Now, just to add to it. On ebay I always just select the global shipping program. In my listing it says I ship via the global shipping programs. Regardless, when an auction is won, the people who win outside of the US complain that I use the global shipping program. Shipping costs are crazy now but gone are the days when you could trust anyone.

I was hoping to grab some blaster boxes of the new Stranger Things set via EbayUK. The items were a fair price £30 for 2 boxes. But shipping is £20+ not including any added import charges (Especially if via courier!) which doubles the price. Suddenly not such a 'bargain' anymore. Shame for UK collectors as the import rises is why my local comic stores don't stock anything except CCGs like Pokemon and Magic The Gathering.

It's a shame for sellers too, although there are some that are convinced that sellers are denying them sales just for the sadistic fun of it, a lot of us have lost a ton of business to the U.K. and Canada over the lat 8 years due to insane postage costs and VATs.

US postal rates have increased yet again as of today,the first of 2 price increases this year. Domestic rates for parcels have gone up as much as 15% and the new zone and DIM weight systems designed to increase prices regardless of weight. I haven't sent anything to the UK under the new price structure but its gone up past $14 for anything in a 6x9 padded envelope.

But go on and keep thinking it's collusion by U.S. sellers to deny UK collectors of cards.

you beat me too it i have put up a post on the News and Rumours page i should think that the new charges will be across the board world wide and as I say how long will it take E bay to capatilise on this with new expensive and complicated shipping systems I now expect other countries postal systems to follow suit New Zealand have recently raised theirs look out UK

I asked a US seller how much postage for a card I was bidding on in December and the answer was $25.00. Same seller, same question today - $33.00.

Yet oddly, I can order a full size rolled 40 x 30 poster from the States to the UK. Charge? A straight up $10!

quote:

Originally posted by Spencer Quist:
Yet oddly, I can order a full size rolled 40 x 30 poster from the States to the UK. Charge? A straight up $10!

Seller is probably using FedEx International Mail, but that is a contract service only available to sellers who ship 50+ international items a week. Smaller sellers are still stuck using regular mail almost 3x the rates of Fedex Int Mail.

From today's New York Post:

"The US Postal Service is drowning in red ink. As Eric Boehm notes at Reason, USPS lost more than $2 billion during the second quarter of the fiscal year, putting it on track to finish the current year more than $7 billion in the red - way worse than the nearly $4 billion in losses it posted last year. That landmark deficit prompted Postmaster General Megan Brennan to warn that the agency "cannot generate revenue or cut enough costs to pay our bills". and that losses were bound to accelerate. Brennan's grim predictions have panned out. This, even though the agency has jacked up the price of stamps and other postal services since Jan. 1. Those hikes have generated more cash, but "expenses have been outpacing revenues by a wide margin."

So that's the state of the US Postal Service today, more cost, less service, still going under.

I saw on Ebay 1 box of "Sons of Anarchy" Seasons 4 and 5 : shipping = $80,00 !!

I know that the rates have increased, but at this point I don't believe it.

The post office routinely sends packages to sorting hubs 300+ miles away. I ordered something from the same city, 10 miles north of me. It took 9 days and went to Los Angeles and Portland before returning to the Phoenix area. Just think of the waste in gas to haul that item over 1000 miles. This is the way the post office works. Plus paying the 80% pensions to employees who retire in their 50s and pre-fund health insurance FOR EMPLOYEES THAT ARENT BORN YET. (75 years worth)

Rates will continue to rise 2 times a year until UPS and Fedex are cheaper and faster alternatives in all cases.

I saw on ebay the other day a promo card from a UK seller

$ 15 for the Buy It Now, and another $ 30 to ship to the USA !

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
I saw on ebay the other day a promo card from a UK seller

$ 15 for the Buy It Now, and another $ 30 to ship to the USA !

It's only about $15 to post signed and tracked with insurance to £50. Most have to get ten buses to the post office.

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
I saw on ebay the other day a promo card from a UK seller

$ 15 for the Buy It Now, and another $ 30 to ship to the USA !

It's the same the other way too. Lots of items I want but postage doubling or trebling the price

I have stopped looking at most stuff in the USA,

I just purchased a sketch card from the states they wanted $24 to ship to the Uk, I got it shipped to a friend in the USA for free then shipped to the me for $14 still steep but I wanted the card

Postage has gotten really expensive in the US.

We used to ship a lot of gifts to family, but after the last trip to the post office we are cutting back.

There is no doubt USPS is expensive compared to Royal Mail. I did a single card trade recently where I was able to ship my card tracked, signed for, and insured up to £50 ($65 ) to USA for £8.65 ($10) and the cost to send basic air mail without any tracking, signature, or insurance for my trading partner in USA was $15 .

The other day I mailed 1 card from here in NY to a friend in London.

I just stuck it in a toploader in a Birthday Card

Cost for postage ? $ 2.13 !

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
The other day I mailed 1 card from here in NY to a friend in London.

I just stuck it in a toploader in a Birthday Card

Cost for postage ? $ 2.13 !

yep that's how much it costs, that's the way i send mine aswell.

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
The other day I mailed 1 card from here in NY to a friend in London.

I just stuck it in a toploader in a Birthday Card

Cost for postage ? $ 2.13 !

Nice! If people overseas were willing to assume the risk I'd be willing to ship like that or in a PWE.