Overseas parcel rate INCREASES

[creativecharm]

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

[matchboxmick]

I've just been down to post 2 parcels, one for Oz and one for France. Told as from today 'Track & Pack' has gone -= nearest price for me from $46 was $91 - almost double so i ended up sending normally and insured (no tracking) which still cost me $49+

I'm afraid for me that is the end of selling - you all just got to greedy Aus Post and Ebay.

Lose money on snail mail so bump up parcel prices to make it up for your over bloated wages Aus Post CEO and Ebay taking a FVF % that includes postage cost ( what the hell has postage to do with Ebay) , my buyer pays that and I make zero out of it but your  greedy company thinks its just another way to gouge the seller.

[curraone]

 3 Conditions of Service - International Economy

3.1 The International Economy service is available for:

3.1.1 articles weighing a maximum of 2 kg where delivery is by air; or

3.1.2 articles between 2 kg and 20 kg when delivery is by sea and overland.

3.2 Standard Letters and Large Letters sent using the International Economy service must:

3.2.1 only contain documents;

3.2.2 not exceed the dimensions, as set out in the Terms and Conditions for Standard Letters and Large Letters; and

3.2.3 not contain prohibited documents.

I think we're stuffed, frankly.

[chezzy]

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@audio-spot wrote:

There has always been a difference between a small letter and a large letter - if you read the full letter guide, which I have several times over, you see that "flexible items" is in fact only applied to small letters (domestically, they can only be 5mm thick, not 20mm thick like large letters).

Anyway, I just checked out the most recently published (August, 2015) international letter guide.

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Yes, that's eactly as I just read it. The sad part is that in the abbreviated version on the AP website it only mentions 'letters' which can't have anything not flexible. It is not until you read the full postal guide does it mention 'small letters'. Very sloppy!

I suggest for those who are wanting to post non-printed document airmail letters, use the following checklist:

1. Needs to be less then 500g.

2. Needs to be 20mm thick or less.

3. Needs to have a customs form affixed.

4. Need to advise that you have read the 'International Postal Service Guide August 2015' to the person serving you at the AP counter

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And if a new Guide hasn't been made available, tell them to look at page 5 of the August 2015 pdf

[chezzy]

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@curraone wrote:

 3 Conditions of Service - International Economy

3.1 The International Economy service is available for:

3.1.1 articles weighing a maximum of 2 kg where delivery is by air; or

3.1.2 articles between 2 kg and 20 kg when delivery is by sea and overland.

3.2 Standard Letters and Large Letters sent using the International Economy service must:

3.2.1 only contain documents;

3.2.2 not exceed the dimensions, as set out in the Terms and Conditions for Standard Letters and Large Letters; and

3.2.3 not contain prohibited documents.

I think we're stuffed, frankly.

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Thanks Curraone, I posted before I saw this info you posted. Can you post the link to this?

[curraone]

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

[ozmagz]

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@matchboxmick wrote:

I've just been down to post 2 parcels, one for Oz and one for France. Told as from today 'Track & Pack' has gone -= nearest price for me from $46 was $91 - almost double so i ended up sending normally and insured (no tracking) which still cost me $49+

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All standard Airmail Parcels now HAVE Tracking. And are pretty close to what it used to cost for Pack And Track. So, i'm struggling to comprehend how it went from $46 to $91. Sure you didn't get a quote on EMS? The 'old' Standard Airmail (no Tracking) is basically now called 'Economy Air'.

[chameleon54]

I,ve just done my mailing and two large letters containing written material with card backing sheet, but not correspondence went as normal large letter, regular price. Staff advised that if the envelope contained anything other than paper ( including protective plastic sleeves ) it would be regarded as a parcel. Some poor bloke next to me has a small 200 gram package, sea mail to U.S was $33.00. He wasn't impressed and took it back home.

Post office staff reported that they had not received any training on the new system and where flying blind. Customers where ropeable and the poor staff where obviously very distressed.   NOT GOOD AP.   

[curraone]

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@chameleon54 wrote:

. Some poor bloke next to me has a small 200 gram package, sea mail to U.S was $33.00. He wasn't impressed and took it back home.

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I don't understand that at all:  a 500g parcel to US is $15.85.

[ozmagz]

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@chameleon54 wrote:

I,ve just done my mailing and two large letters containing written material with card backing sheet, but not correspondence went as normal large letter, regular price. Staff advised that if the envelope contained anything other than paper ( including protective plastic sleeves ) it would be regarded as a parcel. Some poor bloke next to me has a small 200 gram package, sea mail to U.S was $33.00. He wasn't impressed and took it back home.

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You can't even mail a 200gram package with Sea Mail. ie. it's a minimum 2kg, so you've mixed that up.

As mentioned there's many things people previously mailed with letter rate, which was not 'printed matter'. Logistically i can't see AP returning to sender thousands upon thousands of CDs, DVD's, stamps, stuff with a piece of 'plastic' etc.. It'd cost them a small fortune to screen & resend all that on a daily basis. But, we'll see.

[digital*ghost]

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@chezzy wrote:

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@curraone wrote:

 3 Conditions of Service - International Economy

3.1 The International Economy service is available for:

3.1.1 articles weighing a maximum of 2 kg where delivery is by air; or

3.1.2 articles between 2 kg and 20 kg when delivery is by sea and overland.

3.2 Standard Letters and Large Letters sent using the International Economy service must:

3.2.1 only contain documents;

3.2.2 not exceed the dimensions, as set out in the Terms and Conditions for Standard Letters and Large Letters; and

3.2.3 not contain prohibited documents.

I think we're stuffed, frankly.

---

Thanks Curraone, I posted before I saw this info you posted. Can you post the link to this?

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I just found this - it's in a PDF that you can find here: http://auspost.com.au/general-terms-conditions.html

Scroll down to the very end and select "Schedule 31 - International Delivery Services Terms and Conditions" - I don't quite understand in what way the T&Cs are supplementary and "special" though. 

The first paragraph is:

1 Introduction
1.1 These special service terms and conditions are supplementary to the Australia
Post Terms and Conditions. To the extent that any aspect of this special service
is not expressly included herein, the Australia Post Terms and Conditions apply.
1.2 These special service terms and conditions apply when:
1.2.1 a customer makes an application to use the special service in a manner
or form prescribed by Australia Post for that purpose;
1.2.2 Australia Post accepts that application; and
1.2.3 the customer pays the fee, charge, premium, rate or price charged by
Australia Post for the special service.

What is "the special service"? Do they just mean international service are "special". because 1.2 onwards seems like just a more bureaucratic way to say "when you purchase services", there's no real "application" involved in just going in and sending something over the counter, unless "application" is being used as a legal term and customers are applying to buy a service and AP then chooses to accept (or reject) the application. o.O 

My letters were processed as normal today, but all signs point to that not being the case much longer, so I've disabled international postage options on my low value items with letter postage quoted, until I get this all clear and work out what I need to do. 😕