Shipping Shenanigans

[Renegade]

Why are postal charges from the USA so damn expensive ? Been following the stir-plate bulk buy, and the ludicrous shipping fees (clarification - still a pretty good deal for those who can't build their own from PC scraps & old cellphone chargers) it has got me thinking about some of my purchases from O/S.

Have recently been buying some CD's from a small label in the UK (making good on the pirated torrents I have enjoyed), and the postage costs for a disc are about three dollars. It jumped up to a mere five dollars recently when I ordered a CD & a DVD. Very reasonable, and still cheaper than sourcing this rare music locally.

I often buy stuff from Hong Kong & China from E-bay (, and while the quoted price is exorbitant, the product itself is underpriced - so they are making 'profit' from the P & P (the postmark, plus a conversion calculation shows this) but all is good. The landed product, all-inclusive, is still very good. As with the OK, international shipping is reasonable.

A t-shirt from Israel cost me a couple of dollars to get to Australia. Again, pretty good.

Let's look at America..... US vendors aren't miscalculating the shipping prices, and I don't question the vendor-quoted price, having bought various stuff from there (guitar pickups, software, books & more). One example is a website that offers 'Six-Dollar-Tshirts'. Speaking in USD terms, a single shirt will cost around as much in shipping as the unit price. You order one, you pay $12. You order two, you pay $24. I tried a combination of units up to 10, and in all cases it was roughly incremented the same.

So I ask the question again.... Why are postal charges from the USA so damn expensive ? WIthout investigating the nuts & bolts of the postal system, i believe it's a privatised affair, therefore in the hands of a profit-driven company (as opposed to Australia Post, or lets say the UK's Royal Mail) that serves to maximise shareholder confidence - or in layman's terms, rip the shit out of people who use it. Are there any American members here who can give us an insight on the price of domestic shipping for small parcels ? Here in Oz, for example, you can move up to three kilograms for a fair price across the country.

I will only buy from the USA when there's an item unsourcable from elsewhere. The cost of shipping makes it unfair to the honest vendors who could well expand their businesses internationally, but are often denied an international client-base because of the exorbitant charges to move their product across the world.

 

[brettprevans]

****. I have to agree with him. Postage is ridiculous in the US. I've been quoted various amounts fie the same weight and even been told by one company that they can only use a particular type of frieght from the US postal service. What a crock.

Is the US postal service a private organisation? Bloody ridiculous if it is. As u said with govt owned service it can be regulated. The ACCC just stopped Aust post from putting up stamps another 5c so soon after is raised the price. We are well protected.

So it dies seem someone is making a lot of $ of the avg punter. I wonder how the big courier companies compare ie fedex etc?

 

[bum]

I'll be honest and admit that I got about two lines into the OP and didn't read the reply - however, the reason is that they (Americans) all use couriers instead of the government postal system. UPSP is pretty fucken slow and a real pain in the arse to use. They all seem happy to pay the extortionate prices of UPS or FedEx instead.

 

[mika]

I bought some stuff from the US last year and as Bum's mentioned, they weren't keen on using the ultra slow postage and wanted to charge me extortionist amounts to get the package here via courier. I persuaded them to send it via ultra slow post, I wasn't in a rush, 4 days later, letter in my mailbox asking to come collect it from the local PO. I can't get stuff from the east coast that quickly.
A mate's been buying a bunch of bits from england and it'll cost him 3-4 pound for a small package and that's here in 3-4 days.
So to sum it up,
US is dear, but mostly because people are lazy. If you can persuade them to send it via USPS it's quite reasonable and really doesn't take that long.
UK is ridiculously cheap.
Aus has it's own issues both with cost and delivery times.

 

[bum]

US is dear, but mostly because people are lazy. If you can persuade them to send it via USPS it's quite reasonable and really doesn't take that long.

Unless it is coming from somewhere other than California, Texas or New York. Anywhere else and the continental postage will take at least twice as long as the international postage.

 

[redbeard]

USPS use to be quite cheap, but has increased the minimum cost in the last year or 3, to be closer to fedex / ups. that said, the airmail, while not cheap is very quick & reliable.

 

[Renegade]

I'll be honest and admit that I got about two lines into the OP and didn't read the reply

Well done. Mostly in that you replied with a very salient response despite your inattentiveness.

 

[Renegade]

****. I have to agree with him.

I know how much that irks you !

 

[Renegade]

Is this Orwellian Double-Speak, or am I just drunk? Despite the narrative, observe the last sentence. Don't really understand the use of the word 'ironically'........


International services
Formerly, USPS International services were categorized as Airmail (Letter Post), Economy (Surface) Parcel Post, Airmail Parcel Post, Global Priority, Global Express, and Global Express Guaranteed Mail. In May 2007, USPS restructured international service names to correspond with domestic shipping options. Letter post is now First Class Mail International,^[56][57] Airmail Parcel Post was discontinued and replaced by Priority Mail International. Global Express is now Express Mail International. Global Express Guaranteed is unchanged, and Economy Parcel Post was discontinued for international service. The only mailing classes with a tracking ability are Express and Express Guaranteed. One of the major changes in the new naming and services definitions is that USPS-supplied mailing boxes for Priority and Express mail are now allowed for international use. Also, a Priority Mail International Flat-Rate has been introduced, with the same conditions of service previously used for Global Priority. These services are offered to ship letters and packages to almost every country and territory on the globe. Ironically, the USPS provides much of this service by contracting with a private parcel service, FedEx.^[58]

 

[Renegade]

Importantly perhaps, for the discussion at hand, the article goes on to state.......

On May 14, 2007, the United States Postal Service canceled all outgoing international surface mail (sometimes known as "sea mail") from the United States, citing increased costs and reduced demand due to competition from airmail services such as FedEx and UPS.^[59] The decision has been criticized by the Peace Corps and military personnel overseas, as well as independent booksellers and other small businesses who rely on international deliveries.

And later mentions.....


Airline and rail division
The United States Postal Service does not directly own or operate any aircraft or trains. The mail and packages are flown on airlines with which the Postal Service has a contractual agreement. The contracts change periodically. Depending on the contract, aircraft may be painted with the USPS paint scheme. Contract airlines have included: Emery Worldwide, Ryan International Airlines, FedEx Express, Rhoades Aviation, American Airlines and Express One International.

 

[newguy]

When I buy things from the US, I always TRY to opt for USPS surface mail but it often isn't an option. The only options are courier air, courier ground, and USPS air. I think it may have something to do with the american free market mentality; that government shouldn't "compete" with private enterprise. To that end, the public option is often either removed or priced more than the private shipping option.

To add insult to injury, the shipping cost usually isn't the true cost either. There are hidden "brokerage" fees that don't show up when you opt for the service but are due when the package is delivered. These fees are usually about the same as the original shipping fee, if not more.

 

[seemax]

Having recently returned from the USA, it was impossible to find anyone willing to ship a small package via surface (sea) mail.

There were plenty of sea freighters there but they only offer container loads... or half loads.

The cost to ship 1kg of hops to Melbourne was US$30 , almost twice the value of the hops (I didn't pay freight on this occasion) !

When I questioned the locals in came down to convenience and speed, they expect someone to pickup their package from THEM, and deliver it. They don't want to wait 6 weeks to deliver something, and it seems are happy to pay for the service.

However, shipping within USA is cheap... and most online retailers (clothes, shoes, etc) will ship for free.

 

[brettprevans]

~20kg shipped from US is US$740. Fkn rip

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Suss out a beer engine from the UK - now that's expensive

Cheers

 

[porky]

Have a look here, and they are a government organization.

http://www.usps.com/

They have boxes of a certain size and total weight at good prices. Arrive here in a week or so.
I buy lots of things from there...just have to know how much will fit in the box.

I only just found out about this as I was there 6 months ago and saw the ad on tv.

I find some vendors over there don't want to know about this method. That is because they ship one way
and can't be arsed to bother with the box that is cheap.

When I buy I tell them to use this method. If they won't I don't buy, that simple.
I just bought 8 perlic taps with shanks and other bits and pieces from over there and total cost was
$50 usd....it has gone up to $53 now. But this was only 6 dollars per tap, which made my tap with shank well under local prices.
I buy hops as well, delivered to the house for less than a third of the local prices.

But is is up to the shipper. He can do as he likes.

In some cases they have to send someone out to the post office to get the box...and they just won't.

Hence the 20 kilo for $720

 

[manticle]

Why are postal charges from the USA so damn expensive ? Been following the stir-plate bulk buy, and the ludicrous shipping fees (clarification - still a pretty good deal for those who can't build their own from PC scraps & old cellphone chargers) it has got me thinking about some of my purchases from O/S.

Have recently been buying some CD's from a small label in the UK (making good on the pirated torrents I have enjoyed), and the postage costs for a disc are about three dollars. It jumped up to a mere five dollars recently when I ordered a CD & a DVD. Very reasonable, and still cheaper than sourcing this rare music locally.

I often buy stuff from Hong Kong & China from E-bay (, and while the quoted price is exorbitant, the product itself is underpriced - so they are making 'profit' from the P & P (the postmark, plus a conversion calculation shows this) but all is good. The landed product, all-inclusive, is still very good. As with the OK, international shipping is reasonable.

A t-shirt from Israel cost me a couple of dollars to get to Australia. Again, pretty good.

Let's look at America..... US vendors aren't miscalculating the shipping prices, and I don't question the vendor-quoted price, having bought various stuff from there (guitar pickups, software, books & more). One example is a website that offers 'Six-Dollar-Tshirts'. Speaking in USD terms, a single shirt will cost around as much in shipping as the unit price. You order one, you pay $12. You order two, you pay $24. I tried a combination of units up to 10, and in all cases it was roughly incremented the same.

So I ask the question again.... Why are postal charges from the USA so damn expensive ? WIthout investigating the nuts & bolts of the postal system, i believe it's a privatised affair, therefore in the hands of a profit-driven company (as opposed to Australia Post, or lets say the UK's Royal Mail) that serves to maximise shareholder confidence - or in layman's terms, rip the shit out of people who use it. Are there any American members here who can give us an insight on the price of domestic shipping for small parcels ? Here in Oz, for example, you can move up to three kilograms for a fair price across the country.

I will only buy from the USA when there's an item unsourcable from elsewhere. The cost of shipping makes it unfair to the honest vendors who could well expand their businesses internationally, but are often denied an international client-base because of the exorbitant charges to move their product across the world.

My experiences with the US shipping haven't been that bad but I probably haven't taken as much notice. My main point of comparison is usually the price the same item will cost me here or if like you, I can't get it anywhere else then it's more a matter of whether or not I can afford it rather than how much it is.

For example - I recently enquired at a state run art institution bookshop about a book (funny that). I was quoted something in the region of $90 (item would need to be ordered in so there's a wait). I work at said institution so I get a staff discount. Including that I would be paying someting around $80 and have to wait 2 - 4 weeks. I've ordered a hardcover version of said item from amazon (brand new) which will take between 2 and 4 weeks to arrive at my doorstep and will cost the princely sum of $45 AUD which includes the shipping.

I don't understand the incremental charge though - that seems ridiculous. Pretty sure I've ordered records and books from the US and postage has remained the same under certain weights. Belgian postage on the other hand.........................

 

[bum]

Books are ridiculous here. My missus and her sister (who lives in the US) are doing this thing where they get the same cookbook and do the same recipes (don't really understand the point, its not like they can try each others). The books that are costing AU$45/$50 here are usually about US$13.

I guess the point of my story (I like stories) is that the comparison doesn't hold up as well as, say, electrical goods or something.

 

[WitWonder]

Well nothing much has changed. I ordered some car care products from the USA and got a price of $110 to ship them to Aus. Being the tightarse I am, I used IPSparcel who claim you can save "60% on international shipping". Unfortunately, the price from them is $128. So now due to my haste and not checking it out properly it's going to cost me an additional 50-odd bucks to get the same bloody goods here.
Still, probably still cheaper than buying the same stuff here (car wax for example; $13 from the US - here same thing = $40).

 

[Zizzle]

I live in a small town in the middle of New Mexico. Not much retail around here. The nearest city is 2 hours. So I get a lot of stuff delivered as it's the only real option.

USPS is only a little cheaper than UPS/Fedex. But surprisingly they are a good bit faster. Pretty much everything can be tracked on the website of all of them. Which I imagine they use to justify the exorbitant charges.

The saving grace is that the big chains are trying to muscle in on Amazon. Now amazon offers free shipping on most of it's stuff for orders over $25. A lot of times the prices on there for techy stuff and tools can be competitive or cheaper than Hong Kong ebay. So all good.

Walmart and Homedepot etc. offer a much wider selection of goods online than in store and will offer free shipping to your door for a lot of it.

I guess the big retailers have cut deals with Fedex/UPS to fill their "off-peak" capacity.

But outside the big guys it's down to the individual retailers. Some only use UPS or Fedex. So it's easy to end up paying more in postage than for the goods. For instance I just bought some small 30cm 316 stainless steel rods from www.onlinemetals.com. About 1kg in total. Shipping was nearly $18 via UPS the only choice they offer.

The big homebrew stores, Autsin Homebrew and Northern Brewer offer flat rate $8 shipping for nearly everything (excluding bulk grain or really big items). I've ordered a good 25kg of stuff and only paid $8 shipping.

As far as US domestic shipping being cheaper than Aus domestic, I'm not so sure. I was pleasantly surprised to pay only $11 domestic shipping for a half-dozen wine bottles to a mate in aus for christmas. I would expect to pay a fair bit more here. Especially compared to $18 for a kg of steel.

The other interesting thing is buying some electronics from china or HK usually has pretty reasonable postage rate, probably less than what USPS would charge domestically, and it ends up being delivered by USPS at this end anyway. The only problem is the time is much longer. 2-4 weeks.

But I suspect the shipping companies have trotted out the "fuel prices" line and upped all their rates at some point, even though fuel prices went back down. We are all frogs in slowly warming water and haven't noticed it. The standout exception being international shipping clearly.

 

[fraser_john]

If you look at it, USPS and courier are ALL expensive from the USA. It all comes down to the way the air routes are handed out to two airlines only between the countries, they can charge what they like for passengers and cargo! Qantas onsells their route rights to other airlines as probably does United or whomever the US carrier it is.

It is supposed to change in the next year or so as more airlines are allowed to fly the route. It may result in cheaper air freight.

Surface mail was canceled as an option by the USPS shortly after 2005 from memory.

Many US companies will not ship using USP especially internationally because of the damn level of paperwork required by the USPS, its a major hassle!