A Rant Regarding Australia Post - Bring Back Smaller Thresholds.

[thegaminggamer]

Let's be honest, separating parcel costs by the 500 gram threshold is far too much. Even the 250 grams threshold (which existed many years ago) was too much, albeit tolerable compared to today's situation.

Charging per 500 grams is how you get ridiculous situations like being charged twice as much for going from 500 to 502 grams. Double the hurt if it's an international parcel.

It's how you get ridiculous situations like it being cheaper to send two large letters for $2 each ($4 total) but if you superglue those two letters together and send it as one, it ends up $7.60.

It's how you get ridiculous situations like it costing the same to post a 20 grams item the size of a golf ball, and a 499 grams item the size of a watermelon, simply because the golf ball is more than than 2cm.

What are the pro-arguments for the current high thresholds? Apart from profits, of course.

Everyone's productivity could be improved greatly if the thresholds were reduced to something manageable like per 100 grams. Sellers don't have to meticulously calculate the postage prices for their items for fear of underquoting (and being overcharged twice the amount by going over the threshold a few grams). Even if a seller underquotes, so what? It's only a few grams over, and the cost is only a few dollars. From eBay's point of view, it would also be a good thing because there would be fewer instances of buyers complaining about high postage due to underquoting. A seller would much prefer to shoulder the underquoting of a few dollars but not if it's something big like $10 (their incorrect quote) and $20 (actual cost).

Everyone's productivity could also be improved greatly if Australia Post didn't change their services and prices every few months. Speaking of prices, aren't some of the international shipping prices weird looking? It costs $23.72 to post a standard parcel to the USA. It costs $20.46 for an economy parcel to the UK. Why $20.46? $20, I can accept. $20.40, ditto. But $20.46? Is the $0.06 so important to Australia Post's bottom line? I would "happily" pay $20.50 if it allows me to memorise the figure. I used to be able to memorise all the parcel prices by heart, whether local or international. But now it's a near impossibility due to the erratic nature of the prices and it's going to change again every 6 months or so anyway.

There is of course merit to changing the sake of efficiency and productivity and whatnot but there is also merit in just staying the same. There are Post Offices in other countries who don't change their prices, for YEARS, let alone every 6 months.

Speaking of efficiency, and effectiveness, and productivity (a CEO's favourite meaningless buzzwords), I don't actually see it. Quite the contrary, I see LESS efficiency and LESS productivity. Such as the intentional withholding and delayment of the delivery of letters in order to justify the "economy" and "standard" pricing options. Not to mention the attempt to remove international large letters as a shipping option before being overturned by consumer backlash. I don't care how you define efficiency, and effectiveness, and productivity and [insert managerial business-speak word here] but to me the end result of those goals should be lower prices and more choices. The reality seems to be higher prices (or similar prices for an inferior product/service) and fewew choice (attempt to remove international large letters). Of course, I realise the actual point of "efficiency" is "profits for the few" but my thesis is based on pretending that this public/private (an entire different debate worth its own thread) hybrid company cares about consumers.

[dazzledayz]

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@davewil1964 wrote:

Thanks.

Typical AP con job. It's cheaper to send parcels from Canberra to Sydney than Canberra to Canberra. It would seem because they lump the ACT in with all of NSW that isn't Sydney.

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Dave you really need to speak with a knowledgable postmaster about that 50km rate.

If you use Click & Send pricing should be automatically applied though maybe not in your case.

I only found out about the 50km deal by reading the complete parcel guide a couple of years ago and I know it's still available at my local PO.

As I say though, you WILL have to ask for it but afetr a couple of years it should be pretty common knowledge.

The reason for not using an LPO is that they get paid a share of profit so it's in hteir own best interest to keep charges as high as possible.

I must admit to a bit of a surprise that NSW only has 2 zones when Qld has 4

[mountainherbs-123]

First of all Australia Post should help online sellers with lowered fees. Second I don't understand why everything is weight based. Sometimes I send out things in bigger boxes than necessary because it doesn't make a difference in price, however there is only so much VOLUME you get in a truck. Third I don't undedrstand why Australia post does so many postage zones. Every merchant uses mixed calculation.

If Australia Post would deduct the overly high payments from our postage fees, how much would that be?

Online sellers are the ONLY thing which keeps Austlraia Post up. If all the sellers are gone they go too.

[bluebudgies]

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@mountainherbs-123 wrote:

First of all Australia Post should help online sellers with lowered fees. Second I don't understand why everything is weight based. Sometimes I send out things in bigger boxes than necessary because it doesn't make a difference in price, however there is only so much VOLUME you get in a truck. Third I don't undedrstand why Australia post does so many postage zones. Every merchant uses mixed calculation.

If Australia Post would deduct the overly high payments from our postage fees, how much would that be?

Online sellers are the ONLY thing which keeps Austlraia Post up. If all the sellers are gone they go too.

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1.  "help online sellers with lowered fees".  I'm at a loss to understand why Australian taxpayers should subsidise online sellers.  If Aust Post makes a loss it's the taxpayers who'll be funding it.  If an online seller's business isn't profitable they can't expect the taxpayers to subsidise them.

2.  "everything is weight based".  No, it's not!  Once your parcels go over 1kg they're charged by volume.  Even lighter parcels can be charged by volume if the PO decides they're too big in relation to their weight.  It's all in the charges terms if you care to read them.

3.  "I don't understand why AP does so many postage zones".  Are you say it should cost the same to post a parcel from Melb to Darwin as it costs to post a parcel from Melb to Sydney.  Fact:  it costs more to get it to Darwin so they're entitled to charge it.  Do you think airfares should be the same for long haul flights as they are for short ones?  Letters are the same to anywhere in Australia but we should be grateful for that and not expect it for everything.

4.  "online sellers are the only thing which keep AP going.  If all the sellers are gone, AP go too."  The opposite is also true - if AP weren't here, most sellers wouldn't be either.  AP has the right to run at a profit same as every other business.  Just because the govt runs it doesn't mean it's obliged to run at a loss so that you can make a profit.  Would you be willing to run your business at a loss just so that others could have things cheap?

Some things just are what they are and we have to learn to live with it and/or work around it.  You expect the taxpayers to subsidise your business but why should they prop up your business if it's not viable?

[collect247]

If AP ever make a loss then there 's only one person to blame and that's their CEO lol.

$6M salary!

That's the only reason AP charge so much.

[goodthingsforsalerobert]

We are screwed by all involved,so much for small businesses surviving. the dollar rules and we are not getting enough of them, short term thinking leads to long term downturn,fat rich bankers getter fatter and richer by walking all over us,the day is coming when it will change so watch out fats cats the public is coming   

[transport-posters]

The end is nigh! Run for the hills!

[davewil1964]

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@bluebudgies wrote:

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@mountainherbs-123 wrote:

First of all Australia Post should help online sellers with lowered fees. Second I don't understand why everything is weight based. Sometimes I send out things in bigger boxes than necessary because it doesn't make a difference in price, however there is only so much VOLUME you get in a truck. Third I don't undedrstand why Australia post does so many postage zones. Every merchant uses mixed calculation.

If Australia Post would deduct the overly high payments from our postage fees, how much would that be?

Online sellers are the ONLY thing which keeps Austlraia Post up. If all the sellers are gone they go too.

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1.  "help online sellers with lowered fees".  I'm at a loss to understand why Australian taxpayers should subsidise online sellers.  If Aust Post makes a loss it's the taxpayers who'll be funding it.  If an online seller's business isn't profitable they can't expect the taxpayers to subsidise them.

2.  "everything is weight based".  No, it's not!  Once your parcels go over 1kg they're charged by volume.  Even lighter parcels can be charged by volume if the PO decides they're too big in relation to their weight.  It's all in the charges terms if you care to read them.

3.  "I don't understand why AP does so many postage zones".  Are you say it should cost the same to post a parcel from Melb to Darwin as it costs to post a parcel from Melb to Sydney.  Fact:  it costs more to get it to Darwin so they're entitled to charge it.  Do you think airfares should be the same for long haul flights as they are for short ones?  Letters are the same to anywhere in Australia but we should be grateful for that and not expect it for everything.

4.  "online sellers are the only thing which keep AP going.  If all the sellers are gone, AP go too."  The opposite is also true - if AP weren't here, most sellers wouldn't be either.  AP has the right to run at a profit same as every other business.  Just because the govt runs it doesn't mean it's obliged to run at a loss so that you can make a profit.  Would you be willing to run your business at a loss just so that others could have things cheap?

Some things just are what they are and we have to learn to live with it and/or work around it.  You expect the taxpayers to subsidise your business but why should they prop up your business if it's not viable?

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2b. A truckful of feathers might weight a couple of tonnes. A truckful of lead would probably go 30 or more. Gues which one is going to break the axles?

[*tippy*toes*]

The feathers?

[davewil1964]

Explain in 100 words or less how you reached this conclusion. You must include all working.

Points will be deducted for flights of imagination

[lyndal1838]