Re: Amazon opening up In Australia
 

Sheet !!!

I wondered why they were delaying us, They've moved our packages from the 29th of Sept to the 1st of Jan just this week.

Must be gauging the impact.

Re: Amazon opening up In Australia
 

Amazon AU supposedly opened today, has anyone heard anything about it. ??

The Union reckons it will go like this....

https://www.resellerratings.com/store/Amazon_ca

The same if not worse than Canada. Basically because of the spread of population and difficult to access places.

Apparently Aus Post are not going to treat Amazon Parcels as specials, having launched their own rival system called Shipster.

So let the fun begin.




Here's a link to Aus Posts new roll out.

https://auspost.com.au/shipster?&ecid=p26531255748

Re: Amazon opening up In Australia
 

Today was the 'soft' launch, with very few carefully selected trialists. Rumour has the proper launch tomorrow.

Basically if Auspost don't buck their ideas up for Amazon and do the job properly, people will be left in no doubt who's to blame. Amazon don't muck about on the tracking, failure will be exposed. Worse, Amazon are perfectly capable of setting up their own logistics (something I think they should have done anyway).

Shi*ster is basically a dead duck, they really didn't understand how this type of thing is supposed to work. The more you dig into the terms, the worse it gets.

Re: Amazon opening up In Australia
 

To get what I want at the price I want to pay I often have to source goods from the USA, UK, Asia or China. Consequently delivery times can be long.

Amazon AU to me is about having a far broader local choice of goods at reasonable pricing. Fingers crossed on both of course.

So at the outset delivery times are not the be-all and end-all to me.

Re: Amazon opening up In Australia
 

From what Ozzie says, its the union playing the games. Oz post management will want as much business as they can from Amazon.

Re: Amazon opening up In Australia
 

It is similar to ebay
What ever you want to buy from Amazon you can find in ebay

Re: Amazon opening up In Australia
 

Ebay does not private label your IP

Re: Amazon opening up In Australia
 

not sure what do you mean by "private label your IP"
but does this affect me as a buyer?!
whatever I can find on amazon, I can find on ebay.

Re: Amazon opening up In Australia
 

private label culls original. Then you have price rise or less quality.

Sellers using Ebay do not have any concerns over what Amazon do (and read the terms and conditions) which is bring in products - evaluation - replicate - price out originators).

At least this thread proves my point that Amazon does not have logistics as its core competence.


It would also appear the same for Aus Post (they just have not yet worked that out yet)

Re: Amazon opening up In Australia
 

Amazon will put a huge squeeze on delivery rates, if AusPost buckles they will end up just subsidising their main business with a few extra pennies and little more.

I hope that in the name of transparency we see the numbers one day and that they won't end up buried deep in the accounting structure under some "confidential agreement" and never see the light of day.

Re: Amazon opening up In Australia
 

It's Amazon that are in trouble here, not Aus Post. What's happened over the last few years is Aus Post have forced the price of payment for drivers down to such a degree that Amazon is going to have real issues finding drivers willing to work for them, as it's an area where people know they are going to get burned if they take on a contract.

StarTrack Contractors are paying some subcontractors as little as 50 cents per parcel for delivery.


There have been quite a few reports about it on TV and now Amazon find themselves in an environment where it's very difficult to take on Drivers unless they are on an hourly wage. The hourly award wage is very high compared to the standard contract rate. It will add massive costs to Amazons projections. Plus so many people in the industry have been burned by working as drivers many will be reticent to take on a job. The whole industry is plagued by underpayment.

Australia Post ditches three large parcel delivery contractors in wake of underpayment scandal - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)



Australia Post: A parcel delivery every three minutes is ‘unrealistic’, courier says
Anyone that has followed my posts will know I've been talking about that same subject for at least 8 years on here. It's why you end up with garages full of parcels, it's also why you end up with cards through letterboxes.

I've worked as a parcel driver for Aus post in my first 7 years with them, It was bad enough 16 years ago when it was for wages before it went Contract. Now those drivers working as Parcel drivers are earning at least 40 pct less than I was 16 years ago. Thankfully I'm on wages at Aus Post and inside, but that means I know exactly whats going on and the conditions, I also know about the real struggle Amazon have now found themselves in.

Amazon are doing everything they can to avoid the contract system at present and test running Aus Post waged posties as their main delivery source. Thing is The waged posties are already regularly working 7 hours on their bikes outside, that's beside the 4 or 5 hours setting up time. It's also why there are a few core 100K PA Posties, relievers etc. There will be a lot on that 100K next year as we are now being called on to work 6 days a week inside and they are using Posties to sort parcels on weekends.

They, Amazon, are currently doing dummy runs with blank packages through Aus Post central.

In other words, there is an acute labour shortage within the industry, which cannot be fixed without labour costs being raised to the point where Amazon won't be viable in this country.

Re: Amazon opening up In Australia
 

ozzieeagle

what is the expected rate for drivers? or perhaps looking at it from:
current
per union
per livable wage

i think there are two parameters that stir social conscience:
under payment
greed.

Re: Amazon opening up In Australia
 

The award rate for drivers in Australia is around 25.10 AUD plus 30 pct overtime after 7.5 hours. Working before 8AM or after 7PM requires a 15 pct loading. Working a full shift 7.5 hour between 8PM and 8AM requires a 30 pct loading as does Saturday work. Sunday rates are 100 pct loading. There is also a tax-free meal allowance of 15.10 for the first hour of any overtime payable. Hence one hour of OT is worth circa 50 bucks. With most employees at Apost doing a minimum of one hour OT perday these days. Hence 250 bucks extra per week for most delivery employees.

As for livable wage, I'm not sure. I do know even at the above rates Aus Post finds it difficult to hire salaried Drivers, even hub drivers, for picking up mail from letterboxes and transporting mail within their own systems. Van Driving particularly parcels is seen as one of the worst jobs going. The bottom of the pile so to speak.


What happened with Aus Posts acquisition of Star Trak, was Ahmeds attempt to De Unionise the industry. Thing is they went too far and wrecked the whole thing and lowered the wages to the point that only desperate people with English as a second language now work in the industry. Plus they get out as soon as they become employable anywhere else. Plus the union eventually got into startrak central. The union is already making some inroads at Amazon as well.

Re: Amazon opening up In Australia
 

So Ahmeds plan worked meaning delivery got cheaper for the rest of us. Good work Ahmed. Worth every cent.

Re: Amazon opening up In Australia
 

LOL it's broken. Fecked, Kapuut, untenable, the most positive term would probably be useless. With massive delays and staff turnover.

Whereas the union staff, aka posties are supposedly, according to the propaganda monitor in the staff tea room are now running at 90 pct plus first time delivery. Amazon must have bought it, cos no way are they using private contractors.