Canada Post Has upped rates and removed options.

[Skysteed]

Oh and watch out for HONEY.
Just start reading labels. You might be a little, NO a lot shocked as to where some of our food is coming from.

[JanetB]

China shipping is supported by USPS receiving better prices than we do here in the USA - as does Ebay who support them with lower fees.

[TexasAda]

PayPal can "suggest" what they want. It is up to the seller whether or not they wish to offer to send an item tracked and extra expense. Sending items tracked now is becoming far too expensive, including for us in Britain. Even Royal Mail want £5.95 for international signed for stating "it's tracked all the way" but when you read the small print, they say they can't track something once it has left Britain lol! So they want sellers/buyers to pay for a service they will not actually get! We no longer offer international signed for unless it is a really expensive item or an order over a specific amount money. Luckily, Royal Mail have a free "certificate of posting" which we can use to make claims in the event of loss or damage and since the introduction of this free certificate of posting we have not used international signed for or any of the other costly services for tracking.

I think it is wrong for postal services in general to try and force customers into using unnecessarily expensive "tracked/sign for" services especially when they keep putting up the cost of such services. Granted, they do it because of the loss/damage to goods, but if postal services raised their standards and weren't so incompetent at times, then there wouldn't be so many claims for lost/damaged items. Royal Mail stated to me once in an email that the cost of international signed for had to rise, this was back when it rised to I think £4.95, because other postal services were increasing the cost of tracking etc. to them. But in reality, and the fact is, they keep increasing the cost of signed/tracked services to help cover the cost of claims against them, making the customer pay for loss/damage at the end of the day when loss/damage during transit is purely and legally in the hands of the postal service.

I personally think these tracked/sign for services are just a big con to make a little extra profit for the postal services, especially when 90% of items are delivered on time and in the condition they were originally sent out in. It is only through postal worker incompetence that items get lost or damaged during transit, or, the incompetence of air port workers loading planes etc. for airmail, as we might as well be honest, things can and do get bashed about during transit, especially during loading and transfering etc.

I don't want to be overly contentious, but i have seen some very poorly wrapped packages destined for overseas shipping from my local post office. People who probably mail a package once or twice a year and obviously aren't aware of the pitfalls (literally) their boxes will encounter stick them closed with a few 2" pieces of masking tape. I admit it's the postal workers' responsibility to correct such blatant failings, but unless they open the packages, which I doubt happens frequently, there is still the matter of presumably equally careless inner safeguarding too.

Add to that the situations previously discussed in another thread here where neighbors are asked to accept signed-for packages....we all know just because somebody is a neighbor they're not automatically honest or helpful.

My experiences with the United States and United Kingdom postal systems have been overwhelmingly good but I am aware other countries' are less careful and trustworthy.

Aside: I've had very little experience with Australian and New Zealand transactions. Sorry to say I've had a few troubles with Canada. They were when I was on the dark side and I think it was because tracking wasn't feasible. I believe a couple buyers scammed me. This wouldn't reflect on Canadian post necessarily.

[meebo1]

There is something else to be considered: the exchange rate. It may be expensive to you, but to someone in another country it is not (and that is how I have felt about the Canadian postage). So bear that in mind

[Oldandintheway]

Oh NO! - these rate hikes can only mean one thing

We're gonna be next.

[Aerocool]

Bloody right there mate.U.S.A,Canada, U.K , and now we'll probably follow.

[JanetB]

Bloody right there mate.U.S.A,Canada, U.K , and now we'll probably follow.

But of course!

[MeltedIgloo]

Mmmmmmmmmkay... If I want to ship a 450 gram 14x14x14 cm package International (A small, light box). I can still use small packet surface for $10.01 CAD (all additional options are now gone), if I want insurance I need to use International Parcel - surface for $37.61 CAD if I want insurance AND tracking I need to use tracked packet now... for a cost of $47.02 CAD. Additional services that used to cost $10.00 - $14.00 or so now cost an additional $37.00!!?? Who is going to pay 47.00 to ship a $20.00 or less item... WTF CP!

Catering to the big companies and fking the little guy. I see a trend in society today... You aren't supposed to start your own business! You are supposed to be a sheep and go work at wal-mart!

I suppose the only answer now is to ship without tracking... and insurance is provided by moi I guess.. WTF nobody is going to pay $50 to ship a $10 candle bahhhhh

[JanetB]

Absolutely disgusting

[Skysteed]

I wasn't kidding about the rate increase being horrific.

Paypal WAS a good thing before the dark side bought them. That's when all this crap really started. There is still affordable shipping but no tracking or insurance. Paypal is what is keeping the dark side alive. They lost a lot of sellers with the out of this world high final value fees. Good for ebid but still a pain with PayPal.
Does anybody remember the days before PayPal? Cash or Money order even had "bidpay" at one time but they wen bust or were bought out to get rid of competition.

I won't risk any more charge backs because buyers "claim" they never got a package with no tracking or insurance.. My items are small and inexpensive. But I MAKE most of my items and put in hours of work to make a few dollars.

Simply, I'm stating cash and money orders for most things. If people want to use PayPal then they have to ready to pay for the added security of insurance and tracking on shipping.
I sell a lot of my stuff at a local market starting in May, i so I am not going to worry about it too much if I don't sell at auction.