Choosing to lodge your parcels with Australia Post means relying on the best of the best to ensure your parcels get delivered on time and safely. With a wide team of postal workers reaching the vast majority of residential addresses each day, the cost of shipping is cheap and you can expect even the standard shipped domestic packages to arrive within a day or two.
Although Australia Post’s shipping rates win the market alone, its optional extras and value-added services provide small and eCommerce businesses with even more features to provide peace of mind and help them scale their business.
Optional Extras for Australia Post Domestic Shipping
Australia Post offers three optional extras for domestic shipments.
Australia Post Extra Cover
Australia Post Extra Cover/Insurance provides loss or damage cover up to the specified value of your item (as long as it’s under $5,000) to give you added peace of mind while Australia Post is delivering your parcels. The cost is free for all parcels with a price of under $100. For each additional $100 of cover, $2.50 can be added up to $5000.
If your item is under $500 in value, you must add the Australia Post Signature on Delivery option for an additional $2.95 to ensure your customer receives their parcel. If you’re lodging via Registered Post, this doesn’t apply as it’s already included in the service.
If you choose not to purchase Extra Cover, your item may still be eligible for compensation if it is lost or damaged at the hands of Australia Post. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis. In most cases, a refund of the postage will also be applied.
How to add Extra Cover
Australia Post Extra Cover can be added at the Post Office while purchasing your shipment. It will likely be offered to you as well. If you are using MyPost Business or an integrated Australia Post API from your website, then Extra Cover can easily be added during the ordering process.
Australia Post Signature on Delivery
Signature on Delivery adds extra peace of mind by ensuring someone is home to sign for a parcel when it is delivered. This is instead of regular mail which is often left in a safe place at the door of an address. If no one is home, the package will be taken to the nearest Post Office or Australia Post business partner and a note will be left with pickup instructions.
As mentioned above, the price for Signature on Delivery is $2.95. You can add this feature to your shipments during the lodging process or from MyPost Business. As with other optional extras, this can also be added during the ordering process from your integrated shipping applications. This can be added by a developer or any authorized Shopify Australia Post or WooCommerce Australis Post shipping solutions by PluginHive.
Australia Post Email Track Advice
Email Track Advice gives the recipient of a package email updates every time there is progress on the delivery of their parcel. Users can also check in on their buying journey from your website, their own Australia Post application, or by opting into SMS updates. The cost of tracking a package via email is free but must be opted into at the time of lodgement or when the recipient is adding their address details from the MyPost Business web integration.
For more on optional extras to help add peace of mind to your eCommerce business, check out the website here.
Optional Extras for Australia Post International Shipping
The extras offered for international shipments are the same as those Australia Post offers for domestic, however, there are some modifications to meet the needs of shipping overseas and the added risk, etc.
Australia Post Extra Cover
The cost of Extra Cover is free for the first $100 of cover and $4 for each additional $100 of cover up to $5,000. Extra Cover is not available for every destination country. Be sure to check out the website to learn more.
Australia Post Tracking
Tracking is available for free with most international shipments (Standard, Express, and Courier post options. It is not available with Economy shipping) and can be done via email, SMS, your website integration, or the Australia Post application.
According to Australia Post, “With email and SMS notifications, we’ll send you a confirmation when your item’s posted, when it arrives in the destination country and when it’s delivered.”
Australia Post Signature on Delivery
Signature on Delivery is available for most shipping options except for Economy international shipments. A cost is added for some options, which are listed below.
- Australia Post Courier: Not available
- Australia Post Express: Included free
- Australia Post Standard: Extra $5.50
- Australia Post Registered Post: Included free
- Australia Post Economy Parcels: Extra $5.50
- Australia Post Economy letters: Not available
To learn more about the optional extras available to your eCommerce business to add peace of mind for you and your customers, check on the website here.
One Final Note…
Your customers’ satisfaction is likely one of the most important parts of your business. If you are selling products that are worth more than $100, providing that added value and peace of mind can go a long way to ensure your customers remain happy. It will also secure your parcels and minimize any loss you may suffer if the product arrives broken or goes missing. Having that added value removes the stress that comes with shipping high-value items – especially when it comes to international customers.
Interested in finding out how PluginHive can integrate Australia Post shipping services right into your Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, or other commerce-based web platforms? Reach out for a conversation with our customer support team.
