The MLP Arena
TCB => Trader & Shipping Support => Topic started by: HawaiianRain on January 22, 2013, 02:04:49 PM
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So what's this I hear that starting next week prices for postage is going up for international shipping?
I'm hearing of almost double of what it is now... Not good news for us sellers who ship across the sea :(
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I heard that too though I'm not sure how much the increase is :(
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I heard it too and was going to post about it tomorrow when I knew exactly what was going to increase.
But here is a link to what I did find previously and what we can expect.
http://blog.stamps.com/2012/10/29/usps-announces-new-postage-rates-for-2013/
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:[ Sigh. I knew this was bound to happen soon.
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A 60% increase. That's ridiculous!
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Given the postal service's woes, I'm really not surprised.
That doesn't make it any less annoying, though! :(
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Oh joy it's gonna get even more expensive for me to import things :D (and customs here tax the value of shipping as well as value of import goods. Double fun!)
I knew I should've bugged my friend to mail my Favourites Collection ages ago...
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CupidStrikes, there's still time! :) New rates go into effect around the 27th, I believe.
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.......................................60 percent?
It cost me 20 bucks to send a package to the UK that was like 3 pounds... this doesn't sound good at all.....
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Not cool I took some pre orders for some people. I hate to think that I could get stuck with stuff due to an increase in shipping.
I swear the post office doesn't want anyone to mail anything anymore.
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So is UPS Ground going to be the cheaper option now? I've never sent UPS before so I have no idea what the charge?
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So is UPS Ground going to be the cheaper option now? I've never sent UPS before so I have no idea what the charge?
Being on the receiving end, even if first class doubles it would be cheaper then accepting a UPS or FedEx parcel for international people who pay customs. In addition to customs the brokerage fees these companies charge (because they pay customs at the border, then charge their own fees for doing that) are insanity! example: http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/shipping/cost/zones/customs_clearance.html (http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/shipping/cost/zones/customs_clearance.html)
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Noooooo! I send stuff to my friend in England :( It cost almost $10 to send her a t-shirt last month, I can't imagine what it's going to be like when the prices go up :yikes:
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Lol this is completely stupid. I'm sure they'll lose a lot of money cuz a lot ppl won't buy from overseas anymore.
Is that the sence of increase prices? Don't they want/need international shipping?
60% - this is absurd!
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60% increase is absolutely disgusting! :mad: :throw: :stressed:
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D: No way! Aw, this is terrible news... I live in Australia, so shipping fees are enough of a struggle as it already is.
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CupidStrikes, there's still time! :) New rates go into effect around the 27th, I believe.
Sadly my friend works two jobs and is currently not well, so I'd rather pay more than badger her about it now :( I'm used to paying stupid rates of postage when I'm importing (or exporting...international post from here starts at like 6USD even for letters).
Edit: Bless her, she said she'd try to ship them on Saturday anyway :D Hope our postmen are nice to it; my last two things arrived very battered...
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Oh dear god!
I better send out those two packages to my friends ASAP! :cry:
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I understand the frustration everyone is feeling, but I will gladly put up with an increase in shipping considering what we get with our country's postal service. The US postal service has routinely been a much better deal for us than those in other countries, more reliable and more affordable and more options for mailing, and I'll put up with a few extra bucks to keep it that way. (Of course I understand it's not perfect and 'reliable' isn't something some people would use to describe it, but compared to some other countries' postal services, it is.) In this age of instant online communication, the post office is not making enough money to stay afloat and keep in operation.
I live in a medium-sized rural town and we used to have two post offices for the area, one on each end of town, and recently they closed one of them and all the postal workers lost their jobs. :( It was sad, and frustrating for everyone.
For those of you curious, here's a page with a breakdown of the exact increases that will take place on the 27th. Scroll down a bit for the 'international' section.
http://www.stamps.com/usps/postage-rate-increase/
(One interesting thing they are adding is a 'forever stamp' for overseas, so now you can pay $1.10 for a single stamp and send a regular-sized letter anywhere in the world for one price. I think that's neat!)
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I whole-heartedly agree with you DF.
Also I want to point out that these major increases from what I have read are if your package is a 1lb or more. I am not seeing anywhere about a dramatic increase for anything lower. I am sure there is but it is not going to cost some outrageous price to ship a 4oz. pony. Those prices in that link are reflecting if your package weighs a 1lb.
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Gosh.. that is bad. :<
I'm huge on importing stuff, so that's definitely a huge bummer.. (and reminding me that I'll have to save up for shipping some MH dolls I still want from the US coming out in february. Bleh. -_-)
Then again, US postal rates were always the cheapest (except for china, maybe), so it was probably bound to happen.. still, bummer. And increasing it by 60% in one go is ridiculous. -_-
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all I know is that international price increases mean I won't be able to be open to international partners in swaps any more. In the past I've spend $30, $40, even over $50 to send packages to my swap partners. I'm sorry but I just cannot afford to spend $80 to ship a swap box.
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Its not to awful, but EMS is already SO expensive. Oh well.
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I checked the new rates on the USPS site itself and it looks like shipping a single 4 oz. pony to Europe is going to go from $5.34 to $9.45 :whoa:
Here's the link to the complete new price lists (you have to open the spreadsheet files to see them): https://www.usps.com/new-prices.htm (https://www.usps.com/new-prices.htm)
(For the Price groups - Canada is 1, Mexico is 2, Europe is in 3 - 5, Australia is in 6 - 9.)
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Thank you Breyer600! I do like seeing that delivery confirmation will now be available to Canadians on first class package international. Perhaps more ebay sellers will start offering shipping to us. While I don't exactly like paying more (Canada Post is also getting service changes and rate increases as well) it's worth it in the end to keep a reliable service. I'd rather pay extra, then have our systems go broke and start losing mail left and right.
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While I understand that they have to increase rates to keep the system up and running (inflation and all) - Why has it to be so much all at once? ;_;
German Postal Service increased their rates too this year, but only by .50-1.50€ and not like.. whopping 60-80%. ;o;
Oh well.. all the whining won't help I guess.. in the end we as internationals will have to stomach it. :|
If only the current conversion rate would be better, it would be half as bad.. *still swooning over the golden times around 2008/09 when the € was still worth something xD*
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Thanks Breyer! I was all over USPS's site this morning and couldn't find that. And I am usually pretty good about digging around. :P
I always enjoy shipping to Canada FF so I am glad to hear they will be offering delivery confirmation too. It makes life a little easier.
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Thanks Breyer! I was all over USPS's site this morning and couldn't find that. And I am usually pretty good about digging around. :P
I always enjoy shipping to Canada FF so I am glad to hear they will be offering delivery confirmation too. It makes life a little easier.
Canada isn't bad for us :) Packages usually get their pretty fast as it is and shipping is pretty fair as far as being international goes.
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Here's more I found on Etsy since I sell through there:
http://www.etsy.com/blog/news/2013/shipping-rates-update-for-sellers/
I spent most of my day changing shipping since anything else ordered would be shipped out after the price change takes effect. I actually do MORE INTL orders than domestic and I KNOW it's going to affect my sales. *very very sad face*
I am rushing to get my international out before Friday.
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Wow. Those some of them are huge increases.
But International Standard Service will have *free* tracking and delivery information. That wasn't available before.
Also looks like International postage will be available for purchase online. And those prices will not increase as much with Commercial Base pricing.
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Omg... it used to be cheaper to ship certain things in from internationally than to have them sent to me locally. Looks like those days might be over, on the US side at least.
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So wait...the rate I used to pay for most purchases from ebay US sellers was USD15-17. How much will it be after the 27th of Jan?
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So wait...the rate I used to pay for most purchases from ebay US sellers was USD15-17. How much will it be after the 27th of Jan?
AFAIK about $23 - $25. I saw an examplification on etsy where it said that a parcel/bubble mailer that previously cost $16.xx to ship will now cost $23.xx. :7
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I just adjusted the shipping prices for my store for a tshirt. Within the USA, the price changed only by pennies. But overseas, it used to be around $10, and now it has gone up to around $16 first class. That's just a 9oz bubble mailer. :( Hope that helps to give you some idea on costs.
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man oh man. If you are shipping anything 2-4 pounds has gone up 12.00 to nearly doubled of what it was for international. This is going to put a huge damper on swap boxes....
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It is definitely a shocker! I went to print a label this morning and nearly choked. I think it will be better though, because I think the tracking for First Class will more reliable.
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Oh that stinks- it was already high enough :cry:
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I was surprised with the rates increased :lookround: so not cool for all of us :(
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I know its sucks, there was some other things that were changed to. There was something about parcel post to, but I cant remember what it was?
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Woah... shipping to Canada all but doubled... D: Looks like my online buying is going to slow dramatically.
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Merged since there was already an active topic on the subject. Thanks PL
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1 pound used to be around 10 dllrs, now is 16 dollars, yep 60 % increase , so not cool :(
guess the sales will drop a lot on ebay because of this .
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Meowza! Does International First Class at least have tracking information though? That almost makes it worth it...
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Sad... I'm so jealous of people in the states for having most of the things they buy online be sent from the same country so the shipping is less.
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There was something about parcel post to, but I cant remember what it was?
It was renamed standard post
and no cool with the increase as I have to ship to australia, sweden and finland this week :mad:
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I had a box coming up that is going overseas too. It's going to be a pretty big box too. I'm really worried about how much it will cost. :(
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Meowza! Does International First Class at least have tracking information though? That almost makes it worth it...
Only if you're shipping to Canada. From what I read, all other countries are the same as before - you might get tracking until it leaves the US, but nothing after that. It also looks like you have to purchase the postage online to get it, but I'm not certain on that. I'm not sure where you can even purchase International First Class online - it mentions Click-N-Ship but it doesn't show as an option when I try it. Here's the info I found:
252.2 Electronic USPS Delivery Confirmation International
252.21 Description
Electronic USPS Delivery Confirmation International service — abbreviated E-USPS DELCON INTL — is an optional service available for First-Class Package International Service items to select destination countries at no charge. Tracking information includes the date and time an article was delivered or, if delivery was attempted but not completed, the date and time of the delivery attempt. The sender can check delivery status by going to usps.com and clicking on the “Track & Confirm” feature.
252.22 Availability
Electronic USPS Delivery Confirmation International service is available only electronically by using USPS-approved PC Postage vendors, Click-N-Ship, Click-N-Ship for Business, Webtools, and Global Shipping Software (GSS) or other USPS-approved software. Currently, it is available only to Canada.
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So the media will cover the fact that the price of a 1oz stamp is going up by 2 cents but this international increase gets no coverage? This is ridiculous.
USA is going to cost 2x-4x more to ship than other countries. This increase will make it so all the small time sellers from America can't compete at all.
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Got to see this first-hand today. Bubble envelope with some light, mostly flat items in it going out overseas. I quoted my buyer before the price hike, so when I went to deliver it today it cost me a little over $2 more to send it out. Pfft.
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Yep, what normally cost me $6.12 roughly, cost almost $9 today :faint:
The thing is ebay didn't put an announcement up till three days ago. It's a good thing I heard it on the news.
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I tried to shipped a CD to France. This was a cheap $3 CD and I charged $6 for shipping. The cost to ship this CD in a bubble envelope (5oz weight) was $12.
$12 to ship a 5oz bubble envelope to France! Seriously, how is anyone going to buy or trade or do anything with us anymore?
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Oh wow, this is going to make it really tough to do international swaps :(
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$12 to ship a 5oz bubble envelope to France! Seriously, how is anyone going to buy or trade or do anything with us anymore?
How do you think we Canadians feel? :-p
At least this makes shipping prices more standard across the continent. The only problem of course is that buyers MUST be informed about shipping prices. You can't just look at their prices and go, "$5 to ship?! WAH! Not that rip-off seller!" because one pony is likely to cost $7 to ship now. :-p
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I think I just shipped my very last international package. :(
I used to trade with and sell to people outside the US pretty frequently, so I'm kind of bummed about this. But I just shipped my first package after the price hike and it just confirmed I can't afford this anymore. I just paid $9.45 to ship a small bubble mailer with two posters (the ones from Enterplay) inside to Germany. And the worst part of it is I only charged them $9 ($4 for the posters and $5 for shipping) because it was still like a week before the price increase so I thought I would be ok. But then they didn't pay until the 27th, and since I had agreed to ship it for $5, I guess I felt like I had to. So now I'm out $4 and while I know that's not a lot, it's enough to make me not want to mess with international shipping anymore. I'd feel bad charging people that much to ship a small item.
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ShortyBoo, I buy within Canada and Europe all the time and am used to paying these prices that getting something from the states used to make me double check the postage like "wow, for real! Awesome". It's just making US post more inline with charges from everywhere else, us international customers are quite used to paying these kinds of prices already. :)
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ShortyBoo, I buy within Canada and Europe all the time and am used to paying these prices that getting something from the states used to make me double check the postage like "wow, for real! Awesome". It's just making US post more inline with charges from everywhere else, us international customers are quite used to paying these kinds of prices already. :)
Wow, really? I still feel weird asking someone to pay $10 or more to ship something small, though. I didn't know everywhere else already was paying much more than we were to ship stuff, though.
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If you're on ebay you'll likely hear whining. On the forums people are way more understanding of what things actually cost to ship.
I'm in BC Canada, it costs me less to have something shipped in from Florida then it would from a city away! :) I don't mind USPS charging more, they've been having huge financial issues and I'd rather pay more as they've almost always been reliable to me, then have the actual service suffer. Plus us Canucks now get tracking on first class! Woot!
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I've looked up two countries that I used to ship to quite often... one was Sweden. It's always been a more expensive country to ship to. But now it's $17 to ship a couple ponies (3) out there.
Then I looked up the UK. To send 4 blind bags, it's telling me $12.75
Are you KIDDING ME?
I LOVE my international sales and trades. This is going to kill them.
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ShortyBoo, I buy within Canada and Europe all the time and am used to paying these prices that getting something from the states used to make me double check the postage like "wow, for real! Awesome". It's just making US post more inline with charges from everywhere else, us international customers are quite used to paying these kinds of prices already. :)
Wow, really? I still feel weird asking someone to pay $10 or more to ship something small, though. I didn't know everywhere else already was paying much more than we were to ship stuff, though.
I guess if someone is willing to pay it then it's totally up to them. Shipping from Australia overseas is super expensive, too, but I figure if someone truly doesn't mind paying the costs, then it's up to them. And as someone who lives outside the US it's kind of frustrating when people refuse to ship because of shipping costs that I would probably be willing to pay for something I can't find anywhere else (hopefully this doesn't come across as being rude to you - just wanted to reassure there will still be people willing and understanding).
And even shipping within Australia is pretty expensive, too (I don't know what it's like within other countries) - although as FantasticFirefly said I've also had shipping costs from the US be at least equal to shipping from another Australian state. Haha.
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Wow... I was just going to post my own sticker shock, but found an already existing post, so here goes my rant....
Jan 15, 2013:
Spain: 1.5 OZ = $3.78
Finland: 17OZ= $13.17
GB: 4.3 OZ = $6.12
Canada: 2.7 OZ= $3.30
Jan 30, 2013:
Belgium: 6.6 OZ= $12.75
Finland: .70OZ = $6.55
Canada: 2.3 OZ = $7.35
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The UK post office has bumped their prices up too :cry: Ive had a very snotty email saying they refuse to pay £2.60 for keypers finder (the lightest small thing ever) but thats how much it is - £2.20 for shipping and my bubble mailers are 40p
Today I got a mahoosive shock, sold one of my partners old Thundercats toys - in a box weighed 475g..............cost me £9.30 ($14.00) to send it overseas by standard mail :shocked: :shocked: it used to cost £5.50 so im out of pocket on that sale :(
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I just realized I had to go change all of the auctions I had on eBay for international shipping rates. I had to increase it so much AND put a disclaimer in my auction that it wasn't MY fault the rates were so high.
I know other people have beensaying that they're used to paying such high shipping rates outside of the US... but I too, like some people mentioned, feel really bad when I have to tell someone that two tiny Blind Bag ponies are going to cost over $10 to ship. It seems so unfair... I don't mind increasing the postage fees to keep up with inflation, but this increase is MEGA.
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$12 to ship a 5oz bubble envelope to France! Seriously, how is anyone going to buy or trade or do anything with us anymore?
How do you think we Canadians feel? :-p
At least this makes shipping prices more standard across the continent. The only problem of course is that buyers MUST be informed about shipping prices. You can't just look at their prices and go, "$5 to ship?! WAH! Not that rip-off seller!" because one pony is likely to cost $7 to ship now. :-p
If you ship a smaller sized pony and manage to make the package (or bubble envelope) weigh 5oz:
USA to Canada -$8.55
USA to UK - $12.75
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Okay I'm slightly confused. When shipping first class to Canada, we now have Delivery Confirmation AKA tracking, right? And it's included in the cost, correct? Do we have to ask for it, or will they automatically give us the little slip of paper with the tracking number on it?
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It's usually the customs number that serves as your tracking number on international packages, but I'm confused too since the post office's website says it's only available on First Class if you purchase the shipping electronically and I still haven't found a way to do that. Even though they list a discounted online price for first class international now in their postage calculator, it's not offered when you actually log in and try to print a label. :huh:
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It's usually the customs number that serves as your tracking number on international packages, but I'm confused too since the post office's website says it's only available on First Class if you purchase the shipping electronically and I still haven't found a way to do that. Even though they list a discounted online price for first class international now in their postage calculator, it's not offered when you actually log in and try to print a label. :huh:
If you are referring to e-Bay I think I read somewhere it would not be an online option until March?
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I'm printing through ebay labels and getting the tracking number on my canada packages now.
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Well i guess my new rule of only buying ponies when they're released in my country is going to be enforced a bit more firmly by this postage increase, what a bummer for everyone
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I shipped something yesterday and the lady (one I've never seen there before) was really snippy and corrected me when I asked for delivery confirmation. So yeah, it's now called tracking. And I think it is incorporated in the price at least for priority mail, but she was really offputting to try and get information from. I could go into a rant about what happened but Ill try not to. She made me grumpy for a bit.
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Sounds like you had a Grinch on your hands at the PO. Mine simply tore off my DC label and said we no longer even need to fill them out. Dump what you have at home, as it's now automatic on Priority packages. He rang me up and pointed out the tracking number on the receipt.
I will say was normally costs me around 35ish to ship a custom plush to Aussie via priority is now around $50.00. These price increases kill.
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Yep a grinch. She stuck the label over my address so I couldn't see the numbers. Said it's the deliverer's job to read it. Wrote a scribbled number when I asked to fix it. Scoffed when I said I wasn't sure what the number was (no I don't memorize everyone's address) so I wanted to double check. Chastised me for taping down my address because she couldn't stamp it with fragile. Ignored me when I said I could redo the label. And then chastised me again for making my address so large and visible on the box because it leaves no room for the stamp. This last bit was not true and the stamp fit just fine. The label also would fit if she didn't slap it down without looking for a good spot.
Oh sorry. I said I wouldn't go into it. I wonder if the postal workers are just disgruntled right now because of the changes. I would guess they dislike explaining everything new to us. But, she also might just be like that. I've never met her before and I'm always in and out of the post.
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Yep a grinch. She stuck the label over my address so I couldn't see the numbers. Said it's the deliverer's job to read it. Wrote a scribbled number when I asked to fix it. Scoffed when I said I wasn't sure what the number was (no I don't memorize everyone's address) so I wanted to double check. Chastised me for taping down my address because she couldn't stamp it with fragile. Ignored me when I said I could redo the label. And then chastised me again for making my address so large and visible on the box because it leaves no room for the stamp. This last bit was not true and the stamp fit just fine. The label also would fit if she didn't slap it down without looking for a good spot.
Oh sorry. I said I wouldn't go into it. I wonder if the postal workers are just disgruntled right now because of the changes. I would guess they dislike explaining everything new to us. But, she also might just be like that. I've never met her before and I'm always in and out of the post.
I'm so sorry your PO trip was so cruddy! Ugh, but I think you're right on there - I think the Postal Workers are probably dealing with a lot of their own grumps coming in and basically blaming them for the high prices... and then they just "pay it forward" with their poor attitudes. Or perhaps, they screwed something up, got chewed out by their boss, and took it out on you. It's not right, but it happens all the time (projecting feelings forward)... still, the way the PO person treated you sounds ridiculously rude... I couldn't imagine the PO people here saying that to me! Of course, by Postal "people", I mean the one lady that runs our branch, or the one route mailman, LOL (we live in a rural area...)
Still. These prices are awful as far as the quick jump upwards. I don't even think my local post office has caught on to all the changes with tracking/dc/priority/no more parcel post, etc thing... so I'm just trying to keep printing labels online to make it easier I suppose. Still, my International orders have to go out by hand and I can't help but grumble after shipping three packages, and paying out $45 to send them (and in turn, my buyers wallets are each $15 lighter juts for shipping... YUCK!)
I sent a 1oz item overseas, had the shipping at $4.10 (used to be pretty close for most countries), and went to print the label, it's $6.55. Took a loss on that one...
Also had to look up insurance and registered mail overseas, it doubles the costs! Has it always been like that for registered/insured mail overseas? I guess I've never used it. I just know that our PO is always whining and moaning in the US about being shut down and how we don't use it enough... how is basically, discouraging trade/sale/shipping between the US and other countries, by jacking the rates up sky-high, going to INCREASE our use of our postal system? Seems a little backwards to me. I /know/ they have to deal with inflation and such, but, they should've been dealing with it all along with small increases in price, not this HUGE one!
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One huge increase is going to turn off a lot of people. I agree it would have been better if there had been more steps through the years. I think we should have been paying more all along, but they have been trying not to increase things so much for so long it is now at a breaking point I suppose.
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I know this is kinda off topic but when someone from the US send a package internationally do they wrap it in brown paper?
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I know this is kinda off topic but when someone from the US send a package internationally do they wrap it in brown paper?
No, I just put it in a box, tape it up, and send it.
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I know this is kinda off topic but when someone from the US send a package internationally do they wrap it in brown paper?
no it at least needs to be wrapped in something waterproof and perferably bubbled wrapped if not boxed
Bummer about the usps price hike, I was already put off buying from the us since I had a pony arrived badly damaged and had items go missing now I am extra put off : /
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Some do wrap it due to the box they are using. Boxes that are shipped internationally should be plain with no writing. Many of us are not that lucky o find the right size of box so they will wrap it in plain brown paper so there is nothing on the outside of the box that could potentially stop it in customs. If customs think there is something inside that shouldn't be shipped or that is questionable, they will inspect it. They will even rebox it if necessary.
You want your boxes free of liquid stains (anything that appears as if something from whatever was in there before may have leaked through) free of anything perishable that may appear on the outside (banana boxes, strawberry boxes etc..
It's just an extra step to get the package through customs without a issue.
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I know this is kinda off topic but when someone from the US send a package internationally do they wrap it in brown paper?
No, I just put it in a box, tape it up, and send it.
Same.
You just aren't supposed to have a bunch of like, manufacturers marks all over the box, if that's not what you're shipping in it... so I personally just cover it with tape (not clear, tape that covers) and make sure the only thing that's really WORDS on the box is the address it's going to :)
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I've shipped in old cereal boxes overseas before and NEVER had an issue.
I just sipped off a swap DOMESTICALLY it was only 1.39 LBS and cost $11.25 to ship! Domestic shipping now even makes me want to consider another carrier besides the USPS!
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I've shipped in old cereal boxes overseas before and NEVER had an issue.
I just sipped off a swap DOMESTICALLY it was only 1.39 LBS and cost $11.25 to ship! Domestic shipping now even makes me want to consider another carrier besides the USPS!
Yeah, it's turning out to be a bummer.
If anyone is looking for some great products to use as cover ups on packages, Duck Tape makes printed packaging tape. Works GREAT to cover up anything questionable on boxes.
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Thanks for the help everyone ;D!
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Ouch, I have been feeling these rates these past couple of days. One little doll dress cost $10 to ship to me, and a tiny little bit of plastic (like 1 cm, practically like sending an empty envelope...) was almost $7 :/
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This is nuts!
Can the USPS give us another reason NOT to use them?
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Is there any alternative for small international shipments?
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Unfortunately I do not believe so. :(
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Is there any alternative for small international shipments?
Nope, it cost me nearly $7 to send a ponywear set of 10 fabric clothing pieces to Germany/England/ UK.
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I spent $100 to ship 6 packages internationally
$12 for ONE fairytale bird to sweden
$20 for 3 PVC care bears, 1 FTB to Australia
$10 for a G3 to Italy
$21 for 3 G3's to UK
$15 for some pony clothes to Finland
$10 for one PVC carebear to canada
A 4 pound box is like $40
all in padded envelopes :mad:
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WOW!! Those are some big price increases!!! :(
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It's price equalization across North America, that's all. :) Can you drive/fly it there yourself for cheaper?
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It's price equalization across North America, that's all. :) Can you drive/fly it there yourself for cheaper?
yeah but those prices are higher than what postage costs to send from nz anywhere in the world (and all of our intl post has shipping included), I think its fair to assume that to get anywhere besides australia and some paific islands you are looking at a minumum of a 15 hour flight which is a long distance to travel. I think that postage increased has made america one of the higher priced countries for shipping now : /
I just feel sorry for american sellers, anyhow what is done is done but it will impact on sales greatly
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I'll admit that I haven't read through all 6 pages here, but has it been mentioned that you can't print postage online for certain countries anymore? I just had a buyer in the Czech Republic & normally I could print Priority International postage straight from ebay or USPS.com... not any more! :huh: Apparently there are certain countries that you can print postage for (so far I've sent to the UK & Japan) & others you can't (Czech Republic). What's up with that USPS??! :mad:
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I spent $100 to ship 6 packages internationally
$12 for ONE fairytale bird to sweden
$20 for 3 PVC care bears, 1 FTB to Australia
$10 for a G3 to Italy
$21 for 3 G3's to UK
$15 for some pony clothes to Finland
$10 for one PVC carebear to canada
A 4 pound box is like $40
all in padded envelopes :mad:
Yep, this is my life too now Tiki - I spent $60 sending 4 packages, basically at those prices you list....
It's killing people wanting to trade with me, and buying from me in the US is harsh on International buyers. I understand some countries have always had higher postage, but right now I'm trying to trade with a member overseas, and they're saying that they can pay $10 to send the package economy, whereas now my lowest option is $12.75 from USPS (or like $75 from UPS/FedEx) - I mean... sheesh... so now I have to be either the person that eats the loss of the almost $3 difference, or I have to ask for "more in a trade" to make up for it.
Grr - really makes me mad I didn't maximize my trading overseas in 2012 instead of after the postal increase in 2013.
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Tikibirds and Sunshinepony- I'm right there with you too-
I know some other countries have always had high shipping (I seem to recall Japan being crazy high, and Australia wasn't cheap either)
but- it still stinks. Definitely has cut down on trades and sales- not just because of the cost, but because it USED to be expensive (but still doable) to send by registered mail- but now first class is already so expensive that adding an additional $13 to register the package puts nearly everything right over the top!
I bet the Etsy business is suffering as well.
I have no end of anxiety right now because I just did a swap with a lovely member from Spain, and a 1.2 pound box cost $18.60 for first class to send! To register it would have cost an additional $12.95, making total FIRST CLASS shipping for a small box $31.55!!! So she agreed I could send it first class (otherwise the trade just wouldn't have been worth it) and now I live in fear every single day that it will be lost or DELAYED. :yikes: (The recent postal delays are also causing me serious concern given the regularity with which this occurs)
It has really put a damper on the international trades and sales for sure- sending fun gifts is also completely lame now- which stinks since shipping to Canada used to be so dang cheap and I have a few friends there that I liked to send randomness too :(
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To make things worse for us Finns, they lowered our custom limit from 45€ to 22€. So everything which has the value over 22€ and is coming outside EU is supposed to end up getting stuck in the customs and we should pay extra fees. That 22€ includes shipping costs which means that if I buy something like jeans from US, the shipping alone is almost high enough to match the custom limit. It's insane, specially now that USPS prices went up so much at the same time. Luckily I haven't had to pay any fees..yet.
So a tip for people shipping stuff to Finland: mark a very low value on to the customs label and mark it as a gift if possible. 22€=$29
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To make things worse for us Finns, they lowered our custom limit from 45€ to 22€. So everything which has the value over 22€ and is coming outside EU is supposed to end up getting stuck in the customs and we should pay extra fees. That 22€ includes shipping costs which means that if I buy something like jeans from US, the shipping alone is almost high enough to match the custom limit. It's insane, specially now that USPS prices went up so much at the same time. Luckily I haven't had to pay any fees..yet.
So a tip for people shipping stuff to Finland: mark a very low value on to the customs label and mark it as a gift if possible. 22€=$29
Yikes-
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Tikibirds and Sunshinepony- I'm right there with you too-
I know some other countries have always had high shipping (I seem to recall Japan being crazy high, and Australia wasn't cheap either)
but- it still stinks. Definitely has cut down on trades and sales- not just because of the cost, but because it USED to be expensive (but still doable) to send by registered mail- but now first class is already so expensive that adding an additional $13 to register the package puts nearly everything right over the top!
I bet the Etsy business is suffering as well.
I have no end of anxiety right now because I just did a swap with a lovely member from Spain, and a 1.2 pound box cost $18.60 for first class to send! To register it would have cost an additional $12.95, making total FIRST CLASS shipping for a small box $31.55!!! So she agreed I could send it first class (otherwise the trade just wouldn't have been worth it) and now I live in fear every single day that it will be lost or DELAYED. :yikes: (The recent postal delays are also causing me serious concern given the regularity with which this occurs)
It has really put a damper on the international trades and sales for sure- sending fun gifts is also completely lame now- which stinks since shipping to Canada used to be so dang cheap and I have a few friends there that I liked to send randomness too :(
Yes I feel that way too hun! I made some close friends in Canada, and also recently in Sweden - I don't mind sending things back and forth, but even Canada being raised so high... UGH. No more surface mail? I mean srsly... like I used to live in Detroit, and I could spit on Windsor - they can't drive mail across borders like that to major cities? Ahhhh. Sorry for my rant...
I just did sell something that I required registered mail for. I required shipping in a box and it to be registered overseas. I went on USPS and quoted the price... $27.50. Thought that was RIDICULOUS, but... someone bought it, and paid - no problem. I take it to the post office, it's not $27.50, it's $27.85. Seriously? It weighed the same on their scale as mine, but the extra $0.35? I didn't look at "online prices" so, I don't know what's the issue - the post is taking us all for a ride. I don't think it should be strictly the users problem to pay all this extra money to keep them in business.
Heck, people like us - collectors, we DRIVE postal services... seriously. My small town has less than 400 people in it, and I'm sending and receiving up to 10x packages a day sometimes. That's probably more than they normally (before I lived here) got in a week... I feel like I am keeping our postal branch office open by using it. And yet, we are the ones suffering by paying out the wazoo to now ship stuff. Pretty soon their prices will be as high as UPS or FedEx and they'll be in trouble... (okay probably not THAT high but... c'mon now...)
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Yes I feel that way too hun! I made some close friends in Canada, and also recently in Sweden - I don't mind sending things back and forth, but even Canada being raised so high... UGH. No more surface mail? I mean srsly... like I used to live in Detroit, and I could spit on Windsor - they can't drive mail across borders like that to major cities? Ahhhh. Sorry for my rant...
I just did sell something that I required registered mail for. I required shipping in a box and it to be registered overseas. I went on USPS and quoted the price... $27.50. Thought that was RIDICULOUS, but... someone bought it, and paid - no problem. I take it to the post office, it's not $27.50, it's $27.85. Seriously? It weighed the same on their scale as mine, but the extra $0.35? I didn't look at "online prices" so, I don't know what's the issue - the post is taking us all for a ride. I don't think it should be strictly the users problem to pay all this extra money to keep them in business.
Heck, people like us - collectors, we DRIVE postal services... seriously. My small town has less than 400 people in it, and I'm sending and receiving up to 10x packages a day sometimes. That's probably more than they normally (before I lived here) got in a week... I feel like I am keeping our postal branch office open by using it. And yet, we are the ones suffering by paying out the wazoo to now ship stuff. Pretty soon their prices will be as high as UPS or FedEx and they'll be in trouble... (okay probably not THAT high but... c'mon now...)
I think that has happened to me a few times (post office price different from price online) - sometimes by more than a few cents :( I have no idea what the cause for that could be- maybe a difference in their scale.
And I definitely get more than my fair share of packages every week- hehe...
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I'll admit that I haven't read through all 6 pages here, but has it been mentioned that you can't print postage online for certain countries anymore? I just had a buyer in the Czech Republic & normally I could print Priority International postage straight from ebay or USPS.com... not any more! :huh: Apparently there are certain countries that you can print postage for (so far I've sent to the UK & Japan) & others you can't (Czech Republic). What's up with that USPS??! :mad:
I sent an email to customer service for usps.com & got this reply:
"Thank you for contacting the USPS® Internet Customer Care Center in regards to creating a label shipping labels. I am very sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you, and I am more than happy to assist you today.
The Inspection Service has temporarily suspended shipping on Click-N-Ship® to the following countries: Afars, Ajman, Alhucemas, Armenia, Astypalaia (Greece), Belarus, Benin, Buka, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canton Island, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chalki, Congo (Brazzaville), Republic Of The, Congo, Democratic Republic Of The, Crete, Czech Republic, Dahomey, Dahomey (Benin), Danger Islands, Diu, Diu (India), Futuna, Ghana, Goa, Guernsey (Channel Islands) (Great Britain and Northern Ireland), Kampuchea, Kampuchea (Cambodia), Kazakhstan, Kos (Greece), Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Manahiki, Manahiki (New Zealand), Moldova, Niger, Nigeria, Nissiros, Niue, Niue (New Zealand), Nukahiva, Russia, Sark, Serbia-Montenegro, South-West Africa, South-West Africa (Nambia), Symi, Tahaa, Togo, Tongareva, Tongareva (New Zealand), Trucial States, Trucial States (United Arab Emirates), Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Zanzibar, Zanzibar (Tanzania). Packages to these countries can still be shipped by going to your local post office or using one of the other online shipping applications such as Endicia.com and Stamps.com."
I thought I should share this info in case it's helpful to anyone else. I can't seem to find this information on their site. :faint:
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To make things worse for us Finns, they lowered our custom limit from 45€ to 22€. So everything which has the value over 22€ and is coming outside EU is supposed to end up getting stuck in the customs and we should pay extra fees. That 22€ includes shipping costs which means that if I buy something like jeans from US, the shipping alone is almost high enough to match the custom limit. It's insane, specially now that USPS prices went up so much at the same time. Luckily I haven't had to pay any fees..yet.
So a tip for people shipping stuff to Finland: mark a very low value on to the customs label and mark it as a gift if possible. 22€=$29
€22 INCL. Shipping? That's crazy, yo! ;O;
In germany we have that €22 limit as well, but just for the merchandise w/o shipping. (oddly enough, after an item is worth more than €22, we have to pay a 19% fee on the value of item+shipping combined. LOL?)