OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Off Topics When postage/freight becomes a complete joke!

We've all felt ripped off by excessive postal and courier charges. I thought I would relate a recent experience that left me in a cold sweat and needing a lie down and a Panadol.

Australia Post go more by size than weight when it comes to very large items, but for small items they conveniently reverse this and weight becomes the big issue, even for a tiny package.

I recently tried to get a courier or Australia Post to deliver a small, plastic grass catcher. First problem is the catcher was determined to be 20cm "too high" for standard postage or courier services, but was well within range of maximum length and width. In fact it was less than half the requirements for max. length and width. But because it was a bit over with height, this was apparently a problem which put it into the maximum possible size range. The catcher is light plastic, so as light as a feather. It is something that anyone can pick up with one hand easily. Both Australia Post and courier companies required that the item be boxed to prevent it from being damaged, so we could not simply wrap it up in bubble wrap and plastic.

Then they tell me that the weight of a plastic catcher in a box weighs more than 38 cubic kgs!!! The reason? On large parcels they count empty space by the "cubic kg", not the cubic metre, which is a joke. Since when did a cubic metre of air and plastic weigh 38 cubic kgs? But that is the way both Australia Post and the courier companies work it - entirely to their advantage many would say!!

So I got some quotes: For 38 cubic kg weight, one courier company quoted $500, another quoted $214, Oz Post quoted $208, then the second courier company said they would match Oz Post by a dollar.
The cheapest quote was $158 and came from a private trucking company.

But thems the breaks. Post is a rip off at the best of times, as we all know.

I buy things from the USA occasionally and the postage is horrendous, even on tiny parts. I once paid $60 postage for a part worth only $5 that was light as a feather and could easily fit in the palm of your hand. ebay's Global Shipping Program has increased costs greatly, but they have people over a barrel because they help with Customs and insurance and guarantee tracking to your door (but do not guarantee actual delivery). After an item went astray in the USA recently, I found the GSP's tracking to be virtually useless. They had completely lost it in fact. Moreover when I contacted them they did not seem to care a hoot. All they kept saying was I should wait the required time for the item to arrive and then put in an "Item not Received" dispute with ebay. I found out that the item had gone to the wrong post office and was sitting there as a lost package. If it had not been for the efforts of the sender in tracing it and getting the item back, it would have been lost forever. Also at his own expense the seller kindly sent me the package by USPS. The item reached me a week later. The funny thing is I am still getting occasional messages from GSP and USPS (who GSP have to rely on anyway, in order to provide their service!) claiming that they have tried many times but been unsuccessful in locating my missing package. GSP tell me I should request a refund from the seller. Clearly they have not tried very hard to locate it. It is far easier for them to just shrug the whole mishap off by sending out an automated message. So what kind of "service" are we paying through the nose for again???

Motorbikes are fairly cheap to freight interstate about $300 Sydney/Melbourne, probably cost that much to send a mower if you could get somebody to freight it because they are a dangerous goods because they have had fuel and oil in them

I'm not sure how they work it out Norm. Doesn't seem to be any logic to it. Like, you can get an entire 4-stroke motor brand new shipped from America for a bit over a hundred bucks. That is if it doesn't get inspected by Customs or you could be looking at a pricey inspection fee. But the thing is, it would probably cost me more to send it 5 km here!

How they can calculate 38 cubic kgs of weight from a box that is basically a cubic metre in size is still beyond me! Actual weight is less than a kg.

Now you can see why I don't sell online. Being a small shop I get punished every time I need to return a defective item.

A good example was last year when I ordered a spindle. I paid 6.50 to it but it cost me 15.00 to send it back. What was even worst was the vendor charged me a 30% restocking fee on a defective product so I ended losing money in the deal.

A lesson learned from the deal that I did benefit from. I went out got myself a drill press and rebuilt the old spindle and now I know where to get the bearings and seals at a reasonable price and forget the new spindles unless the hub is broken.

I remember the good old days when you got an overseas (mainly American in my case) seller to organise postage independently of Ebay at a reasonable price. Now if you contact them, they just say refer to EBay's inflated Global Shipping Programme price, which is many times more expensive in some cases. This bloated service was obviously designed to profit from the delivery component of the transaction. It should be investigated and declared a crime and Ebay forced to withdraw this unwanted service they force on buyers.

That is why I don't buy anything from America, shipping prices are stupid. I used to get quite a lot of motorcycle parts from the UK but I was dealing directly with the suppliers and shipping was never an issue and usually fast.

Couldn't agree with you more MF, Americans are easily indoctrinated I've always found and Aussies are a close second.

G'day all
I lively discussion here.

I totally agree with all these comments in this global online world.
It is wrought with freight dangers.

The invention of the word 'logistics' is interesting.
Is it a term that describes the most cost-efficient transport of goods from A to B?

It may do, but not for the end customer.
It is clear that logistics does not really include cheapest price for the average punter.

I mean, wasn't the previous CEO of AUS Post the highest paid Commonwealth bureaucrat?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-...t-reasonable-international-peers/8251028
No one speaks out about this BS

Postage and freight of goods is a great scam in the developed world.
Largely monopoly driven, it is an opportunistic piggy-back on cheaper global prices
for consume rgoods and services..



Cheers
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Jack

Couldn't agree more Jack. Postage and freight costs are all out of proportion. You can buy a small part overseas for $5, only to find out it will cost you an extra $64 to ship it here. I'm still trying to understand the maths that allows me to lift 38 cubic kg with my little finger.

Just makes your head hurt doesn't it.

I have been fighting shipping charges for a very long time. I have found in my business sometimes paying little for a part from vendor vs another actually costs less when the shipping is included on combined orders. Some vendors have lower shipping charges but if you closer at things you see they are make up for lower shipping rate by charging more for the parts.

So as Jack said the logistics of getting the parts in here at the lowest cost can make your head spin and hurt. I just got good at this over the time I have been buying parts myself. A good example is an order I place yesterday where if I order from my two vendors that had the parts I would paid about 17 usd for shipping. Instead I combined the order and went through two alternate vendors shipping was a little higher @ 20 usd but I save on the part prices; actually close 25 usd. It just instead of two day and week delivery, the parts are out 3 days from one vendor and 4 days from the other. So I figured I ended up saving nearly 23 usd overall which I can add to my profit margin as I may later need to pay more especially with this stupid trade war they started here. Increase prices haven't started hitting me yet but will soon.

I get in packages from one vendor that the UPS truck goes 50 miles pass the destination UPS point before getting back to it. They actually drive right through the town. What they are doing here is gathering all the shipments at central location so they send a complete truck load the destination and not waste time digging a loaded for a hand full packages. May seem dumb but it actually saves a lot time as when they unload the truck at the destination they only need to sort for final delivery. It is when mis-load a package when the nightmare starts; I have seen up to week to a package back on track.

I recently also had to send an UC back for warranty repairs in Canada. For me to buy the postage to Canada was going to cost nearly 100 usd only way. By time I paid that and the return shipping it would have as much as the unit did in the first place. I emailed the UC repair shop in Canada and they sold me a round trip label for my UC @ 35 usd which was still rough but a lot less than buying another UC even through I did buy a second unit as I couldn't be down for two weeks without it during my busy season. Now why couldn't my local post office do the same deal for me.

I am kinda glad I no longer get in packages that cost 500+ usd the size of a pack of smokes. With today's paranoid about illegal drugs I never get an unopened package or I get surrounded by law enforcement with semi guns drawn when I pick up the packages. They were and are still high priced RF transistors.

G'day AVB
That's a fantastic North American take on this problem.
You have made a great read there.

You tell us - it's just not Aussie folks that get the raw deal on freight.

I guess your message to members is to think, do homework and shop around.
If oils ain't oils; then freight is not freight.

Thanks for the message and enlightenment!

Cheers
------------------------
Jack

Yes it certainly pays to shop around. I recently purchased a vintage mower part from the USA. It was an ebay sale. After I purchased the item, the seller got a quote from USPS on priority shipping. It was an incredible $96.95. I had only paid him $28 for postage. The seller was about to refund my money, but then received a notification from the Global Shipping Program. He was new to selling internationally and had not realized the freight was supposed to go through the Global Shipping Program. So he sent my item to the address in Erlanger, KY. He had been offering free shipping in the United States, so was happy to send the item to KY at his own expense. The cost to me through the Global Shipping Program was just $28. That is a huge difference in the cost of postage compared to the quote he had been given by USPS. It also seems strange considering the Global Shipping Program uses the USPS!

On another occasion I noticed the cost of postage through the Global Shipping Program on an item was incredibly high, like $45 on a very small item. But I shopped around and got the same part sent to me by another seller through USPS for only $5. The drawback was I had to wait about 4-5 weeks for the item to arrive. But I was not in any hurry.

Now here is a reverse of the topic, on the 16th July I ordered a carby from China with free delivery and it arrived yesterday, 8 days from placing the order. It often takes me that long to get bits from Sydney or Melbourne and we all know how much Aus Post charges

Don't start me on Australia Post as I'll go on forever and Jack knows how long that can be.

G'day Mod BB and all good folk.

It's true! Bonnar Bloke has a very warm disaffection for AP

Once, Last year, BB phoned me, and he clearly had something on his mind.
It was his take on AP.

I had to agree - having had similar experiences.
But BB was insistent ...

At one point, I put the phone down, cooked dinner, went for a walk with the dog,
watched Raiders of the Lost Ark and, ironically, The Postman Always Rings Twice,
before picking up the handset again. Sure enough, BB was still telling his story!

I guess most folks have that special 'freight story'.

A good topic for sure.
--------------------------------------
Jack

Jack your story reminds of some of the old comedy shows on the one eye monster here.

Shipping thru any carrier at times don't any sense. I currently have two packages inbound from California to Tennessee. One is being handled by UPS and the other USPS. They shipped on the same day. The one coming thru USPS is actually arriving tomorrow but the UPS one won't here until next Wednesday. This one those times that the postal service is actually faster than UPS.
If you do a lot of ordering of parts as I do you might get the nack of knowing which service is faster for a particular vendor.

Actually getting mail from California has always been faster inbound than outbound. Takes 3 days to receive a letter but takes 2 weeks send one to the same place. 3 days is actually faster for 1500 miles than 20 miles locally which is over a week. Actually locally mailed letters goes for scenic trip or a short vacation before getting delivery next door.

UPS = United Parcel Service
USPS = United States Postal Service

Howdy AVB,
geez, makes me glad we have letters arrive within a day or two anywhere in Australia. Now I know which country came up with the term snail mail!
In America's case it's glacial mail!

I was talking to my son in NZ last night and he was telling me about some parts he ordered from Sydney that were needed urgently, ordered one day, airfreighted to NZ the next day. A week later after spending 40 mins on the phone to DHL in NZ they finally found it and their reason for not delivering it was because nobody had put a delivery sticker on it. This was a large parcel so they must have had to walk around it for days with nobody even thinking to ask about it till my son started kicking heads about where this stuff was
Jack what was important was that BB believed you were listening to him and that you cared.

Well at least it got shipped. I have orderes that never get shipped but billed to my credit card. After a week of not getting the parts that should arrive the next day I call just find they it shipped. Ask for tracking # and then they can't find where the package ever left their warehouse.

Then there is the packages that arrive weighing just what the box weighs when it should be 15 lbs. The one I got had of the parts in the box as I had the driver wait to be a witness that the contents were gone. Packing tape broken allowing all my part to go awol. I had waited nearly a month to get the parts and then had to get them reshipped which I got in three days.

About the only time I am 100% sure a part is on time is when I personally pick it up and sometimes I even wonder about myself.