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Postal charges when ordering from USA sites
Hi, this post is particularly for the Aussie polers…I was just about to place an order with a site in the USA, but decided not to when the postage came out to something like $40, which I think is ridiculous. Aussie girls – do you buy stuff from the USA or does the postage cost put you off? I've placed orders for various things from the UK, and I think the most I've paid (and that was for recorded delivery) was 14.95 UK pounds. So why is postage from the USA so ridiculously expensive?
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19 Replies
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I've run into this too. Has something changed with US post lately? I've wanted to order stuff from several different places recently and the minimum shipping charge for all of them has been something like $44 US. It's sufficiently outrageous that I've ended up not placing most of those orders. ><
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Kasanya, that's even more ridiculous – you're practically next door. How can the US postal "service" justify that? Or is it the suppliers who are overcharging I wonder.
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From the USPS site:
International Flat Rate Products
Express Mail International (Retail)
Canada
All Other Countries
Envelope1
$34.95
$44.95
Boxes2
$64.95
$79.95
Priority Mail International (Retail)
Canada
All Other Countries
Envelopes3
$19.95
$23.95
Small4
$19.95
$23.95
Medium boxes5
$40.95
$59.95
Large boxes6
$53.95
$77.95
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These rates went into effect at the end of January.
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I honestly don’t think it’s suppliers up charging, I do think it’s the postal service or delivery company.
When I order something personally from Aus/UK/NZ, shipping charges are generally reasonable, but when it comes from a company they don’t always use the cheapest option. Some places will tell you it’s because they are using tracking to ensure that a package doesn’t get lost and become an issue.
I am in Canada and some of the worst shipping costs I’ve seen are from products I’ve ordered from the US. In more cases then not, it can be quicker for me to receive an item from somewhere like Poland than the USA.
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Thanks Chemgoddess1 – can always rely on you to come up with the answers 😉 Don't know how you do it – you seem to have an endless supply of knowledge, links, info, etc. I'm envious!
And thanks too, Verticali – I suspected it was more to do with the postal charges than the companies trying to rip us off (which was just a passing thought as I was typing). I honestly can't justify paying $40 US for an item costing $10 US. The only way I could justify it would be either to place an order for several items, or to get together with a few others and place an order together – but for just a couple of items, there's no way it's worth it.
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And then you also have the possibility of incurring customs charges, which can be very discouraging to ordering overseas. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_confused.gif
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Luckily we are now allowed to import up to $1000 worth of clothing before being hit with Customs charges 😉
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Luckily we are now allowed to import up to $1000 worth of clothing before being hit with Customs charges 😉
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Yup, sure enough, the one order I did actually go through with used the USPS Priority Medium Flat Rate Box. Anyway, guess I won't be placing many orders from the States anymore.
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Yes the rates went up considerably (more than double to some places). It's quite frustrating. I sent a 6 oz package to Aus and it cost $12.75. That was bare bones minimum shipping too. It's absolutely insane. I've talked to a few retailers and they are just as frustrated. We feel like we robbing our international customers 🙁
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I've just seen that there is another thread (but with "discussion title" as its title) on much the same thing. I wonder if the postal/courier services in the USA realise just how much they could be damaging USA businesses (and the country's export trade!) by the doubling of their charges. It's sure to put a lot of people off ordering things from the USA (especially small, light items I guess). Maybe they just don't care – but it is very frustrating, not only for those of us outside the USA, but also for businesses in the USA, as Dirty Girl POLEtice points out. Wonder if there's anything that can be done to get the postal/courier services to reconsider. Maybe they have "shot themselves in the foot" by almost doubling their charges, if they lose custom because of it. Would serve them right, I reckon!
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As a US citizen, I would like to mention a few things I’ve noticed about our postal service. Since 9/11 it seems the price of everything keeps going up (possibly due to increased security measures), BUT the quality of service has gone way down. I have not had an out-going mailbox in the communities I’ve lived in since 2005, and instead I have had to bring it to the post office myself every time. It’s obvious they have cut as many postal workers as possible to save money because there’s usually only two or three working behind the counter and the line is so long it’s ab
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out an hour wait to mail a package. My carrier is over-worked and disgruntled. Usually my mail isn’t delivered until about 4pm…except on Fridays. For some reason my carrier is happy on Friday, jammin’ out listening to her iPod, and gets the mail done in record time before it’s even 11am.
I’ve heard the US postal service has started it’s own clothing line (srsly?) to try and strum up more funds. I’ve also heard they’re considering only delivering mail Mon-Fri and doing away w/ Saturday deliveries. Idk if any of this has anything to do w/ International postal gouging, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Our US postal services are going belly-up and they’re getting very reckless (and greedy) as a result.
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They aren't shooting themselves in the foot, because honestly, they are still the least expensive way to ship anywhere. They are not a private firm like I think (not sure) some other countries postal services are.
They are keeping Sat service for now, but if they do cut, the talks are that the post office will still be open, just no service to homes/businesses. I don't really care about that, just less bills for that week! lol
@Hazi I do notice there are less blue boxes around, but the usps does have an app that will tell you where they are and that helps a lot! To get around hanging at the post office, print your postage for free (and actually cheaper than at the counter) at usps.com You can get a really inexpensive weight scale on ebay. I got one years ago for like $12, totally worth it and will pay for itself with the reduced postage costs online. Also, when you print your postage, you can request a pick up for the next day, so your mail person will come to your house and pick it up! The only thing you can't print and ship on line is first class international. But everything else you can! HTH!
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