Mailing Internationally with new USPS rates?

Hello, everyone,

I have been trading on Pinpics since 2003 and have always been happy to trade with our international members. However, this latest postal rate increase by USPS has me changing my mind. Until recently, I could use "Package (non-rectangular)" and pay a bit over $6 for up to 3 ounces. Now, with the new rates, that package is almost $13!!


Do I switch to the "Flat (large envelope)"? That one says it must be "uniformly thick", which is truly hard to do. And I hate to use a large LBE for just one pin.


How do you all manage mailing internationally?


Thanks in advance for your help!


Bobbie

According to USPS.COM:

Large envelopes must be rectangular to qualify for flat pricing.
Large envelopes that exceed size requirements will be charged package prices.

[h=4]Size Requirements[/h][TABLE="width: 406"]
[TR]
[TH] [/TH]
[TH]Maximum[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Height[/TH]
[TD]12"[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Length[/TH]
[TD]15"[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Thickness[/TH]
[TD]3/4"
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

So, if you can manage to get it to fit as a "large envelope" go ahead (as long as the postal worker will let you). If you just get one that scans all prepaid mail without checking anything, it might slip past them.

I have a hard time keeping my packages under the 3/4" thickness by the time I bubble wrap them and mail them in a bubble envelope for protection. I don't like the current cost either, but I'm sure it costs folks over there the same to mail here. They do issue some very nice pins outside of the U.S. that I can only get by trading or buying and sellers also charge the shipping cost. I try to make trades for multiple pins to make it more worthwhile/cost effective for both of us If others have another way, I would love to hear it as well.

Over the years I've gained a few international friends I regularly trade with, and as postage keeps going up -- now we just collect pins for each other for six months and then mail in a flat rate box at once. Still ends up being $13-$15 but you get an equally large box back of pins. It's like Christmas. Just a thought if there's anyone you regularly trade with.

I don't understand US Postal rates at all! This coming from a Canadain!

I traded a single pin the other day and the shipper was charged $9.10 INSANE! while I just got a package with 11 Pins all with their backings in a big envelope and the shipper was charged $3.95 and it came with tracking!

I don't understand ... not sure if the rates are determined from what state you are shipping from? but I shake my head everytime!

^^it could be that the person sent it as a large envelope?

I don't understand why most of you moan about prices of shipping we in the uk are charged a lot also but we still trade over seas and you don't see us moaning on here either it really annoys me that people moan about the cost and won't trade over seas no more but it makes me laugh that they soon change there mind if there's a really cool pin they want that's released in uk or say dlp I think people should just keep on trading and not moan about it if shipping is getting to expensive then just leave pin collecting you know it's an expensive hobby to start with any way

starry_solo said:

^^it could be that the person sent it as a large envelope?

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Not sure ... My guess is more have to do their research on how to properly ship items as the ones who always provide me with tracking and low costs are great while others always say I CANT GET TRACKING AND SHIPPING WAS LIKE $20!!! Sadly a few times I've paid the shipper more money and other times I cant and wont ... forget the horrible exchange rate am, but when people are tacking on an extra $7 - $10 on average to ship over the normal asking price of $3 - $4 it gets crazy!

Normal asking price isn't $3-4 to ship internationally. Like one of the other posters said, it's practically impossible to get a padded envelope with pins under 3/4" thick. But people send as a "large envelope" and try to get away with it, as long as they don't have an astute postal worker, they usually can.

Plus the "tracking" that comes with it isn't always reliable whereas the one that you pay for us a bit more reliable.

My PO will NOT accept pin parcels as large envelopes (even if less than 3/4" thick) for International mail. If they feel the pin it's rejected I don't even try to do that anymore. Now I do the up to 2oz in a bubble mailer, but don't know how much that is since the Jan 17 postal increase. Anyone know how much now?

The last few that I sent overseas were $12.83 each through Stamps.com. Before the change, they were $6.39 each.

Okay, guys,

Here's what I have figured out, with a little help from my PO and a phone call to another PO. You can now use "Flat (large envelope)" to mail your packages. But you have to fall into the guidelines. The envelope (I used a bubble mailer) must be a minimum of 6 1/8" by 11.5" and 1/4" to 3/4" uniformly thick. Actually, the rates this way are slightly less than what I previously paid for a "Package (non-rectangular)". The envelope must exceed at least one of the dimensions on at least one side. The LBE I use is 6 15/16" by 9.5", which makes the first measurement just slightly larger than the PO requirement. I then put the pin in a baggie and taped it to some bubble wrap and made a "package" of bubble that was the size of the inside of the LBE. The 2 oz. envelope cost me $3.36 to send to Hong Kong.

Other weight rates for overseas for large envelopes are: 3 oz., $4.32; 5 oz., $6.28; 6 oz., $7.24; and, 8 oz., $7.20. As long as the pin(s) stay in one layer, you should be fine.

And more good news! I frequently send a lot of pins to a friend overseas and was having to try to squeeze a lot of pins (about 2 lb.) into a big LBE (about 12" by 15"), and keep the package "flexible". Now I can send the same amount of pins in a box for just a few pennies more than what the envelope used to cost. I love that the pins will be in a box and much safer. Given previously that the pins were in an LBE, if I did not completely cover it in mailing tape, it would often arrive with a hole or two.

Hope this helps someone.

Bobbie

LOST- I have not been able to get away with any over seaas shipping for under $12 in years and France and Holland were over $16 last time and that's for 4 pins in a reg padded envelope. MY POST lady wont do it. she gets out her damn measuring tool and tells me my stuff is too thick and its a package. She also told me if I send as an envelope that means it is put through the machine which has a roller in it and can break the posts so I always send as package cause they are hand stamped.

As far as above stating we Americans complain about trading, the cost to us far exceeds UK prices. I also have a few people I trade with and we do it 2x a year.

IF you print a label through PayPal.com/shipnow as a large envelope (with the information already printed) the post office MIGHT be willing to take it so they don't have to type all the information in, LOL.

Just did a 1 pin Trade going to France, cost was $13.50. I really don't have the time or want to put out the effort of how to get around the PO issue.

I certainly still want to Trade with our wonderful overseas friends but I am going to have to go the multi-pin route or no Trade. Plus, like I said in other posts, most of the Pins overseas are LE 300/400/750 and that leaves us Traders on the East Coast of the USA in a pretty hard spot since there is nothing at that level we can offer - all the LE pins are West Coast releases (WDI, DSSH/DSF) and so on.

I have Traded with overseas Traders FOR years and I would be open to set up some kind of "Pin Box" arrangement with anyone who is reliable and would be interested (I can get WDW stuff pretty readily).

Mike S.
Figment919

figment919 said:

I have Traded with overseas Traders FOR years and I would be open to set up some kind of "Pin Box" arrangement with anyone who is reliable and would be interested (I can get WDW stuff pretty readily).

Mike S.
Figment919

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I've sent you a PM , if I can help just let me know

Whoa . . . I just shipped a pin out to a pin auction winner in the UK and the shipping cost was double what it used to be. This is a deal-breaker for me. I will probably continue to trade overseas for pins I really want, but I don't think I will be able to offer international shipping in my trade auctions anymore, which is a shame.

Here is the updated information for overseas shipping. For the US they are now cutting things off at half pounds. So for instance, it costs the same to ship a 1 ounce package as it does an 8 ounce package. A 9 ounce package costs the same as 16 ounces. So the trick here is to make larger trades and try to keep it to under 8 ounces. To the UK 8 ounces is 12.83 using stamps.com. 8.1 ounces to 16 ounces/1 pound is 21.38.

Simplest way to beat the price is trade more pins. Plus it is more fun this way. Oh and my friends from Belgium tell me it has been this way for them for several years now.

I can't recommend Stamps.com highly enough. You can fill out the customs form online and it does all the calculating for you. Then you just have to hand it to a carrier or postal worker.

Thanks, docfish2u, for your information. That's what I found too. And you are right -- the solution is not to stop trading overseas, but to make more trades to maximize on the postage. I certainly was not saying I would not trade overseas, but like anyone else who suddenly sees the cost of something double overnight, I was looking for a more economical solution. We all do the same with gas; when it goes up, we look for ways to use less. The good news on the postage rate change was the change in classifications for what I used to send to Belgium. Previously, I could send a 2 lb. envelope for about $21, but a box would cost me double that. Now I can send a box for less than $1 more and the pins arrive much more safely!

I do print my postage from home. I just checked out Stamps.com and was surprised at the cost. The company I use, and have used for 6-7 years, is considerably less. Maybe because I pay for a year at a time. I just love printing my postage and leaving my packages in my mail box for the carrier to pick up.

The "pin box" idea is a great one if you have traders who are willing to wait to get their pins! I would be happy doing that to maximize postage costs.

Bobbie

I have sort of a related question (and can't post new threads yet): I'm doing a trade to France for multiple pins through pin pics.. How do people typically list the pins on the customs forms? Not sure how to name or value them.

Also, if anyone knows clochette44 on pin pics or has done a trade with them, I'd love to know how it went. I've traded with a few people in France but it's typically been single-pin trades before (when it was cheap enough to do that lol), so I didn't worry about it too much.

Atticus

atticus said:

I have sort of a related question (and can't post new threads yet): I'm doing a trade to France for multiple pins through pin pics.. How do people typically list the pins on the customs forms? Not sure how to name or value them.

Also, if anyone knows clochette44 on pin pics or has done a trade with them, I'd love to know how it went. I've traded with a few people in France but it's typically been single-pin trades before (when it was cheap enough to do that lol), so I didn't worry about it too much.

Atticus

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Atticus,

I never value the pin(s) I am sending overseas at more than $20, regardless of the number of pins in the package, but I do accurately declare the number of the pins. Also, mark the package as a gift, which is treated differently in most countries. And, I also always do it with the agreement/understanding of the other person. Most foreign countries (including Canada) have customs limits of about $25. If they receive an item over their country's limit, the recipient must pay the customs tax/fee, which could exceed the value of the item in some cases. I agree with the other person that if something goes awry, we both "share the loss". So far in 13 years of online trading, I have only lost one package -- and it was about 10 years ago and only had one pin in it. I know there has been some controversy regarding the overseas tracking, but my experience has always been good, and worth it. I do not know what the tracking costs at the PO, but most of the "online" postage services include it in their price.

Although it has been quite a while, I have traded with clochette44 a few times and my notes indicate everything went smoothly. I hope you have the same results.

Happy trading,
Bobbie

I enjoy trading with clochette44! I have done so many times over the years. As for sending your pins overseas, please be sure to keep the cost to under 20.00 and mark it as gift. It is a shame that countries overseas feel the need to stick it to their people as they do. Purely a money grab so we need to do what we can to help them out.

how many ounces can you mail for the $13+ international postage? I mailed less than two ounces, and that is the minimum First Class int'l postage now for the small bubble mailers. I'm hoping it is for lots more than 2 ounces.
someone please tell more. thank you

suzanneb said:

how many ounces can you mail for the $13+ international postage? I mailed less than two ounces, and that is the minimum First Class int'l postage now for the small bubble mailers. I'm hoping it is for lots more than 2 ounces.
someone please tell more. thank you

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You can mail 8 ounces for that price.