Shipster Closing on 31st of July 2019

A Banana4scale on 20/05/2019 - 15:04
Last edited 20/05/2019 - 15:25 by 1 other user

We’ve got some important news to share and, as a member of our Shipster family, we wanted you to be the very first to know.

We have decided to close the Shipster program on 31 July 2019.

You love online shopping just as much as we do. With your support, and that of many great Australian brands, the Shipster service has been running for over 18 months and we’ve learned a great deal along the way.

A lot has changed in the last 18 months with online shopping; free shipping is now more commonplace and customer expectations have also changed.

In a recent survey, we asked for your feedback on Shipster – how it’s working for you and what you’d like to see more or less of.

Taking all your feedback on board and working with our merchants on what’s next for Shipster, we’ve decided to close out the Shipster program at the end of July 2019.

Innovation remains at the core of what we do and we’ll continue to invest in developing new products and services that meet the ever-growing and ever-changing needs of our online shoppers – you!

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Your current free trial will be extended until the service closes. This means that you can continue to enjoy the Shipster benefits free of charge until the service closes on 31 July 2019.

For more information, take a look at our Shipster Frequently Asked Questions or email us at [email protected].

On behalf of Australia Post, thank you for your ongoing support of Shipster, we’ve loved having you part of the Shipster family.

All the best,

The Shipster Team

General Discussion

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Comments

  • forumninja on 20/05/2019 - 15:06
    +20

    Personally I've only used Shipster maybe once or twice with the free trial. The only thing I'll miss are the monthly Deliveroo vouchers.

    • render on 20/05/2019 - 15:07
      +3

      Same here, though a lot of Deliveroo places nearby have been increasing their delivery fees to more than $5

    • ssjwill on 12/07/2019 - 17:18

      actually got a deliveroo voucher for July. Haven't tested it yet though

    • TheCutter on 31/07/2019 - 18:17

      Shipster are closing?
      I was only window shopping there last week!!

  • [Deactivated] on 20/05/2019 - 15:07
    +9

    just trying to post this as well…how sad this is…
    been enjoying free shipping in harvey and chemist warehouse couple of times

    • render on 20/05/2019 - 15:08
      +1

      Thanks for the reminder, must get a few Chemist Warehouse orders out of the way, have a few online vouchers to use up

    • Spending2Much on 21/05/2019 - 23:12

      Yep, $25 free shipping vs $50 minimum for free ship

  • ozisaver on 20/05/2019 - 15:08
    +6

    Never got any value from this anyway. Just kept getting annoying monthly spam - "Free delivery with a $25 spend at Deliveroo". Think they finally realised most places offer free shipping it was just a waste of everyone's time.

    • lbft on 20/05/2019 - 17:56
      +6

      Most places that have free delivery require larger orders than Shipster's $25 minimum.

  • wheretobuychocettes on 20/05/2019 - 15:08
    -1

    Excellent. Just last week I was looking for the unsubscribe button on their emails. Couldn't find it. Probably had to log into some account.

    Don't think I ever actually utilised it.

    • readeral on 20/05/2019 - 15:13

      I was looking for that too - the 'Deliveroo voucher' emails. Apparently: "The Deliveroo vouchers are a member benefit. As such, they have been legally deemed to be transactional and so there is no unsubscribe button for them. There is for all the marketing emails alerting you of sales or other offers."

      • bonezAU on 22/05/2019 - 08:31

        I think you're right there. They used to annoy the hell out of me because Deliveroo doesn't service my area and I couldn't figure out how to unsubscribe. Ended up setting up a rule in Gmail after about 6 months so they just went straight to deleted.

    • wheretobuychocettes on 31/07/2019 - 22:03
      -1

      Gimme them negs.

  • hashtagbargain on 20/05/2019 - 15:08
    +10

    I loved the free shipping above $25 at myer and target. The free shipping and instore returns definitely made impulse buying less risky.

  • leTintin on 20/05/2019 - 15:09
    +1

    Had a gut feeling this would happen from the start, although great while it lasted especially for free, not sure if I'd pay full price.

  • HappyXD on 20/05/2019 - 15:10

    DIdnt expect much from them ever since they took kogan off their free shipping list.

  • howbazaar on 20/05/2019 - 15:12
    +3

    I'd love to know the background to how this failed.
    Australia Post can't get retailers to band together to provide a free shipping service then who can? (Amazon at some point, I guess)

    • readeral on 20/05/2019 - 15:14
      +7

      They didn't have any visibility - we didn't know if we were using Shipster or not. Also didn't have a broad enough range of retailers.

    • Chewiebacca on 31/07/2019 - 20:34

      Have a friend at AusPost who said they simply weren’t getting enough revenue. Non viable business model. Company is going through somewhat tough times (hiring freeze etc).

  • blerk on 20/05/2019 - 15:12
    +2

    I can see my Amazon account getting a firm workout for Christmas 2019 then (I don't live near any shops). Harvey Norman, Chemist Warehouse and Target were my biggies with Shipster. It did make adding Booktopia codes difficult because the Shipster linked to my email would act like a code itself and it wouldn't let you double dip as such, even if the 10% off entered code that you wanted to use would initiate free shipping anyhow.

    • RoosterBooster on 20/05/2019 - 18:58
      +1

      I don't live near shops either… but the shops are closer than my post office. AU post doesn't deliver anything bigger than an envelope to my address so I'm forced to pick up all my online purchases. I find myself using click and collect for stores as paying for delivery (or even getting free delivery) is pointless and inconvenient. For instance, I made a purchase with target but instead of using free shipping via shipster I used click and collect due to the store being closer than the post office. I signed up for Amazon prime at the start of yr but haven't used it yet. As such I'm very fond of places that use couriers!

      • subydooby on 21/05/2019 - 07:59
        +1

        Stores usually have better opening hours than my local post office too.

  • c64 on 20/05/2019 - 15:14
    +13

    i'm guessing ebay plus next …

  • readeral on 20/05/2019 - 15:15
    +16

    Here's hoping eBay plus goes the same way.

    Edit: Snap

  • zzymurgy on 20/05/2019 - 15:21

    Never used it either. Free shipping with minimum spend is what all retailers offer already. I kept forgetting that I had it.

  • frankfu1122 on 20/05/2019 - 15:22
    +3

    This is sad news. Thank you for all your services in the past year or two

  • zzymurgy on 20/05/2019 - 15:23
    -1

    Thanks Scomo.

  • cooni on 20/05/2019 - 15:25
    +1

    RIP Deliveroo vouchers

  • Make it so on 20/05/2019 - 15:35
    +4

    I got the free 12 month trial. Never used it successfully. I once nearly used it, but my Myer order got cancelled because they had not counted stock right, which is typical for online orders with Myer.

    I think the reasons it failed was:

    • too high a minimum spend to qualify for free shipping
    • most of the retailers signed up for it have big fat margins and 99.9% of the time are not competitive (think Myer). The only one that was competitive (Kogan) left the program.
  • [Deactivated] on 20/05/2019 - 15:47
    +4

    They failed to obtain the critical mass to make this useful, unfortunately. It's a shame because you might have thought AusPost would be the only one outside of Amazon able to do this.

  • fishball on 20/05/2019 - 16:02

    I only managed to use shipster for Harvey Norman and Myers orders (1 of each). Myers was the only one where they didn't already have free shipping, HN did since I spent a fair amount for that order.

    Sad to see the deliveroo vouchers go but this might be a good thing so I don't feel "obliged" to spend every month on deliveroo haha

  • Captain Howdy on 20/05/2019 - 16:09
    +1

    End of an era. I always signed up for the free service, but never once used it.

    • RoosterBooster on 20/05/2019 - 19:05

      Same here, with $25 min spend its not that much more of a margin to say somewhere that has free shipping for $50+. I take advantage of free shipping wherever possible so to reach a free shipping margin I'll either wait till theres something else I need or buy multiple of something.

  • p1 ama on 20/05/2019 - 16:10
    +1

    Basically it failed because it was too expensive for AusPost. The only people who sign up are the people who would have spent more on shipping, so it doesn't make sense to keep it around.

    To be honest, I like Shipster. I got more out of it than I paid for it, so I'm happy.

    • Third_Gear on 21/05/2019 - 07:27
      +1

      Auspost did not cover the shipping… the retailer had to. I was going to join but the API integration and their I.T. Systems were a joke which made system integration with our check out impossible. From a branding perspective it is easier and smarter to give our customers free shipping on orders over $25. As a retailer there is no benefit.

      • odysseus on 28/05/2019 - 12:25

        Surely there must have been some kickback, or postage discount? Otherwise there would be no point to joining the program if they offer lower free shipping than directly i.e. why would Myer offer $25 through shipster and $100 direct?

        • Third_Gear on 29/05/2019 - 19:33

          Nope. None. As a retailer there was zero benefit. Also Myer is really silly with their money.

  • [Deactivated] on 20/05/2019 - 16:33

    going the way of the dodo

    • frankfu1122 on 20/05/2019 - 16:51
      -2

      what's the go with dodo?

      • hashtagbargain on 20/05/2019 - 16:52
        +1

        I think they meant its going extinct.

    • TheCutter on 31/07/2019 - 18:20

      the dominos will start to fall now i agree

  • Sage on 20/05/2019 - 17:16
    +2

    In a recent survey, we asked for your feedback on Shipster – how it’s working for you and what you’d like to see more or less of.

    and their response to the feedback was to close shop!
    This is sad. A bit of a rip off that they promised X months of service and now they'll be gone in a month.

    I probably would have paid for it after my trial. It's the same offer as Amazon Prime where you're already paying for postage so may as well get the subscription instead.

  • shaybisc on 20/05/2019 - 17:39

    I could never see how it would work.

    • lbft on 20/05/2019 - 18:03
      +2

      It's a pretty simple idea - participating retailers benefit from people shifting their spend to where they can get free shipping, customers benefit with free shipping, and AusPost benefits with higher parcel volume and more people picking up parcels in post offices buying other stuff while they're there, even if it's just the lollies at the counter.

  • Diji1 on 20/05/2019 - 18:24
    +8

    as a member of our Shipster family

    BRB, vomiting.

  • GourmetFoodie on 20/05/2019 - 19:08
    +1

    It was a failed model from the start. To justify free shipping you need large enough order sizes so that your margin is higher and can cover the shipping cost while still leaving enough profit. At $25 minimum order there is no way in hell the numbers work unless your volumes are enourmous eg. Amazon. Even then, Amazon only really works because I'd guarantee most order sizes end up being larger than smaller - because of the massive range of products (people make it a one stop shop) a and they're mainly sending from centralized warehouses which maximizes shipping cost and efficiency.

    I will be sad for it to go though as I did use it for a number of orders just past the $25 mark from Myer and Chemist Warehouse. Plus the Deliveroo voucher was great. I wonder how much cost that added from a marketing perspective too! I doubt Deliveroo would have absorbed the whole cost.

  • bluedufflecoat on 20/05/2019 - 21:19

    I used it at Bobbi brown and myer the most and occasionally cotton on. I'm disappointed by this too.

  • jkcat on 20/05/2019 - 21:32

    Thanks for the free delivery vouchers. Amen.

  • CocaColaZero on 20/05/2019 - 22:13

    At first I was disappointed that shipster was closing. Then reading the comments here I realised I probably used it maybe 2 times and deliveroo doesn't deliver to my area anyway. So not such a huge loss to me

  • thekensai on 20/05/2019 - 23:11
    -1

    lol whoever sent this long long email could just say 'sorry we got ozbargained so closing down'

  • dylo on 20/05/2019 - 23:24

    I did expect this to eventually happen but still disappointed. I used it often at Target, Chemist Warehouse, Myer and Cotton On.

  • tdw on 20/05/2019 - 23:43

    i only used this once, after surfsatitch raised their free shipping minimum from $50 to $75.

  • franco cozzo on 21/05/2019 - 07:33
    +1

    …managed to use it a half dozen times or so over 2 free trials. definitely paid for itself ;)

  • cloudie9 on 21/05/2019 - 11:18

    Funny thing that at times when I used Shipster via Harvey Norman and sometimes Hardly normal uses fastway courier!

  • 777 on 21/05/2019 - 21:21
    +2

    I used it many times, probably saved hundreds in postage in the last 2 years -Kogan, HN, SS, Target, CW and Myers.
    Sad to see them go

  • railspider on 22/05/2019 - 08:27

    RIP Deliveroo vouchers

  • desii on 23/05/2019 - 18:47
    +1

    Sad to see shipster go. Recently used it for myer and chemistwarehouse. Was good for target as well

  • nmcc08 on 23/05/2019 - 18:51

    Damn was looking forward to renewing my subscription after the 1 year trial.

  • PurchaseAnxiety on 23/05/2019 - 22:25
    +5

    Was handy for the occasional purchase, particularly with Chemist Warehouse. The Deliveroo vouchers were a nice bonus too.

    In my opinion, the missed opportunity was not working with lots of smaller niche stores rather than big players that often had free shipping schemes anyway. There have been so many times when I've been looking to buy something a smaller site, only to back out when their shipping is crazy high (usually not the stores fault). So why not work with a tonne of these smaller businesses, say to them "sign onto Shipster and we'll give you great rates on shipping and market your store for you". Then you've got a much more diverse offering, you're actually offering a valuable product to both stores and consumers, and you're promoting smaller online businesses (Aust Post marketing team would surely eat that up).

  • umoddbro on 26/05/2019 - 03:58
    +1

    The minimum spend is a deal breaker for most stores, signed up a few times hoping to use it but never end up buying anything.

  • McMoots on 31/07/2019 - 20:35
    +1

    Deliveroo doesn't service my area, so I'm not really losing much but I do feel sorry for those who are.

    Can't say I have much love for anything even related to Australia Post, however.

  • Paligu on 08/08/2019 - 12:08

    well, we can't have good things forever!!

  • [Deactivated] on 27/08/2019 - 23:52

    Dammit! I was just about to (until 5 min ago, when I saw this) order a bunch of stuff from Target.

  • ciyborg on 29/08/2019 - 21:30

    I knew it was bound to close. They didnt have a good subscription model, and allowed crazy trial periods of 12 months or more. I called it a long time ago

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