Going Postal

[Tin Falcon]

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

 

[aarggh]

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

 

[Hopper]

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.

 

[Swifty]

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.

 

[clivel]

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!

 

[Swifty]

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.

 

[Hopper]

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?

 

[jwcnc1911]

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.