One reason this is being marked as a ZOMBIE THREAD FROM 2013
is that much of the information in it is out of date and incorrect.
The Universal Postal Union (founded 1874 and now a part of the United Nations) worked for some years to persuade /force China to give up its status as an underdeveloped country (like Liberia or Paraguay). Such countries are given subsidies to their overseas mail by the richer Western countries.
Basically, all UPU members agree to deliver mail from all other members, and do some very fancy accounting to recover the costs of the delivering postal system from the sending postal system.
Western /developed countries agree to complete deliveries from underdeveloped countries for less than they would charge an equally wealthy country.
Basically, in addition to speaking softly, the Western nations were wielding a big stick.
Low value Chinese shipments were given the lowest priority by the Western postal systems.
We saw the struggle in the form of complaints from eBay buyers whose small, untracked, and 'free shipping' purchases from China were being held at Customs or by Canada Post for months.
China caved around the time of the last UPU congress held in Istanbul in the Fall of 2016. *
China agreed to raise their international package rates over the next five years or so, to cover the actual costs of delivery.
This should mean that by 2020, the cost of buying, person to person, on eBay from China will rise considerably.
It will not affect the cost of commercial shipping, which does not use the world postal system. So if you need a container of patio chairs, the UPU agreement will not change your costs.
*Before the US elections, for the record
