Are there restrictions one mailing items to Australia?

[mozartbach1971]

I think I remember reading somewhere that items shipped by first class mail to Australia would  not be accepted and returned. Does anyone know if this is true? I have at least two orders to ship there. Would I need to hold onto them?

[itscalledapostingid]

ebay had an announcement about AU shipping...

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/USPS-to-suspend-package-services-to-Australia-effective/...

[mozartbach1971]

I ship items by first class package rate and first class large envelope flat by Stamps.com.  Does this mean these two methods are now prohibited?

[beautyinterrupted]

In the announcement posted about AU shipping it states the reason why shipping is halted. This is not an ebay thing.. it's more of a USPS and AU Postal Service situation. 

[sassykzt]

You can try Pirate ship and ask for the export rate ( much cheaper than USPS!)  The shipping done by Asendia USA .  My buyers are receiving their packages in a timely manner.  Only the Sydney facility is closed for the moment.  Melbourne & Brisbane are operating normally.  My packages to Sydney are being routed to Melbourne but still being delivered,

[sin-n-dex]

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@sassykzt wrote:

You can try Pirate ship and ask for the export rate ( much cheaper than USPS!)  The shipping done by Asendia USA .  My buyers are receiving their packages in a timely manner.  Only the Sydney facility is closed for the moment.  Melbourne & Brisbane are operating normally.  My packages to Sydney are being routed to Melbourne but still being delivered,

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I ship with Chit Chats Express service and they use Asendia. They said Asendia is now reinstated (they blocked it for about 1 day), but USPS services are blocked. I've got services to Australia blocked temporarily because I see this as a volatile situation that is likely to change, so I'd rather keep it blocked for right now.

C.

[richard1rst]

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@sassykzt wrote:

You can try Pirate ship and ask for the export rate ( much cheaper than USPS!)  The shipping done by Asendia USA .  My buyers are receiving their packages in a timely manner.  Only the Sydney facility is closed for the moment.  Melbourne & Brisbane are operating normally.  My packages to Sydney are being routed to Melbourne but still being delivered,

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Ditto that. Pirateship has a very robust chat system with immediate and knowledgeable answers.

They told me that they have removed "first class package" as a shipping option so you can not even select it

BUT they told me that Simple Export (which goes though Asendia) and USPS Priority Mail are going through just fine.

[mozartbach1971]

You can try Pirate ship and ask for the export rate ( much cheaper than USPS!)  The shipping done by Asendia USA .  My buyers are receiving their packages in a timely manner.  Only the Sydney facility is closed for the moment.  Melbourne & Brisbane are operating normally.  My packages to Sydney are being routed to Melbourne but still being delivered,

Are you saying that only Sydney is closed off to USPS first class?

[bigdeals.etc]

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@mozartbach1971 wrote:

I ship items by first class package rate and first class large envelope flat by Stamps.com.  Does this mean these two methods are now prohibited?

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It’s not “prohibited” by stamps.com or usps processing. They’ll process it and take your money. But I assume once it hits AUS customs, that’s when they’ll all get turned back and returned to you. No refund.

It might cost more, but I’m going to use eBay standard international for AUS items for now. I know the general consensus of that service within these boards, but I’m experienced with it enough to not really stress over its flaws.

[mozartbach1971]

I clicked on the link and it does not say if first class stamped mail and first class large envelope flat by Stamps.com will be returned.  Does anyone know if these services are also banned?

Here is what the link says:

As of Friday, September 3, 2021, USPS will temporarily suspend some international services to Australia. This suspension is due to COVID-19 transportation cancellations and restrictions. Impacted services include the the following:

• First-Class Package International Service (FCPIS)
• Commercial ePacket (CeP)
• International Priority Airmail (IPA) Packets
• International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) Packets

USPS has also confirmed all packages which have not been processed by the International Service Center (ISC) will be processed as “Return to Sender”.

We will continue to monitor the situation, and for more detailed, up-to-date information, please check the USPS International Services Alerts page.

eBay international standard delivery and GSP are not affected; both services will continue to provide timely delivery to Australia. For more information on these services, please visit our eBay international shipping page.

As always, thank you for selling on eBay.

The eBay Shipping Team

[friskya]

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@richard1rst wrote:

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Ditto that. Pirateship has a very robust chat system with immediate and knowledgeable answers.

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Even better, it seems that their chat staff actually speaks English as their first language. 

[mozartbach1971]

I have some small items that I'm going to try shipping with stamped mail. Has anyone tried this?

[richard1rst]

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@friskya wrote:

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Even better, it seems that their chat staff actually speaks English as their first language. 

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Well, actually, they speak Pirate with lots of Arrggghhs, Ahoys and Mateys. And they always address you as Captain. And they are always checking Below Deck for the right answer.

Kinda fun comic relief.

[sassykzt]

No,  only USPS has suspended all mail to Australia.  Use pirateship's export rate ( you must message them and ask to  able to access this special rate).  Once the package leaves the US, it is handled by Asendia USA.  I had 5 packages delivered today in various locations in Australia.