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Australian Post Office Opens Mail Forwarding Warehouse In the USA
Zanadou writes Australians are well used to paying what's called an "Australian Tax": high(er) prices for international products and services simply because they are are being accessed from an Australian IP address and/or being delivered to an Australian mail address. But Australia Post, Australia's national mail service, might have a solution: last week they opened a new warehouse/delivery depot in Oregon, U.S., allowing Australians to use a U.S.-based delivery address for mail items, which can then forwarded onwards to Australia.
However, this service, called "Shopmate", comes at a cost.
However, this service, called "Shopmate", comes at a cost.
and terminated.
You have to deliver the package to the prison office for inspection before prisoners can receive the delivery.
Now if only we could end the even more idiotic practice of regional price gouging for digital goods/services too.
The cost is that you have to live in Australia. *shudders*
This reads like a not so cleverly hidden advertisement for this shopmate website, which apparently comes at a cost.
Click here to find out what that cost is. On our website.
Does ANYONE think that this would be happening if the gov agencies didn't think they could get something from it ?
It would allow the Australian NSA access without violating those pesky laws they're supposed to follow...
UPS Sucks
After reading the links it's still not clear to me why this is occurring. Is it that sellers charge Australians more just because they can, and if so, are they not able to get away with it elsewhere? Do even huge online retailers like Amazon charge different prices depending on the country the items are going to? I'd have thought the US Federal Trade Commission would be scrutinizing these practices.
Sure Australia Post, a government owned entity, gets money from it when people pay them for the service.
From a snooping perspective it makes no difference. The government can search any package it wants that is being imported into the country.
Based in Portland.
I wonder what is special about Oregon.
I guess that will work until those businesses selling said items catch on and start charging a different price when the shipping address is chosen as this location in Oregon.
//However, this service, called "Shopmate", comes at a cost.//
It's made from Australian-Americans.
It would allow the Australian NSA access without violating those pesky laws they're supposed to follow...
What pesky laws are those? I'm pretty certain that governments already have the rights to inspect any goods that pass over their borders and to know the details of who is transporting them, where they came from and to whom they are going.
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No need, retailers will simply learn the addresses and apply the "Australia Tax" to those shipping addresses so they can keep profiting from it.
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I love Jesus, except for his foreign policy.
How can I order a flashlight from China for a dollar including packaging and postage, but it costs more to send a postcard from Hamburg to Berlin? What trickery is going on there?
It's not US retailers, generally, who are overcharging Australians. If the retailers also do business in Australia, they might care. But if you buy something from a company with no presence in Australia who previously wouldn't ship there themselves, then it'll be fine.
There are many "package forwarding" services like this for individuals outside of the USA, especially in SE Asian countries. Shipping goods over the pacific ocean is expensive! But this works both ways. If you've ever tried to import anything from Japan you can end up paying more for shipping than for the item, especially if the item is inexpensive (say, one volume of manga).
I've worked for a small company that sold products over the Internet and shipped mostly worldwide with USPS, and I can tell you from experience that I would rather ship to a US package forwarding service than to another country. Carriers fail to use tracking numbers, there's a much higher incidence of lost packages, and it takes weeks for the product to arrive because it needs to clear customs both upon leaving the US and upon entering the other country. Australia and Canada tend to track USPS packages via their respective domestic services, so it's not so bad, but shipping is still expensive and still takes long. If you want to ship with a carrier besides USPS, it's even more expensive.
You mean like make money (it will be profitable) and aiding their citizens (cheaper goods) and keep money in Australia (better Australian economy) and lowering the cost of trade with Australia (general trade = good arguments here)? Because, yeah, I mean, I do think the government does things for any one of those purposes.
Or do you mean nutter "if it weren't for this, how would customs officials have the right to open packages coming into the country on clearly marked USPS/UPS/FedEx shipments?"
On a personal note, this is great. Overseas shipping is such a complex beast my company was not planning on shipping to Australia (at least until we grew larger). Saying to Australians, "you can purchase our product through a ShipMate account" will help my company with more sales, and Australians who want to buy our product.
Your ad here. Ask me how!
New Zealand has a similar service. It's been running for a couple of years or so.
It is called Youshop https://www.nzpost.co.nz/tools...
The USA warehouse opens the parcel and repackages it if they can. This saves volume and for Amazon packages this might be a 50% volume saving. All of the packages are then bundled together and shipped to New Zealand for final distribution.
For the user there may or not be a mail cost saving. You pay for shipping to a US address and then for shipping from there to Australia. The service is extremely useful where the seller won't ship to a foreign address but will ship to a US one.
It's not US retailers, generally, who are overcharging Australians. If the retailers also do business in Australia, they might care. But if you buy something from a company with no presence in Australia who previously wouldn't ship there themselves, then it'll be fine.
This. It's like Canada--the middle-man makes a ridiculous amount of money because there's less competition in middle-men, so products often cost more than in the states. It's not as bad as it was pre-NAFTA, but it's not great either. The cost of a tire was at least 30% higher the last time I checked, although YMMV.
Just who do you think is controlling the price of products shipped to Australian addresses? Remember that the "Australia Tax" is AFTER government taxes are removed from the equation.
HA! We're right next door to the USA and we routinely get reamed on shipping costs and even more so when the post offices aren't used.
Many US retailers won't ship outside the US, or when they do, they have hamstrung themselves with shitty agreements that limit them anyways due to cost (see point). For example, for the longest time most US companies would only ship via UPS. By the time the Canadian receives a $70 package, they can expect shipping fees + customs + bullshit brokerage to double the price of said package.
Or, option 2: Have it shipped to a nearby US address (often for free). Pick it up, pay $5 for the privilege of them receiving it, drive over the border and gamble on whether the officer cares to charge you GST/HST or not (if you have family in the car, typically the answer is no) and you're done. For me, the gas to drive there and back is about $30 and rather than waiting 6 to 12 weeks to get my package, I'll have it in 2 days. Hell yeah I'll take a "free" shopping trip in the US (might as well pick up some of those half-price groceries while I'm at it).
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There, that's better.
I think the terms "settlers" or "deported convicts" should be relabeled "genocidal squatters" and "brutalized slaves".
The history of the "settling" is horrifying. It was rumored and now proposed the uninvited "settlers" deliberately spread small pox...
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/ockhamsrazor/was-sydneys-smallpox-outbreak-an-act-of-biological-warfare/5395050
The genocide in Tasmania, forced slavery of Pacific Islanders, massacres and mass graves have been recorded.
The laws passed to ensure that only a desirable gene pool of the Caucasian race could settle... yep, some caucasians were more pure white than other caucasian.
And for the other cultures and peoples... yep, the South African Apartheid was closely modeled on Queensland's Aboriginal Protection Act (1897).
It's only in the recent decades that true progress has been achieved in Australia and it may not be over yet...
Every now and then you hear reports of pubs targeting the aboriginal communities with alcohol and even shipping it by plane to remote communities.
Now that these poor sods cannot be hunted down, lets make money by keeping them drunk, the stupider they become...the better for the squatters who can grab their land that is mineral reach for a pittance.
As I said in the title you should not be so pissed...
But sometimes someone truely amazing comes along that makes Australians proud, check out this eulogy of a past Prime Minister, truely awesome:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsXmYHiuJ8s
Perhaps there is a glimmer of hope for the Australian squatters after all.
You are right, but there are many services that do this by now. New ones are being added to the list every day.
I don't get it - it's just as expensive as Fedex.
Why would I buy from the US when China is more than willing to sell me stuff ?
Oh thats right....sad lonely people who must have the new iphone before anyone else on their street......
With the Republicans scoring big in the election, the US dollar hit a high (apparently because they're pro business) against the Aussie dollar, which is now the lowest it's been for 4 years after a gradual slide over the last few months.
This would have been fantastic 2 years ago but now we're just facing the original Australia tax - a poor exchange rate. Might still be a few things that you can get a good deal on though.
1.Its expensive (more expensive than existing mail forwarding services)
and 2.If people actually start using it, online retailers will refuse to ship to it (just like many online retailers will refuse to ship to existing mail forwarding services, citing fraud, dodgy credit cards and drop-ship scams)
Right, but one that has a local branch (the local post office) near to you and is unlikely to vanish with overnight (it is the national postal service after all) and isn't based in Russia with a Russian language web site is likely to have a competitive advantage in Australia.
The cost of a tire was at least 30% higher the last time I checked, although YMMV.
Is there really a correlation between the varying retail price of a tire and its mileage?
There are three causes of higher buying costs: Importer's fees, differential pricing (because they can), exorbitant postal charges. Buying from inside the USA eliminates the first and second problems. With ShopMate starting at AU$31 for international post (eg. a HDD or novel), plus re-packaging (for large goods) and storage (for valuable goods) fees, buying from inside the USA won't eliminate the third problem.
1. The extra taxes associated are because we have a mandatory 3 year warranty on any electronic goods, and 1 to 2 year mandatory warranty on any other goods and because Any good an Australian buys they have the right to return for a full refund within 60 days at the place of purchases expense
3. If any US business charges Australian tax on us goods they have a legal obligation to give it to the Australian Tax Office or they face tax fraud
4. The goods if over priced are due to the U.S. supplier mainly, import tax is only 10% of item cost...
5. Australians are no more convicts or genosidists then Americans. We may have killed what is expected to be a few million Aboriginals intentionally or not but you enslaved an entire population of African Americans (we never did this) and you crushed a Native American population of nearly 50-100 million! And you still glorify the people who did it, Custer, George Wasington.. And as for convicts, the majority came for petty crime such as stealing food so they could feed there families. So if you proclaim that as convicts we are denigrated by this status you are a sociopath. Who in the right mind wouldn't risk stealing if your entire family was starving.
6. Australians really don't need ecomnomic advice from America. We have a higher GDP, we have basically no dept per capita compared to you and we are ranked second in the world for our economy. We may pay a bit more but we do it for the good of our economy.
7. Australia is ranked by the consensus of studies the most liveable country in the world, with all of its major cities listed in the top 10. We do not have gun massacres on a weekly basis in our schools, in fact the last gun massacre in Australian was more than 20 years ago. We do not have a criminal epidemic, Australia is ranked one of the lowest counties in the world for crime and corruption. But most of all at least we don't parade our self as the global sovereign for peace and justice and then declare 'wars on false pretences'.
The US market is big enough that a lot of US businesses simply don't bother offering to ship anywhere else. The potential of having to deal with foreign customers/regulations is often not worth it, regardless of how simple the procedures are.
In Australia, however, "Country Pricing" has gone "full retard"
https://www.google.com/search?...
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I would assume this is just being done by the government as a way to make sure they can collect taxes on the sales that the individual would have otherwise had shipped to them as a "gift" to avoid import duties. I don't see any reason this would get shut down by the Australian government since it benefits them (more tax revenue, yay), but I could see groups like MPAA, ESA, RIAA, and so on trying to get it shut down so their members that run businesses in Australia can continue to overcharge for cheaply made products.
if you dont mind at least $30 being added to the cost, which is the minimum shipping fee from shipmate
It would allow the Australian NSA access without violating those pesky laws they're supposed to follow...
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation or ASIO.
signature is pants
Yes. I bought a set of Michellins and they were good for about 60,000 miles but the cheaper brand only lasted for 40,000.
Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
Woomera wasn't too bad and though we had sand we were a ways from the beach ;-).
mandatory 3 year warranty on any electronic goods
Citation needed. None of the electronics that have failed on me were covered by a mandatory 3 year warranty.
But that's not the same tire, but bought through a middle-man.
Which at least a known cost.
Yeah it's a lot, almost doubling the unit cost. But, if we ship a dozen together...
Your ad here. Ask me how!
you can choose the tires retailers put on your car, you can ensure you are buying an "American made" tire from an American manufacture instead of a Chinese one.
It's not US retailers, generally, who are overcharging Australians. If the retailers also do business in Australia, they might care. But if you buy something from a company with no presence in Australia who previously wouldn't ship there themselves, then it'll be fine.
This. It's like Canada--the middle-man makes a ridiculous amount of money because there's less competition in middle-men, so products often cost more than in the states. It's not as bad as it was pre-NAFTA, but it's not great either. The cost of a tire was at least 30% higher the last time I checked, although YMMV.
This. Distributors take the absolute piss with pricing. A CD that costs $10-15 in the US costs $25-30 in Australia however to ship the same media from the US to Australia it costs less than $5 to do it on an indivdual basis (I order all of my games from the UK or Hong Kong). Tyres are another one, good Continental tyres (225/45/17) cost $150 a corner from tirerack.com, but if I ordered them in Australia from an Australian distributor it would be over $200 a corner.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
Usually it's distributors and major brands colluding to not lower prices to Australian retailers, and to not supply bulk quantity to distributors that are exporting to Australia. Technically it's unlawful, and small amounts of goods slip through the cracks.
Sure Australia Post, a government owned entity, gets money from it when people pay them for the service.
From a snooping perspective it makes no difference. The government can search any package it wants that is being imported into the country.
This.
If I get a packaged Fed Ex'd from the US to Australia (which is something I do on a semi regular basis) it still has to pass customs and quarantine. For some things I have to do a customs declaration as I did for some knives and a bottle of spirits that you cant get in Oz (yep you can import liquor, but you still have to pay tax on it).
So it's not a snooping issue. It's Australia post trying to make more money and stay relevant in the market in an age where traditional post is almost dead. Personally I think it's a good thing that Oz post is doing this, more competition and all that.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
To some degree, however not really.
Tire life depends on tread wear.
The higher the tread wear, the less sticky the tire.
So tire life (mileage) also depends on tire performance.
High performance tires, or stickier tires, don't last long. If you get a very long lasting tire, it'll be a great highway tire, but not as good at handling and breaking distance.
So that's why Adobe software is double the price, incase it breaks in two years!
As an example: Magic the gathering cards. US site: http://sales.starcitygames.com... AU site:http://shop.goodgames.com.au/trading-card-games/magic-the-gathering/boosters-and-boxes/magic-2014-core-set-booster-box.html So with a $65 difference I'll happily take that $30 shipping hit. Note: Good games is one of the biggest games store franchise in the country and their prices are about the lowest you'll get.
You must be American.
In Australia, "I'm a bit pissed" has an entirely different meaning.
As does "I've rooted my phone"
No, it's an American cultural import.
Being "Pissed" as in tipsy, dates back to WW1.
The American version of "being pissed" is a recent import. It really grates with dinky die aussies.
Completely missed my point. GP post was talking about the cost of a specific tire changing based on there being a middle man. I'm not talking about different brands/models.
Which is pretty much true for any government in any part of the world. There are certain mutually-agreed exceptions, such as countries within the Schengen region not searching packages from other Schengen countries without prior evidence of a crime (e.g., sniffer bees drawing attention to the package), but generally it's the case that all mail into or out of a country is subject to search for contraband. Which includes paper money.
There's this thing called tax ...
Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
Only 10% is tax the rest is private sector markups
If is a 'reasonable' fault in the good or it does not full fill its intended purpose it is. Of course it's not covered if you damage it or excessively wear it. That's only in all fairness.
This is bloody awesome for purchases which are labeled US Delivery Only . Oh man there are sooooo many amazing little shops I've wanted to buy stuff from and get it shipped to Melbourne, but every time I get to the shipping and handling "US & Canada Only".
Jump for joy!
We may have killed what is expected to be a few million Aboriginals intentionally or not but you enslaved an entire population of African Americans (we never did this) and you crushed a Native American population of nearly 50-100 million!
Who is "You"? Many people who immigrated to Australia come from the same ethnic and cultural background as the people who engaged in the slave trade in the USA and other places.
Over 90% of the slaves shipped from Africa across the Atlantic were NOT shipped to North America, the Caribbean sugar plantations killed people in huge numbers and needed "replacements". Many of the sugar plantations were owned by the British for much of the relevant historical period, and these produced huge profits for Britain which funded all kinds of stuff, including things of benefit to Australia! Study the history of Britain and you'll really learn to appreciate how significant a role that sugar trade played!
Do you consider every citizen of the USA today an accomplice to slavery? If so, you need to consider pretty much every citizen of every country in the world such, because slavery in one form or another has existed around the world across most cultures at some point in history. For example, millions of Europeans ended up as slaves in Northern Africa and the Middle East as a result of the "Arabic Slave Trade" (which also heavily involved the Italian City States, the Vikings, the Byzantines (Greeks), and many others, not just Arabs). Most human beings probably have descendants that were slaves, and descendants that were slavers.
Then there's the issue of the "Indentured Labour" system used throughout much of the British Empire -- a system which lasted until the second decade of the 20th century (long after the US Civil War), which Australia definitely participated in, which affected millions of people, and which wasn't all that different from slavery (involving mass kidnapping, whips, chains, and lots of deaths).
The British and those in many former British colonies like to cite the British anti-slavery record, but always forget to include this minor detail!
Admittedly the Royal Navy did quite a lot to stop the African slave trade (after having insured British control of most of the Caribbean, this placing the British in control of those previously mentioned sugar plantations!), but they somehow missed the boat when it came to the indentured "servant" trade.
Then there's the Native American issue, which conveniently sidesteps the fact that 1) Europeans have been participants in many wars on conquest around the world, and 2) the diseases that did most of the killing came from Europe! Since the descendents of many Australians came from Europe, if we consider citizens of the USA responsible for this because some fraction of the population has European descent, we must also consider citizens of Australia responsible (except for the natives and the immigrants from elsewhere, who probably have their own issues in their family histories!).
Should we force the Turks to give Turkey back to the Greeks and Persians? Do we force the Japanese to give Japan back to the Ainu? Do we take Egypt away from the Islamic world and give it to the few remaining descendants of ancient Egypt? How long are we going to hold present populations hostage for the actions of the past?
A classic example of trying to claim the moral high ground without actually having it!
I've made a lot of international purchases from Australia without ever using using a forwarding service to hide my location. There are a lot of retailers in the US that are happy to ship to Australia and that can mean it arrives here 3-4 days after the order is placed. Ordering from retailers in Europe and throughout Asia is often possible. US retailers have a right to set their policies and very little of what I buy is actually made in the US anyway so there are generally other options when US retailers will not ship here.
In the past, I have had the help of friends in the US to deal with a few retailers that wouldn't accept by Australian credit card for online purchases, while I was actually in the US...