Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Regards
Richmond
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From here in Canada the cheapest 30g rate to USA is $1.20; to Canada 0.85; elsewhere it is $2.50.
By the time you add packaging you are usually between 30 and 50g and the rates go to $1.80 USA; 1.20 Canada; and 3.60 world.
Over 50g the rate increases again. These are for plain letter post, tracking etc. is extra.
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Well, the stamp itself to mail 1 ounce to Australia is $1.15 or $1.36 if it has a stiffener and is less than 1/4 inch thick. If it is over 1/4 inch thick it is a "package" and costs $13.75. The photo mailers I use measure .27 inches and must go as a package, although once in awhile a clerk won't put it through the template.
If the dealer uses a stamp on the envelope than he/she has to stand in line and hand it to a postal clerk. You can count on anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes at my post office.
I think $2 is more than reasonable.
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Looks like I'm behind the times, I can't remember the last time I sent something by post. Thanks for the responses
Richmond
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Richmond:-
Please keep in mind that sellers on ebay(and elsewhere) have costs other than the actual postage costs.
Ebay listing fee.......35pence
Ebay final value fee...10%...This is on goods sold plus postage charges.
Paypal fee....5%
Cost of envelopes, time to list, time to package, time to go to post office, printer ink etc etc etc,
Say you buy a lot for £1.00, with £1.00 shipping costs.
Sellers costs:-........Listing fee.......£0.35p, final value fee......20p, paypal fee...10p
Cost so far 65p...Then less actual postage cost....65p...Cost then is....£1.30
"Profit".....70p......This "profit figure" does not include the cost of the stamps you have bought( they do not come out of thin air, the seller has had to buy them at sometime)or the cost of envelopes etc. etc. etc.
Of course this is a worst case scenario but if you do the math with higher figures, heavier/larger packages you may well be amazed how small the "profits" are!!!!
Then you have to take into account your losses when a shipment goes "missing" by the postal services or the buyer claims he did not receive the items.
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These are the reasons I don't sell hardly ANY stamps online! I work 52.5 hours each week when you add the commute. My father-in-law hires workers to ride mowers for $10 an hour so I can easily get $10 in extra cash any time I want, so if I can't make $10 profit for each hour of effort, what's the point? So I donate my common extras to kids who do have the time to go through everything and keep what they need and sell what they don't need. And that gets another generation interested (maybe).
I am so grateful there are sellers out there with time to list the more common stamps that I need from time to time. I don't begrudge them a bit a fair price. Now when we get to CV over $100, then I'm likely to list some stamps and do a lot of comparison shopping!
Lars
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I am appalled by the overhead costs for eBay+Paypal sellers! The information provided was very interesting on the baseline costs for a transaction from the sellers perspective and will be something I will factor in to my purchases now. The information definitely takes the edge off the $2 and up for shipping a single low cost item that some sellers include.
I had more or less come to the conclusion that postage and handling were my cost of the hobby much like vehicle costs to get to a course would be for a golfer. Stamp catalogs/albums, magnifying glass, scanner (recently), reference books, etc. were my equivalent to clubs and bags. Plus I figure I get as much enjoyment from seeing the range of items and hearing collectors' and dealers' discussions at a stamp show/bourse for knowledge acquisition as a golfer gets fulfillment from going to a putting green or driving range for skill building.
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"I am appalled by the overhead costs for eBay+Paypal sellers!..."
eBay has evolved it’s policies over time to discourage lower value listings. The reason seems pretty obvious, their ‘cost per transaction’ is the same no matter what the listing is valued at (cost of supporting IT infrastructure, support staff, transaction resolution costs, etc.). For eBay the higher the transaction amount the higher their profitability. Higher profits is exactly what their shareholders want; as it is for all companies.
This business model is not compatible with many stamp collectors who would like to find and buy many low cost online items. Stamporama is able to help fulfill this desire but has the advantage of volunteer resources, low overhead, and not needing to answer to shareholders or make a profit. It is unclear to me how to develop a commercial business plan which outlines a profitable approach for building a massive world-wide online transactional infrastructure which caters to a very high volume of low value items.
Additionally, most postal services have seen a significant drop in volume of first class mail. They naturally turned to the growing volumes of parcel deliveries being driven by the explosion of online sales. They already supported home delivery but adding proof of delivery is very, very costly. The added cost is easy to understand; having to go to the door, wait for answer, repeat deliveries, signature collections and logistics, etc.). These added costs are not confined to eBay and are incurred for any online transaction in which proof of delivery is desirable.
Don
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11:00:48am
" .... I can't remember the last time I sent something by post. Thanks for the responses ..."
My point, exactly.
The average person hardly ever sits down and puts an inked quill to paper any longer.
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my ink pot is all dried up and the gooose bites me every time I try to replenish my supply of pens
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"the gooose bites me every time I try to replenish my supply of pens"
You shouldn't talk about Marianne like that!
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I have been linking Colnect stamps with eBay and I am struggling to comprehend the postage rates quoted. Can it really cost $2 to $4 to send a single stamp to Australia? Am I totally out of date on current postage and packing rates or are the sellers making a quick buck by making the stamps look cheap and making up the difference with inflated postage rates?
Regards
Richmond
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re: International Postage Rates
From here in Canada the cheapest 30g rate to USA is $1.20; to Canada 0.85; elsewhere it is $2.50.
By the time you add packaging you are usually between 30 and 50g and the rates go to $1.80 USA; 1.20 Canada; and 3.60 world.
Over 50g the rate increases again. These are for plain letter post, tracking etc. is extra.
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re: International Postage Rates
Well, the stamp itself to mail 1 ounce to Australia is $1.15 or $1.36 if it has a stiffener and is less than 1/4 inch thick. If it is over 1/4 inch thick it is a "package" and costs $13.75. The photo mailers I use measure .27 inches and must go as a package, although once in awhile a clerk won't put it through the template.
If the dealer uses a stamp on the envelope than he/she has to stand in line and hand it to a postal clerk. You can count on anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes at my post office.
I think $2 is more than reasonable.
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re: International Postage Rates
Looks like I'm behind the times, I can't remember the last time I sent something by post. Thanks for the responses
Richmond
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Auctions - Approvals
re: International Postage Rates
Richmond:-
Please keep in mind that sellers on ebay(and elsewhere) have costs other than the actual postage costs.
Ebay listing fee.......35pence
Ebay final value fee...10%...This is on goods sold plus postage charges.
Paypal fee....5%
Cost of envelopes, time to list, time to package, time to go to post office, printer ink etc etc etc,
Say you buy a lot for £1.00, with £1.00 shipping costs.
Sellers costs:-........Listing fee.......£0.35p, final value fee......20p, paypal fee...10p
Cost so far 65p...Then less actual postage cost....65p...Cost then is....£1.30
"Profit".....70p......This "profit figure" does not include the cost of the stamps you have bought( they do not come out of thin air, the seller has had to buy them at sometime)or the cost of envelopes etc. etc. etc.
Of course this is a worst case scenario but if you do the math with higher figures, heavier/larger packages you may well be amazed how small the "profits" are!!!!
Then you have to take into account your losses when a shipment goes "missing" by the postal services or the buyer claims he did not receive the items.
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re: International Postage Rates
These are the reasons I don't sell hardly ANY stamps online! I work 52.5 hours each week when you add the commute. My father-in-law hires workers to ride mowers for $10 an hour so I can easily get $10 in extra cash any time I want, so if I can't make $10 profit for each hour of effort, what's the point? So I donate my common extras to kids who do have the time to go through everything and keep what they need and sell what they don't need. And that gets another generation interested (maybe).
I am so grateful there are sellers out there with time to list the more common stamps that I need from time to time. I don't begrudge them a bit a fair price. Now when we get to CV over $100, then I'm likely to list some stamps and do a lot of comparison shopping!
Lars
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: International Postage Rates
I am appalled by the overhead costs for eBay+Paypal sellers! The information provided was very interesting on the baseline costs for a transaction from the sellers perspective and will be something I will factor in to my purchases now. The information definitely takes the edge off the $2 and up for shipping a single low cost item that some sellers include.
I had more or less come to the conclusion that postage and handling were my cost of the hobby much like vehicle costs to get to a course would be for a golfer. Stamp catalogs/albums, magnifying glass, scanner (recently), reference books, etc. were my equivalent to clubs and bags. Plus I figure I get as much enjoyment from seeing the range of items and hearing collectors' and dealers' discussions at a stamp show/bourse for knowledge acquisition as a golfer gets fulfillment from going to a putting green or driving range for skill building.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: International Postage Rates
"I am appalled by the overhead costs for eBay+Paypal sellers!..."
eBay has evolved it’s policies over time to discourage lower value listings. The reason seems pretty obvious, their ‘cost per transaction’ is the same no matter what the listing is valued at (cost of supporting IT infrastructure, support staff, transaction resolution costs, etc.). For eBay the higher the transaction amount the higher their profitability. Higher profits is exactly what their shareholders want; as it is for all companies.
This business model is not compatible with many stamp collectors who would like to find and buy many low cost online items. Stamporama is able to help fulfill this desire but has the advantage of volunteer resources, low overhead, and not needing to answer to shareholders or make a profit. It is unclear to me how to develop a commercial business plan which outlines a profitable approach for building a massive world-wide online transactional infrastructure which caters to a very high volume of low value items.
Additionally, most postal services have seen a significant drop in volume of first class mail. They naturally turned to the growing volumes of parcel deliveries being driven by the explosion of online sales. They already supported home delivery but adding proof of delivery is very, very costly. The added cost is easy to understand; having to go to the door, wait for answer, repeat deliveries, signature collections and logistics, etc.). These added costs are not confined to eBay and are incurred for any online transaction in which proof of delivery is desirable.
Don
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
11 Jul 2017
11:00:48am
re: International Postage Rates
" .... I can't remember the last time I sent something by post. Thanks for the responses ..."
My point, exactly.
The average person hardly ever sits down and puts an inked quill to paper any longer.
Login to Like
this post
Auctions
re: International Postage Rates
my ink pot is all dried up and the gooose bites me every time I try to replenish my supply of pens
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re: International Postage Rates
"the gooose bites me every time I try to replenish my supply of pens"
You shouldn't talk about Marianne like that!
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