Originally Posted by
ptquilts
speaking as a seller, I only use USPS for international. And I don't offer it on anything expensive. I was not aware FedEx was anywhere close to USPS in cost for overseas.
I think tracking is mostly a benefit to you as the seller, since you are responsible for getting the package there and proving it was received.
As a buyer I would not care, as long as it got there eventually.
ETA - I just checked FedEX for a 1 pound package going from USA to UK and came up with $82. A far cry from the USPS flat rate boxes.
Barb, I don't know what you're shipping, but if it is anything that will fit in the USPS flat-rate envelopes, you may not know that FedEx also has the same flat-rate envelopes. And FedEx's rates are... somewhat negotiable, in that if they want your business they will set you up with pricing that is "below list price". What I've been investigating is the flat-rate-envelope pricing, which (for me), going to Canada, is just about the same as what USPS would charge for the FREs, plus the $1 / package that I pay for third-party insurance. With FedEx, $100 worth of insurance is included in their rates. However, should fuel prices go crazy, FedEx's rates would go up, whereas with USPS the price is fixed until the next general rate increase. For a FedEx FRE going to the UK, it does cost more up front to ship it, by about $4. However... on the receiving end in the UK the customer is going to get charged a £8 Customs Clearance fee (which I think is about $10.50 USD). So, overall FedEx would be a better deal for the customer, since with FedEx the Customs Clearance (brokerage) fee is included in the rate.
There's no cost advantage to countries like Australia, which don't charge a Customs Clearance fee or taxes, unless the purchase is valued at $500 or more. I think. We don't get many $500 orders from Australia! :-)
What complicates things, too, is that sometimes USPS packages slip through in the UK and Canada without incurring the Customs Clearance fees / sales tax assessment. And IMHO this makes it kind of feel like a lottery game for the recipient, where some days you win (big) and some days you lose (big). Whereas with FedEx, taxes will always be charged (small loss). So this makes it harder to decide which way is best. It probably depends on whether you like games of chance, or would rather go with the sure thing.