topic Re: Yet more shipping price changes in Selling

Yet more shipping price changes

purplemon18 — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 10:29:08 GMT

my post business just sent me an email that basically says no more discounts for rural destinations.

Here's the link:

https://image.email.auspost.com.au/lib/fe6415707c66047a7215/m/4/4d1db2af-c956-4729-80fd-dfea5d0426ac.pdf

I mostly ship large letters or ebay flat rate, so I never send enough items to qualify for a discount anyway. But I thought I would alert others here.

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

eol-products — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 11:58:39 GMT

$5.40 for a 500gram satchel within your capital city is a cheap rate for the top discount. So as long as you post most items to capitals with the odd rural most on the top rate will be ahead. This would be a good time to work out the ebay postage region thing where you add th different rates for different areas.

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

davewil1964 — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 12:16:11 GMT

I haven't checked lately, but the last time I did my city (which is the capital of the country) counted as rural NSW.

Typical.

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

dazzledayz — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 22:43:34 GMT

@davewil1964 wrote:
I haven't checked lately, but the last time I did my city (which is the capital of the country) counted as rural NSW.

Typical.

So Dave, does that mean you would never be able to get a Business discount no matter your volume?

There's another sting hidden in the fine print too:

To get the discount now, you are not only assessed on an 8 week rolling average, but also on annual volume.

(tough luck if your business is highly seasonal)

These pricing increases also come just after AP have recorded a record profit.

AP are pretty much run by ex-bankers with mostly NAB histories or associations so I guess this sort of thing is to be expected.

(the executive board was stacked by Mahour with old cronies and although he's gone they still remain)

It almost looks like AP are breaching spirit of their charter here by slyly discriminating against rural customers.

When a public good is privatised this is just the sort of thing that we can expect; profit before people.

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

dazzledayz — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 22:47:35 GMT

The rate table above gives us some idea of what pricing eBay get for their postage labels.

They magnanamously offer us a huge 10% on RRP.

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

dazzledayz — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 23:22:35 GMT

It only just occurred to me; does anyone know AP's definiton of a "major city"?

I don't seem to able to find a definition so that leaves a lot of locations in doubt.

Brisbane yes, but what about Ipswich, Caboolture, Mackay, Rockie, Townsville Toowoomba and Cairns?

Mebourne yes, but what about Geelong, Ballarat etc

Sydney yes, but Newcastle, Wollongong, Dubbo etc

Hobart yes, but Launceston?

Also, are thay talking about Metro areas or delivery zones?

I'm in Brisbane in the Q1 zone which streches from the NSW border north to Caboolture so is this "Brisbane"?

If I travel 10km to the west I will be standing in the Q2 zone (Ipswich); is that a "major city".

If anyone wants to try and set up freight tables on eBay I'll wish them luck; ebay certainly aren't doin' it for themselves.

(or if they are it's behind the scenes and we are not being offered it)

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

brerrabbit585 — Sat, 06 Oct 2018 11:06:35 GMT

In the small print at the bottom of the link in the OP, it says refer to their postcode guide for more information (on the definition of major cities, etc).

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

davewil1964 — Sat, 06 Oct 2018 11:59:23 GMT

Hopefully Canberra would qualify as a regional city.

Not that I do enough business to consistently qualify for discounts. Most of my stuff goes as letters or 500g parcels, so AP 500g satchels from eBay sellers (when I get a decent discount) is better for me.

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

dazzledayz — Sat, 06 Oct 2018 23:00:18 GMT

@brerrabbit585 wrote:
In the small print at the bottom of the link in the OP, it says refer to their postcode guide for more information (on the definition of major cities, etc).

Unfortunately, when I search the AP site for that info - "Please refer to our postcode guide for more information.", all I can find is a free pdf which just lists postcodes or a range of purchasable pdf's starting at $75 which don't appear to give the info either based on previews of contents.

The only other relevant parcel post info appears to be the Parcel Guide which does not clarify the definition of "other major city"

Just what consitutes one of these?

I'm left with the feeling that they are referring to the zonal classifications ie Q1, Q2, Q3, N1, N2 etc or more specifically, any of the number 1 zones.

In other words, capital cities in another state, which would make places like Canberra and Newcastle "rural".

This policy has the effect of disadvantaging the great geographical majority of Australia as it won't take too long for most big retailers to start incorporating variable postage rates into their shopping carts (once known).

I wonder if this same distinction is being drawn fo eParcel operations?

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

marwi_3023 — Sat, 06 Oct 2018 23:39:34 GMT

Typical, rural residents on average earn the least but pay the most

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

brerrabbit585 — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 02:22:49 GMT

Yes, but rural residents have other benefits - they generally pay a lot less for housing and spend a lot less on things like travelling to work. If I lived in a capital city, or even a large city, I couldn't live on my current income. Houses around here are sold within a few days of being advertised for sale, which shows that a few people have cottoned on to the fact that it's so much cheaper to live in the country. If living here means I have to pay an extra $10 or so for the 20kg boxes I get sent from Byron Bay once or twice a year, I can live with it.

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

davewil1964 — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 03:26:42 GMT

Unless you're in a regional city. Canberra, for example.

We have 400,000 people, but our housing costs are up with Sydney and Melbourne. We also pay significantly more for fuel, even though we are less than 300km from Sydney. Not everybody here is a high-paid public servant, so those of us who aren't pay for the attitudes of the rest of the country.

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

joztamps — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 05:50:39 GMT

@davewil1964 wrote:
Unless you're in a regional city. Canberra, for example.

We have 400,000 people, but our housing costs are up with Sydney and Melbourne. We also pay significantly more for fuel, even though we are less than 300km from Sydney. Not everybody here is a high-paid public servant, so those of us who aren't pay for the attitudes of the rest of the country.

Lie down with dogs....

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

marwi_3023 — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 08:41:18 GMT

I have to travel 720km to work a week and only earn $310

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

brerrabbit585 — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 10:47:01 GMT

Yes, but surely Canberra would have to be one of AP's "major cities" as far as "posting to" goes.

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

davewil1964 — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 11:19:44 GMT

I have never been able to access the 'same city' rates - AP class us as N2

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

countessalmirena — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 12:03:43 GMT

You will have to settle for being classed as A1 on the boards, I suppose. Not that that's any help with postage cost, which I think is ridiculous for Canberra.

Re: Yet more shipping price changes

brerrabbit585 — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 22:36:54 GMT

I was referring more to their My Post discount rates than the general postage rates. Some of the capital cities don't qualify for the same rates as the biggest ones either (for general postage).