topic Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post in Selling

Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

jillywinkle — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 11:57:34 GMT

Australia Post has removed the option for large letter with flat merchandise as of now. Which means, teatowels, handkerchiefs..any flat textile usually lightweight must now be sent at parcel rates. I will be still trying it out with hankies and teatowels sandwiched between cardboard and saying 'printed matter only' and see what happens. I've already had one small item returned to me this week by APO, but I didnt reinforce with cardboard. It was soft and a dead give away...they opened it up, cut the end of the little bubble bag, then taped it back down with a printed note. I guess they have to make lots more money to pay the CEO their several million a year salary.

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

curraone — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 20:03:50 GMT

but it's not "printed matter" is it? So you are making a false declaration to customs.

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

gutterpunkz05 — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 22:22:19 GMT

Make sure you keep a couple of hankies for yourself. They might come in handy if you finish up in a cell/

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

curraone — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 22:29:27 GMT

@jillywinkle wrote:
Australia Post has removed the option for large letter with flat merchandise as of now. Which means, teatowels, handkerchiefs..any flat textile usually lightweight must now be sent at parcel rates. I will be still trying it out with hankies and teatowels sandwiched between cardboard and saying 'printed matter only' and see what happens.

I assume these days customs are running all mail - letters as well as parcels - through the scanner - and therefore the scanner will have no trouble detecting cloth items behind the cardboard. I really think you are asking for trouble.

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

sandypebbles — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 22:37:45 GMT

100% agree

Not as if OP 'does'nt know' or made a mistake

(Well, mistake to admit on a forum viewable to the world that they intend doing this)

On their own head be it

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

digital*ghost — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 00:02:50 GMT

This has actually been in place for a long time (i.e. since all the restrictions were introduced on international mail), it's just that they are only now really cracking down on it.

A seller in one of my FB groups had a bunch of letters returned to them because they were merchandise and couldn't be sent that way - the contents were stickers (which is printed matter), so they are assessing them on multiple factors to determine if they are merchandise or not.

Better to just deal with the changes now, rather than keep selling to OS buyers at a postage rate that you can't actually provide, and risk the same thing happening - all your mail coming back to you requiring $20 postage instead of whatever letter rate is at the moment.

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

katistrophik — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 00:41:27 GMT

@curraone wrote:
but it's not "printed matter" is it? So you are making a false declaration to customs.

...and kind of opening themselves up to an easy INAD claim, wouldn't a buyer only have to provide detail/pic of customs dec to claim?

If so I think OP is being a bit foolish as well as dishonest

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

everard6920 — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 01:46:49 GMT

I personally think ya'll are being a bit harsh on the OP here.

Yes, it's not within the rules, but suggesting that someone is going to go to jail for posting a handkerchief at letter rate is very, very cringe.

I'd like to know what AP's reasoning is? What does it matter to them what's in the envelope (as long as it's not dangerous goods)?

Japan Post, for example, has a "small packet" category that is specifically for sending small, light items within letter dimensions. So for example, it would cost $11.80 to send a 500g small packet from Japan to Australia, but with AP's rule, it'd cost $22 to send the same (a 500g parcel) from Australia to Japan.

The problem with this "rule" is that it prices Australian sellers out of the global market, at a time when people can least afford to lose their livelihoods, and at a time when Australia Post is processing a record number of parcels and presumably, is making a good profit as a result of that. In other words, it's pretty Un-Australian unless there is indeed a good reason (other than money grabbing) to enforce this rule.

People should be questioning AP about this rather than piling on a seller who is just trying to make a living.

OP: the only practical advice I have would be to set up postage deals for your buyers, and make it very clear on your listings that you offer them (eg: 5 items for flat rate $xxx postage). I did this when I moved to 100% trackable domestic letters from untracked, and my sales are actually up, because most buyers are savvy enough to realise that, while buying a single item isn't as economical as it was, buying multiple items is quite economical with the deals I offer.

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

digital*ghost — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 02:11:42 GMT

Just technically speaking (although I don't like to be the "well, akshully" guy, despite adopting the role often enough anyway ); false customs declarations are a criminal act, so one can logically presume that no customs declaration where one is required is also a criminal act. I doubt actual jail time would ever be on the table, but a fine is definitely within the realms of possibility.

I suspect the (re?)introduction of the 250g parcel rate was a pre-cursor to this eventually happening, since they tried to do it before, and covid just provided an opportunity to expedite the plan without the extreme backlash that was received last time.

DHL took advantage of the same UPU postage rules that Aus Post did to provide very cheap small package rates to international destinations (just without the thickness limit, which technically wasn't necessary for AP to have), but now that everyone's contracts are up they have more than doubled their prices (making them more expensive than AP), maybe it's opportunistic and just another greedy corporation taking advantage of a situation, but it does at least imply the costs of getting mail from one side of the world to the other are not sustainable if Aus Post only get $3 for a bunch of the merchandise packages, especially now that data needs to be sent electronically to the receiving country when there is a customs declaration (data processing is a surcharge with DHL, and all the details are entered online through their portal, whereas AP would get tons of letters with hand-written declarations).

I'm not saying the change is 100% justified, I just think there's more to it than greed.

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

everard6920 — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 02:42:40 GMT

@digital*ghost wrote:
Just technically speaking (although I don't like to be the "well, akshully" guy, despite adopting the role often enough anyway ); false customs declarations are a criminal act, so one can logically presume that no customs declaration where one is required is also a criminal act. I doubt actual jail time would ever be on the table, but a fine is definitely within the realms of possibility.

I suspect the (re?)introduction of the 250g parcel rate was a pre-cursor to this eventually happening, since they tried to do it before, and covid just provided an opportunity to expedite the plan without the extreme backlash that was received last time.

DHL took advantage of the same UPU postage rules that Aus Post did to provide very cheap small package rates to international destinations (just without the thickness limit, which technically wasn't necessary for AP to have), but now that everyone's contracts are up they have more than doubled their prices (making them more expensive than AP), maybe it's opportunistic and just another greedy corporation taking advantage of a situation, but it does at least imply the costs of getting mail from one side of the world to the other are not sustainable if Aus Post only get $3 for a bunch of the merchandise packages, especially now that data needs to be sent electronically to the receiving country when there is a customs declaration (data processing is a surcharge with DHL, and all the details are entered online through their portal, whereas AP would get tons of letters with hand-written declarations).

I'm not saying the change is 100% justified, I just think there's more to it than greed.

A fine is definitely possible (especially if the person is doing it on a regular basis). Agreed. Best to work within the rules, no matter how illogical or unfair they may seem.

I stopped posting overseas long ago because it was far too much hassle, so it doesn't affect me, but I really feel for any seller whose business will be adversely affected. As I said in my previous post, people just need to find a way to adapt.

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

jillywinkle — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 11:31:33 GMT

Thats true digital ghost, you always have thoughtful, reasonable, measrued and polite replies/views, so thank you. I wish I could remove my post now. A bit hasty of me really..and I shall be sticking to the APO rules. Not worth it really is it just for a few dollars...pfft....jilly

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

jillywinkle — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 11:37:22 GMT

Well, just to say to all of the above replies I won't be going against the rules of the APO so we can all rest easy

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

katistrophik — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 11:42:39 GMT

@jillywinkle wrote:
Thats true digital ghost, you always have thoughtful, reasonable, measrued and polite replies/views, so thank you. I wish I could remove my post now. A bit hasty of me really..and I shall be sticking to the APO rules. Not worth it really is it just for a few dollars...pfft....jilly

Here ya go

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

x3n0m — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 22:43:39 GMT

"The problem with this "rule" is that it prices Australian sellers out of the global market"

clearly that is eactly what they are up to and have been for quite some time .. if people think any of it is designed to assist Australian ecommerce they clearly have not been involved with mail order for very long .. once upon a time Australia could compete .. now we cannot .. no mistake .. all by design ..

all the while with Australia locked into the UN postal agreement .. all the while supplementing China's income while Australia is headed for the third world and China to the number one economy on the planet .. we have been brainwashed to believe Australia is an egalitarian country .. far from it .. they deliberately stagnate wages .. inflate property prices to astronomical levels .. send our jobs to the third world .. our money to tax havens .. you are a slave here to feed the bankster/gangster elite .. people will get used to it or will need to find a way to escape from what is coming ..

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

letscleanupmycupboards — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 19:58:38 GMT

So what about a thin booklet (car glovebox manual specifically) sending to an overseas contact? Printed matter yes.

Merchandise suggests an item sold for profit.

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

digital*ghost — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 23:59:17 GMT

@letscleanupmycupboards wrote:

Merchandise suggests an item sold for profit.

Customs declarations are there to help assess things like import taxes and duties owing on purchases - if something was sold to an OS buyer, it is always "merchandise" (regardless of category or profit),

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

letscleanupmycupboards — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 02:16:03 GMT

I meant as opposed to posting something to someone you know.

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

digital*ghost — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 03:22:56 GMT

I guess it depends on how Australia Post specifically define "merchandise" (eg a purchased gift that's being sent can still technically be defined as "merchandise").

Other kinds of items being sent as gifts need customs declarations anyway, as does printed matter that has been sold to the recipient, but non-merchandise printed matter never has AFAIK, so I presume "merchandise" does specifically refer to something that has been bought / sold between sender / receiver.

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

porcelain_dolls_by_me — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 08:19:49 GMT

We just had an item (a mohair weft) which we sent on 22 Jan as a Economy Letter to USA returned by AusPost with a covering note which reads in part "items containing goods must be accompanied by a customs from and sent as a parcel"

It seems that this requirement is due to the newly introduced Electronic Advance Data requirement, and the old green CN22 Customs Declaration is now obsolete.

If we must now send the same goods as a parcel it will cost $21.00 in postage - not justifiable to a buyer when the item only costs $22.00

Afraid this new shipping requirement will mean we need to cease 99% of our sales to overseas buyers.

Re: Large letter/merchandise international post no more with Australia Post

curraone — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 20:06:08 GMT

@porcelain_dolls_by_me wrote:
We just had an item (a mohair weft) which we sent on 22 Jan as a Economy Letter to USA returned by AusPost with a covering note which reads in part "items containing goods must be accompanied by a customs from and sent as a parcel"
It seems that this requirement is due to the newly introduced Electronic Advance Data requirement, and the old green CN22 Customs Declaration is now obsolete.

Did your economy letter have a CN22 form attached?