That's bad news for exports from small US businesses. Postage prices in the UK go up on average twice a year, so it may be a necessary evil, but it does mean the amount you have to buy from a seller to make the shipping wothwhile increases, and that inevitably must reduce sales to non-US customers. On the back of that, it must also have an impact of finished sale prices if competition in the auctions is less, or if other sellers drop their prices to keep their sales.

I can't imagine buying a $30 hardback and paying the same to ship it to the UK. Especially when you have to pay duty on the shipping as well as the cost of the item. It's becoming increasingly cheaper for UK buyers to buy regular D&D stuff from the German market as shipping is becoming cheaper than the US and there is no possibility of Import Duty. Now all we need is for the German market to learn how to use PayPal and to learn about the world beyond it's border, and they could make eBay.de a serious economic benefit to their incomes.

Folks in the UK are under threat of another postage increase as well.

I am guessing this is the norm in most countries.  Canada Postal rates went up the other day too.

My prediction is that within 10 years the USPS will be privatized by fed ex or UPS. You saw it here first:)

I wish we could say the same about the monopoly in the UK. Over here we employ illiterate apres to throw mail around in sacks and hope they don't steal too much of it, or at least that the volume of mail is so high that by comparison they appear to steal a small percentage. Problem is, when they are found out, or when the systems are changed to limit their opportunities for such things, they go on strike and all accross the whole country until their privelidges are restored, and Royal Mail's compensation for theft by it's staff is now so difficult to get ahold of that you are screwed from the get go. Here in the UK, you are no longer entitled to the eBay sale price of an item stolen or damaged, you have to prove your original purchase price for the item or the cover price of the book, and you get whichever is the lowest.

At least in the US, you appear to be able to insure packages against theft or loss, and you also seem to have a legal system that sees postal crime as a criminal offence. Here in the UK the Post Office covers it up and won't even publish statistics under the Freedon of Information Act. It would be great if we had a postal system like the USPS, or at the very least, employees of a comparable intelligence level.

You get postage discount from eBay?
Do we get that in the UK?

Mars wrote:
If you print up shipping labels through Paypal you generally get a discount.  It usually means you get the business rate rather than the personal rate.  Only applies to certain types of postage.

Correct. I don't believe 1st class mail gives you any sort of discount.  However, they do discount delivery confirmation which they apply to all shipping costs.

Mike B.

Gnat the Beggar wrote:Today I posted a box with a Lankhmar Box Set inside it (plus packing materials... old Dragon Mags and such) to Canada from Texas.
$8.60.....
Obviously it aint the fast signature required shipping method.

Even so, I did not think that was high at all.
In fact the thread here made me think I would have to charge a lot more and now I will have to refund the buyer the extra...  

It's only noticeable with flat rate priority mail....I'm going to start shipping more by weight than flat rate so I can give refunds if necessary, but I'll still use priority mail (except for single items light enough to use first class international).  I don't like to ship internationally by any method other than priority, due to lengthy delays using other methods.  Also, if  you don't have tracking included you will not qualify for ebay/paypal's refund services if something goes wrong.

Mike B.

Also, just to clarify things, if you are an Aceaum member and want some ebay stuff or items in the Classifieds, and are out of the US, just let me know,. I'll consolidate the items and ship as cheaply as I can.

Mike B.