Korean Job Discussion Forums

[oatmeal]

I had a small parcel weighing just 360 grams (box was about 20 cm x 15cm x10 cm) dimensions and to ship it from Korea to Alaska cost:

ems (express) 27,000 won
air parcel (2 weeks) 21,000 won
ship (2-3 months!) 16,000 won.

actual value of item in parcel: 5,000 won.


What the heck???

Does anyone know why it's so ridiculously expensive to send mail here?

Just out of curiosity, how do sellers ship for free or for $5? I get orders coming from mainland USA weighing 8 to 10 pounds and it only cost $4 or so for shipping. Why when I want to ship something that weights 360 grams does it cost me $20+ ???

How does anyone in korea mail anything outside of korea with these prices?? Is there some kind of insider secret that I don't know about? Am I supposed to get some business license to get free or cheap shipping?

[wings]

There was some kind of misunderstanding for sure. I send 5 or 6 things a week and it is VERY cheap. According to this chart, it should cost you 4,720 won. If you want to add tracking it is an additionsl 2,500 won.

http://www.koreapost.go.kr/eng/sub/subpage.jsp?contId=e1010606

[BigBuds]

Sending stuff from Korea is very cheap especially compared to Australia.

[oatmeal]

hmmmmmm that's weird!

What countries are covered in the 4 different zones?

[Steelrails]

[schwa]

Alaska should be first tier like the rest of North America.

Fourth tier is where I'm at where Korea Post gets around to sending stuff when they've gathered enough or just feel like it. Slow. The costs the OP quotes are ridiculous. Their fixed rates to anywhere are far lower than that.

[oatmeal]

I'll have to visit the post office again and show them this link that seems to indicate the rates should have been much cheaper. I'll see what they have to say now.

[oatmeal]

what constitutes a small packet versus international parcel?

I think that's why I was getting charged 20,000 won to ship my item to Alaska (US)...even though it only weighed 380 grams or so, what dimensions constitutes it as being a small packet or parcel?

[Harpeau]

That's really unfair. For such a light package.

I don't want to hijack this thread, but I ordered something from Amazon and I clicked on the slower delivery and all and they charged me $80 US for shipping. It wasn't that big. Do you think they might have made a mistake? Should I appeal it or not? TIA

[SeoulNate]

I order stuff from amazon all the time, on small boxes you will pay around 8$ usually. I would appeal it.

[oatmeal]

Ok, I have another one. I want to ship a pair of running shoes in the original shoe box. I took it to my post office and weighed it. 1,174 grams (so 1.174 kg). The destination is to California, USA on regular shipping (not EMS).

The chart says shipping would cost me 28,000 won!!! I looked in the chart they had in a booklet, and under USA and weight (1.0 to 1.5 kg) it said 28,200 won.

Wow! So I guess this is correct.

The previous item I tried to mail which was much smaller (a hair care product) that weight about 380 grams according to the chart was correct in that it would cost me 21,400 won for shipping to USA.

So going back to my original post, yes, these are ridiculous shipping prices! I don't understand how some people said here they ship regularly small stuff for 7,000 or 8,000 won. Are you sure it wasn't a small packet and not a parcel?? Small packets look to be cheap according to the chart, but once it's a parcel, it's insanely expensive!

I had no idea it was this expensive to ship small boxes pretty much anywhere outside of Korea.

[SeoulNate]

Their shipping prices are weird. I have had better luck just jamming whatever I wanted to send into manila folders with bubble wrap on the inside. It is way cheaper.

From my understanding, the prices come from volume that the item would consume in a shipping container (along with a weight charge).

[Weigookin74]

Shipping to Alaska is the big deal. It's got to go to the mainland, then it will be reshipped up to Alaska. I checked for flights to Alaska once. No direct short flights from here. You have to go to the lower 48 and then catch another flight back up to Alaska. Even though you fly over the state, you don't stop there.

[Harpeau]