As a UK customer, I usually order from MSL who charge a reasonable €9.90 postage.
I recently ordered 7 signal kits from Schneider Modellbahnzubehör who charged a whopping €35 postage.
Is this level of postage costs justified?

I’m in the US. The postage averages around four percent on shipments of EUR 1,000+. I don’t order small items to be shipped by themselves, but I wait until my backorder justifies a shipment.

Sadly, EUR 1,000 is not a very large order anymore, what with engines 500+ and some rolling stock running around 100 each!

I don't know. I'll check the invoice/consignment note when it arrives.
The website does say Insurance is extra although there was no option to in/exclude it.

When it does arrive, I'll weigh it and then see how much Royal Mail would charge to send it back.

Unfortunately, shipping costs have literally skyrocketed in recent years due to well anything to be honest. Generally size along with weight are main factors then of course how fast. It all plays a part. In my job I ship computer systems. Fragile is huge as well. I generally rather ship shipments by the skid instead of by the piece. Surprisingly less damage by the skid as compared to by the piece. All of this factors into cost. Unfortunately, as time goes on more and more items are being shipped to your door and of course more people are using shipping services. In the end we pay for it.

@dave55uk:

Depending on the size of your parcel, DHL (=Deutsch Post) will charge the supplier



So, the rest of the 35€ may be due to the supplier's handling cost, as mvd71 presumes.

BTW, there should be a price tag on the parcel indicating the forwarding cost.

There's nothing on the label regarding cost.

TBH, I did search for Schneider but only got 4 locos from another maker,
so I assumed [yeah, yeah, I know :-)] they didn't carry them.

But if you have a link..... ;-)

The consumer rates are posted on https://shop.deutschepos...e/dhl-online-frankierung

Corporate clients have access to lower rates (bulk, preferred client status, etc), but some seem to charge the official rate and may pocket the difference as added profit

A parcel containing a few coaches/cars or one or two locomotives usually falls in the "Up to 2kg" category.
If you choose an option with full insurance and tracking, it can add to the cost.
Shipments to the USA must now have tariffs pre-paid under an agreement with US Post and US CBP.

Regards

Mike C

The prices you show are without insurance and without tracking.
Options with tracking and insurance will be more expensive.

The company writes on their site:
"Die Versandkosten innerhalb von Europa betragen 10,00 € pro Bestellung.
Wir tragen für Sie auch hier die kompletten Versandkosten ab einem Warenwert von 100,00 €."

So if we take that verbatimly, the postage rate for the UK should be only €10 or even €0, depending on the value.

I'm afraid they mean "EU", even though they write Europe.

A big DHL parcel with insurance and tracking is €34.99 to the UK. So the €35 given by Schneider for worldwide deliveries is maybe just an attempt to give a single figure that is on the safe side.
Maybe they also use it as compensation for the redtape, tariff declaration, VAT paperworks etc.

I compared the DHL rates for France and UK and €15 for the UK looks like a fair rate.

If you intend to order there again, maybe ask them nicely about the high postage rate that does not match their description (€10 with Europe).

Yes, MSL is my 'go to' shop and 10€ I think is fair. No problems (well, only one) with FedEx.