Thread: Ridiculous postage charges. What's the worst you've had?

I receive approx. 200 parcels per year. Always trying to use most economic ways of delivery. Yes, one or two parcels get lost annually, that is approx. a sum of 80-100$. Which is partly shared with sellers, with those who know me for years. This loss is much smaller than annual additional payments to Posts of different countries for more reliable delivery.

It's not the actual cost of the mailing that's causing the problem it congress trying to limit govt by putting the Post Office into the hands of private business. If you check, during the previous administration a bill was passed forcing the Postal Service to have 'all' of it's employee benefits funded for the next ~25 + years by 2014. No other agency or business in the US is required to do this. To accomplish the requirements of the bill the Postal Service has to raise rates, cut services and close offices. Basically give 'Bad' service so it's standards are lower to that of private carriers. Nice.

I just saw a razor on the bay that was US$9.99 with postage of US$100.00!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Havachat45

I just saw a razor on the bay that was US$9.99 with postage of US$100.00!!!!!!

without knowing how much it wgts,could be right

It's inexperience.. If you look up the postal rate on line the number is allways out ragious... I made the same mistake whem i first sold something on ebay. When they acually take it to the post office it is much less. Ask if he will refund the difference. He just doesn't know th going rate..

I've sold a few items and found that shipping within Canada , is hardly worth it ( costs more than the value of what I'm shipping ) . However , if I'm shipping to outside of Canada - the price is ridiculously lower !

Scott

This may be slightly off topic or not help you that much, but, I figured I would yap a bit about shipping internationally from the USA.

For packages less than 4 pounds, we have something called First Class International. There is no insurance and no delivery confirmation. It generally takes 7-14 days, plus any hang ups in customs. for a ~12-14 ounce package (1 razor + packaging), the cost ranges from $3 to 9, depending on the location.

Priority Mail International is the next step up -- and really all this does is make its travels while in the USA a little quicker. Don't think it does much when it gets to the other country. Still no insurance available on small flat rate boxes, and for larger ones, only certain countries participate. They usually claim 6-10 days, and the costs for a small flat rate International box are 16.95 if I recall. I rarely use this service because it doesn't offer a lot over first class. Only if a package is over 4 pounds and still fits in the small flat rate box. There is no delivery confirmation with Priority. which really sucks.

Next is Registered. you can Register a First Class or Priority mail package by adding around $13 to the cost. When registered, a package must be sealed properly (no clear tape), so as to have evidence of tampering. The package is held under lock and key through its travels, and is kept separate from other packages. If I recall, however, again, the insurance is only up to a certain amount ($47.93 I think it is). Still no delivery confirmation. but, I will admit its nice knowing it may be slightly more secure.

Express Mail is the only way to insure a package, AND get delivery confirmation on it. and it is extremely expensive as several people have pointed out ($40ish with some insurance).

The problem is, for a USA seller on E-bay to send internationally, there is zero protection for us unless we can prove delivery. So, unless we charge $40, we are completely unprotected. Personally, I just use first class, and if I ever have a Paypal claim filed against me, I will probably just eat it At $40 of shipping per package to insure them, the combination of lost bids or me paying it will add up to a much larger number than if I just take my chances. We are lucky that the razor community are patient, trustworthy people. If I ever sell other items on Ebay i usually limit them to the USA. It just isn't worth the hassle!