topic Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES in Selling

Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

creativecharm — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 01:11:13 GMT

Just letting you all know so you can adjust overseas postage rates on your listings before next sale comes through.

I have just been to the Post Office with thin envelope containing a charm 44 grams total. Last week it would have gone at letter rate of $3.25. If going as a Parcel would have been about $8.00.

This morning rates are up. This item is now costing $20.50 to send. You can no longer send anything at "letter" rate overseas if there is an object in it. However even the "parcel" rate has more then doubled in price.

I am sending this one at my expense. It was a $10 item, with $5 postage.

I wonder how many Australian businesses sending overseas will go out of business. It's hard enough competing with Chinese sellers who sell for $1.00 including postage, without this mammoth increase in price

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

imastawka — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 01:23:28 GMT

I think your PO staff have got it wrong IMO

Dimensions and weight for o'seas letter rate are on their webisite

http://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/size-and-weight-guidelines.html

Does your item qualify as a letter?

To be considered a letter, your item must:

weigh less than 500g
contain flexible items (written correspondence only for international items)
have a rectangular shape
be no larger than a B4 envelope (260mm x 360mm x 20mm)
be no thicker than 20mm

Is your item bigger than this? We would classify this as a small or large parcel.

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

imastawka — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 01:27:22 GMT

Bluddy hell, missed this bit.........(written correspondence only for international items)

That's a serious wrinkle!

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

chezzy — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 01:28:16 GMT

@imastawka wrote:
I think your PO staff have got it wrong IMO

Dimensions and weight for o'seas letter rate are on their webisite

http://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/size-and-weight-guidelines.html

Does your item qualify as a letter?
To be considered a letter, your item must:
weigh less than 500g
contain flexible items (written correspondence only for international items)
have a rectangular shape
be no larger than a B4 envelope (260mm x 360mm x 20mm)
be no thicker than 20mm
Is your item bigger than this? We would classify this as a small or large parcel.

then explain the 'written correspondence only'?

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

chezzy — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 01:33:39 GMT

@creativecharm wrote:

I have just been to the Post Office with thin envelope containing a charm 44 grams total. Last week it would have gone at letter rate of $3.25. If going as a Parcel would have been about $8.00.

This morning rates are up. This item is now costing $20.50 to send. You can no longer send anything at "letter" rate overseas if there is an object in it.

Did you have to fill in a customs form/sticker for that one then? And I am going to be wanting clarification on the "written correspondence" they are talking about.

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

digital*ghost — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 01:49:30 GMT

OMG! I have about a dozen international packages to send today, most of them going to European countries, all under 50g and P&H expected (therefore charged) was for the $2.75 rate - the cheapest parcel rate to a lot of these countriesis $21.48, and that's not even tracked.

How can they possibly think it's ok to spring this on customers as a Monday morning surprise? I expected to be paying around $30 for today's OS packages, not $200!

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

davidc4430 — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 02:22:58 GMT

APs CEO has just been told his ferrari needs new tires and a tune up, guess whos paying for it?

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

davidc4430 — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 02:30:09 GMT

just took a gander at APs facebook page, your not alone in being angry today.

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

curraone — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 02:31:28 GMT

@digital*ghost wrote:

OMG! I have about a dozen international packages to send today, most of them going to European countries, all under 50g and P&H expected (therefore charged) was for the $2.75 rate - the cheapest parcel rate to a lot of these countriesis $21.48, and that's not even tracked.

How can they possibly think it's ok to spring this on customers as a Monday morning surprise? I expected to be paying around $30 for today's OS packages, not $200!

were they going as letters? can you send them as letters?

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

jfmgray — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 02:39:50 GMT

Well I am just about to take two international large letters to the post office and neither are "written documents". Lets see what happens.

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

chezzy — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 02:44:38 GMT

@jfmgray wrote:
Well I am just about to take two international large letters to the post office and neither are "written documents". Lets see what happens.

Be interested to know how you go if you have time to report back - thanks

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

creativecharm — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 02:45:04 GMT

The package was less than 10mm.

It contained a necklace.

Even if not deemed to be a "large letter" as it would have been last week, parcel rate has still gone up from about $8 to $20

This all happened overnight. I complained they could have told me when I sent similar item on Friday. They did not know

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

goodthingsforsalerobert — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 02:46:22 GMT

Today sent a parcel about 900 grms to USA was $29.70 Ebay Quote

Aust post Charge $33.38

Rang Ebay to find out when are they going to update their system to reflect new costs.

Answer was "DUNNO"

Ask to speak to a supervisor "UNAVAILABLE"

Thanks Ebay for looking after me NOT

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

creativecharm — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 02:57:07 GMT

I have removed overseas postage from all my listings.

I now have to go back to the post office to send my little parcel with the extra $20 stamp. After that, I never want to set foot in an Australian Post Office ever again. I will only be sending local with my own stamps (Using up old collection from years back)

I will also be switching to sending larger parcels by carrier. I have found using Fastway much cheaper for 3 kg and 5 kg bags, and their delivery zones are expanding. I will now only use Australia Post for areas they don't deliver to.

They don't deserve our business.

The most annoying thing about this is that there is a higher rate of complaints/delayed parcels from overseas buyers.

It was bad enough replacing items and paying postage again before, but now it will be over $20 a pop.

I had a transaction a few months ago, when buyer insisted on refund or replacement after 4 week delay. She opened an "item not received " dispute. So I replaced it. Only 2 weeks later she notified ebay she still had not received it, and they refunded her same day, without any say in the matter from me. They took it without my consent out of my paypal account. I am sure that by now she has both packages sent, and the refund. Now that postage is over $20, it's not worth the risk anymore

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

jfmgray — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 03:05:20 GMT

@chezzy wrote:
@jfmgray wrote:
Well I am just about to take two international large letters to the post office and neither are "written documents". Lets see what happens.
Be interested to know how you go if you have time to report back - thanks

My post office just processed as large letters as normal. In fact not sure the wording about "written documents only" is actually new. My post office know that I post CDs as large letters and did not quiz me. And Australia Post actually sell their own CD mailers and on these they state that they can go at letter rate if under 20mm.

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

creativecharm — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 03:07:37 GMT

I guess you can't really blame ebay

Australia Post employees did not even know about it till this morning.

Check out difference in price for say a 40 gram parcel. I think it was only $8 last week (not sure as all my "parcels" used to be "large letters. The parcel rate for 40 grams is over $20 now

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

ozmagz — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 03:08:00 GMT

@creativecharm wrote:
The package was less than 10mm.
It contained a necklace.

Even if not deemed to be a "large letter" as it would have been last week, parcel rate has still gone up from about $8 to $20

This all happened overnight. I complained they could have told me when I sent similar item on Friday. They did not know

How were you paying $8 for a parcel last week? The minimum parcel cost for up to 500 grams last week was approx $10+ for NZ, $14+ for US, $18+ for UK/EU etc..

International Letter rate was for "printed matter only" last week. Last i heard, a necklace isn't "printed matter", anyways. So what has changed?

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

chezzy — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 03:13:04 GMT

@creativecharm wrote:
I have removed overseas postage from all my listings.

.............

it's not worth the risk anymore

Thanks for sharing your experience above. The whole thing is very worrying. You are just one person. Many are going to be suffering, or wondering what they can do to get around it.

I had been having quite a break from ebay then recently got motivated to get back into listing. However I had to wait because of all this talk of increasing overseas postage costs (actually I rarely ship overseas but thought it might be a GREAT way to increase my ebay audience and potential sales....).

I have too many questions and there is no way I am going to sit on hold to AP for an hour to then be met with vague responses.

They talk about letters having to be 'flexible', does that mean one can't even mail some photos or other printed item between some stiff cardboard to protect the contents in transit?

I would bet there will be all kinds of different experiences happening in Post Offices across Australia at the moment. Different rules for different folks. Think I better avoid my local LPO at the moment.

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

creativecharm — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 03:13:46 GMT

I would check on this before you list any more. If you had a good day and sold about 10, and new rate comes into effect, at this post office, you would be out of pocket by over $200.

I've just gone back to the post office and sent my parcel with the extra $20 stamp.

The "written documents" only has always been a rule, even with local post. But it has not been enforced. I am dreading the day it will come into effect for local post. That would put me out of business.

Re: Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

digital*ghost — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 03:17:01 GMT

@jfmgray wrote:
My post office just processed as large letters as normal. In fact not sure the wording about "written documents only" is actually new. My post office know that I post CDs as large letters and did not quiz me. And Australia Post actually sell their own CD mailers and on these they state that they can go at letter rate if under 20mm.

That's really good to hear, I hope mine does the same because I would be in a really difficult position if they didn't. "Written documents", as far as I know, has been an informal interpretation of some of Australia Post's policies, so what people were told / charged varied quite a lot between post offices, but I've never seen it stated in the letter requirements on their website before (could have been selective vision, though ).