Ouch...I wonder what its going to cost to send out....well we shall see real soon....

This is how I found to receive from the USA to the UK. bought some shopping bags and import duty and fee of postal company to administrate this added a huge amount and I will never buy from the USA again lol. Lesson learned. Think your case is you paying and the receiving person not. hehe, they get their money somehow. Yes know how you feel !

So sorry dear - I will lobby my local member of the unfair fee.

Ouch and double ouch Meg. I agree with you it seems ludicrous(?) that we have to pay so much for such a small item in weight? What do they think is in it - GOLD? Still glad you sent it as it will mean so much to her. Love Chris

This is exhorbitant. I'm glad I'm managing to keep the Secret Santas pretty well within countries. It does spoil the fun a bit though.

This is a sad state of affairs. It is special to receive a parcel from a friend overseas. Lyn

I know how you feel Meg. It's as much as costly sending parcels to Japan too. The gifts are way cheaper than the postage. But I know the person on the other side will be so happy receiving it, this feeling is priceless :)

Wow that is crazy. You are sweet to send it and I am sure the cutie will very much apprecite it. Hugs Lisa

that is steep but I wonder how the receiver of the gift is going to feel now-kinda takes a bit of the joy out of the gift knowing all this

I agree! Its very unfair & unjustified! If corporations would cut thier unjust spending and unearned unjust bonuses prices wouldn't have to raise like that! I used to sell things on e-bay and that was one of the things my customers and I had to deal with. I no longer ship over seas because its just to expensive. I have complained for years to what seems like deaf ears.

What can I say Meg? Unfair yes, but so many things seem to be unfair now days. I'm glad Angelbaby explained but it's still unfair to those of us who do not have a lot & have friends & loved ones out of the country that send to us./Hugs lillian

Sorry. I feel your outrage. Even without the surcharge postage is high. When I send a package to my daughter in England and it is considered US to US because we use the military address it would be almost cheaper to just send her the money to buy what I have sent.

Try to keep your packages under the weight guidelines and send several smaller ones or try to find someone you know flying to the US and ask them to send them for you after they arrive avoiding that security fee. Every time we turn around there is a new fee, tax, surtax. Feel like we are taxed to pieces. Gee, how did we survive before taxes and fees?

Holy Cow...that seems like a huge jump in fees!
Makes you wonder ???

Meganne, I have grandchildren in the states and I stopped sending gifts as such a number of years ago and I just have to tell you why. I travelled 130km each way so 260km all up this particular christmas to post my two postal bags, waited in the cue 40 minutes only to be told I could send a home made cake but I could not send the chocolate etc I had added as a special treat. So back in the cue I got now bear in mind I had taken out several food items the Aussie post person said that my packages were $210 WOW I thought I would rather spend that money on the kids! So my daughter and I have an arrangement now where she buys the gifts over there and I pay her. Works a treat as she knows what they want and what they have got already and wait for it - it saves me money as things are cheaper there. But must admit still buy alot of things via the post from there as often it works out very cheap. I agree with you often the postage is more than the gift, so no more aussie chocolate for that daughter!

Meganne, you are so good at digitizing. Just make the cuties a special design and email it to them. The heck with postage. We will just beat the system!!!!

That is insane...

For several years now I have sent money, via Paypal, to my daughter to buy my grand-daughter presents at Easter, Birthday and most Christmases and with the American coupon system she can find some brilliant bargains. Eight years ago, when she was five, I sent my little grand-daughter a lovely bought 'on special' ABC book, costing $5, and then paid $20 postage to get it to her..... and this, knowing that America had magnificent books for children for less than that cost.

We all want to send gifts to special people so we fork out the money each time, knowing that we could buy something much more valuable if we didn't have that exorbitant postage cost, or even add that extra postage to the week's food bill instead of fine-tuning the budget for the week.

Last Christmas I should have just bought Gift Cards as my grand-daughter had 'grown up' and all the presents I had made were out of fashion, so last year, not cool or just not appropriate. I've learnt my lesson in that direction and she'll love the Gift Cards next time, bought by her mother from a list of favourite stores.

Another way I beat the system is to order gifts from American businesses and have them sent directly to my family members. Even adding currency exchange, bank fees and shipping costs to the purchase price, this is far more cost-effective than posting things from here.

Having said all that, I will continue to send very special gifts, such as embroidered gifts made by me (things I can't buy), to very special people, but these gifts are becoming few and far between these days simply because of the cost of postage.

Now this new cost is a bit of a blow.

AlmaG.

WOW.....this is crazy the postage alone it too high much less adding another $9.00. The USA must be trying to make up for UPS almost being broke. But if the gift you sent was for me ...well I'll just say I'm sorry and you shouldn't have, but glad you did....lol.
Hugs,Sis

Meg, I'm glad you brought this subject up. It gives us all a little break from all the devastations we've been seeing and thinking about. Gives us a chance to vent and I already feel better, hope you do too.
Hugs Karen

That is awful! The postal service will start losing business and it is deserved for prices like this! I am sure the person you sent the gift to will love it enough to make it worth the cost.

I thought it was to started last year because it was announced on ebay awhile ago.
If you want to grumble about Aust post -what about the parcel deliverer who just leaves the parcel on the front step without even knocking or waiting to see if anyone is home.Once if you were out you'd find a card in the letterbox telling you to pick up the parcel from the nearest PO ,not any more it seems.

I understand your pain. I bought a chest in China and had to pay $275. in extra fees when it arrived in CA.

Well, considering the naked x-rays we have to endure in order to board an airplane in the U.S. and sometimes an indecent pat-down, nothing here surprises me. I'd pay $9 just to get out of the naked x-ray! :-D Believe me, sending a gift to Germany from the U.S. is VERY expensive, too. My baby granddaughter lives in Germany and I've spent hundreds mailing gifts to her that I have made. A year ago I took one whole suitcase filled with handmade gifts for her layette and paid the extra $50 and then gave the suitcase to a German thrift store. Saved myself a lot of money. What I suggest is do what I've done: Get a small digital scale and keep your packages under the cost of the extra $9 fee. I also save all the bubble-wrap mailing envelopes and use those instead of heavier cardboard boxes. Don't send anything breakable. I also jam everything I can into an envelope (letters, news articles, cards) and keep it under 1 oz. so I can send it overseas for 98 cents.