - why is the cost so erratic - same item and you get 100 different prices - from the correct to the insane and everything in between !!

US sellers are the laziest and just throw a random weight - come Ebay get it right **bleep** , it's 2017 and the postage stuff ups are from the stone age

[heihachi_73]

Most US sellers probably don't even know that it is costing upwards of A$30 to send items (even letter-rate items like DVDs), I believe sellers on ebay.com were automatically opted into the GSP without even knowing it - just like Australian sellers were opted into the Woolworths Click and Collect rubbish a year or two ago. I would take the USPS any day over Australia Post too.

With even the slightest bit of competition, even your Hot Wheels cars could end up at half the postage price and attract a ton of local buyers. If a parcel is the size and weight of a bar of soap, you're automatically being screwed by the system. Half the items I send would be cheaper for me to get on the train and drop them off at the buyer's house! And then there is the dreaded wait, where Australia Post closes its doors or Friday afternoon (or Saturday morning) and you have half a dozen items to send. Woe be you if it's April or December and there are a bunch of long weekends and extra Saturdays, Sundays and Monday and Tuesday surrogate holidays in the wake. It really does show how backward this country in general really is. The current government belong in the Edwardian era, as does Australia Post.

[phorum_junkie*]

I think there is a lot more to it than US sellers being lazy. If they use GSP they are covered against items going missing, low stars for late delivery, parcels being held by customs etc, they also have lower admin costs because they do not have to do anything other than send the parcel to the depot.

[kojakshouse1]

Doesn't change the facts of double postage costs to the buyer and the inconsistent prices charged by all sellers - one seller wants to charge US $22.95 - the next wants US $44 for the same item and yet another wants even more - out of 100 sellers their would be lucky to have 2 charge the same price - someone explain to me how that works ?
Simple economics on Feebays part - monopolize the postage market too - either way atm Intl buyers are getting screwed by US Ebay

[davewil1964]

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@kojakshouse1 wrote:
Doesn't change the facts of double postage costs to the buyer and the inconsistent prices charged by all sellers - one seller wants to charge US $22.95 - the next wants US $44 for the same item and yet another wants even more - out of 100 sellers their would be lucky to have 2 charge the same price - someone explain to me how that works ?
Simple economics on Feebays part - monopolize the postage market too - either way atm Intl buyers are getting screwed by US Ebay

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The sellers AREN'T doing the charging; the GSP is. And there is a fair chance that 50 or more of the 100 wouldn't sell to you because you are not in the USA. Which is reasonable, given eBay's ridiculous blame the seller for everything policies. I don't post outside of Australia, except for the occasional sale to NZ. If eBay bring a GSP to Australia, I won't care as I'll be shipping to an Australian address, not other parts of the world. And I won't be selling overseas outside of the GSP.

it apparently depends on whether or not the seller puts weight and dimension data in their listings. Most wouldn't if they think they are selling within the US at a flat rate. In which case Pitney Bowes works out the cost, allegedly, by referring to similar items previously sent.

There are many threads about this - maybe read some.

[kojakshouse1]

Ok so please explain to me how i can get a box delivered that weighs 16 pounds and cost US $58 - yet a single Hot Wheels car that weighs less than a single pound , sellers or albeit Ebay want to charge $50+ ?

This post is about the discrepancy in postage prices from one seller to another to another - what about the US seller that offers free shipping in the US , yet it's never reflected in the GSP - end of day we are getting screwed over

[davewil1964]

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@kojakshouse1 wrote:
Ok so please explain to me how i can get a box delivered that weighs 16 pounds and cost US $58 - yet a single Hot Wheels car that weighs less than a single pound , sellers or albeit Ebay want to charge $50+ ?

This post is about the discrepancy in postage prices from one seller to another to another - what about the US seller that offers free shipping in the US , yet it's never reflected in the GSP - end of day we are getting screwed over

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Simple. Pitney Bowes sets the price if the seller doesn't provide adequate details. As I said. And suggested further reading.

I don't buy through the GSP, and never will, so it is a first world problem, as far as I'm concerned. As always, if total price including postage is acceptable, buy. If not, don't.

[kojakshouse1]

Oh i agree - except for the price difference , regardless if seller goes through GSP or USPS - why such a huge difference ?
Should be one simple price for weight etc - not rocket science .

Oh and have you bought something and then seller / ebay wants more than you know it actuallu costs ? Of coursse you have

[davewil1964]

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@kojakshouse1 wrote:
Oh i agree - except for the price difference , regardless if seller goes through GSP or USPS - why such a huge difference ?
Should be one simple price for weight etc - not rocket science .

Oh and have you bought something and then seller / ebay wants more than you know it actuallu costs ? Of coursse you have

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No. I know what postage normally costs. OR, I decide that the total price is what I am prepared to pay. So the 'then' doesn't happen as I know what the cost is when I buy.

I really don't give a rats whether something cost $20 free post, $13 + $7 postage, or $10 + $10 postage. The seller pays fees on the $20 regardless, and all things being equal ($20), I will buy from whichever seller I feel is best.

I certainly don't come whinging to the boards with nebulous questions that I will ignore the answers to.

[lyndal1838]

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@kojakshouse1 wrote:
Ok so please explain to me how i can get a box delivered that weighs 16 pounds and cost US $58 - yet a single Hot Wheels car that weighs less than a single pound , sellers or albeit Ebay want to charge $50+ ?

This post is about the discrepancy in postage prices from one seller to another to another - what about the US seller that offers free shipping in the US , yet it's never reflected in the GSP - end of day we are getting screwed over

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It is a recognised fact that the GSP is much more cost effective for large/heavy items.  Nobody denies this at all.

The majority of US sellers offer free posting in the USA, whether the GSP is used or not.  You get two receipts when you pay for an item being sent with the GSP.

The seller gets the amount of his invoice, whether it is free postage or includes an amount for postage within the USA.  The second amount which is the amount for Pitney Bowes to process the item and send it to Australia goes directly to Pitney Bowes....the seller never sees it at all.

Most sellers who will send directly to Australia are using the postal service (USPS) whether they are using the most cost effective First Class International Service or the more expensive Priority International or Express International.   They are definitely more cost effective than the GSP but cannot be compared in price with the GSP which is a COURIER service.