You and me are aiding Chinese exporters via postage costs subsidy

Bazza · 2019-08-26T09:31:32+00:00

A lot of DIYers buy bits and pieces on line (eg Ebay) and we may be amazed at how something that comes all the way from China can be a whole lot cheaper than exactly the same item sent within the UK. This is because Royal Mail is not allowed to charge China Post for the full delivery costs under a United Nations agreement. This is because China is classified as a "Developing Nation". And the Western countries have been suckered into subsiding the delivery costs of exports from co-called developing countries to help them develop. This madness prevails such that the cost of delivery by airmail from China is less than 20% of our cost of sending a small parcel within the UK. A typical example is two identical items on Ebay:-Ebay Item 264316819323 from China = delivered to the door in UK = Price £1.65 Ebay Item 283549880717 from UK = delivered to the door in UK = Price £3.84On this item Royal Mail charges the UK seller £3.0 as opposed to the 81p it charges China Post. Two million items a week are thought to arrive each week from China. They are transported by air freight to the UK. The effect on UK retailers and on-line sellers is self-evident. They simply cannot compete. That is why our High Streets are suffering and UK manufacturing is in steady decline. Jobs are being lost and our economy is suffering. I feel it is up to ourselves to put pressure on to change this and the best way to start is to write on-line to our respective MPs.

Aug 26, 2019 Last reply: 6 years ago 41 Replies

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whisky-dave 6 years ago

I agree but that doesn't mean you can't have a UK store with the advantages of a UK such as VAT inclusing prices.

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whisky-dave 6 years ago

So post a link whwre I can get the above for cheaper than getting them pre-made from china.

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