Is there anything to be done about International Postage Fees. Both Ebay & Paypal charge Fees & Aust

[stephano0]

Ebay & Paypal both charge Fees on Postage Costs.  Aust Post are very Expensvie, especially for International Postage & also now as can't use Economy Air is Really ridiculously expensive.  Is over double the cost of the actual Item that is being sold & more depending.  It is making it hard to sell as we have to add a lot more to the Postage cost & to Item to try & cover, but it still doesn't cover the Fees from both Paypal & Ebay etc even if we do Sell.  Sellers are only making a couple of dollars now more or less so IS IT WORTH LISTING ON EBAY?  Well I am in a hard spot as I have many Items left to Sell - BUT as soon as I get rid of them all I am no longer going to list on Ebay - Aust Post/ Ebay & Paypal are the only ones making any money out of this Now  - SHAME on them!!!  Come on Ebay do something with those Postage charges - especially International Charges - or everyone will have to stop listing when they get rid of their current stock etc. or put such High Prices on Item & Postage it will take a very long time to Sell (If it dioes)  

Please Ebay get some ethics with this!

[sandypebbles]

You need to contact eBay and 'tell' them

No eBay staff read the forum

[katistrophik]

Stop selling oversea's, simples

Apart from fee's charged, little can be done by eBay or Paypal, AP set the prices

[jellybirddesigns]

I've never worried about making money from postage costs. I add on a buck or two on top of basic tracked postage to cover the fees, packaging etc, and actually come out fairly cost neutral.

Overseas buyers see the postage rate converted to their respective currencies, and those with strong currencies are my biggest buyers.

For example, an international basic tracked parcel costs approx $24, but a USA buyer sees it (converted) as $18, and probably thinks it's great value to get a tracked item from Australia. 

Whilst I stopped international sales since about April last year, my overseas buyers account for approx 30% of my volume, so they are sorely missed. None of them had a problem with my postage cost, or else they would not have bought in the first place.

Lastly, if you haven't set up a MyPost business account, you really should do so as you definitely get additional postage discounts for each volume band you're on. I think they might still be running the promo where you get put onto Band 3 for 3 months automatically.

I think I was getting about about $3.00 off the international rate when sending to the USA - the buyer still sees the postage label showing the "full" cost, but you get the discount applied at the counter when paying.

[love_of_cars]

Hmm yeah, it's hard when you're items to people overseas from Australia, and the shipping fee is almost as much as the item, or more in some cases. I've had people pay me $32 in some parts of Europe to ship my $38 prints.

Getting onto higher discount bands of shipping fees with AP MyPost might be the way to go. It has helped me maintain my sales by reducing the cost of shipping. The more you ship, the more you save on shipping cost.

With the new AP prices coming in from March it is going to be even more expensive to send stuff overseas.

[jellybirddesigns]

love_of_cars -  it's not like sellers are out of pocket. Sellers are simply offering the item for international sale, that's all. The buyer foots the entire bill.

There are plenty overseas buyers in good financial positions who don't think twice about about paying postage costs, especially if it's tracked, as then they have peace of mind. Many of my buyers enjoy the novelty of getting something from Australia too!

Price rise are always passed on the buyers, so it only becomes more expensive for the BUYER, not the seller and as I say, their strong currencies tend to make the postage costs appear lower when viewing items.

[glenbankloel]

The postage costs that you are concerned about has nothing to do with PP, or eBay, they are set by Australia Post, you will have to talk to them about your issues with International Postage charges.

But yes, they do take a percentage of the FVF which includes the Postage cost, so you could contact them about that.

This charge has been in place for a long time, so your chances of getting it dropped are very unlikely, most sellers adjust their pricing to cover.    

But as others have stated the buyer foots the bill so if they want the item they will pay.

Once converted to their local currency what you see this end is often looking quite reasonable to the buyer at their end.

The items that you sell look to us as though they are collectable so if they want it they will buy.

Many collectors don't even think too much about costs (if they are serious collectors), they understand they are purchasing something special and know that the price could be at a premium, and are prepared to pay.

If you are looking to clear out your stock quickly perhaps offer some discounts for more than one item purchased.  

Good Luck with whatever you decide.