Sending Products as Letters - Australia Post

jlev on 11/07/2016 - 14:58

Hi - do any ozbargainers have experience sending goods overseas but as "letters" rather than "parcels"?

I've got a very light product to send overseas. It's flat, and including packaging weights about 80g.

From what I can see I am supposed to send this as a parcel, which is going to cost me about $15 via Economy Air. If I was able to send it as a letter then it would be about five bucks.

The Australia Post official stance is "only paper is allowed to be sent as a letter."

Would appreciate suggestions/experiences from anyone who has done this before. Would also appreciate info on what to do regarding customs form (that massive tablecloth of a thing).

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Comments

  • pinchies on 11/07/2016 - 15:43
    +1

    Is it flexible? The letter processing machines will make it so, if it already wasn't to begin with.

    If you have a lot to send, a cheap but slow option would be searching for "fulfilment from china" in your favourite search engine.

  • NancyCat on 11/07/2016 - 15:48
    +1

    Last time I sent a thick document, the AustPost guy behind the counter bent the 'letter' to check if it's paper. Also he had a cardboard template thing to make sure the letter/document wasn't too thick.

  • Matwin23 on 11/07/2016 - 16:37
    +1

    I send pendants OS as a letter, so long as its not over 50g (i think thats the limit) and it fits through the letter template it will cost $2.75 for USA - no tracking or insurance.
    You just need a green customs form to go on it stating what is in the envelope.

    It sounds like your item is going to be too big/heavy for this option and so will be sent as a parcel.

    • jlev on 12/07/2016 - 11:00

      This is good information! Thank you!

    • MrMcHairyHead on 12/07/2016 - 11:18

      Hey I'm specifically looking at doing pendants too. So you haven't had any get crushed, or rejected, sending to US? How long does it usually take for them to arrive over there?

      Also do you have any advice for sending within Australia? It's still about eight bucks to send any package within Australia, even the smallest lightest one. Just… make them a letter too?

      As far as I can tell I'm supposed to send them as a package, which is about 8 in Australia and double that to America. And yet I bought a much larger heavier item from ebay, sent from Melbourne to Melbourne, and they only put two 1$ stamps on it, which I don't understand.

      If you answer… thanks!

  • nubzy on 11/07/2016 - 16:49
    +2

    Not sure about letters but people send DVD/Games in Australia all the time in a toughpak or large envelope with $2 of stamps on it. As long as it's less than 20mm I think it will be OK. But sending overseas is a bit more risky, more travel = more likelihood of damage. Also probably more likely to get lost as well. I would be looking into drop shipping or if it's a hand made product or something, then the customers will just have to pay for the shipping.

    • jlev on 12/07/2016 - 11:03

      Also good to know.

      Unfortunately if we have to pay full shipping then we will never be able to get this off the ground. Just not worth it.

    • MrMcHairyHead on 12/07/2016 - 11:19

      I noticed that too when I got a package from ebay with 2$ worth of stamps on it. What does 2$ stamps get you? If you go to the auspost website, it's 1$ for letters and then jumps straight to like 8$ for the smallest lightest package. There's no mention of anything costing 2$.

  • kash1 on 11/07/2016 - 17:01
    +1

    Shop around most PO will post it as a letter if it doesn't weigh a lot and is slim but there are some mean ones out there.
    I was once sending a barbie dress to a friend O/S and a PO tried to slug me $14 I walked out and drove to my normal PO and paid $2.

  • scrimshaw on 11/07/2016 - 18:08

    Letters go through a mechanical roller at a distribution centre. If your item is prone to breakage when it is squashed or slightly bent, you shouldn't post it as a letter but as a parcel.

  • gmeney on 11/07/2016 - 21:07

    If it is thinner than 20mm and smaller than a bit bigger than A4 (260mm x 360mm) and less than 500g then it can go it the postbox with enough stamps and an airmail sticker.

    Guide here https://m.auspost.com.au/view/cms/stamp-prices

  • Samye on 01/09/2016 - 19:35

    I sent hair bows in padded bag .it's weight was just 25 grams but may be it's height was more than 20mm . I pasted $2 stamp on it . It was a domestic post but it is not deliver
    . What should I do ? Did they don't clear it ? Or they charge more postage from the buyer . It's 7 days now . Should I wait or asked from post office . Please help me . Anyone face this problem ?

  • Black Hole on 15/10/2018 - 19:44

    Letter size and weight guidelines

    We classify a letter as an item that:

    weighs less than 500g
is no thicker than 20mm
contains flexible items - nothing rigid or inflexible
has a rectangular shape
is no bigger than a B4 envelope (260mm x 360mm x 20mm)

    If your item doesn't fit this criteria, we'd classify it as a parcel.

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