Australia Post Pricing Logic

[thegaminggamer]

I'm sure if you're a long time seller, you've come across this before. I don't usually send heavy parcels (most items are under 500 grams) so when I needed to send a 1KG parcel to the United States, I thought to myself, well I already know a parcel 500 grams or under is $15.85, so I imagine the next threshold would be a little bit less than twice the first threshold. $15.85 x 2 is $31.70 so I guessed $28, or $29, maybe even $30.

Then I got a nasty surprise: a single 1 KG parcel to USA is $33.38 but if you post two 500 gram parcels, it is $31.70 which is cheaper. I had to double check with the Post Office worker because that didn't make sense to me. My question to you is, where is the logic? It takes more time and labour to deliver 2 parcels than 1 parcel and the prices should reflect as such.

I'm sure it wasn't always like this. Back when parcel posting prices used to only end in $xx.x0 or $xx.x5s, the threshold prices made more sense. I think the prices only became illogical when Australia Post started using nonsensical numbers like $33.38 (why not $33.35? why not $33.40?)

Here's another case of nonsensical Australia Post price logic: let's say you're sending a thin book that weighs 300 grams to USA again. This thin book is 2cm thick so it qualifies for "cheaper" large letter pricing so we can post it for $18. Wait a minute. Posting this as a standard parcel (with no size limitation) is $15.85 so why on earth would I post as a large letter when it is more expensive AND I don't have room to add protection like bubble wrap?

I think I know what the inherent problem is: Australia Post changes prices and changes services and changes rules and changes other stuff far too frequently. There's no cohesive logic that brings Australia Post's prices and services together as a whole. It's like watching a 2 hour horror movie that has 20 straight minutes of comedy (with no horror). It doesn't make sense. Or cooking a vegetarian dish for your vegan friend, and this dish has bits of meat in sprinkled in one corner. It doesn't make sense.

There are countries that have the same parcel post prices for years and years. Ours change every 6 months. Just when we've memorised all the prices (local and international), it changes again. I'm not saying that Australia Post has to run at a loss and keep the prices the same for a decade. All I'm asking for is a bit of logic when it comes to prices. More lenient thresholds would be fine too.

[woodduck*2012]

OK

[woodduck*2012]

I believe this is what you are refurring to.

The Universal Postal Union, established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system.

A Founding Member. Australia is a founding member of the United Nations and has consistently supported the UN's role in world affairs since this time. Australia was an active participant at the 1945 San Francisco Conference, during which the UN Charter was negotiated.

144 years to be precise, Correct me again if i am wrong.

All the same, we are getting shafted.

[brerrabbit585]

A user pays system would cost a lot to implement and could end up costing just as much as the cost of delivery overseas mail.

Under the current system a lot more people benefit than is immediately obvious. Anyone who buys goods from China and has them delivered through the postal system benefits from not having to pay higher postage. If any of those people resell the goods, the people who buy them benefit because if the original postage cost a lot more, the end price would be a lot higher.

It's not always possible to implement a user pays system easily. I don't think it's fair that I pay several hundred dollars a year for a garbage collection service that I rarely use but I have to live with the fact that because I'm efficient and recycle the little garbage I have, I end up subsidising the lazy wasters who pay less than their share. I don't really expect the council to spend a fortune developing a system where the user pays because it'd be unrealistic.