U.S. Postage.

Jel999

Jel999

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663
Location
Bury St Edmunds
Can one of our brothers from across the pond please enlighten me about the difference between First class international postage & Economy International, as there's a big difference in cost.

As an example, i've bought a soap from Maggards for $28.88 inc economy shipping yet if I bought the same soap direct from the maker, it would be $46.99 inc first class shipping.

I've had goods sent by both & they take about the same time - 10 days.

Does using economy mean sending the boy down to the post office at 1630hrs instead of having it picked up & why do so few offer economy shipping ?
 
Jel999 said:
Can one of our brothers from across the pond please enlighten me about the difference between First class international postage & Economy International, as there's a big difference in cost.

As an example, i've bought a soap from Maggards for $28.88 inc economy shipping yet if I bought the same soap direct from the maker, it would be $46.99 inc first class shipping.

I've had goods sent by both & they take about the same time - 10 days.

Does using economy mean sending the boy down to the post office at 1630hrs instead of having it picked up & why do so few offer economy shipping ?
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I know the quoted times for economy vs priority shipping differ - economy is usually quoted at something like 4-6 weeks and priority at 1-2 weeks, though with transport being so readily available these days, coupled with this far ahead of Christmas means there's usually a negligible difference. I'd imagine the processing times are faster for priority, generally speaking.

As for Maggards postage, I'm not sure how they do it but it's far cheaper than anywhere else I've seen in the US. Perhaps they have a deal with some postal services or subsidise postage to some extent?
 
Economy usually takes a longer time to arrive and has no registering and tracking as the USPS First Class does.
Economy shipments also have less priority on customs and less time for complaints if the shipment is lost.
So basically less service, less the cost.

Why don't others offer it I really don't know, and I wish they do.
Possibly you have to have some contract with the postal service and small artisans can't meet the same requirements which Maggard can. Also, I know there are some stores in EU that do not want to risk untracked shipments based on experience and lost packages, refunds and so on.
 
pimple8 said:
Also, I know there are some stores in EU that do not want to risk untracked shipments based on experience and lost packages, refunds and so on.
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To an extent it's a shame that the 'customer is always right'. I think everyone should offer an economy service but stipulate that the buyer waives the right for refund or replacement in the case of a lost parcel. I'd happily pay less for certain parcels on this proviso. For more expensive parcels, I'd opt for more expensive postage.
 
I agree with what everyone else has said on here I've ordered from Maggards recently using the economy shipping and it arrived in about a week, like others have said it hasn't hit peak yet with Christmas n that but I thought that was really quick !
 
When I sell something, regardless of its destination, I will only ship USPS Priority Mail or through a carrier like UPS/FedEx/DHL. This does mean shipping might often exceed the value of the item and so make the sale unlikely. I'm always sorry when that happens but simply accept that as reality.

Also I will not fudge Customs declarations or show a lower value which also often means a sale doesn't happen. Again I'm always sorry when that happens but simply accept that as reality.
 
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jar said:
When I sell something, regardless of its destination, I will only ship USPS Priority Mail of through a carrier like UPS/FedEx/DHL.
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What is the difference between the carriers? I find it a bit on the confusing side of things.

I've been buying items from USA for just under 20 years or so and I'm not sure if nostalgia has got the better of me or whether postage costs have risen considerably in the last 5 years or so.
 
donnie_arko said:
What is the difference between the carriers? I find it a bit on the confusing side of things.

I've been buying items from USA for just under 20 years or so and I'm not sure if nostalgia has got the better of me or whether postage costs have risen considerably in the last 5 years or so.
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Yes you are correct @donnie_arko USPS and other US postage carrier have rasing the cost for more than 5 years now and still costing us more, all I do is choose the cheapest shipping cost and I don't care if I have to wait for more than 3 or 4 weeks to have my package arrived from US to Australia on my door step.
 
donnie_arko said:
What is the difference between the carriers? I find it a bit on the confusing side of things.

I've been buying items from USA for just under 20 years or so and I'm not sure if nostalgia has got the better of me or whether postage costs have risen considerably in the last 5 years or so.
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Generally USPS is slightly less expensive than FedEx, DHL or UPS.
 
I frequently get stuff sent from the USA to the UK, indeed, last week I received a watch part sent via USPS international at a cost of $6, it took the usual 5 days (!) to arrive. A few months ago I got a watch shipped to me (Value at £300), at a cost of $15, standard USPS International, again, taking 5 days to arrive.
 
Benz3ne said:
...As for Maggards postage, I'm not sure how they do it but it's far cheaper than anywhere else I've seen in the US. Perhaps they have a deal with some postal services or subsidise postage to some extent?
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Legitimate businesses can get special contract deals with the USPS, UPS & Fedex. Perhaps they receive an IMF stipend as well for spreading culture to Europe(?). :D :p ;)
 
Ikon is supposed to use first class airmail to the U.K. , I had a couple of packages dispatched , one on the 11th and another on the 12th of October , it is now the 2nd of November and there is no sign of them , more annoyingly the items have been in stock with U.K. Vendors for a while now .
Definitely throws into doubt me buying directly from Ikon again .
 
The Geordie Shaver said:
Ikon is supposed to use first class airmail to the U.K. , I had a couple of packages dispatched , one on the 11th and another on the 12th of October , it is now the 2nd of November and there is no sign of them , more annoyingly the items have been in stock with U.K. Vendors for a while now .
Definitely throws into doubt me buying directly from Ikon again .
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A recent US purchase of mine didn't move from the vendor for 5 days after using first class airmail... I guess they couldn't be bothered mailing it for a few days, maybe they are ex civil servants. I'll just not be bothered about purchasing from them in the future.
 
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