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A long Google AdWords Help thread has Google Shopping merchants and advertisers upset over new regulations around setting shipping rates.
In short, the new regulations are requiring these merchants in Australia to set shipping rates that simply do not work for Australian e-commerce sites. The first complaint asked if they can use a similar system to US merchants where the rates can by carrier option as opposed to flat rates by grid.
Here is the complaint:
Can't we have carrier calculated rate like they offer for US merchants? This would be the only feasible option for the majority of Google Shopping merchants in Australia. Using the rate table or rules is simply not an option, considering the sheer volume of postcodes we have in Australia and the fact that most us get charged by the weight of the parcel & receiver's location. Using generic carrier calculated rates from say Australia Post, Star Track, Toll would be the easiest option. Certainly the shipping costs wouldn't be 100% accurate, but it would still be the best possible outcome.
It seems Google wasn't aware of the complexities with shipping in Australia?
Supposedly this is now being discussed internally at Google, Mini from Google wrote:
Thank you for advertising your products with Google and thank you for sharing your thoughts both in this forum as well as in Mini's feedback form. As a direct result of your feedback, we are re-evaluating how we can best support you in specifying accurate shipping rates in Australia, and are also taking carrier-calculated shipping options into consideration. This will take some time, so please bear with the current shipping configuration in the meantime, and thank you again for working with us.
Meanwhile, some Australian merchants are being suspended and others are really nervous they will be also. In response to that, Mini from Google said "be patient." She wrote:
I'm in communication with the product teams. Regarding suspensions, all I can say is just hold on patiently for now.
I guess time will tell.
Forum discussion at Google AdWords Help.
