Originally Posted by nativetexan
remember the post offices have instutited an extra $9.00 charge for anything shipped overseas over one pound due to the people trying to send bad things via UPS and other companies. we pay for the extra security measures they must do now.
The last intl package I mailed was to Romania right before Thanksgiving so I haven't been looking since.
I did hear that Australia post office had instituted a $9 fee that the seller must pay. But I hadn't heard anything else.
However, I just did a search and see serious chatter on all the selling sites (fabric, anime, collectibles) about this from more countries.
I can't see if this is the individual country's response to additional work, or if the US is instituting it. Maybe the USPS is responding to the DHS security requirements. So that means, effectively, that every countries post office is collecting $9 to forward to the US? That makes no sense.
I just called the post office, and they know nothing.
You can see all grumbling if you do a search on "$9 surcharge usps international"
But that still doesn't address OP's gripe (rightly) about why Hancock's raised their price so much.