How do sellers ship for so cheap in Australia ???

[99office]

How do so many Australian sellers ship for so cheap? They sell items that will not fit in a letter (thicker than 20mm) for way cheaper than the cheapest Australia post contract parcel rates.

For example, search ebay for "USB car charger", select "Australia Only" in location, and there are heaps of people selling chargers (including shipping) between $2.50 and $4.00. HOW DO THEY DO IT?? Do they just sent it in a letter, and hope no one checks it is thicker than 20mm? All those items are way thicker than 20mm

[licoricebabyandfabmama]

well they either dropship if you are talking about something like a usb car charger,  or yes they stick it in an envelope and mail it   but even that would cost at least just 1.20 in stamps,  so my guess is that they are dropshipping from china.

[putney32]

some also factor part of the postage cost into the price of the item.

you see lots of ''free postage'' items, again the postage is built into the item price, you dont really think they get free stamps at the post office do you??

[annies_fancy_dress]

It does make you wonder, these items that you can't even buy from a wholesaler at those prices, then add stamps, fees etc.

I'm sure the items are crappy, and probably don't work.

[garfieldau]

bit of every comment I suspect is rigt.

-Bit is factored into the Prie item/s
-Droped shipped from China or who knows where....
-Poor quality/Factory Seconds Prpduct that works for  45 days & dies & Seller is Home Free from any claims from PayPal

[99office]

The items I am talking about are shipped from Australia. They are much wider than 20mm, and will not fit into a 20mm letter. Some USB chargers sell for $2.50, free shipping, shipped from Sydney. Search ebay for "USB car charger", select "Australia Only" in location.

I was just contacted by an Australia post sales person, and he said it is hard to beat the $6.20 Australia post ebay sachels price wise, and you need to ship 1000s of items to get your parcel rate between $5 and $6. Which brings me back to my original question - how do all these people ship stuff via Australia post for so cheap???

1) Either the person from Australia post who I spoke to doesn't know what he was talking about, and you get super cheap rates when shipping large quantities. But, this would have to be much, much cheaper than the $5 - $6 he mentions you might get if shipping large quantities.

2) Or, they all ship in letters?? This is hard to believe that bulky items like chargers can be shipped in letters?

[davewil1964]

They won't be shipped as letters. If they are more than 20mm thick, they won't pass through the automatic sorting machines.

Regardless of STATED item location, I suspect these items are not in country. China is almost guaranteed to be the source. Postage is cheap from there and Australia Post (and us, by higher prices to cover the loss) have to deliver them once they arrive in Australia for very little compensation.

Have a look at your Sydney seller's delivery times. If more than a couple of days, then normally that means they're not in stock. Have a look at their TOS. Anything about them maybe having to obtain from their warehouse if out of stock? Same thing, as they will never have stock of whatever item happens to be purchased.

[putney32]

or
3. the sellers use these as 'loss leaders' to gain new clients, who they then bombard with advertising of their other products
lots of companies both on and off the net use loss leaders to introduce themselves to new markets

[ibuy*au]

I bought a USB car charger from an Australian seller. It arrived in a normal DL letter envelope with a $1.20 stamp and no return address. I don't know how they get away with it. If Aust Post had picked it up I would have been charged the extra postage fee since there was nothing to identify the sender inside or outside the envelope. It was definitely posted from Australia and far too wide to be classed as a "letter"

[rogespeed]

Hi ,  is easy for a ma&pa operation working in the evenings running an ebay virtual shop from the family garage with little extra overheads

ie  item = $6 , shipping listed as $4 (to encourage Buyers by looking not much more than implied stores retail)

total = $10

actual shipping = approx $7.50  pre-paid parcel post padded sachel envelope up to 500grams

profit = $2.50    typical same sort of items sold per month = 300

gross profit = $700 per month , $8.400 per annum, tax free

Under taxable threshold of $18.000

Vacation in HK this year !