TL;DR: we no longer offer international shipping via first class mail international parcel because packages are lost constantly.

What is first class mail international parcel?

First class mail international parcel is the cheapest and most economic way for a United States business to ship small items, under 2 lbs, internationally. This is the cheapest option, and can be as low as $5-$15.

What happened to first class mail international parcel?

We removed it as an option, only leaving priority and express mail for international parcels.

Why did you get rid of first class mail international parcel?

First class mail international results in very high numbers of lost packages. Take this example, of a package going to Denmark - why is it in Japan? Your guess is as good as mine. When will this package make its way to Ireland? No one knows: this is the type of behavior we've come to expect from USPS first class mail international. In the case they do get the right country, it is rarer still that the package actually makes its way to the customer. Nearly all of our lost package inquiries are for international parcels.

What if I am willing to take the risk?

It's not right to bill people for items they did not receive. Plus, we live in a credit card society. All one must do is call the 800 number on the back of the card and they have a full refund - there is no way to pass the liability for lost packages onto the customer, and honestly, we wouldn't want to do that. It is a scummy thing to do. It is our responsibility to get your package to you, you aren't playing russian roulette when you order items online.

Is this a fee you are charging to cover this?

No, this is not a fee. This is the post office's prices for USPS priority mail international and USPS express mail international. Our site grabs prices from USPS and passes them off to you.

Priority mail international and express mail international are higher grades of mail service. They are treated differently, so they are not lost as often. We are only making available priority and express mail because they are less likely to be lost, as they appear to be treated differently from first class mail.

Wait, you were offering first class mail international parcel before. If you did it then, why not now?

International shipping via first class mail was always a loss leader. We did it to make customers happy. When the company is making money, I don't mind having a loss leader. Walk-in business is down 90% due to the global pandemic and the entire world is going into a recession. I can't afford to have loss leaders anymore. Walk-in business is down 90%, on top of which we are giving heavily discounted repairs to people who lost their jobs. I can't send stock all over the world that I have to refund over 50% of the time. As my friend's mom used to say, "if it don't make dollars it don't make sense." Loss leaders unfortunately have got to go.

I dream of a world someday where first class mail international parcels actually make their way to the customer. This is not a world we have yet achieved. I am sorry. :(