Please Sir, can I use the British Postal System?

[treasuress.4207]

Has anyone noticed the huge influx of U.K sellers?  

It seems that it is cheaper to post something from the U.K. to here in Au, than it is to post within the country or even your own state....

How crazy is that!

[sprinklespowerpuff]

Something going on. I came across 2 sellers' UK listings where items would be sent by the accursed Global Shipping method.

[old_holdens_never_die]

cheap as chips! I know from buying off UK sellers over the the years!

For whatever reasons Australia has one of the worlds highest postage costs both domestic & .....international is just plum crazy!

[imastawka]

I love buying from the UK.  Cheap and extra fast too.

And I have noticed a lot more UK sellers recently

[ajarnjenny]

No, it is because they have all been opted in to the GSP, half of them don't even know that they are now selling to the colonies, God forbid.

[cherry*135]

Shipping costs from UK to Aus have been more reasonable than buying the same item in Aust + Aust post costs for a long time... for smaller parcels anyway.

[treasuress.4207]

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@am*3 wrote:

Shipping costs from UK to Aus have been more reasonable than buying the same item in Aust + Aust post costs for a long time... for smaller parcels anyway.

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Just total lunacy hey!  Australia has the highest MOST things cost wise.  Going to the USA last year was truly an eye-opener.... you just don't realise how vastly different it is when you've lived in one place forever like I had.

[found-in-australia]

Looking for a catalogue for a friend a couple of nights ago. It is published in the UK, 400 pages and weighs 600 grams. I can find sellers who can send it to Australia from the UK for £4.45, Airmail from here to the UK for same size book is a mere $39.10, or sea mail $20.45 (sea mail is a minefield if the buyer pays by PayPal).

There are complaints in sections of the media that the Post Office should be privatised because we should not be subsidising small businesses, but we are already uncompetitive in the world market. Piece by piece we are being priced out of the market, which can't be good for the Australian economy in the medium to long term.

Regards.  Kevin

[character_parties_aus]

The royal mail letter and small parcel services to australia so I am told trade at a considerable loss a bit like the heavily subsidised china post systems.there is also no tracking.

I've noted a lot of items I sell on ebay UK going for very small margins indeed ( 10-15%) hardly makes it worthwhile given the manufacturer locks down the prices to all. Smacks of desparation. They are welcome to the sales to be honest at that margin.

Whilst Aus Post is by no means perfect I would rather have a postal system which makes a profit on the assumption said profit is reinvested back into the postal infrstructure ( a very different conversation!!!)

A lot of USA retailers are now also essentially selling at wholesale prices to the public to be competitive. The same will happen here over time it will just take a long time due to the level of competition in big box retailers here being limited.  Of course it is same big box retailers everyone is moaning about moving onto ebay. Cheap prices erode small business.

[treasuress.4207]

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@found-in-australia wrote:

Looking for a catalogue for a friend a couple of nights ago. It is published in the UK, 400 pages and weighs 600 grams. I can find sellers who can send it to Australia from the UK for £4.45, Airmail from here to the UK for same size book is a mere $39.10, or sea mail $20.45 (sea mail is a minefield if the buyer pays by PayPal).

There are complaints in sections of the media that the Post Office should be privatised because we should not be subsidising small businesses, but we are already uncompetitive in the world market. Piece by piece we are being priced out of the market, which can't be good for the Australian economy in the medium to long term.

Regards.  Kevin

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You got that right... in a nutshell Kevin.  As soon as our youngest little guy is old enough to tell his father to &%%$# #$$, we are off to the US for good.  We can live there so much more comfortably than here.