Australia Post has officially entered the subscription delivery game with Shipster, a service that promises users ‘free’ postage at a range of online retailers for a flat monthly fee of $6.95. The first two months are completely free.
Here’s the premise: Australia Post says you can sign up with details matching your MyPost account, pay the sign-up fee, and participating retailers will automatically nix shipping costs at checkout when you enter your deets.
If you’re thinking that sounds a lot like Amazon Prime, you’re not bloody wrong. The point of difference here is that AusPost’s new model links online shoppers to a range of local retailers, instead of one big-arse American entity.
As of right now, punters can sign up to receive shipping on goods bought from department stores including Target and Myer; tech and appliance stores Kogan and Harvey Norman; fashion retailers ShowPo, PepperMayo, SurfStitch, and Culture Kings; and cosmetic stores The Body Shop, MAC, and AdoreBeauty. All told, some 50+ retailers have teamed up with the service so far. The service will ship Australia-wide, to both regional and metro areas.
The service has been kicked into gear ahead of Amazon’s imminent arrival on our shores. If the company’s Aussie influence mirrors the impact it had on the American retail sector (read: a total bloody upheaval), you can expect to see local retailers pushing Shipster hard.
Amazon is setting up its first big distribution hub in Melbourne’s Dandenong South, which will begin operations before the end of 2018. In all likelihood, it’ll be big. Until then, feel free to buy your Vans via Shipster.
