US Postal Service looses $2.8 Billion

[matcho mick]

in over 20yrs of sending,local,& o/seas,oz post has delivered  my f/glass products to some pretty out of the way places with absolutely no probs,except to tassie,it sat in the "other" Hobart post office for 4 weeks,i was about to send replacement when it finally turned up??,i might occasionally (quitely) bitch about pricing,but it averages out ,it's actually cheaper to send os than interstate,WA,NT are scary states (from NSW),race fairings are my biggest headache,big box,no weight,usually cubes out to 70kgs,which is tricky when max allowable is up to 20kgs ,(interstate customers didn't believe it when their fairing carton arrived with 2 matcho flywheels (cast iron) shoved in to make the weight up,(closer to the 20kgs the cheaper it got,go figure??)sometimes takes me longer to package up stuff than too actually make it,so no bitching about packaging costs  ,so oz post no wukkers

[firko]

Despite my earlier complaint about my express post book getting lost, I also agree that Oz Post is a pretty damn efficient. Having put in some time working as a mail sorter I can vouch from first hand experience that your mail gets pretty well treated during its journey. The parcel section is ever improving and mistreatment of parcels is especially frowned upon and now that the computer controlled sorting systems are in operation Australia wide, it's not unusual for a letter mailed in say, Broome,WA on Monday morning to get to its Sydney destination on Wednesday morning.
My biggest complaint lies with the UKs Royal Mail. It's over expensive, slow and I've had more than a couple of things go astray over the years. Most times they eventually show up but when an alloy Wassell motocross tank went missing both myself and the seller were frustrated by a system that didn't seem to give a shit. Luckily it was insured and I got my money back but it took 9 months to get it.

[PEZBerq]

I have been stunned at how little USPS charges for sending small items to Australia - $1.40 for some rubber boots for a brake linkage that the seller charged me $12 for.  I have now taken to politely requesting a refund from the eBay seller and so far everyone has obliged.   It pays to ask as not all sellers are trying to rip you off - most just dont know how to quote the correct cost so just go with USPS website costs.

[lukeb1961]

This week, noticed an item they charge me US$99 postage for, landed at my door with a $36 stamp on it. Yes, they happily refunded the difference and yes, the original quote was straight off the USPS web thingy. Pays to watch out for that!

[DR]

PEZ, the ring set I got the other day was only $1.40 as well. Itty items if you get a good seller are to be had cheaper off ebay than the time spent driving to the shop to order it and then going back when it arrives. I like the fact my parts all come to me nowdays and rarely do I need set foot in a local bikeshop one has to ask oneself, how much is ones time and effort worth when it can be posted for so little. By the time the parts is ordered and in stock the mail is due to arrive