Postage Rates

We use Australia Post for all our shipping and bill our customers at cost for all post and packing.

Postage within Australia and overseas is at standard Australia Post rates.

Our normal means of international postage is via Air Mail, unless specifically requested by the customer to use Express Post International. We strongly recommend using Express Post International if the value of the purchase exceeds AUD$150 or if the customer has a requirement for tracking. Any requests for insured mail or registered international mail will see the goods shipped by Express Post International, for greater protection to the customer. Please be aware the Express Post International is usually five to six times the cost of Air Mail and therefore the high cost is the trade-off against quicker delivery and tracking.
 

Customers will notice that we do not have a postage calculator on our order form. This is because Australia Post uses a complex weight-based method to calculate postage charges.

On 8 April 2013 Australia Post introduced a complex new system of postal charges.  Only a bare outline can be given here.  Full details are available on the website of Australia Post at http://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/new-prices.html.

Red Roo will offer Australia Post’s standard package service and its Express Post service.  Red Roo does not offer Australia Post’s Courier Service options because of its cost in relation to the value of the typical Red Roo package, which makes its use impractical for customers of Red Roo.

Red Roo also offers Australia Post’s ‘signature on delivery’ option for deliveries within Australia and its ‘confirmation of delivery’ option for international deliveries.  Australia Post levies a fixed charge of $2.95 per package for signature on delivery in Australia and a fixed charge of $3.85 for delivery confirmation for international shipments.

As will be seen below, this new system is very complex and the only way to have an accurate idea of the postage is to use the postage calculator on the Australia Post website after the package has been made up and weighed.  However, as emphasized elsewhere on this website, Red Roo will never charge a customer more than the postage charged by Australia Post.

1.   Standard mail service for deliveries within Australia

(a)  Large Letters up to 125g

This category covers decals, PE brass and other flat items up to a maximum size of 260mm x 360mm and less than 20mm thick. Australia Post levies a charge of $1.20.

(b) Small packages up to 500g

Australia Post levies a fixed charge of $6.95 for small packages for delivery anywhere in Australia.

(c)  Regular mail parcels

The postage on parcels depends on three factors: a basic charge, a weight charge and a distance charge.

Australia Post levies a variable charge per kg or part thereof which variable charge is further varied depending on distance to the delivery point.  Australia Post has divided the country into 16 zones so there are 15 possible charges for packages sent by Red Roo (Zone V1) to interstate destinations.  The lowest charge is $0.90 per kg or part thereof and the highest is $7.90 per kg or part thereof.   Full details of this complex system can be found on the Australia Post site at http://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/new-prices.html.

2.   Express Post service for delivery within Australia

(a)  Small packages up to 500g

Australia Post levies a fixed charge of $9-55 for small packages up to 500g for Express Post delivery anywhere in Australia.

(b)  Packages/parcels over 500g

Australia Post levies a basic charge of $12.35 for deliveries within the same state and a basic charge of $13.40 for interstate destinations.

Australia Post levies a variable charge per kg or part thereof which variable charge is further varied depending on distance to the delivery point.  Australia Post has divided the country into 16 zones so there are 15 possible charges for packages sent by Red Roo (Zone V1) to interstate destinations.  The lowest charge is $0.90 per kg or part thereof and the highest is $26.50 per kg or part thereof.   Full details of this complex system can be found on the Australia Post site at http://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/pricing-and-postage-guides.html.

3.  International delivery 

The charges levied by Australia Post for delivery by air outside Australia vary not only for weight but also for distance.  The variable fees for weight are easy to understand and are set out in the Table that follows.  The distance fees are less easy to comprehend as Australia Post divides the world, other than Australia, into 8 Zones but the countries within these Zones are not necessarily contiguous.  For example, Papua and New Guinea and Bangladesh are in Zone 5.  Full details are available on the Australia Post website at http://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/pricing-and-postage-guides.html.

 The postage rates charged by Australia Post by weight and by Zone are as follows:

Brief Explanation of Australia Post International Zones:

A brief guide can be found here http://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/international-zones.html

Australia Post Pack and Track to New Zealand, Singapore, United Kingdom, Ireland and United States of America

In June 2012 Australia Post introduced a new low-cost delivery service that offers a unique tracking code to track your parcel to its final destination, reliable delivery within 3-10 business days and free airmail return for undelivered items. This service is only for items that weigh up to 2kg and are valued up to AUD$500. The service is only available to New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States of America.

The service is a fixed price service for specific weight divisions. Below is a table showing the rates by weight to NZ, Singapore, UK, Ireland and USA:

Generally speaking Air Mail takes 7 to 10 days but at certain peak times during the year this can blow out to 14 to 20 days. Australia Post does not provide tracking of any kind for anything shipped via Air Mail or International Registered Air Mail, although customers should bear in mind that insurance is limited to the first AUD$100 of the value of the goods. Recent changes to Australia Post procedures have made it extremely difficult to lodge Air Mail Insured Items which is why we no longer offer this class of postage.

 Although this service costs considerably more than Air Mail, it offers greater benefits than Air Mail. Delivery times are greatly reduced; usually 3-5 days depending on where the goods are shipped. Some countries in Europe, Asia and South America may have slightly longer internal delivery schedules. Express Post International may not be available to some countries in which case we will ship by Air Mail. Express Post International is the best class of postage we can offer our customers because it provides tracking ability for every step of the way but costs a considerably more than Air Mail.

Australia Post no longer offers Surface Accelerated Mail or Economy Air Mail. Surface Mail is no longer offered to immediate postal zones and is severely restricted to Europe, North and South America.

 Customers are billed for these products at a universal price of AUD$2.80 (our Packaging & Handling fee) because the cost of packaging we use falls close to or just above this price. This price also helps to cover the cost of certain imposts Australia Post makes upon us to operate our commercial mail account.

Red Roo Models is not a common carrier. Once items are lodged for postage we cannot be responsible for loss or damage caused by circumstances outside our control, such as excessively rough handling by postal authorities, spilt liquids or exposure to the weather. If you require basic tracking and insurance select the appropriate postage class: Registered Post inside Australia or Express Postage International with Insurance for international postage - and be prepared to pay the commensurate fees charged by Australia Post.