Calculating Postage

[Crafty Bits and Bobs]

Hi Everyone

A newbie question - How do you go about calculating what postage to charge?

A quick browse of the Australia Post website seems to indicate that the cheapest price for a small parcel that fits into the smallest weight category will attract a $4:00 charge.

Is anybody willing to share their postal experiences? :confused:

regards

Tracey and Bec

[karasmith]

Thats about right. You also could just buy a heap of express post or registered bags so you can have 500gm or 3kg bags as standard? If you go into an Australia Post shop and ask what might be the best way, they are pretty helpful!

:)

[Jane]

The australia post site is very good and accurate if you put in the weight and dimensions of your parcel. So as long as your scales are right you should be able to work it out spot on. Registered post would be an extra $2.70 on that $4.00 amount. And don't forget to allow for your packaging, bubble wrap or whatever else you use.

[Crafty Bits and Bobs]

Thats about right. You also could just buy a heap of express post or registered bags so you can have 500gm or 3kg bags as standard? If you go into an Australia Post shop and ask what might be the best way, they are pretty helpful!

:)
Thanks, Kara.

We have listed a couple of things and for the moment we have gone with a $4 postage charge for the items that are too bulky to class as letters. They are light and small but have too much dimension to be anything like a letter.

[Crafty Bits and Bobs]

The australia post site is very good and accurate if you put in the weight and dimensions of your parcel. So as long as your scales are right you should be able to work it out spot on. Registered post would be an extra $2.70 on that $4.00 amount. And don't forget to allow for your packaging, bubble wrap or whatever else you use.
Thanks, Cat.

It looks like we are on the right track with our guesses for postage that we have used for our first foray into selling handmade goods online.

[thelittleorchard]

I have found that $4 is about the cheapest rate for a small parcel that you cannot pack flat. If you have to post in a bubble mailer either add that charge to the post charge or to the product cost, otherwise you will find that eating the cost of bubble mailers gets to be an insane amount $$$.

If you can pack it flat do pack it flat, its way cheaper, esp internationally, though I dont think you guys do international.

Also I prefer being paid by paypal, then if I have over estimated the postage I am able to easily refund the excess, this generally happens when I expected the postage to be for a small parcel but I got the item really flat and the postage was cheaper.

[bottledupemotions]

If your package is less than 2cm thick, it counts as a bulk mail and it's only $1 within Aus and $2 for overseas.

[debproductions]

You can get cheaper padded bags at places like K Mart, they're not exactly the same as the Australia PostPAK ones, but almost the same. If a padded bag is less than 2cm thick, it goes through as a large letter - $1 under 50g.
Well I hope it does anyway - I just posted one yesterday LOL

[thelittleorchard]

Yep deb, if you do a bubble mailer under 2cm then its just $1.

One seller said they made a 2cm hole in some cardboard, like the PO has, and they use that to make sure it is under the 2cm.

[Crafty Bits and Bobs]

Thanks very much to little orchard and deproductions for all the good advice. Looking at the height of what we are looking at they would definitely be bigger that 2cm so would be small parcels.

little orchard said
I have found that $4 is about the cheapest rate for a small parcel that you cannot pack flat. If you have to post in a bubble mailer either add that charge to the post charge or to the product cost, otherwise you will find that eating the cost of bubble mailers gets to be an insane amount $$$.

Yes we have thought about the cost of whatever is used for the mailing of items and will have to factor that into the product cost.

Thanks for the tip about creating a 2cm slot to test parcels before taking them to the PO.

We are definitely novices and are at the bottom of a steep learning curve so thanks again for sharing this advice.

[debproductions]

I tried to send 2 handkerchiefs by Express Post, to Melbourne, and they were in an envelope. They could have gone in a flat document bag except the guy at the post office asked me, what's in here, and I said hankies. I should have said documents! I had to send it in a satchel which cost me a fortune, but it was a present to my mum so it didn't really matter.

[Jane]

And regarding that slot the parcel has to fit through - I've found it depends on who is working at the post office that day. Some of them hardly try to push it through at all whereas one woman looks as if she could snap it wtaching the force she uses.

[thelittleorchard]

HAHA! Yeah Cat. I only use the local post office as they are just dandy. They dont even bother with the slot half the time, they just go $1 (local) and $4 international. Unless it is quite obv a parcel. It definately depends on the PO and the service ppls. Large ones are usually worse.

[Black Eyed Susie]

I went to a new PO yesterday and my package to the US was heaps cheaper - don't know why! I find the workings of the PO a bit mysterious sometimes and yes, it does depend a lot on who serves you. Sometimes I've had the exact same item, packaged the same way charged, at the same time charged as a letter and a parcel.

My PO gave me one of their letter slots to take home. It's very helpful and I put my packages between a couple of heavy books before I go (they're only fabric!). It's crazy but it helps.

Good luck on Made It.