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

[curraone]

Australia Post Hi Starry

Thank for your comments, this has helped us to understand just how significant the impact of a change in our letter definition for International has been to some small businesses. Based on your feedback we have made the decision that in line with our domestic letters policy if your article weighs less than 500g, is no more than 260mm x 360mm and is less than 20mm thick then it can be sent as an International letter.

We want to provide the means to support and encourage all Australian companies – including our small business customers – to grow their businesses overseas, and will do this by keeping our pricing as competitive as possible, while ensuring our customers have access to products and services that offer value for money.

We will be communicating with our Post Offices today to confirm the guidelines for International letters as above.

Kind Regards

[jillywinkle]

So, one can assume that this includes 'merchandise' letters, such as calendars, tea towels etc?

[jillywinkle]

and yay!! If this is so...they must have people hammering them all day...crumbs. It would put a lot of sellers out of business otherwise...jilly...thanks digi..:)

[jillywinkle]

had

[jillywinkle]

wow...I am totally amazed. I have been stressed out about this all day long..thank you

[onekiwi0]

had a look at the AP face book and the customers post is there from Christophe Barriere-Vaju Dreamracer - but nothing from AP to confirm.... sadly I know my local PO would still say that is no proof... need a link or something

[creativecharm]

I just went to the Post Office and checked on how much it would cost to send a 20mm large letter to USA,

with an object in it, and was quoted $2-75 after checking on the computer.

Seems as though all is back to the way it was last week.

[jillywinkle]

It's definitely confirmed and back to how it was. I went to my PO today and we discussed it. They knew it was revoked. All postoffices should and would have been notified....jilly

[lupercal]

I think what you have to bear in mind at the moment is that OzPost employees were hit with this out of nowhere, like us: the woman at the counter when I tried to send an airmail parcel to New Zealand today, had only come back from break today, and had no idea about the new regulations. Nobody else in the PO seemed to have the same story. So at the moment you're going to find some employees possibly putting things through under old regulations, not realising they've changed (mostly I'm talking about 'large letters', assuming those rules HAVE even changed.) Ever since I can remember different employees have had differtent understandings and therefore personal rules about whether an object can go as as a 'large letter' anyway.

[transport-posters]

Now they just need to find a way to allow a piece of paper rolled up in a tube to go cheaper than as a parcel.  That's my dream.