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

[digital*ghost]

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@curraone wrote:

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were they going as letters?  can you send them as letters?

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Yes, and I've always been able to (all my international letters are processed over the counter at the PO - they have to select international large letter, merchandise in their system, so my fear was (is?) the system would prevent them from processing the articles that way if this change (if it is a change?) was being implemented. 

[ozmagz]

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@digital*ghost wrote:

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That's really good to hear, I hope mine does the same because I would be in a really difficult position if they didn't. "Written documents", as far as I know, has been an informal interpretation of some of Australia Post's policies, so what people were told / charged varied quite a lot between post offices, but I've never seen it stated in the letter requirements on their website before (could have been selective vision, though  ). 

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You don't HAVE to lodge over the counter. For example you could simply put Stamps on your 'International Letter/s', and place in the pillar box.

[davidc4430]

don't tell me we are going to be forced to 'shop around' for a post office that does better deals now. will there be a website for 'todays best shipping deals' lol

[chezzy]

The whole written correspondence/documents/printed matter thing is confusing.

I sometimes use the local prepaid Registered Post envelopes. Even though to date I have only used them

for printed matter, I have had AP staff tell me to make sure I only use them for documents. Actually there is nothing

on the envelopes that says documents/printed matter only! I wonder if they are confused with Express Post

envelopes which I do believe are for documents only?

I have tried to look online for the International guide for more info on the letters situation but can't find anything yet

[creativecharm]

Not sure if just posting it with stamps on it will work.

If there are objects in "large letters" customs declarations forms needed to be filled out.

I think if there is an object in the letter, without the customs declaration form, it would be spat out.

The "written materials" only is nothing new.

It has always been the official policy. However I have been filling out the customs declations forms for over 15 years with things such as

jewellery, necklace, brooch etc, without a single query. Last year when I started selling overseas again, I checked at the local post office to make sure I could still put items of jewellery in the narrow packages and was told I could.

[imastawka]

I think OP was hard done by.

All of my daughter's o'seas 'letters' (bubble envelopes) were accepted as

letter rate and using the old customs dec. green form.

Major PO, not small LPO,  and manager said if it fits through the slot, it's ok and if

the system still accepts the old green form, then it's still ok

If it weighs more than 100 gr - it's a parcel according to him

[digital*ghost]

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@ozmagz wrote:

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You don't HAVE to lodge over the counter. For example you could simply put Stamps on your 'International Letter/s', and place in the pillar box.

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Yes, you do when the letter contains anything other than written documents (that I know for sure). 

Well, the new changes to international parcels actually mean you can drop pre-paid parcels in a street box now (one of the changes is that they have better scanning systems for contents and don't require ID to be presented on all overseas, non-document articles), but before today, you were not allowed to put anything that wasn't a written document, pre-paid or not, in the street boxes (though I do know many people did). 

I'm happy to comply with AP regulations, I'm just not happy if they completely change them on me without any notice, but I'll defer my panic / anger until I go to post this afternoon and confirm if it's required. 

[ozmagz]

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@creativecharm wrote:

Not sure if just posting it with stamps on it will work.

If there are objects in "large letters" customs declarations forms needed to be filled out.

I think if there is an object in the letter, without the customs declaration form, it would be spat out.

The "written materials" only is nothing new.

It has always been the official policy. However I have been filling out the customs declations forms for over 15 years with things such as

jewellery, necklace, brooch etc, without a single query. Last year when I started selling overseas again, I checked at the local post office to make sure I could still put items of jewellery in the narrow packages and was told I could.

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Well, you're wasting your own time writing out customs forms for 'printed matter' or 'written correspondence' items. Because these require NO customs dec. I've mailed, literally THOUSANDS of International Letters with Stamps over the last 20 years with NO customs decs.

It sounds to me that you're actually writing on these forms that you're 'breaking the rules' and it is NOT printed matter. So, i can't comprehend how and why you lodge items in this way.

[chezzy]

Pretty sure creativecharm has been filling in the customs forms for jewelry etc - where did they say they have been filling in the forms for printed matter?

[creativecharm]

Every Customs declaration form I have filled in has stated exactly what was in the package.

I never hid details of what was in the packages.

Over the years I have checked from time to time that I was able to send objects, and have always been told I could, as long as it did not exceed the width allowed.