Why Is Ups Postage Soooooo Expensive?
Lounge By ApplegumKitchen Updated 12 Jun 2009 , 11:03pm by ApplegumKitchen
Can anybody shed some light as to WHY the postage is so expensive? I have looked at other items to purchase from the US and always been stunned as to the postage cost.
Most recent was a Christening dress from MI (Michigan?) cost was $220US (it was light - to fit a 3mth old baby! and in swiss basiste cotton) BUT the postage they quoted was $128US !!
To post the same package (insured and by Priority Mail) from Australia to the USA would cost us $14AU
If we can do that with a population of 25million - why can't a country with over 100million people have a better postage system
Does not do ANYTHING to help your export market! I would purchase a lot more if the postage was not so prohibitive!
Oh well - that is MY gripe for the day!!
Just did this search..
http://ircalc.usps.gov/IntlMailServices.aspx?Country=10013&M=2&P=2&O=0&msvc=6&l=12&w=1&h=7&surcharge=0
So obviously THERE is cheaper postage available - its just that the companies that we are dealing with are refusing to offer it.
Anybody know why?
I have found in the last 3 years postage here in Canada has gotten really expensive as well...I used to buy alot from Ebay and the US but have slowed down quite a bit because of Duty/customs fees and shipping fees.
hahahaha
Well - at least it has taught me NOT to complain about our postage!! It seems us Aussies have got it right.
Way I figure it - it is the SAME distance from Australia to the USA as it is from the USA to Australia
I mean I don't want them to deliver on the Space Shuttle via Mars or anything 
The order is taken over the phone by a person who needs to be paid; to be packed by a person who needs to be paid; go a long way in a vehicle powered by expensive gas, driven by a person who needs to be paid; unloaded at customs by a person who needs to be paid; and looked over by a customs person who needs to be paid; then put on an expensive airplane propelled by expensive jet fuel flown by a pilot, copilot and navigator who all need to be paid; then unloaded at your customs by a person who needs to be paid; looked over by a customs person who needs to be paid; then onto a vehicle powered by expensive petrol driven by a person who needs to be paid; to a post office and sorted by a person who needs to be paid; put on another vehicle powered by expensive petrol and driven by a person who needs to be paid; to a smaller post office, sorted by a person who needs to be paid; put on another vehicle powered by expensive petrol and taken directly to your house by your mailman who needs to be paid.
The order is taken over the phone by a person who needs to be paid; to be packed by a person who needs to be paid; go a long way in a vehicle powered by expensive gas, driven by a person who needs to be paid; unloaded at customs by a person who needs to be paid; and looked over by a customs person who needs to be paid; then put on an expensive airplane propelled by expensive jet fuel flown by a pilot, copilot and navigator who all need to be paid; then unloaded at your customs by a person who needs to be paid; looked over by a customs person who needs to be paid; then onto a vehicle powered by expensive petrol driven by a person who needs to be paid; to a post office and sorted by a person who needs to be paid; put on another vehicle powered by expensive petrol and driven by a person who needs to be paid; to a smaller post office, sorted by a person who needs to be paid; put on another vehicle powered by expensive petrol and taken directly to your house by your mailman who needs to be paid.
and I need to get paid MORE to afford to pay shipping!!!! 
You're complaining about USPS. UPS are the guys in the brown trucks. But let me complain about them... 
I received a KitchenAid mixer from Amazon that was clearly used. So Amazon sent me a new one, with a postage paid label to send the other back. That sucker is HEAVY! Instead of toting it down to the UPS Store, I called UPS to pick it up. Mind you, they're in my neighborhood daily, if not in my terrace. Well, even with a postage paid label, they wanted to charge me almost $20 as a pick up fee!! Uh huh, I hauled it out to the car and let someone at the store grab it. What a crock.
I understand the frustration with shipping $$$$. When buying from the States I always go with USPS instead of UPS or FedEx ( because of the heavy customs brokerage charges) and I order in large quantities. It also never hurts to email and ask if they have lower shipping rates.
I think that business often only offer shipping at some of the higher rates because they:
a) want to get you the product as quickly as possible (so customers are not phoning wondering/complaining about where the package is when the estimated delivery time isn't over and using up a lot of company time)
b)tracking no. and/or signed for delivery (not always available at lower rates)
c) insurance included in the shipping charges
The order is taken over the phone by a person who needs to be paid; to be packed by a person who needs to be paid; go a long way in a vehicle powered by expensive gas, driven by a person who needs to be paid; unloaded at customs by a person who needs to be paid; and looked over by a customs person who needs to be paid; then put on an expensive airplane propelled by expensive jet fuel flown by a pilot, copilot and navigator who all need to be paid; then unloaded at your customs by a person who needs to be paid; looked over by a customs person who needs to be paid; then onto a vehicle powered by expensive petrol driven by a person who needs to be paid; to a post office and sorted by a person who needs to be paid; put on another vehicle powered by expensive petrol and driven by a person who needs to be paid; to a smaller post office, sorted by a person who needs to be paid; put on another vehicle powered by expensive petrol and taken directly to your house by your mailman who needs to be paid.
YES - this is EXACTLY what I was saying .... AND consider this .... the SAME THING happens here!! but WHY can us mere mortal Aussies with a population of only 25million manage to be able to do EXACTLY what you have mentioned for AU$14 when it costs YOU guys US$180 to do the same thing..... and you have over 100million population
The issue I think comes back to companies not realising the importance of the export market - with the internet now it is a GLOBAL ECONOMY and I would think companies should be looking at their shipping/postage options - at present the companies that I deal with ONLY offer UPS - I do not know what the difference is between UPS and USPS (I just know that USPS is the CHEAPER OPTION)
ANYWAY - it just makes the UK a great shopping option instead of the USA 
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