Overseas postage -discouraging!

14 years ago

Our son is Australia on a 4 year sponsorship with his company, and we are in Canada. I'm discouraged to see how expensive it is to send a parcel! I had wanted to send him a Christmas package, he doesn't need a lot but there are things he misses from home. Certain toiletries and products he cannot get there, items that aren't expensive, but that would make him happy to receive. For instance, he misses Bounce dryer sheets. lol. He said they don't have anything like them there and he misses his clothes smelling nice out of the dryer. He misses his favourite brands of toiletries, and said the selection there is very limited. So I thought a package of his favourite things would be nice.. until I checked the cost of mailing it! A box measuring 15 inches square by 8 inches tall, weighing 10lbs, would cost $198. And a box that small wouldn't hold a lot, so if I went larger it goes up to about $259 or so.

When he first went to Australia, we had to send him a piece of mail that had come here for him. One regular sized envelope. The cost was over $7, but that could take up to 60 days to get to him. When we asked how much it would cost to get it to him within a week, we were quoted the price of $56! For one little envelope!

So, Christmas is approaching and I would like our son to have a little something on Christmas. But gosh! The postage cost makes that unreasonable. We could order something online right within Australia and have it delivered to him, but that isn't the same as something he misses from home that he would love to have. Needless to say, It is very discouraging. We would love to mail things back and forth, and we felt horrible to discover that our son paid almost $300 for a package he sent here for his fathers' 60th. We only found out the cost when we got a bill asking for another $36 for brokerage fees on this end.

How do people send a piece of home to loved ones far away, with such high postage fees?!

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Comments (17)

parma42
14 years ago
Maybe mitchdesj will chime in. I think that it must be a Canadian specific charge.

We used to grumble about the costs of sending DS his packages when he was over in Iraq but it wasn't even close to what you are describing.
yborgal
14 years ago
Have you checked out flat rate International Priority boxes from USPS? The large box can hold 20 pounds of contents for about $54.00.
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balego_gw
Original Author
14 years ago
Parma, yes, this cost was what I got from the Canada Post site. I had checked a couple of weeks ago as well, and somewhere in there I saw it would even cost $99 to send a mailing tube, and those things weigh almost nothing.

Mona, isn't USPS only in the US? I wish I could send something at that reasonable cost, that is much more like it!
parma42
14 years ago
Paging Mitch...

That's just incredible! It would be cheaper to drive to the States and mail it.
sweeby
14 years ago
My sister's family is in Australia also, so I feel your pain!

Can you use Federal Express from Canada? I was surprised to discover that they were often cheaper than the other services. Still not cheap, but cheaper...
lowspark
14 years ago
I agree. USPS is much more reasonable. A regular first class envelope weighing one ounce costs 98 cents to Australia. A priority mail box weighing 10 lbs takes 6-10 days and costs $39.85 (if you print the postage on line) or $41.95 if you take it to the P.O.

Perhaps you can get with someone here and pay them to mail everything for you? Of course, I'm not sure the same products he desires from Canada would be available in the states. How close are you to the border?
balego_gw
Original Author
14 years ago
Just typed the above package measurements into FedEx and it would cost $201.40. That would get it there in a week if mailed today.
Now I know why UGG boots only cost $70 in Australia, but $300 in Canada!. We're paying for what they cost the stores to get them here!
graywings123
14 years ago
Have you price compared with UPS, DHL, FedEx? And maybe there are other companies that operate within the British Commonwealth nations?
barb5
14 years ago
I just got a letter from a dear friend who lives in Sydney. The postage says $1.40.
yborgal
14 years ago
I'd be willing to pack and ship your items from the US to Australia. If you email me a list of things you want to send, I'll purchase them here and send them USPS priority. I would give you a receipt for the exact cost for items plus shipping and you could reimburse me after the purchase and shipping is complete.

Email me if this would work for you.

Mona
squirrelheaven
14 years ago
Way to go, Mona!
mitchdesj
14 years ago
Hi guys !! I don't have any ideas for cheaper shipping, except the slowest class
with Canada Post, it takes a long time though. When I had the gallery, I shipped something to Ireland the cheap way and it took 6 weeks...

I spent a fortune on shipping when DS was in Korea and New Zealand. I know.
punamytsike
14 years ago
Mona, this is so nice of you to offer.
parma42
14 years ago
Well, I figured with mitch's gallery background, she might know an insider's way around those outrageous charges.

If she has no local secrets...:(

I'll jump in with Mona if I can be any help at all.
mcmann
14 years ago
Well now we know how Canada can afford it's health care system- it's supplemented with postage fees!

Good luck on sending your package.
balego_gw
Original Author
14 years ago
You all are so great! Mona, thankyou so much for your offer to ship things for me! That is so sweet of you!

Looks like I won't be sending a package after all.
As it turns out, we just found out that our son as been sent up to Queensland to work for the next few weeks and will be in hotels. In the meantime he is giving up his rental house as it is too expensive when he won't be there. They rent by the week there, and he wants to find something smaller and closer to town and his head office for when he gets back from Queensland. So apparently Christmas is up in the air as far as where he'll be.

You are all correct about the shipping costs. I don't know why Canada Post cannot have comparable prices to USPS. I just can't get my mind around why it has to cost that much.

Thanks again for your replys and offers. You are a great bunch of people! :)
mcmann
14 years ago
I didn't think of this before- but since your son is there for 4 years is there any possibility that his company would mail something for you? Maybe they have parcels going on a regular basis.

Overseas postage -discouraging!

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