Since the Astrolearn bookshop was launched in May 2024, shipping costs have been calculated based strictly on weight. Unlike many other online bookselling platforms, we do not charge a flat rate per book and then an additional rate for each additional book irrespective of size or weight. Thus, our shipping rates are calculated as fairly as possible, and savings tend to add up on larger orders.
However, you can now benefit from reduced shipping cost calculations on many weights of books, especially those between 250g and 5kg.
When I first set up shipping rate calculations for the Astrolearn shop, they were based on post office counter rates applicable in April 2024 for all weights up to 5kg, and broker-mediated courier rates on heavier weights.
Although post office counter rates have only further increased since then, there are now some better-value options via Royal Mail pre-paid shipping purchased online. I have therefore revised the flexible shipping calculation tables for all nine shipping zones: the UK, Europe Zone 1, Europe Zone 2, Europe Zone 3, the USA and Canada, Australia & New Zealand, Asia, and Mexico & South America. Additionally, I’ve created a new tenth zone just for the Netherlands, which now enjoys some preferential rates compared with other countries in Europe Zone 2, of which it was previously considered a part; and separate dedicated zones for France, Germany and Ireland, all of which enjoy better rates than the other countries in Europe Zone 1, but on a very individual basis.
Please note that for reasons of risk management, we can currently ship via the automated shop to only some countries in Asia and in Central and South America, those indicated on the shipping policy page.
Postage and packing within the UK now starts at just £4 for up to 1.8 kg of books (equivalent to 2 kg when packed – I presume packaging to account for 10% of the final weight of any order, though it can in fact be more than this). This is based on Royal Mail Small Parcel Tracked 48 rates, which do not require a signature on delivery but are insured to £150. Any extra insurance requirements on high-value orders will be at my own expense.
UK orders for between 1.8 kg and 9 kg of books will still require a signature on delivery, but I’ve cut the price for postage and packing within this weight bracket from the original £9.99 to £9.15.
All international orders will continue to be sent tracked and signed-for, but quite a few rates have nonetheless reduced in every international shipping zone.
There have been price reductions chiefly on weights from 250g to 5kg in all international price zones. In one or two cases, the reductions extended as far as the 5-7.5kg zone (good for books collectively weighing up to 6.75kg before packing) and even the 7.5-10kg zone (good for books collectively weighing up to 9kg before packing), although in most cases the brokered courier options remain cheaper for these weights, as they do for all weights over 10kg.
Because the cheaper pricing to Australia and New Zealand is exclusive to those two countries, I have renamed the pricing zone that was formerly called Oceania to just Australia and New Zealand. This leaves Fiji and New Caledonia without an automatic pricing structure for the time being. If you live in either territory and wish to purchase books from our shop, please contact me separately.
PS: It has also come to my attention that brokered courier rates on packages over 5kg have in many cases increased since I first set up the store a year ago. I have therefore had to make upward adjustments in these cases, also factoring in the cost of insurance on these services, as it is typically not included as standard. There is usually no neat division into zones for brokered courier companies, but it would be impractical to set up a separate zone for every single country for a small, niche business like this one, so I’ve retained the regionally zoned basis for pricing, and this may result in some prices being higher than they need to be for particular countries but on others I’ll be shipping at a loss, so on average it will be as fair as possible.
Leave a Reply