New USPS International Rates

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Smitty37

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These are the USPS International Rates that went into effect yesterday.....These are Postage only and do not include any other services such as insurance. Priority mail is trackable. First Class is not (it is possible that there has been a change in this but I'm not sure). These are intended for information purposes only and do not indicate anyones actual shipping charges.

Priority Mail:
Small Flat Rate Box - max 4 pounds - Canada $19.95 Elsewhere $23.95
Medium Flat Rate Box - max 20 Pounds - Canada $40.95 Elsewhere $59.95
Large Flat Rate Box - max 20 pounds - Canada $53.95 Elsewhere $77.95
Priority Mail std. to Canada 1st Pound $27.40 2nd pound add $1.36 additional add $2.21 per pound.

First Class Package International: 4 pound Max This is charged by the ounce up to 8 ounces and in 4 ounce increments above that. I selected just a few of the rates as examples.

8 ounces - Canada $8.70 Elsewhere $11.48
1 pound - Canada $9.50 Elsewhere $15.08
2 pounds - Canada $ 14.54 Elsewhere $21.74
3 pounds - Canada $19.58 Elsewhere $28.40
4 pounds - Canada $24.62 Elsewhere $35.06
 
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That would lead one to select first class mail, by price alone.

Can we discuss this a bit? Is first class mail able to be tracked? The USPS advertises at least one day longer delivery time, compared with Priority---anyone have experience enough to determine if there really IS a difference?

Any other considerations from the members, our (all IAP vendors) customers?
 
ed4copies said:
Is first class mail able to be tracked?
Click to expand...

Delivery Confirmation is available for First Class Package. Delivery Confirmation is not available for first class letter but other services are available for letters such as Certified Mail.

Do not expect tracking such as you would find with UPS etc. but a form of tracking is available from USPS.

Chuckie
 
ed4copies said:
That would lead one to select first class mail, by price alone.

Can we discuss this a bit? Is first class mail able to be tracked? The USPS advertises at least one day longer delivery time, compared with Priority---anyone have experience enough to determine if there really IS a difference?

Any other considerations from the members, our (all IAP vendors) customers?
Click to expand...
Past experience to Canada there does seem to be a differnce in delivery - but it's hard to tell which side of the border is responsible.
 
As far as shipping to Europe (at least to Belgium and Greece) is concerned, tracking is efficient only for medium USPS priority boxes and up. With First class international there is no tracking at all. As for a small USPS priority box, it's tracked only in CONUS. When it leaves the US there is no tracking at all.
For about 4 years now I never encountered any problem with either the US or the Belgian or the Greek postal services, either with First class international or with small Priority boxes. The latter shipping options are by far my favorites for these shipments are seldom stopped at the customs when small values are concerned.
As for the shipping delays: from 2 working days (yes, from Southern California!!!) to 7-10 working days, but generally 5-6 working days as an average.
 
I have been shipping pens, blanks, and books first classn for several months now and have noticed shipping times to be no slower than priority when shippen to USA addresses. I have shipped several pkgs to England via first class and the time was maybe 1 or 2 days longer than priority on some and the same as priority on the others.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
 
I would have to agree with Smithy that the parcels get "muddled" at the border and tracking is lost. Yes, the delivery time to Canada can be 7-14 days but in the past 10 years I have never lost a parcel either sending or receiving. I would now have to ship first class because of the increased cost.
 
If you buy the postage on line Electronic International Delivery Confirmation is available for first class packages to Canada - That should give a trackable number like it does in the USA but how religious the employees handling it are about scanning will determine "how trackable"

This is NOT available if you buy your postage at the post office and free if you get it on line. This is a new service not previously available.

This Service is NOT available to Europe or Australia.
 
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It almost looks to me like we might find that using 1st class package international will often be a lot cheaper than Priority Mail - especially if the items won't fit in a Small Flat Rate Box (and even if they will if they are light enough). The question then, is what would those on the receiving end rather see. How much faith do they have in their own Postal Service - I trust USPS to get it to the border. Do they trust their service to get it to the door?
 
Out of curiosity, since our rates just went up, I looked at our rates to the US and using the small packet size of 8oz, they range from $7.80 for small packet air without tracking to $70.85 for overnight with delivery confirmation by signature. To Australia it would be $7.59 for surface and $97.76 for the overnight with the signature. The costs go up as the weights increase too.

So it looks like for some things we have lower rates :smile: but for the most part you are now paying closer to the what the actual costs are. Or getting ripped off like we are. :wink:

Here is the link to finding our rates to any where.

http://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/personal/findARate?execution=e3s1
 
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I ship quite a bit to different parts of the world. Countries that we would raise an eyebrow at when mentioning safety. No not Canada..... sheesh. I have almost always sent them first class international and not had a problem. Shipping times seem to decided by the phase of the moon. I have had a first class package make it to AUstralia in 4 days and in 12.
 
When at all possible I have been shipping first class international and as with others all packages seen to arrive in a timly manner, as fast as 3-4 days as slow as 10-12 days. Italy and South Africa seem the slowest and I have had packages held in customs in Canada for a week.
 
Hey, I dunno but if it costs less to post something than it would for me to personally deliver it, then it will always be a bargain to me.
For me, I don't believe that anyone living in any first world country has any reason to bitch and whine about any infrastructure costs.
Generally, all English speaking countries around the world pay a lot less than the rest of the world.
Quit whining like a kid that's lost it's dummy and be thankful for what you have!!!
 
chrisk said:
As far as shipping to Europe (at least to Belgium and Greece) is concerned, tracking is efficient only for medium USPS priority boxes and up. With First class international there is no tracking at all. As for a small USPS priority box, it's tracked only in CONUS. When it leaves the US there is no tracking at all.
For about 4 years now I never encountered any problem with either the US or the Belgian or the Greek postal services, either with First class international or with small Priority boxes. The latter shipping options are by far my favorites for these shipments are seldom stopped at the customs when small values are concerned.
As for the shipping delays: from 2 working days (yes, from Southern California!!!) to 7-10 working days, but generally 5-6 working days as an average.
Click to expand...
You can run into some issues vis-a-vis the correct customs form to use with first class. If the large form is required, I don't think you can use first class. Also there is a 4 pound weight limit on both Small Flat Rate Box and 1st class international packages along with 20 pound limits for both Medium and Large Flat Rate Box International.
 
skiprat said:
Hey, I dunno but if it costs less to post something than it would for me to personally deliver it, then it will always be a bargain to me.
For me, I don't believe that anyone living in any first world country has any reason to bitch and whine about any infrastructure costs.
Generally, all English speaking countries around the world pay a lot less than the rest of the world.
Quit whining like a kid that's lost it's dummy and be thankful for what you have!!!
Click to expand...
I don't think discussing ways to best serve our customers comes under the heading of whining. Changes in prices might mean we might want to change our shipping choices to save our customers money.
 
Smitty37 said:
You can run into some issues vis-a-vis the correct customs form to use with first class. If the large form is required, I don't think you can use first class. Also there is a 4 pound weight limit on both Small Flat Rate Box and 1st class international packages along with 20 pound limits for both Medium and Large Flat Rate Box International.
Click to expand...

Le Roy, for sure I begin to understand the differences between all these subtleties.
First class mail is my preferred option as far as the goods are under 2 lbs or can't fit in a small USPS priority flat rate box or enveloppe. The extra delay, if any, is insignificant. My second choice is priority small box or enveloppe.

The fact with our postal clearing service is they suspect every box shipped through a costly alternative from the US. That is if my parcel is neither a First class mail international nor a small flat rate priority box, it's systematically suspected and retained seemingly for inspection EVEN if the declared value is under the +/- $28 tax exemption limit.
If the box is a First class mail international or a small USPS priority box or enveloppe and assuming the declared value is under the tax exemption ceiling the parcel is delivered immediately, that is with no extra delays.

Recently I purchased some carbon fiber stuff from Soller Composites for a total value of $US24,65. But the vendor insisted for me to insure the small priority shipment for they had some issues with overseas shipments in the past. OK I paid the extra $14.30 for insurance. In sum I had goods value (declared and real): $US24.65 and shipping fee (small box + insurance + handling): $US33.25. The postal guys suspected the box and retained for inspection. Legally they can retain any shipment up to 2 weeks before informing the recipient. The reality is this service is overwhelmed and this is the sole reason of these delays. From the begin of last year they have to inspect more shipments but with the same staff. As a result, recently they even restrained the contact options to this service. One can only send an email and wait generally 2-3 days to get some answer. In fact a generic FALSE reason for the delay: invoice missing. My shipments are cleared after I send the Paypal invoice. And you know what? The invoice was not missing...

I hope you understand the harrassment (PART of which I exposed above) we encounter each time we import some goods from the US. For these reasons, every time it's possible of course, I personnally prefer the flawless alternatives which until now are: First class mail international and small priority flat rate box.

Sorry for the extensive babble and for my poor English...
 
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Do packages from Canada get the same thorough checks by Belgian authorities as the ones from the US or does everything from outside the EEU get hit?
 
Before I understood international shipping I was charging $25 for shipping outside the US. I changed to actual shipping charges after I realized how easy it was. No international customer has ever questioned or complained about my shipping prices. I think that they will pay the increase as well. Here is why I think they will.

If you take a customer in the UK that want's to buy a $100 USD pen they might be perceiving a great value due to currency conversion. In British pounds the cost would be 63 GPB. Even adding $25 in shipping still only makes the price 79 GPB. So the price in increased shipping for someone in the UK is perceived to be $20 less than the list price of the pen.

I always wonder why customers overseas are willing to pay the extra in shipping and I think this is the reason. It will be interesting to see how this new price affects worldwide sales.
 
brownsfn2 said:
Before I understood international shipping I was charging $25 for shipping outside the US. I changed to actual shipping charges after I realized how easy it was. No international customer has ever questioned or complained about my shipping prices. I think that they will pay the increase as well. Here is why I think they will.

If you take a customer in the UK that want's to buy a $100 USD pen they might be perceiving a great value due to currency conversion. In British pounds the cost would be 63 GPB. Even adding $25 in shipping still only makes the price 79 GPB. So the price in increased shipping for someone in the UK is perceived to be $20 less than the list price of the pen.

I always wonder why customers overseas are willing to pay the extra in shipping and I think this is the reason. It will be interesting to see how this new price affects worldwide sales.
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I once had a customer in France buying low end slimline kits from me in the largest quantity we could get in a large flat rate box....with attendent shipping. He did so because the same kits he paid me <$3.50 for (including shipping) were priced at 14 Euros or (at that time) about $20.00 USD. The supplier had an exclusive distributor in France who was the only source for the kits - so it worked out to be much cheaper for him to buy the same kits from me pay the high shipping, the customs and the VAT. He still got them for about half the local price or less.
 
And with the increase in shipping there will be a tendency to increase the purchase amounts to offset the higher per piece shipping cost.
 
So I gather from all this that a 20lb flat rate box to Australia is going to cost $77.95US +-, and there is no alternative shipping method for that sort of weight.
Am I correct??

Bob.
 
I am thinking of going to actual charges on international shipments but it is almost impossible to set up in my store. Do others have the same problem?
 
mredburn said:
And with the increase in shipping there will be a tendency to increase the purchase amounts to offset the higher per piece shipping cost.
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But we're still between a rock and a hard place because of weight limits and the package size limit for instance I can never get 4 pounds into a small flat rate box because of the volume.
 
Smitty37 said:
Bob Wemm said:
So I gather from all this that a 20lb flat rate box to Australia is going to cost $77.95US +-, and there is no alternative shipping method for that sort of weight.
Am I correct??

Bob.
Click to expand...
Not via USPS - it could be less via another carrier, but I don't know.
Click to expand...


This works out to $8.50 (6,25 euro) a kg. When I purchase from Europe, I am dealing in hundred kg lots to be able to get to about $6 a kg.

Look at what the postage would be from your country to the USA---is this about the same?
 
ed4copies said:
Smitty37 said:
Bob Wemm said:
So I gather from all this that a 20lb flat rate box to Australia is going to cost $77.95US +-, and there is no alternative shipping method for that sort of weight.
Am I correct??

Bob.
Click to expand...
Not via USPS - it could be less via another carrier, but I don't know.
Click to expand...


This works out to $8.50 (6,25 euro) a kg. When I purchase from Europe, I am dealing in hundred kg lots to be able to get to about $6 a kg.

Look at what the postage would be from your country to the USA---is this about the same?
Click to expand...
Good Idea. For large enough packages it might be cheaper to use another carrier and let them go surface all the way. It will take longer but if there's no big rush.....
 
It may not be an issue for most but there is another limitation to International First-class and International Small Flat rate class packages.


  • Package valuation must be less than $400 USD.
  • Package valuation $400 or above must be shipped Medium Flatrate or above, regardless of physical size of the contents. First Class & SmFR Prohibited.
We had our hands slapped a few months back when the Post Office noticed the valuation on a customs form that was > $400.
 
rixstix said:
It may not be an issue for most but there is another limitation to International First-class and International Small Flat rate class packages.


  • Package valuation must be less than $400 USD.
  • Package valuation $400 or above must be shipped Medium Flatrate or above, regardless of physical size of the contents. First Class & SmFR Prohibited.
We had our hands slapped a few months back when the Post Office noticed the valuation on a customs form that was > $400.
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Well I didn't mention it because it didn't change - that's been true as long as I've been shipping. Might be an issue if shipping completed pens but not likely to be if shipping components.
 
A software glitch with Stamps.com allows any value package to be sent via any class of postage which is how/why the hand-slapping occurred.

ShipStation.com correctly doesn't allow the packages.
 
rixstix said:
A software glitch with Stamps.com allows any value package to be sent via any class of postage which is how/why the hand-slapping occurred.

ShipStation.com correctly doesn't allow the packages.
Click to expand...
I use Endicia and I've never had the issue so I don't know if the program will allow it or not. I think not because it does check that the values listed for the line items total is carried to another page where you can select insurance etc.
 
Smitty37 said:
ed4copies said:
Smitty37 said:
Bob Wemm said:
So I gather from all this that a 20lb flat rate box to Australia is going to cost $77.95US +-, and there is no alternative shipping method for that sort of weight.
Am I correct??

Bob.
Click to expand...
Not via USPS - it could be less via another carrier, but I don't know.
Click to expand...


This works out to $8.50 (6,25 euro) a kg. When I purchase from Europe, I am dealing in hundred kg lots to be able to get to about $6 a kg.

Look at what the postage would be from your country to the USA---is this about the same?
Click to expand...
Good Idea. For large enough packages it might be cheaper to use another carrier and let them go surface all the way. It will take longer but if there's no big rush.....
Click to expand...

Hi Guys,
I thought that I would do as Ed suggested and find out the postage from Aust to the US.
A 20lb box is $108.65 and that is surface all the way. Bloody hell. Your rates are not so bad after all.

Thanks for the updates.
Bob.
 
Bob Wemm said:
Your rates are not so bad after all.
Click to expand...

USPS provides a pretty good service with good prices, and I might add with very little taxpayer dollars. But to hear most Americans it is lousy service funded solely by tax dollars. It seems to be the American way, complain about "it" without any facts to substantiate the complaints.
 
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