Is it just me or...

[bellchilton]

...have US stores cottoned-on to the fact that our dollar is so strong and started charging outlandish postage prices to make up for it?

I was looking at a drumkit on ebay, postage for everywhere else in the world (including Japan) was $275 - Australia was $575!! A pair of DT990's will set you back $60 in postage and a proel xlr cable will cost you over $30 when the lead only costs $25...

A lot of sellers have even singled out Aus customers saying 'Australian customers, please request postage quote before buying'.

I've bought from overseas for years and it DEFINITELY hasn't always been like this.

Anyone else notice this trend??

Cheers
Darren

[audioio]

Quite a few months ago, I had a few sellers claim that USPS had upped their charges to Australia. (And don't get 'em confused with UPS who always have charged a lot.)

[geofflee]

...have US stores cottoned-on to the fact that our dollar is so strong and started charging outlandish postage prices to make up for it?

I was looking at a drumkit on ebay, postage for everywhere else in the world (including Japan) was $275 - Australia was $575!! A pair of DT990's will set you back $60 in postage and a proel xlr cable will cost you over $30 when the lead only costs $25...

A lot of sellers have even singled out Aus customers saying 'Australian customers, please request postage quote before buying'.

I've bought from overseas for years and it DEFINITELY hasn't always been like this.

Anyone else notice this trend??

Cheers
Darren

A strong Australian dollar doesn't mean that a US store gets less. The US store gets paid their asking price in US dollars - doesn't matter if the customer is local, from Australia or Timbuktu. I don't know how freight works, maybe the $A has affected that.

[waitup]

Lots of my boxes go to the US, and I noticed just after Christmas last year that everything went up $9.00. I asked the lady at the post office about it and she said it is a new 'security fee'. Aus post doesn't take the $9.00, it goes to the US. Not much I know, but it was a large increase on my boxes which used to cost $15.00 to send.

All the same I reckon it's pretty amazing you can get a package from my hands to someones in another country for this cheap at all!!

[bellchilton]

A strong Australian dollar doesn't mean that a US store gets less. The US store gets paid their asking price in US dollars - doesn't matter if the customer is local, from Australia or Timbuktu. I don't know how freight works, maybe the $A has affected that.

I know that, I wondered if US stores have been 'encouraged' to charge higher postage rates to protect local industry in Aus...

[Alistair]

I don't reckon there is a conspiracy guys. Like Nick, I regularly send to the US, and also receive around a package a week from the states. I've got accounts with shipping companies etc, and the biggest issue is just the cost of shipping itself- petrol just keeps going up and up, amongst a million other things.

American shipping is also a little crazy due to the bulk discounts the bigger companies offer. If you're sending a single 1 kilo package a week to Aus, it'll probably cost you $50-60. If you're sending 20 of them, and all through the same company, it's more like $20 each. Makes it much harder for the little guys to survive and compete with the big companies. Just check out that ProAudioStar place in Brooklyn- their shipping is ridiculously cheap if you email them and ask, and all due to the fact they have huge accounts with DHL/FedEx etc.

[Chinagraf]

[quote="bellchilton"
I know that, I wondered if US stores have been 'encouraged' to charge higher postage rates to protect local industry in Aus...[/quote]

I honestly don't think they would care about our local industry, particularly with things the way they are over there at the moment. It's like Al says, big companies who ship a lot are cheap, single one off shippers don't get the bulk discount which can equate to it costing about a third of the one off cost.
I've had 2 guitars come from the US recently, and the one that came from a big store in NYC was a hell of a lot cheaper shipping wise.

[Suburban Studios]

I'm not sure whether prices have in fact risen across the board, as it will differ according to each carrier. It is easy enough, however, to check out prices on the USPS website (cheapest US carrier by far). I haven't noticed an increase at all on the packages I have had sent out to me here in Australia. The USPS lists are firm set prices according to package weight and destination zones (for regular sized packages within reasonable space limits).

I have found that if you point sellers to the specific web page dealing with your preferred carrier and postage method then there is very little wiggle room for excessive postage charges. A small handling/packaging fee is quite reasonable, especially for sensitive items that need to be packed carefully, however I don't see a conspiracy in regards to the Australian distributors/importers/government 'encouraging' a higher price to protect domestic industry. If anything, overseas seller often try to mark up the postage, in order to get a greater return on their sales. The hassle involved in organizing customs forms and postage labels need to be taken into account for one off items that aren't being sold through a bigger company. I don't mind these sort of charges or explanations for a small mark-up, however I have demanded and received refunds from Ebay sellers for exorbitant mark-ups, especially once the real charges are made obvious on arrival since they are listed on the shipping labels.

I personally find DHL and FedEx a pain, especially if you cannot be home on delivery day as the package ends up at a warehouse near the airport. USPS on the other hand ends up with AusPost, so a tracked delivery that cannot be signed for/claimed, ends up at your local post office for collection, with a reminder card in your regular mail to inform you of a missed delivery. I'm sure larger companies using accounts with these private couriers would prefer to use them, however most smaller sellers are more than happy to accommodate using USPS to save on postage. It is important to check however, exactly which service you request from a seller, as only some offer full online international tracking. I have found USPS Express Mail International excellent every-time I have used it. Quick, cheap, fully tracked online, with cheap insurance.

[musikwerks]

I think you'll find this is a result of the Japanese earthquake. A lot of parts coming from affected areas in Japan are now attracting a massive premium, if they can be had at all. I'm waiting on a RED camera at the moment. Heavy delays due to some of their parts only being made in Northern Japan. If you want a camera now you can pay a premium (double) so they can source those parts.

[jkhuri44]

i've been buying records on discogs for 2 yrs now...shipping for a pizza box container full of 15 records has always cost 40-50 dollars...makes it almost not worth buying...and is bloody frustrating. buying 15 records and paying shipping worth another 10 records...outrageous!

shipping is f*cking expensive. even checked with friends to see if posting it themselves from USA would be cheaper...it isnt.

[bellchilton]

I guess my main point was that it seems odd that postage is far cheaper to Japan than it is to Aus in most cases...they're not that far apart when it comes to shipping from the US.