For sure at some point, prices will get higher either by shippimg fees or by tax.
Here in FI they lowered the VAT taxation limit from 10EUR minimum payment to 5EUR minimum. VAT % is 24.
So up from about 22EUR, you will have to pay VAT here if customs stops packet.
I bet they lose money for every 5EUR they tax with all the work involved + storage space and time needed. Bigger packets probably make tax profit.
If you are as old as I am or older?
Both of us know that any (meaningful) addressing of “reality” nowadays involves across-the-board freedom lovers just as old as us giving up something for the greater good of the free world as a whole or better put “our kids and grandchildren” through traditional shared sacrifice.
As this is not likely to happen in our lifetimes?
The USPS is not fixable and probably never will be given that succeeding generations do not (evidently) truly comprehend what we’ve just pulled on them concerning far more examples of blatant mismanagement than merely this one.
In the UK if you order anything over £15 you have to pay 20% VAT + An £8 handling fee, and if it`s over £300 you have to pay DUTY as well.
A lot of sellers declare a lower than £15 value, But VAT can be calculated on the invoice inside, so a lot of sellers don't include one in the parcel, and if you insure your order they can base the VAT on that amount.
John.
I looked it up. A wiser man than me wrote:“Postage stamp tariffs are tariffs unrelated to distance or the characteristics of a single transaction”. IN the Netherlands it makes no difference if you live nextdoor to me or in another place nobody would want to live. It will cost me €0.78 to send a letter to my neighbour. And €1.33 to send a letter to the rest of the world.
IF big Chinese sellers calculate shipping cost as a percentage upon the selling price, they will loose on the small packets and make money on the big ones. And in total get to a break even point. All based on prognosed volumes. Have done that over half a lifetime. Makes no difference if you are dealing with mail of with energy (like I used to. Though it helps if you know something about what you are dealing with).
When I pay a seller from China for a certain item, it will be delivered at my doorstep. IF customs have reasons to believe this item has a certain value and they want a piece of the action, I will pay that to the mailman, or at the Postal Agency. I don’t foresee that these rules will change in any way. It could be possible that the amount of money for each transaction changes (goes up: can’t think of any other direction in NL).
yeah and now from the UPU website:
http://www.upu.int/en/the-upu/congress/about-congress.html
In 2008, 2012, 2016 shipping costs, e commerce and such were well known.
I think that what it started out to be, since the OP is from Connecticut USA.