Notice - Shipping rates are going up

[+batari]

On Sunday, January 26, USPS is significantly increasing international shipping prices! Orders will be accepted at the lower rates for about 16 hours after this post, then priority shipping rates go up by up to 54%!

 

So, order now to get advantage of the lower rate, and your order will ship out on the same day. I will post again when I'm no longer able to accept orders at the current rates.

[Albert]

Yeah, the international increases are insane. Some of them have gone up as much as 60%! For instance, to send a one pound package to Europe used to cost $11.60. Now to mail that same package it will cost $16.75. And tracking is still not included, you have to buy Priority Mail International to get tracking (although I believe tracking is being added to Canada First Class International packages). Priority Mail was already very expensive, and it's also seeing huge increases.

 

Here's a good post from Stamps.com that summarizes the changes:

 

http://www.stamps.com/usps/postage-rate-increase/

 

Sucks.

 

..Al

[Mxyzptlk]

They have to pay those retirement benefits somehow.

[Austin]

Hm, that's strange. The US rates aren't changing much (First Class for instance is going up by a whopping two cents!).

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Slow shipping should be dead cheap, because currently there is a massive oversupply of container ships.

[mmervine]

Wow...that's an amazing increase for international shipping!

[+batari]

Oddly, some US rates are actually going down - I'm told that priority in the US now includes delivery confirmation.

 

But international rates are insane. For example, a small flat rate priority box to Mexico is $12.95 today, but tomorrow it will be $23.95! That's 85% more! It's totally absurd. I may discontinue priority shipping altogether as it's really getting out of hand.

[Albert]

Oddly, some US rates are actually going down - I'm told that priority in the US now includes delivery confirmation.

 

But international rates are insane. For example, a small flat rate priority box to Mexico is $12.95 today, but tomorrow it will be $23.95! That's 85% more! It's totally absurd. I may discontinue priority shipping altogether as it's really getting out of hand.

 

Just pass the rate along to your customers--there's no reason you should have to absorb such ridiculous increases. Just make it clear to people you're charging the actual rates, which took a significant spike of tomorrow.

 

..al

[+batari]

I will of course increase the price to match the shipping rate, but $24 flat-rate priority shipping on an item that costs $60-$80 is ridiculous, especially since you are not guaranteed to get full tracking.

[Albert]

I'm pretty sure Priority Mail International has had tracking information to most countries for some time now. It's International First Class that has no tracking. Which really sucks and is extraordinarily lame, since the infrastructure is obviously already in place to do this.

 

..Al

[+batari]

Nope, not flat rate priority, at least. It stops tracking in the USA. Sometimes the host country will scan it and it will show up there but there's no guarantee of that. I haven't tried "regular" priority but I might (with these new rates, it might now be competitive with flat rate priority.)

[+batari]

I'm going to go in now to change the international shipping rates. Thanks to those (actually, just one person) who ordered today I'm going to go in and change the shipping price on any future international orders. US rates will remain unchanged (for now.)

[Tursi]

I'm pretty sure Priority Mail International has had tracking information to most countries for some time now. It's International First Class that has no tracking. Which really sucks and is extraordinarily lame, since the infrastructure is obviously already in place to do this.

 

International tracking doesn't work even when you pay for it. Once it leaves the US all they can tell you is "it's up to xxxx post now". I had several issues with international shipping of Skunkboards and that was the response I got when I went to collect the tracking information that I paid for. (One of the packages went to the extent of lying/being-completely-confused, in that two weeks after the board was returned to sender, I received an "answer" to my "inquiry" telling me that the package was delivered.)

 

Based on my experience, I would disagree there is any structure in place for international tracking, nor will I ever pay for it again.

[Mayhem]

Slow shipping should be dead cheap, because currently there is a massive oversupply of container ships.

Except it doesn't exist any more, as the USPS got rid of surface shipping a couple of years ago.

 

These increases are nuts... it's gonna affect the items I buy outside of Europe now on eBay...

[Albert]

International tracking has generally worked for me for USPS Priority Mail packages and for Express Mail International packages. Everything else the tracking will just stop at the border as you stated. I don't get to experience it too often, though, since Priority Mail International and Express Mail International are very expensive (even more so now). It would be great if a commercial shipping company could offer competitive international rates, but they are even more expensive.

 

..Al

[Thomas Jentzsch]

I just checked our rates and a small (non tracked) parcel (slow, <2kg, all 3 sides together < 90cm) from Germany to the USA costs 14,90€ (~$20). So that's even more expensive than the price Albert mentioned above.