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Post by grammadee on Oct 15, 2022 0:28:19 GMT
I used some paper from a Paper Phenomenon collection today and started to wonder if PP was still around. Googled. And yup. Still there. And they are having a SALE. Collections as low as $9.99 US. I loved the colours and decided to pick up four of them. Clicked on Pay Pal and was just about to finalize the sale when the postage popped up. Total order just under $50. Postage $72. I backed out and left my cart unpaid for.
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Post by mom on Oct 15, 2022 0:48:59 GMT
Ouch. Is that normal international shipping or is PP marking it up?
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Post by Embri on Oct 15, 2022 1:01:36 GMT
I can't speak for any place other than to Canada, but yes a LOT of US companies charge that kind of exorbitant, extortion level postage rate for international orders. And the costs don't stop at shipping, since our dollar is valued less than theirs, taxes, import duty and processing fees are extra as well.
There's a reason I do all my shopping local or on AliExpress.
The one time I inquired about why postage was so high - many many years ago so take this information as potentially dated - the shipper said it was because they passed international packages off to a third party courier company so they didn't have to handle the customs forms by going to a post office.
For the record I don't expect international postage to be as affordable as domestic. There's more distance and customs clearance and all that involved, after all. But if the shipping cost exceeds the cost of the goods, it's not going to result in a sale to me.
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Post by kmage on Oct 15, 2022 3:31:42 GMT
But if the shipping cost exceeds the cost of the goods, it's not going to result in a sale to me. I agree with this. I realize that I am in the US and able to get better shipping prices, but I recently ran into an issue with Fancy Pants that I totally did not get...I wanted to order 1 (!!) package of stickers. Stickers cost 4.49. Shipping was a flat rate of 10.00. I emailed them because the postage of the stickers should literally be the price of a stamp. It is a small sticker sheet. Their response was that they do not charge shipping by the weight, but rather of the amout of things you purchased, and anything under 75.00 had a flat shipping rate of ten dollars. How does that even work? Why should a small sticker sheet that fits into a regular size envelope cost ten dollars to ship? So no, did not purchase, as I was not paying almost 15.00 for a tiny sticker sheet. |
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Post by AussieMeg on Oct 15, 2022 5:43:05 GMT
Holy crap!  If the shipping from the US to Canada was $72, I dread to think what it would have been to Australia or NZ! |
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Post by Embri on Oct 15, 2022 6:43:45 GMT
International shipping stuff into Canada is almost always painful, but Australia and New Zealand get the shortest end of the proverbial stick. Not that it's any consolation.
I'd be over the moon if shipping stuff was *only* 10$. Hard to get that rate even for domestic goods.
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camcas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,140 
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Post by camcas on Oct 16, 2022 0:09:59 GMT
I used some paper from a Paper Phenomenon collection today and started to wonder if PP was still around. Googled. And yup. Still there. And they are having a SALE. Collections as low as $9.99 US. I loved the colours and decided to pick up four of them. Clicked on Pay Pal and was just about to finalize the sale when the postage popped up. Total order just under $50. Postage $72. I backed out and left my cart unpaid for. I feel you grammadee- I live in Australia!!! |
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Post by papersilly on Oct 17, 2022 17:02:42 GMT
yikes! it makes me wonder under what circumstance, if any, i would ever pay that kind of shipping SB supplies. nope, nothing comes to mind.
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Post by sleepingbooty on Oct 17, 2022 19:04:38 GMT
I raise my glass and hum a sad song as a sign of shared pain, grammadee! There have been some crazy international shipping quotes over the years and it's only getting worse...  |
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Post by papersilly on Oct 17, 2022 21:08:52 GMT
the crazy postal rates is why i have grown to appreciate companies that ship USPS flat rate within the US. stuff the box or envelope for one price. only works within the US but it's a big help when buying a ton of stuff on the other side of the country.
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Post by cupcakepeddler on Oct 18, 2022 3:39:15 GMT
International shipping stuff into Canada is almost always painful, but Australia and New Zealand get the shortest end of the proverbial stick. Not that it's any consolation. Yep, I have left so many things in carts over the years due to shipping costs. There is one small manufacturer whose die cuts I adore and would buy as many of them as I could but they don't seem to have anyone in Australia that sells them as a rule and shipping is extortion at 5 times the cost of the item direct from them. |
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Post by steakgoddess on Oct 18, 2022 4:56:48 GMT
I don’t use a third party and international shipping is still atrocious. I charge a flat rate for international and it’s never what I’m actually paying. I absorb that difference. And I STILL get complaints that my flat rate is too high.
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Post by Embri on Oct 18, 2022 5:07:16 GMT
I don’t use a third party and international shipping is still atrocious. I charge a flat rate for international and it’s never what I’m actually paying. I absorb that difference. And I STILL get complaints that my flat rate is too high. Some things really are expensive to ship. A lot depends on the size and weight of the package. I'd never fault a seller for charging the going postage rate, but it does often result in abandoning a cart for otherwise small purchases. It annoys me more when sites obfuscate the shipping cost until you make an account and put in payment details & address. |
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,678
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Oct 18, 2022 9:18:56 GMT
It's one of the less delightful things about being international and participating in a hobby that is so US centric, but unfortunately one internationals are far too familiar with. It's generally made worse by our exchange rate, and I've abandoned my share of carts once I saw the shipping cost.
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Post by gizzy on Oct 18, 2022 15:51:27 GMT
I'm floored at these shipping costs. Wow.
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Post by kmage on Oct 18, 2022 16:28:40 GMT
I charge a flat rate for international and it’s never what I’m actually paying. I absorb that difference. And I STILL get complaints that my flat rate is too high. I just have a question that maybe you can help me with (since it is impossible to get a straight answer from the post office) For shipping, you said you charge a flat rate-is that only for international shipping or all shipping? For some reason, I thought shipping always had to be charged by weight or the size of the package, but is that not the case? What happens in the instance (rare I know) that the customer is way overcharged for the shipping? Thanks! Just trying to understand the system. |
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Post by steakgoddess on Oct 18, 2022 17:22:55 GMT
I charge a flat rate for international and it’s never what I’m actually paying. I absorb that difference. And I STILL get complaints that my flat rate is too high. I just have a question that maybe you can help me with (since it is impossible to get a straight answer from the post office) For shipping, you said you charge a flat rate-is that only for international shipping or all shipping? For some reason, I thought shipping always had to be charged by weight or the size of the package, but is that not the case? What happens in the instance (rare I know) that the customer is way overcharged for the shipping? Thanks! Just trying to understand the system. I charge one flat rate for domestic shipping and one flat rate for international. When I ship the package, I am charged by size and weight. So if I charge $10 international, but to mail the package, it costs $14, I pay that difference. My customers pay me and I pay the shipper. (Usually USPS or UPS) |
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If the shipping from the US to Canada was $72, I dread to think what it would have been to Australia or NZ! 
