Postage from US to UK

Thrugelmir

 Emily_Joy said:

soolin said:

Emily_Joy said:

The eBay global shipping program is quoting 50USD for a pair of shoes, which seems excessive. I have a checked Royal Mail prices for postage to the US and it is around 10-12GBP which seems about right. I then tried USPS calculator and it was quoting about 42USD I am puzzled by the difference. I tried gooogling but found mainly discussions about cars/motocycles or some business-related stuff. I remember buying shoes from the US some years ago and the postage was about 15-20USD.

Perhaps I am not seeing something?

I'm a little confused as you quote both UK and US postage- are you the buyer or seller?

I am the buyer. I was expecting the postage from UK to US and from US to UK to cost approximately the same. I see no sensible reason for the difference.

USPS has been loss making for decades. Therefore has had to raise prices across the board in an attempt to cover costs. Like many services the rise in digital services has reduced mail volume. Try any of the the other services DHL etc and they won't be any cheaper for shipping across the pond. Handling small packages is expensive. The volume being relatively small.  The £ - $ exchange rate has a bearing on your perception as well. 

Which service are you getting a £12 cost from. Seems very cheap. 

RFW

soolin said:

The USA has always had higher postage rates . Why there should be any correlation between sovereign nations postage I can’t comment- but if you want to see inequality look at how little the Chinese sellers are paying to ship vast amounts of things into the Uk which end up in the hands of RM. 

True. I have family in the US and they insist on using USPS to send parcels to us, it's usually the most expensive option. UPS and FedEx are often cheaper options.

MalMonroe

Emily_Joy said:

The eBay global shipping program is quoting 50USD for a pair of shoes, which seems excessive. I have a checked Royal Mail prices for postage to the US and it is around 10-12GBP which seems about right. I then tried USPS calculator and it was quoting about 42USD I am puzzled by the difference. I tried gooogling but found mainly discussions about cars/motocycles or some business-related stuff. I remember buying shoes from the US some years ago and the postage was about 15-20USD.

Perhaps I am not seeing something?

When you buy from eBay the seller should pay, or sort out, the postage. That is, it's either included in the details on the ad or the seller doesn't charge postage or it's included in the price of the item being sold.

Why are you having to pay extra postage? That cancels out any kind of bargain you think you might be getting. Can't you get similar shoes here in the UK? What if you need to send them back because they don't fit?

soolin

MalMonroe said:

Emily_Joy said:

The eBay global shipping program is quoting 50USD for a pair of shoes, which seems excessive. I have a checked Royal Mail prices for postage to the US and it is around 10-12GBP which seems about right. I then tried USPS calculator and it was quoting about 42USD I am puzzled by the difference. I tried gooogling but found mainly discussions about cars/motocycles or some business-related stuff. I remember buying shoes from the US some years ago and the postage was about 15-20USD.

Perhaps I am not seeing something?

When you buy from eBay the seller should pay, or sort out, the postage. That is, it's either included in the details on the ad or the seller doesn't charge postage or it's included in the price of the item being sold.

Why are you having to pay extra postage? That cancels out any kind of bargain you think you might be getting. Can't you get similar shoes here in the UK? What if you need to send them back because they don't fit?

I can’t see any mention of OP paying extra postage, just querying why postage to them in the UK is dearer than if they had sent something to the US.

it is worth noting as well that GSP covers fast and insured postage as well as all duty and VAT. 

misterthrifty

soolin said:

Why there should be any correlation between sovereign nations postage I can’t comment- but if you want to see inequality look at how little the Chinese sellers are paying to ship vast amounts of things into the Uk which end up in the hands of RM. 

The UPU, who regulate international postage, treat China as a 'developing nation' so their prices are subsidised by developed nations (us). This is largely what Trump was objecting to, the USPS has run at a loss for many years partly because they were subsidising cheap imports. Now prices are much higher and RM had to create a new price category for the US because they have to pay the USPS a lot more for final delivery.

Emily_Joy

Thrugelmir said:

 
Which service are you getting a £12 cost from. Seems very cheap. 

Royal Mail.

Emily_Joy

RFW said:

soolin said:

The USA has always had higher postage rates . Why there should be any correlation between sovereign nations postage I can’t comment- but if you want to see inequality look at how little the Chinese sellers are paying to ship vast amounts of things into the Uk which end up in the hands of RM. 

True. I have family in the US and they insist on using USPS to send parcels to us, it's usually the most expensive option. UPS and FedEx are often cheaper options.

I tried UPS and FedEx and both seem to quote well over 100 USD. Perhaps I am looking at the wrong page?

[Deleted User]

Also, US conversion rate aswell as import costs can alter the figures that will show up on bank statements etc. 

( Footnote: Brexit's meaning that items i'd have bought from Eire are shooting up too )

soolin

Emily_Joy said:

Thrugelmir said:

 
Which service are you getting a £12 cost from. Seems very cheap. 

Royal Mail.

Royal Mail to the US parcel up to 1kg is £26.20. If you were sending direct then buyer would be liable for tax and duty on arrival in the US. Your parcel coming from the US will be fully tracked and insured and with the VAT added as well as duty.

Either way, there no point at all in comparing costs for us to send to the US and for them to send to us.