Reviewed 2026-09-30 · quarterly cycle
Snapshot 2026 Q3: what moved since the previous quarter
This snapshot records the shape of the cost structure rather than a price list. What we log each quarter is which line items exist, what basis each one is charged on, and whether that basis changed. A quarter in which nothing moved is a useful record, because it tells you that a figure you relied on last quarter is still the same kind of figure.
The Q3 review covered the five line items in our fee comparator, the billing basis for each line type in our picker, and the clearance structure for the six destinations we write pages for. Three items changed scope. Two held. One we could not verify and are marking as such rather than carrying forward last quarter number.
One methodological note matters for reading the table. We record scope changes, not rate movements. A carrier that republished a rate card at a different number has not changed scope, and we do not log it. A carrier that moved from a fixed handling charge to a percentage-based one has changed scope, and that is the kind of event this snapshot exists to catch.
What moved, item by item
| Item | Previous | Current | Direction | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service fee basis (agent) | Percentage of item value, single tier | Percentage of item value, tiered by order size | Scope changed | Published fee schedule structure. The tiering means the effective percentage falls as the order grows, which was not true previously. |
| Domestic leg charging unit | Per order | Per seller shipment | Scope changed | Published policy. This matters for multi-seller orders: an order assembled from three sellers now carries three domestic legs rather than one. |
| Volumetric divisor (consolidated air) | Not recorded consistently across services | Published per service, values of 5000, 6000 and 8000 observed | Scope changed | Service-level documentation. Previously we carried one divisor per carrier; the correct unit is per service. |
| Duty advance handling (express) | Fixed per parcel | Fixed per parcel in some destinations, percentage-based in others | Scope changed | Destination-level fee schedules. The structure varies by country, not by parcel. |
| Storage free window | Same length as previously recorded | Unchanged | Unchanged | Published storage policy. No change to the window length or to the per-day charge basis. |
| Payment channel fee structure | Card, wallet and transfer priced on the same basis | Unchanged | Unchanged | Published fee schedule. The three channels remain differently priced on the same basis as last quarter. |
| Sea consolidation transit basis | Not recorded | Not verified | Scope changed | Not verified. We do not have a defensible sample for sea consolidation transit and are not carrying a number forward. |
How to read this table
A scope change means the basis moved rather than the number. A carrier that republished a rate card at a different figure has not changed scope and is not recorded here. A carrier that moved from a fixed handling charge to a percentage-based one has, and that is the kind of event this series exists to catch.
The practical consequence is that a scope change can alter your total without any rate moving, which is why the fee comparator asks for the charging unit rather than only the rate. Open the fee comparator.