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Thread: Postal cost in current situation

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    Default Postal cost in current situation

    I was wondering what people think of the current postal charges from the NZ to the US (the likely destination, as most members are from there). At the moment, with added surcharges due to the decrease in air traffic, and as far as I can tell, NZ Post is charging around NZ$20 (US$ 12.50) for a small parcel containing a single pen (estimated weight under 250g). It may be higher, I won't know until I can contact the Post Office.

    Is this postal charge likely to be a sticking point for overseas buyers? (the cost is not dissimilar for other major countries)
    Last edited by Empty_of_Clouds; May 22nd, 2020 at 10:09 PM.

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    Default Re: Postal cost in current situation

    My experience using NZPost to the US is that it is about 50NZD/30USD tracked, because anything worth more than NZD 150 has to go in one of the tracked courier packs. I have generally eaten half the cost of postage to make the sale, as--unless the pen is very expensive--an addtional 30 USD for a lot of buyers is quite a hike.

    You can under-declare the value, but that can lead to all sorts of other problems...

    TradeMe's fountain pen section is a lot more lively of late, you may find a local buyer there.
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    Default Re: Postal cost in current situation

    As I understand it, from previous experience, the ceiling is NZ$250 before having to fill out a more comprehensive export form. This may have changed, I haven't checked yet.

    Yes, I may go through Fountain Pens Oceania for a more local market. Auction sites are out.

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    Default Re: Postal cost in current situation

    Quote Originally Posted by Empty_of_Clouds View Post
    As I understand it, from previous experience, the ceiling is NZ$250 before having to fill out a more comprehensive export form.
    My bad, I just checked and you are correct, it is 250 NZD (150 USD).
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    Default Re: Postal cost in current situation

    No problem. Sometimes it is tricky to pick out details from their website. For now they are saying everything should be sent by International Express, no mention of Small Parcel. It's not clear if Small Parcel is even available. Also they have an example of the surcharge calculation and there is nowhere I can find what the 'surcharge by kg' level is. It may be a single price across all formats. What can you do? I will try and get in phone contact with them for clarity, and you may well be right about the cost, though not necessarily for the exact same reason.

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    Default Re: Postal cost in current situation

    Welcome back EoC. $12.50USD sounds like a typical amount. I just sent a small packet of ink samples to a penpal in the UK on Tuesday (under 142 gms) by USPS International First Class and it cost me $13.50USD. So the NZ postage cost sounds reasonable.

    All the Best.
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    Default Re: Postal cost in current situation

    Welcome back EoC.
    This

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