Why ShipLite works differently

Fair pricing has to include the people doing the work

We want our customers to pay sensible shipping rates. At the same time, we want our staff, drivers and partners to be paid properly, treated properly and work under conditions that comply with Australian standards.

Those two things have to exist together. A cheaper service should not depend on somebody else having fewer choices.

This is an operating philosophy, not a marketing line. It shapes how we handle parcels, set limits and explain the service.

We are building ShipLite for people sending personal items and for small commercial or side-hustle quantities that need a practical, compliant path.

Why don’t we offer individual home pickup?

Individual home pickups have become increasingly expensive to operate properly in Australia. A driver may need to travel to a customer’s home, wait, find parking, load and secure the parcel, then return it to the warehouse.

When boxes become very heavy, the job becomes more difficult again. The heavier, larger or more awkward something becomes, the more care has to be given to how it is lifted, carried and moved, whether equipment is needed and whether more than one person should be involved.

This is one reason ShipLite moved away from the traditional very-heavy balikbayan-box model. Heavy boxes are not simply inconvenient; they can create workplace safety risks.

We do not want to build a cheaper service by expecting workers to repeatedly move extremely heavy boxes because customers have become accustomed to it.

ShipLite has chosen a maximum actual parcel weight of 25 kg as part of the way we manage our service and handling risks.

That maximum is a ShipLite policy. It is not a claim about an Australian statutory lifting limit.

25 KG

Twenty-five kilos is still heavy and must be handled carefully.

Mga kabayan, nasa Australia tayo

Sometimes we hear:

“Nakasanayan na namin.”

“Ginagawa naman ng ibang cargo company.”

But that cannot be our standard. Kung nakasanayan natin dati na may isang tao na bubuhat ng napakabigat na kahon dahil iyon ang trabaho niya at wala siyang masyadong choice, hindi ibig sabihin na kailangan nating dalhin ang ganoong sistema dito sa Australia.

And just because another company is prepared to do something does not automatically mean it is good practice.

Nasa Australia tayo, mga kabayan. There are workplace rules, employment standards and safety procedures here for a reason.

We do not want to preserve practices that depend on somebody else having fewer choices.

We value the parts of Filipino culture that represent:

• family
• hard work
• malasakit
• fairness
• respect
• helping one another

That is the Filipino-Australian standard ShipLite wants to promote.

So how do I get my parcel to ShipLite?

You choose the most convenient way to get it to us. Our Sydney warehouse is:

If you are in regional Australia, interstate or outside Sydney, you can use:

• Australia Post
• another courier

If you are within Sydney, you can:

• bring the parcel yourself
• use Uber
• use another local courier

Before sending it, complete your ShipLite booking.

Print the ShipLite QR code supplied with your booking and affix it clearly to the outside of the parcel. That QR code helps us identify your parcel when it arrives at the warehouse and match it to your booking.

Stay tuned — ShipLite drop-off partner locations are coming soon.

Why not simply include pickup in everyone’s price?

Because somebody ultimately has to pay for it. There is no such thing as genuinely free pickup. Driver time, fuel, vehicle costs, insurance, administration, waiting time and labour all cost money.

If we hide those costs inside everybody’s shipping price, customers who do not need pickup end up paying for customers who do. We would rather keep the ShipLite shipping price sensible and let customers choose the first-mile option that suits them.

The first leg can be arranged in the way that works for you:

Choose from:

• Australia Post
• Uber
• another courier
• bring it yourself
• soon, a ShipLite drop-off partner

You choose.

We are building ShipLite for a different generation

Many Filipinos in Australia work extremely hard for their money. We know what that means because we work here too.

When you send something home, it is not always “just a parcel”. Maybe it contains something for your parents. Maybe you bought something for your children. Maybe you are helping relatives who have less.

Maybe you found products in Australia that you want to resell in the Philippines as a small side hustle. We understand that.

If you are selling something or sending larger quantities, ask us. There is often a proper and legal way to do it.

We can help explain when a shipment may start looking commercial, what information needs to be declared and when Philippine customs rules may be different from a normal personal shipment.

Do not guess. Ask us first.

Why don’t we simply offer Philippines-to-Australia shipping?

Customers also ask why ShipLite does not yet offer the reverse service from the Philippines to Australia. One major problem is cost: shipping into Australia can be expensive.

Another important issue is compliance and trust. Australia has strict biosecurity, aviation-security and import requirements, and a shipment declaration has to be accurate.

It is something we would like to solve properly rather than launch badly. We have repeatedly seen prohibited or restricted items appear during screening even when they were not properly declared, which makes a reliable and affordable reverse service difficult to build.

Please — declare what is really inside

This is one of the most important things we ask our customers to do.

ShipLite has been in this business in one form or another since 1999:

Fastpak Express → FastboxPh → ShipLite

We have handled thousands of shipments and heard almost every explanation after screening finds something that was not declared:

• “Nakalimutan ko.”
• “Maliit lang naman.”
• “Nasa pouch lang.”
• “Nasa loob lang ng sapatos.”
• Perfume, cologne, aerosol deodorant, batteries and other restricted items.

Mga kabayan, huwag na tayong magpalusot. If something is restricted, there is usually a safety reason behind the rule. A small prohibited item hidden inside a shoe is still a prohibited item. Please do not put somebody else’s aircraft, cargo, workplace or livelihood at risk because you hoped nobody would notice.