Astronomical postage costs are killing sales

[kustomizer99]

It now costs over $12 to send a tiny package if the item enclosed is more than 2 cm wide with packing. So the buyers are just walking away. There's no longer any point in listing individual items, rather everything needs to be listed in bulk to make postage seem 'reasonable' to prospective buyers.

Rather than just trying to gouge us for as much as they think they can get away with, this time Austpost have really pushed the market beyond what it can bear.

[punch*drunk]

You cant process letters through click and send though, its only for parcels.

[kustomizer99]

'You can process your parcels through the above website, print up the labels, attach them to the parcels and then lodge & pay at your post office.'

Ah, thanks....but shouldn't it then be called 'Pack, Type, Print, Stick, Travel, Lodge and Pay'? 😉

I KNEW 'click and send' was too good to be true!

[punch*drunk]

Other than "type" and "stick" arent you already doing all of the other steps? Its only a couple of steps more and the addresses are already prefilled on the C & S website for you, so no chance of mistakes. Its also tranfers the tracking number for your customers and qualifies for seller protection.

I actually find it easier than handwriting all the names and addresses on the parcels.

[punch*drunk]

I also weigh all my parcels as I go and mark it on the packages so the post office dont have to do it. It all saves me loads of time in the post office.

Depending on where you live you can have the parcels picked up, I think it costs extra for that though.

[kustomizer99]

'Other than "type" and "stick" arent you already doing all of the other steps? Its only a couple of steps more and the addresses are already prefilled on the C & S website for you, so no chance of mistakes. Its also tranfers the tracking number for your customers and qualifies for seller protection.'

OK, but as there are more steps + the need to buy and print stickers, I still don't see much advantage? Is it cheaper?

[chezzy]

Prepaid and into street box for me as much as possible, my thermal labelwriter is a godsend so I am not handwriting addresses anyway. I will be looking at $7.84 for a basic small parcel.

As I have trouble getting to the PO during the week I enquired about parcel pick up services. You can arrange this but apparently they DON'T pick up non C&S items so too bad if I have a mixed bunch of letters, parcels, satchels I need picked up at once

[punch*drunk]

OK, but as there are more steps + the need to buy and print stickers, I still don't see much advantage? Is it cheaper?

No need to buy stickers, you print the labels on A4 plain paper, they used to be half page and they just changed them to 1/4 page. Used to be $1.55 more for the tracking, but now all parcels are the same price because they all include tracking.

[kustomizer99]

Thanks punch*drunk, I should look into C&S after all.

[chezzy]

All including tracking would be fine if the tracking system was actually reliable and gave accurate information (some examples of issues were mentioned in other threads)

Price increases I can tolerate to some extent - it is all the confusion about services/add-ons/inclusions that is concerning me.

I think for now, as a casual seller, I will just focus on lower value or easy to post prepaid letters/small parcels (street boxes). And make a once-a-week trip to PO to mail other items.

[punch*drunk]

All including tracking would be fine if the tracking system was actually reliable and gave accurate information (some examples of issues were mentioned in other threads)

Everything lodged over the counter has tracking as its scanned when you pay for it. Prepiad items, placed into street posting boxes, occasionally end up with no tracking events because they are not all scanned on delivery.