Why is shipping from China so effing cheap?

[BRIK]

Shipping to Australia from China is usually free ;D Having said that though, even though we are quite close it always takes upwards of four weeks. Shipping from America is usually quicker than that.

[ninjainspandex]

Explain this? $0.91 shipped from china? http://www.ebay.com/itm/gi-b-2-Rolls-St ... 2a330e4fd6

[fastbilly1]

Explain this? $0.91 shipped from china? http://www.ebay.com/itm/gi-b-2-Rolls-St ... 2a330e4fd6

the cost to make that is so low that it is fractions of a cent. They make it in rolls that are 80 feet wide and 100s of feet long. Selling you 3feet of it cost them the price of shipping, and that can be done in a normal bubble envelope.

[ninjainspandex]

Explain this? $0.91 shipped from china? http://www.ebay.com/itm/gi-b-2-Rolls-St ... 2a330e4fd6

the cost to make that is so low that it is fractions of a cent. They make it in rolls that are 80 feet wide and 100s of feet long. Selling you 3feet of it cost them the price of shipping, and that can be done in a normal bubble envelope.

how can the shipping from china and packaging possibly be less than 91 cents?

[fastbilly1]

Packaging, I imagine they are buying them in the hundred thousands. The actual shipping, that I do not have an answer for. I mean they could do a bulk mail via boat, that would get it in the ballpark.

[ZeroAX]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned low taxes and cost of manual labor.

[ninjainspandex]

yes but once it hits the States it is handled by USPS, and you can't even ship something to the next county over for 91 cents. So what does the US have a special deal with China to make shipping so cheap, probably because we owe so much money to them?

[bacteria]

I've bought quite a few items from China/Hong Kong myself; it's crazy, the items including postage cost less than the cost of posting in the UK itself, and it comes by our postal service.

Typically items seem to arrive 2-5 weeks, but I did once get something in less than a week. Fast!

I understand of course if they come over in large crates the cost per unit is tiny, however doesn't explain the postage element.

[ZeroAX]

Does anyone actually have any idea how postages costs are handled between different postal agencies?

For example its' cheaper for me to send something from Greece to the UK, than the same exact package from the UK to Greece. I really think it depends a lot on the post agency of each country SENDING the package, not the receiving one.

[Betagam7]

It's not even just shipping. I just spent the equivilent of £2 to get a perfectly functioning DS R4 card including USB adaptor delivered from Taobao.

I don't know how they make any profit on anything.