Ugh! I give up on ordering anything ever!
I'm waiting for a pair of doll eyes, that shipped from the US in July! They cleared customs over a week ago, and have not moved since!
I tried to order three things from Kmart last week. A file holder, which is a plastic thing shaped like an upside down M, for stacking manila folders in (or if you're me, for putting tablets in while they're charging) and two pairs of bloomers for Tiny. Grand total for my order? $11.50. Shipping charges? $24! Surely that is ridiculous! (If you're wondering I did not put the order through once I saw what shipping cost.)
I ordered a dress for Tiny on Ebay. (Even though her summer clothes from last year still fit, so she needs new clothes about as much as she needs a diamond encrusted potty.) It has shipped from a town that's an hour away from here. And yet Australia Post estimates that it will take two and a half weeks to get here!
Meanwhile we've set up our dance studio as a playroom. It looks like this.
I'm not going to apologise for the mess. The point of the playroom is to contain the mess because NOTHING can stop it. But there are thousands of dollars of toys in there. What are the kids favourite toys?
This box is the Giant Baby's favourite toy. He sits inside it playing for hours.
And these horses are Tiny's favourite. McDonald's has been sticking these in Happy Meals all year.
It makes me wonder why we bother buying toys at all.
Little bit of cabin fever this week. I've been trying to focus on keeping the kids happy instead of housework or stuff I want to do and it's starting to make me a little bit crazy.
Our biggest problem with the kids and toys, was that not only were we buying them for Christmas and birthdays, but so were their grandmother, step-grandmother and grandfather, four aunts, and occasionally cousins. Plus we had birthday parties so they could socialize with their little friends, which meant more gifts. My eldest daughter just asked for her plastic Fisher-Price dollhouse, people and furniture, for nostalgia's sake, so that made me happy. :)
ReplyDeleteAre you allowed to receive mail where you are? I wanted to send a package to someone near you, and I thought I saw that mail was closed off to their area for a short time.
I always forget about other people giving them presents too. Then I look at the huge pile of toys and want to have a breakdown. This year was supposed to be little boys first real birthday party with other kids and when all the mum's started asking about what present to get I nearly panicked. Not more toys! Luckily it was cancelled lol.
DeleteWe're still getting mail but it is absolute chaos. Letters are every two days but last week I had three parcels delivered by three different Australia Post people within two hours of each other! But what I'm guessing you saw, is that you can't send international parcels economy at the moment, because those parcels usually go on regular flights and there aren't any. So it's expensive shipping or no shipping. And it doesn't even have the upside of being fast.
I know what you mean about local shipping charges, I went to order an ironing board from Bunnings, but their shipping cost from Clayton to me was $34, needless to say, I didn't order one.
ReplyDeleteHopefully we will both see some of those parcels arriving soon.
The toy room looks quite normal to me. You know when it comes to playthings or toys, my dog's not much different Rachael. He loves to tear up envelopes or boxes rather than play with his assortment of toys . . . though try and touch them, he'll growl at you. :)
I think the trouble with kids toys today is the huge choice there is out there in the marketplace . . . it's never ending!
Big hugs,
X
I'm sure shipping charges like that are taking advantage. There is no possible way it could cost that much to get an ironing board that far.
DeleteMy dog used to be like that but she's getting old now.
Too much choice but especially in the case of little, little kids, it's all the same. We had a horrible time finding birthday presents for Tiny because all the things we thought she would like were pretty much the same as things she already had.
Hello. I'm some sort of new reader to your blog. I've read a few of your posts, but never left a comment before.
ReplyDeleteI love the playroom, I would have been thrilled as a child to have such a big space to play. Don't apologize for the mess, it's expected for a playroom. If the playroom isn't messy, are kids even playing?
I do understand the frustration about shipping issues and the high prices. I feel like shipping from the US to anywhere else has gone up the past few years. I do recall it being worth to buy something on sale there, because despite the shipping, it was still worth it. It's also very frustrating the price difference from the US to anywhere else, it seems like they add the shipping price to the individual items.
Hope your parcels arrive soon.
The United States Postal Service is in serious financial trouble, and prices have been rising heavily inside the US as well. The postal service has been spending more money than they have for a long time, but no one wants to make necessary cuts.
DeleteOh! I used to read your blog all the time, it's bookmarked on my old laptop! I need to dig that out and check out all the blogs, I haven't read since I stopped using it!
DeleteI'm sure shipping has gone up a lot. It's also frustrating that since the government started expecting companies from other countries to collect GST for them, a lot of bigger companies have responded with "We don't ship to Australia anymore." Ok, it's probably a hassle, but I want to be able to buy stuff from FAO Schwartz!