Australia Post is at it again....

mcqueen · April 2016

Well this goes out to all the Aussie dealers or casual traders....

About 10 days ago my Aust Post local franchisee whispered to me that he heard that major changes were coming into effect by the 18th of this month on the international scene. These were going to effect product options and pricing. Due to how close to the launch date is I asked for some documentation and he said nothing is available.Yes, you guessed it, the professional marketing and communications dept at Aussie post have been hard at work taking their entitlement breaks as opposed to getting the info out to us.I have been given a brochure after walking into a business centre today and I was told there would be no price increases, until i pointed out to them in their own brochure that there has been. I was also told not to rely on my local post office and unless i am on contact, I was not supposed to know about it till the day that it happens??? Now some of you will be on contract so you will have to speak with your account managers (remember those people that speak to you regularly) to get the low down on your own situation but trust me i don't think prices are going to remain the same. My thoughts on Corporate Aust post have just gone beneath the dirt i step on. Interested to hear from any other Aussie sellers.....

John · April 2016

Ben, this is a communications stuff up of monumental proportions.

They have not contacted me about the changes so I really don't know how they are going to affect me or my contract.

One thing I have heard is that you will not be able to use the old customs forms for international post after April 18th. However, no one knows when the new customs forms will be available.

mcqueen · April 2016

John, I encourage you to kick up a stink BIG time as it is not good enough. It doesn't matter if you are on contract or not. The fact remains changes are happening and they will effect customers in 7 days and no one is the wiser. I have already been on Aust post facebook / my local business centre google review and said what i think. I encourage you to do the same and maybe , just maybe they will get the message.

David · April 2016

https://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Selling/Australia-Post-international-postage-big-changes/td-p/1939247

David · April 2016

For all the ebay sellers, this will make ebay very happy (if prices are increasing), just means they will be taking a bigger piece.

John · April 2016

Well, I spoke to my Account Manager earlier this afternoon and it seems that those with contracts will still be using Pack and Track, basic airmail, etc and the same customs forms that we are using now. Everyone else will have to use the new products and new customs forms.

So, old and new products mixed in together. That sounds ominous to me. I bet ebay won't be able to cope with it.

mcqueen · April 2016

Thanks David for the link.....

What really amazes me about Aust Post is i actually got pricing info and the changes by going into the business centre 2 days ago from a very unhelpful manager.I posted my dissatisfaction on Aust post website, Roxy responded by saying firstly that information about 'mailing tubes' prices has been on their website since March. I responded what has mailing tube prices got to do with Pack and track etc being overhauled.They responded saying they did not have any information to put up on their website about the upcoming international mailing changes (7 days out). Yet i have the information in my hands but only because i went hunting for it.

mcqueen · April 2016

Latest update on Australia post. As of Monday, unless you are on a great contract deal, It appears if you want to send a one sheet poster or Daybill to the USA with tracking (which most customers ask for ) standard airmail that will take 6+ business days using your own packaging ie, tube or flat pack etc, it will cost $52.40 and that is not taking into account your own packaging costs. Of course once contract customers contracts have to be renewed their prices will go up as well to a certain degree and all the new forms as well as bar code stickers will come into place.

Maybe we should all just sell domestically or without any tracking for o/seas customers.....

John · April 2016

That's correct Ben. I'm curious as to whether anyone else is concerned about this.

If you sell on ebay you need to provide tracking these days. Customers expect to be given a tracking number and will not be impressed if you cannot do that. You will have to pay the 52.40. Take into account the fact that ebay will take approx 5.00 of that and there will also be paypal fees plus the cost of your packaging and you would have to be charging at least 60.00.

I would have thought buyers wont like that.

mcqueen · April 2016

Currently on the line with Australia Post International Mail Call Centre (Australian operators). This number was on the new pricing brochure which said for more info on the new pricing call it. Well they have no pricing in the system and cannot advise if it is correct or not. they say they have been sent the odd memo. Still on the line to a third person and they have asked, could you please send us the pricing.

How insane is that!

Sven · April 2016

Wow! Does this apply to consumers also? Or is this purely for business customers?

mcqueen · April 2016

This applies to everyone...

David · April 2016

$52...wow, that is one price hike.

John · April 2016

I can only think that they have either made a mistake in the printed brochures or maybe left some of the detail out. The problem is that it all starts on Monday and everyone is unsure of how it will work.

Bruce · April 2016

It seems to me that the various Post Offices of the world have lost their collective minds. These massive price hikes will make it less and less likely that people will order cross-country.

We can only hope that some company will figure out a way to offer remotely affordable shipping. Next-to-no one will pay $52 to ship a $10, $20 or even $50 poster.

theartofmovieposters · April 2016

And they wonder why the company is in financial trouble.

David · April 2016

Bruce said:

Next-to-no one will pay $52 to ship a $10, $20 or even $50 poster.

You'd think so but I wouldn't be so sure, I've shipped posters where the sale was $5 and the postage as $31 and there are plenty of examples where similar happens.

Of course one just will never know how many don't buy on the basis of the postage rates.

Rich · April 2016

I would say it's different if you're really selling a $5 poster, or if you're selling a $50 poster for $5

mcqueen · April 2016

I have just come from a post office that is open on a saturday - sending my last pack and track before the price rise. Spoke to the girl there expressing my concerns as well. Yes she says she has not known of the actual pricing till today and guess what, she handed me a document with all the prices , weights - confirmed as well as new zones. the price hike is nowhere near as bad as first thought but we can be forgiven for thinking it would be given how little info was available and how poorly the brochure that was leaked was designed. Here is a pic of the document with a snapshot of standard international airmail (with tracking) , the old pack and track at the bottom and economy air mail at the top using own packaging.

Image: https://vintagemoviepostersforum.com/uploads/editor/3s/pn3px25fy2qq.jpg

John · April 2016

That's good news. That document must have been printed very recently. Maybe this will replace the other booklets that they have been giving out.

David · April 2016

http://auspost.com.au/apps/international-post-guide.html

Rich · April 2016

can be no doubt that postage costs are a bane to mail order sellers, but it is only one issue of many that haunt us. Not much you can do about it.

David · April 2016

1. Sent a poster in a tube to the UK.

With tracking $51.72 plus with signature another $5 =$56.72 (plus it was insured so an extra cost but that's not a relevant here).

Normally I'd charge $37 (or free if over $399), so about $20 shortfall - time to put the prices up for international

Complaint: Line height on the forms were annoyingly small

2. Sent a Daybill, flat packed within Australia

Registered Post (Tracking included, Signature required) No difference in cost really.

Sven · April 2016

Hey david was that express to UK? Weight of poster?

John · April 2016

I sent a poster Express Post international to France at the end of March. It had to go that way because it is the only way to fully insure the item. It cost me $125.00 but the buyer didn't pay anything like that. The poster was finally delivered yesterday.

Another customer in the UK wanted to buy a quad earlier in the week. I quoted 27.50 for postage and said that I would have to declare the full value (200.00 plus). He asked me why postage was so expensive and I said that actually I should be charging a lot more. In the end I reminded him that he would probably get hit with customs charges and it might be best if he let it go.

Fact is that it is getting to the point where it is not worthwhile sending anything to Europe these days, particularly if you sell on ebay. If you charge the correct amount and declare the full value as you are required to do, buyers are likely to give you a defect and its not worth taking that risk.

Postage within Australia is still pretty much unchanged but for how long will that last?!

David · April 2016

John said:

Postage within Australia is still pretty much unchanged but for how long will that last?!

Not long I imagine.

Yes, I reinforced to my UK client that I would be insuring the poster and that the value would be on the declaration...he seemed ok with that. Not so sure he will be when it gets to his door.

I bear the cost of insurance as it protects me as much as them. At the end of the day this parcel cost the customer nothing in postage/insurance and tracking anyway, I hope he bears that in mind when he gets pinged duty and VAT in the UK.

Australia Post is at it again....

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