Why does postage cost so much? Julie and I hear it all the time. Sometimes people are shocked to discover that postage is so expensive, sometimes more expensive than the actual item they are buying. Unless people are experienced at buying on FB, eBay or etsy, they may assume the seller is trying to rip them off. Heres the truth of the matter. Firstly, Australia Post is expensive. Pure and simple. It costs a lot to post parcels, especially interstate, and they are continually increasing prices and complexity of parcel post rules. Big businesses can get all sorts of postal discounts but for us little guys it costs a lot. Some eBay sellers offer free postage - youll find thats usually on physically small or light items or very expensive items, and is always rolled into the price of the item. So its never really free. Secondly, posting collectables and fragile items are even more expensive. Why? Australia Post does not offer a fragile service (in fact some people say fragile stickers on boxes are seen as some kind of challenge by Aussie Post LOL) so we need to pack REALLY WELL to try and ensure our treasures arrive in one piece. The box in the photo I packed for Dee this morning. Each item of mine is wrapped in bubble wrap, then cling film, then stuffed with crushed paper and fitted into a box so nothing touches the sides. We all have our own favourite formula, but the end result is the same. It means the box needs to be big (way bigger than the item) and all that packing makes it heavy. A $50 dress can go in a $7 satchel. $50 of glass and china may cost $25 or more to post. Couriers such as interparcel or officeworks are an option, but often not much cheaper especially interstate. Most sellers end up buying tape, boxes and bubble wrap out of their own pocket, and weve all stuffed up sometimes and under quoted postage only to be screwed by the Aussie Post calculator and find out the cubic weight rules means its going to cost us twice what we thought (and twice what the buyer paid). Thats just experience and part of the territory, I guess. So I guess the take home message is yes post is expensive, no we are not ripping you off, and yes we do our best to ensure your parcel arrives safe and sound! And remember, in most cases us little guys selling on FB are still cheaper than FeeBAY LOL :D Lyndal @ COWS HQ
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 08:01:50 +0000