# Going Postal



## GWRdriver (May 9, 2013)

I rarely feel the need to vent about something I feel is unjust (or unjustified) but I have one today.  I know that international post has gone up rather dramatically.  Yesterday I inquired of a British tool merchant the cost of shipping a small lathe accessory to the USA via surface post.  The tool merchant (and the accessory) are well known and IMHO needn't be named because my feeling (but not certainty) is they will have done their best to minimize the cost of packing and shipping.  The tool itself is quite small and is priced at £25, without VAT.  The cost of post to the USA is quoted at £25.

*£25?!*   £25 for surface post for a 4x4x6 parcel weighing less than 2kilos?  How can that be?  I was gobsmacked.  That's not simply unreasonable, or excessive, or even prohibititve (and it is that), but it's utterly insane!  It's as if the attitude is, if you are fool enough to pay that, we are brazen enough to charge and take it.  Unfortunately such costs will virtually put an end to any future orders for model engineering goods from the UK.

OK end of rant.  I'll be in England in June and if I still want one it I'll pick one up over there.  Considering the post cost, the VAT will be a bargain.


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## /// (May 9, 2013)

It's the same problem going the other way and in my experience it is a US thing.
If I want to purchase something from the US the postage(to Australia) is not far from robbery, but ordering from the UK or anywhere else in the world is far, far cheaper... less than half.


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## clivel (May 9, 2013)

Even here in Canada, I find it is generally far cheaper and far faster to order from the UK than the US.

UK sourced items arrive here within a week, often as fast as 3 days after placing an order, whereas the far more expensive US "Priority Mail International" takes a minimum of one week, but more often two.


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## aarggh (May 9, 2013)

Funnily enough, generally when I buy from UK the post isn't too bad to Australia and is pretty quick, around 7-10 days, but when I need to buy from the US, I routinely get quoted 2 -3 x the USPS flat rate box prices as if it's a normal cost, and it takes up to 5 weeks! The worst are the ones who "must" send everything via UPS, that's fine within your own country, soon as you go over the water, it's more often than not,  astronomically expensive.

What I don't understand, regardless of source or destination country, is why so many sellers build such over-inflated postage costs into the net profit, all this does is alienate customers, usually permanently, and further push them towards Chinese suppliers.

cheers, Ian


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## lennardhme (May 9, 2013)

Unfortunately the problem lies in the US.
Goods from the UK are now much cheaper & faster to get here in Oz. We still have a Govt. run postal system so that country folk receive an equitable service, & I believe this still applies to the UK.
Must be costing the US a lot of business not being competitive anymore.


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## OrangeAlpine (May 9, 2013)

Hey, if the postage is too high, have it sent Fedex or UPS.  It's not like you don't have a choice.

Bill


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## Swifty (May 9, 2013)

Purchased an item from the US last year, item cost $12, minimum handling charge $50, postage $45. Had to pay as I was desperate for the part and it was only available from the US. Who is ripping us off now!

PS. Part only weighed 500 grams packed and would have fitted easily in a 1/3 size shoebox.

Paul.


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## /// (May 9, 2013)

OrangeAlpine said:


> Hey, if the postage is too high, have it sent Fedex or UPS.  It's not like you don't have a choice.
> 
> Bill



Actually, as someone else has already alluded to, we often don't have the choice.
Many US retailers seem to use USPS/UPS only.
Obviously they do it because it is easier for them... but what they don't know is it's costing them in the long run with lost sales.

I have been looking at a QCTP from A2Z or LMS....  the A2Z shipping quote? $50
_Cheapest_ option from LMS? $65 !!
That 25 quid freight in the first post is looking pretty good to me.


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## aarggh (May 10, 2013)

/// said:


> Many US retailers seem to use USPS/UPS only.
> Obviously they do it because it is easier for them...



Actually, I've found a lot of the sellers only use UPS/Fedex as they get "special" rates but pass on the full rate plus extras, so they get a generous kickback from every parcel they sell. Years ago I bought a bunch of parts off a US ebay seller, as the part was about 1/3 the cost of the same thing locally, so with 3 allowing for post I'd come out at around 2/3 cost at the most, the seller refused to combine the items, so I had to pay for 3 x UPS satchels, each containing a gbic (tiny network device) around 0.5" x 1" x 2.5" at a cost of $55 each! With the exchange rate it ended up costing me around $250AUD for 3 items I paid $60 total for, that would have fit in a padded envelope for $12US. Full price locally was $75 ea, but the seller refused to combine. Since then, I'm extremely careful to be sure I don't get ripped off. One of my main hobbies is electronics, and I still routinely see components that weigh a few grams, being charged at $40-$80US postage each! Which is just obscene to say the least.

cheers, Ian


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## jack620 (May 10, 2013)

You can email the seller and point out that the item you want will fit into a (for example) USPS medium flat rate box that costs $XX. They will often acquiesce. I think they are just trying it on with the postage sometimes.


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## AussieJimG (May 10, 2013)

Yeah. Two pairs of scissors at $15 each plus $52 postage from US. Ned Kelly at least had the decency to wear a mask

But Australia Post has now got into the act and jacked up its prices by about 300%.

Jim


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## aarggh (May 10, 2013)

Generally a lot of them if you approach them politely, and just inquire exactly that, will be fairly accommodating, or at least set postage to not a huge amount over cost, but it's funny as I'm watching an item right now marked as worldwide that didn't have the int postage cost listed, and I've emailed him twice now in four days and I'm still waiting for an email back! I kinda suspect I won't be hearing anything! On the other hand, it's not always bad at all, I've had the pleasure to have dealt with some of the most amazing people possible, that have really gone out of their way to be as helpful as possible, and keep costs to the minimum! One guy in Philly that I bought a bit of network/storage kit from, actually went and scoured the markets over several weeks to pick up an additional, hard to get bit of gear at the time (Emulex fibre channel switch) to use with the gear I bought off him. People like that really make your day!

cheers, Ian


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## OrangeAlpine (May 10, 2013)

So it seems the problem is not postage, but the seller's attitude and the high cost of shipping packages.  Personally, I've always found USPS to be the most economical.   The minimum cost of shipping a package UPS seems to be about $10.  I never purchase an item until I know the shipping cost and consider it part of the cost of the item.  Too high, I don't buy.   Still it burns me to pay $10 shipping (UPS) when the part could be taped to a postcard, dropped into an envelope and sent for less than a dollar.  Sometimes you have no choice.  Either pay the price or trash the machine.  Unfortunately, the seller usually knows that.

Bill


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## AussieJimG (May 10, 2013)

I tried ringing the (US) seller once asking for a small gasket to be put in an envelope and posted. They told me that US law required them to use USPOSTAL at robbery rates.

I no longer buy from US if I can possibly avoid it. Recent experience with Canada was the same: ripoff prices and loooong delays so Canada is off the list as well.

Jim


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## seagar (May 10, 2013)

Is it any wonder we buy from China and U.K. these days and not America.

Ian.


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## aarggh (May 10, 2013)

Despite the bagging the Chinese get, and there can often be quality control or other issues with a lot of their stuff, I think we'd be absolutely screwed in OZ without them. I look at local prices, which are just Chinese imports anyway, but at 3-10 (or more) times the cost of buying it direct from China. I don't get the deal on how the postage is so low, I know there's massive subsidies, and artificially low costs, but at the same time I have never, ever, dealt with anyone from China who even considered ripping off on postage, or working in massive "P&H" charges on top of the astronomical postage costs. The complete and utter lack of greed is quite astounding at times. And it makes no difference if your spending $1 or $1000, you still get very polite and accommodating service.

Almost all the Chinese I've dealt with understand in a lot of cases that selling is a relationship, whereas many, many other sellers see buyers as a wallet to be fleeced at that point in time, and they don't look past their nose to see that ripping one person off, or providing a bad experience, means they've not only lost that customer  likely for good, but that customer will also advise his/her friends that the seller is crap and to avoid them.

No-one has any qualms with making money, it makes the world go around, but I do have trouble when dealing with sellers with deceit, bad manners, and ripping people off, that's just bad karma.

cheers, Ian


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## /// (May 10, 2013)

aarggh said:


> ...
> I don't get the deal on how the postage is so low
> ...



It's got me stuffed too!
I've bought a few items over the years that I've needed urgently, for a crazy low BIN price like $2.99, with FREE postage!
Almost makes me feel guilty to buy the item haha.


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## davewaldo (May 11, 2013)

seagar said:


> Is it any wonder we buy from China and U.K. these days and not America.
> 
> Ian.



I'm new to this game, what stores in the UK and China do Aussies find good to buy from? A google search doesn't show much.


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## OrangeAlpine (May 11, 2013)

AussieJimG said:


> I tried ringing the (US) seller once asking for a small gasket to be put in an envelope and posted. They told me that US law required them to use USPOSTAL at robbery rates.
> 
> I no longer buy from US if I can possibly avoid it. Recent experience with Canada was the same: ripoff prices and loooong delays so Canada is off the list as well.
> 
> Jim


I think they lied.  Stuff gets popped into padded envelopes and sent at first class letter rate every day.  The only questions posed by the postal clerks involve safety.

Although I do not fully understand the USPOSTAL terminology.  We have United States Postal Service (USPS) which is a quasi-governmental agency.   Also United Parcel Service (UPS) which is totally privately owned (no gov't involvement).

Stuff sent to Canada from the US can get expensive really quickly.  It's stupid.  A small package sent to California (2500 miles)  will cost $6.00.  Sent 500 miles to Canada, almost $15.  And slow.  I've always thought the slowness was due to Canadian customs, but do not know for sure.

Bill


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## Banjoe (May 11, 2013)

I have an excellent record buying from US companies. Usually free shipping in the lower 48 so I have the packages sent to a drop box just into North Dakota. A scoot across the border, a $5 pickup fee that is offset by filling up with cheap diesel, and home again. Border costs are usually zero, the diesel gets super mileage, and life is great.

The option is to order from Canada, pay a minimum of 30% higher first cost, and then get hit with the added shipping & handling scam that adds another 15%-25%. No thanks when there are hard working people trying to make an honest buck and providing reasonable prices. I'll support that crowd any day.


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## /// (May 11, 2013)

I was just looking at a 4" rotary table from Sherline... freight came to $200 UPS for 8 pounds shipping weight.
Got me wondering about the cost to ship the most basic lathe.... $460. Lathe costs $575.
Checked with Fedex and DHL, pretty much the same.

I've never had anything this heavy shipped internationally, so out of interest I checked the shipping from UK.
From Chronos, a Vertex HV4 Rotary Table which is the same size but twice the weight (~16.5 pounds), freight came to $73.
Next, a no-name brand 4" from Arc Eurotrade, no weight given but it looks more bulky than the Vertex, $104 freight.

California(Sherline) to me: 9,400 miles.
UK to me: 10,700 miles.

It's depressing not being able to get Sherline gear for a reasonable price. I've wanted a Sherline since I was a kid.
Now I'm a big kid and I can afford it, but the freight is freaking ridiculous.
It is almost cheaper for me to fly to the US, Visit the Craftsmanship museum, buy what I want while I'm there and bring it home as luggage!


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## aarggh (May 11, 2013)

I bought a 25kg double vise a couple of years ago, same as the upper range one at H&F, which they were selling around $800-$900 from memory, $200 for the vise, $140 for the shipping from the States when most of the US sellers have around $800-$1000 shipping for the same weight. Really decent seller, went out of his way to pick a shipping method that wasn't a rip-off, and it shows it can be done without much hassle. I still think it's mostly just greed for a lot of sellers.

cheers, Ian


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## AussieJimG (May 11, 2013)

Interesting! When one seller told me that US law required him to use UPS or USPS (can't remember which), I believed him and never asked any other seller. Just goes to show ...

But then there is a lot of stuff that we can't buy from the States because of government restrictions.

Jim


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## OrangeAlpine (May 11, 2013)

People routinely blame the US Postal service to cover for their nefarious schemes.  No one ever questions the story.  People in this country are brainwashed to assume that private enterprise is faultless and anything connected with government is corrupt. 

Bill


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## OrangeAlpine (May 12, 2013)

Lifted the following from the Locostusa site.  The writer is a highly regarded supplier of parts to the Locost community.  I thought it might give some insight into the complexities of shipping within the USA.  I have zero reason to doubt anything he said.

_Doug, I can't quote shipping. We mostly use UPS, we have a contract with them that gives us better-than-most prices (which we pass along to builders; we charge what UPS charges us, no markup, no handling charge) but there are a couple of catches. One is, the rate is a moving target; they adjust it daily for fuel costs, weather, and phases of the moon for all I know, but we don't get a rate book and we don't know the price until we send in the shipping order. Another is, when we send in the shipping order, they deduct the funds directly from our bank account.
_
Bill


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## GWRdriver (May 13, 2013)

Obviously there are more of us out there who need to vent than just me.  I'm glad I could provide the opening salvo to get some of this stuff out, especially Australians.  I ran a little experiment over the weekend, I priced mailing the same package (weight, etc) I've complained about in the other direction.  Have any of you bothered to do that to see what your own folk charge you?  I was quite surprised to find that the cost to walk to the window and mail the same parcel to Yorkshire was within *$1/US* of the same price I was quoted!  So I suppose the lesson in this is our respective postal services/mails are getting us coming and going, equally, and there's not much we can do about it.

If it makes any of you in Australia feel any better (which I doubt) I think your paranoia is misplaced.  I know of no one in the USA who feels the need to abuse Australians, in fact in general we rather like them.  The thing to understand is that our shipping departments aren't always staffed with the brightest bulbs in the marquee.  A good day for many of them is one in which they can do the same thing over and over again without having to give it any thought.  An order from Oz (or any foreign country) requires that someone must give it considerable thought and possibly (Gasp!) learn something new in order to fill the order and complete the transaction.  The result is that sometimes you are quoted a shipping cost which, roughly translated, means I don't want to have to learn how to do this!  It shouldn't be like this, but it is.


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## jack620 (May 13, 2013)

Hi GWRdriver,
I don't think there's any paranoia among the Aussies here. My gripe is with sellers who quote the USPS medium flat rate box price (around $50) for an item that would fit into a box considerably smaller. When a seller lists an item for sale they should know instinctively what size box it will fit into. I mean they do this every day. To quote postage charges way above what is necessary is just "value adding" on their part. Fair enough if the size/weight of the item is marginal. I don't blame them in that case for covering themselves with a box that is the next size up. It's the extreme cases of overcharging that grate with me.

Anyway, as I said earlier- work out for yourself what size USPS box your item(s) will fit into and tell the seller you are prepared to pay that amount for postage. They usually agree to get the sale.

Happy shopping!


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## lennardhme (May 13, 2013)

GWRdriver
Interesting experiment, but a flawed deduction. The handling costs between postal agencies are proportional - the US portion is proportionally high, so quotes for the same item would be about the same either way.
Purchasing from the West coast of the US is expensive, but more than doubles if the item travels across the US from the East coast. [for Oz buyers] Its obvious where the high costs are.
No paranoia in Oz, we're too laid back - I suppose thats why the Govt. makes voting compulsory here.
Still, I miss the good stuff from the US


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## kf2qd (May 13, 2013)

Because the Post Office here has been mismanaged for so long they have decided to mismanage it some more and lower the quality of service to encourage us to use the system more. Prices on packages went up, and they charge even more if you want to have the package returned if not deliverable. And it sometimes seems that the "undeliverable" packages never are attempted to be delivered...

All part of the present administration working to serve us better and more transparently...


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## Hopper (May 13, 2013)

davewaldo said:


> I'm new to this game, what stores in the UK and China do Aussies find good to buy from? A google search doesn't show much.



Dave, I have had good luck with RDG Tools in the UK. They have a website and an eBay store. Shipping is quite reasonable and still much cheaper than buying in Oz. All good quality products too. This is now my first "go to" supplier of choice.

I have had pretty good luck too just buying tools and stuff off Australian eBay from sellers based in Hong Kong. They have free postage, but it takes 3 to 4 weeks. 
I cant remember particular sellers but all the Hong Kong chaps seem to be good. (I bought a little dial test "finger" indicator and mini magnetic base for $40 all up. When it arrived the dial indicator unexpectedly was branded "Mitutoyo Made in Japan". Chances of it being genuine article? Hmmm. But a very good little unit for the money non the less.

One shop in Hong Kong with a very good reputation but a limited line of stock is CTC Tools. I think they have an eBay store too.

I always bought my stuff from the USA in the past but the shipping costs have gone stupid the past year. Post Office prices have gone up there some, but not as much as sellers are charging. With the A dollar dropping below parity it is now worse than ever.


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## aarggh (May 14, 2013)

As Jack620 mentioned, it's not the cost of shipping that's the problem, more the inflated revenue raising schemes masquerading as "shipping costs" that is the problem. I have no qualms if I want something big and heavy sent from US to OZ, and paying the appropriate $60-$70-$90 post-pak costs, but when you routinely get envelope sized items with $60 shipping charges, (and I know what envelopes cost from the US), or medium sized parcels that are actually sent in a $50 post-pak carton, but you are being charged $80-$150 for it, that's just downright obscene whatever the country.

I recently contacted a seller, and for an estimated 23 pounds gross of kit (medium post-pak sized but possibly 0-3 pounds over), he was charging $240 shipping! That's greed, plain and simple. And he didn't even want to check for me if it was under 20 pounds, or over, just charge and be damned was the attitude.

On the other hand, I bought some Ray HasBrouck engine plans, and was rapt $10 additional postage was added for overseas to the total, not individually to each plan. As it should be.

cheers, Ian


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## jwcnc1911 (May 14, 2013)

I won't even bid on an item unless shipping is clear and up front.


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## OrangeAlpine (Jun 3, 2013)

I recently purchased two resisters used in DC motor controllers.  Both were for 1 hp motors, different brand of controller.  

One, direct from the manufacturer, was "only" $20, plus shipping.  They use UPS exclusively and my cost was $15.  So $35 total.  The second, from a dealer, was $5, including shipping.  It was wrapped in a piece of letter paper, taped to a folded sheet of letter paper and inserted into a small manilla envelope.  The shipper paid $1.69 shipping.  

No, you do not always get what you pay for and it is not always the Post Offices fault.  

Bill


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## Cogsy (Jun 3, 2013)

I recently bought my wife a saxaphone off ebay, complete with case, it was a bulky item and had to be shipped from the west coast of the U.S. to me here in Australia. All up, it only cost me $75 postage because the seller used ebay's own transport 'network'. He spent $25 having it shipped from the west coast almost all the way to the east coast by road, then ebay reshipped it to me for $50. I thought it wasn't a bad deal considering how big a parcel it was.

I do wonder though, why everything I get via Fedex has to be shipped through Anchorage, Alsaka before it gets sent to me.  I watch the tracking info as it treks around the U.S. mainland, then gets flown to Anchorage, where it usually sits for a day or two, then (with 24 hours before estimated delivery) it jets off to Singapore, then Perth and finally to my door. The estimated delivery dates are almost always spot on, but 8 days are wasted before it even leaves U.S. soil, not to mention that Alaska is almost as far away from my house as it's possible to get without actually leaving the planet...


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## ConductorX (Jun 3, 2013)

The original FEDEX business model was to ship everything to a central hub in Memphis Tennessee, sort the packages and then deliver them all back out to the correct address.  I believe they use the same model for international work as well.  Anchorage must be the hub for the Pacific rim.

Wikipedia.org:  "The concept for what became Federal Express came to Fred Smith while he was studying at Yale University. For a class there, he submitted a paper which argued that in modern technological society time meant money more than ever before and with the advent of miniaturized electronic circuitry, very small components had become extremely valuable. He argued that the consumer society was becoming increasingly hungry for mass-produced electronic items, but the decentralizing effect induced by these very devices gave manufacturers tremendous logistic problems in delivering the items. Smith felt that the necessary delivery speed could only be achieved by using air transport. But, he believed that the U.S. air cargo system was so inflexible and bound by regulations at that time that it was completely incapable of making sufficiently fast deliveries. Plus, the U.S. air cargo industry was highly unsuited to the role. Its system depended on cooperation between companies, as interlining was often necessary to get a consignment from point A to point B, and the industry relied heavily on cargo forwarders to fill hold space and perform doorstep deliveries.
In his paper, Smith proposed a new concept - have one carrier be responsible for a piece of cargo from local pick-up right through to ultimate delivery, operating its own aircraft, depots, posting stations and delivery vans. To ensure accurate sorting and dispatching of every item of freight, the carrier would fly it from all of its pickup stations to a central clearinghouse, from where the entire operation would be controlled. He submitted the paper to the professor teaching the course, who gave the paper the grade of "C". Despite the professor's opinion, Smith held on to the idea."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FedEx_Express#cite_note-flightglobal1981-5


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## Cogsy (Jun 3, 2013)

I do recall seeing my shipments go through Memphis first, now that you mention it. I like Fedex for their tracking and for sticking to their delivery dates, but the delivery time to Australia is virtually exactly the same as USPS.

I used to import a bit from Egypt and my supplier used an arab company I'd never heard of, but I'd place an order Tuesday morning and have it in my hand sometime Friday. That was good service (rates were cheap too).


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## ConductorX (Jun 3, 2013)

It wasn't my intention to promote or defend FEDEX.  I have problems with them myself.  I just wanted to share some history of the company and why they do the things they do.

"G"


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## aarggh (Jun 3, 2013)

I was looking for some very small barrel hinges for a project I'm working on,  and found a couple of Chinese ones for a pittance, but several US ones,  with the ludicrous shipping we've discussed before. This is a good  example of the weird attitude some sellers have:

2 x barrel hinges, shipping $44 (there are several listed around that figure)!!!! 
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ROCKLER-14mm-BARREL-HINGE-SET-NEW-IN-PACKAGING-/330932138803?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d0d17   b333

And yet another US seller has an auction for a lot of 10 (they're slightly smaller but there's 10 of them!) barrel hinges, postage? A mere $4, far more in line with reality, and proving shipping ISN'T that expensive! 
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/10-5mm-Mini-Barrel-Hinges-for-Pen-Jewelry-and-other-Small-Boxes-/181042437043?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a26f8   5bb3

These are tiny items that would fit in an envelope and require no special protection.

I not entirely sure if it's just greed plain and simple, or they think  they are somehow special, but it's just garbage ripping people off IMHO.

cheers, Ian


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## Tin Falcon (Jun 3, 2013)

A couple years ago a summer thunder lightning storm damaged the control board of my  mini lathe and my mini mill. 
the mini mill had a little box with a rectifier bridge and I found one at the radio shack for 6 bucks or something like that, the Lathe board  had a single blown diode . so I go one line . I fines an electronics place with a Brooklyn NY address. they have the part I need IIRC $0.69 each and  flat rate $3 shipping. OK no big deal I can drive to NYC in a couple hours so I order the item on line and figure I will see in in two maybe 3 days via snail mail. 
A week goes buy no package. Then my wife comes in the shop. Honey what did  buy from Sidney Australia?  It was the diodes apparently the Brooklyn office was only a branch and the home office where the billing is done is in Sydney. So another week goes by. What I expected to get in Two days has now taken 14.  I get the package look at the return address and just have to laugh. My two little diodes were shipped from the manufacturer in Bannock Thailand . that is why it took two weeks to arrive. You just have to love the global economy. 

I had a similar experience with my 115pc set of screw machine drill bits made in USA by Michigan drill. I order from a guy in California USA. expected delivery 1 week shipped directly from the manufacturer. It took two weeks because the drill bits  were coming out of Michigan drills Florida USA plant and Florida had been hit with a hurricane and I had to wait for the last few sizes of drill bit be made to fill out the set. 
My only compliant is the seller could have explained better why there was a delay. 
Tin


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## jack620 (Jun 3, 2013)

Yeah, I recently bought my son a basketball top on eBay. The item location was listed as New Zealand, the seller's account was in Sydney and the item shipped from China.


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## Tin Falcon (Jun 3, 2013)

I Have purchased items from Hong Kong and I do not mind the wait if the price is right and the shipping decent. But  I do not expect to order from NYC and get a package from the pacific rim. 
Tin


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## aarggh (Jun 3, 2013)

My brother went to Las Vegas over Christmas a few years back, and sent our family a postcard, when he came back, we said we never recieved it. It turned up over 12 months later, from US to OZ, postmarked Japan!

I don't know which is weirder, the fact it took over a year and we still got it in the end, or that despite being very clearly addressed, it spent a year in Japan!

cheers, Ian


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## Hopper (Jun 3, 2013)

I just bought two Myford/Drummond change gears and a small cast iron cover for the back gear from the UK. Cost about 30 pounds to buy the three items. Cheapest shipping to Australia from the UK was another 30 pounds on top, via Royal Mail.  Weight would be, I dunno, two kilos??? maybe a shade more?. So it is not just USA shipping that is getting steeper. They all seem to be getting on the bandwagon. 

Gone are the days when the Post Office was a government department that provided a vital service to the taxpaying public at a reasonable cost. Now they are all trying to catch up with UPS and Fedex prices and make a fat profit for the government. 

Seems the Chinese PO is the only one still operating at cheap rates. Live the Party.


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## Swifty (Jun 4, 2013)

I've purchased small items from China with free postage, small packages about the size of 2 cigarette boxes, I check what the postage is that's on the box and convert it to Australian currency. It often works out to about 70 cents, that's nearly what it costs to post a letter here to the next town. Obviously the Chinese post office works on a lot of volume to make a profit.

Not quite sure how the reciprocal postage system works between countries, must be a lot more mail coming out of China than going in.

Paul.


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## clivel (Jun 4, 2013)

Swifty said:


> I've purchased small items from China with free postage, small packages about the size of 2 cigarette boxes, I check what the postage is that's on the box and convert it to Australian currency. It often works out to about 70 cents, that's nearly what it costs to post a letter here to the next town. Obviously the Chinese post office works on a lot of volume to make a profit.


I wouldn't be surprised if the Chinese government doesn't subsidise postal rates to feed the worldwide addiction to cheap Chinese imports.
Once China has achieved a (fast approaching) almost worldwide manufacturing monopoly, we might find that the products or postage don't remain quite as cheap anymore.

On a more positive note, I recently bought a Unimat milling table weighing about 2.5 lbs from an eBay seller in the Netherlands. He shipped via "TNT Post" a carrier I had not previously heard of, I paid on Monday May 27th, and received the item here in Canada on Friday the 31st.
Superb service from both the seller and the carrier!


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## Swifty (Jun 17, 2013)

Having more problems with postage costs, I want to buy a 3/8" square 5C collet, average price seems to be $25 which is ok. Postage varies from $25 to $80, I thought that the $25 charge was way too much. Will keep on looking.

Just checked, I can buy round collets for $11 with $14 postage, figure that one out.

Paul.


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## Hopper (Jun 18, 2013)

I was browsing around through eBay Australia yesterday and found that shipping on a book was $5 from the UK, $25 from one US supplier and $50 from another seppo. WTH?


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## jwcnc1911 (Jun 18, 2013)

I just bought a bunch of books from Germany to US with very reasonable shipping... highest was about $7usd.  Also shipped a 4ft long 3in diameter  drawing tube to Germany for $16usd.


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