Royal Mail vs USPS: Shipping woes

[anita1825]

So here's my situation: I sell collectible cards. The orders never weigh any more than 10 ounces. Keep that in mind. I make sure to check the box to utilize ebays Global Shipping Program so that i can sell to people overseas for cheaper. I have competitors who sell the same exact thing I do over in the UK. Their sales are ALWAYS more than mine and what's more, I notice that people here in the States are buying from them and paying MORE. This has been going in for at least a year and it never made any sense to me. So I have been trying to find answers. Apparently in some cases, it costs the buyer MORE when using the Global Shipping Program. So I adjusted my settings to offer Standard international Shipping in order to better compete. I went to the post office and they told me that the cost to ship out an entire set of my cards would cost 14.00 plus 15.00 for tracking. For 9 cards that don't even weigh a pound in a little bubble mailer. Why does it cost so much more here and notnin the UK can somebody please explain this to me??