ABC News Australia

Several small business owners have told the ABC they're being hit with extra fees from Australia post after parcels have been sent to customers. Australia Post claims the business owner did not pay enough postage and sends an invoice for "underpaid" fees after the item has been shipped. Future parcels cannot be sent until the fees are paid, forcing business owners to pay up or risk putting their business on hold. Fashion boutique owner Sam Kemp, based in regional Victoria, said these additional fees were unjustified and financially stressful. She set up an online survey to see whether other businesses were also affected. More than 170 businesses responded, with fees ranging from a few a month to more than 10 a week, costing businesses between $100 and $30,000. Melbourne University professor Jeannie Paterson, who specialises in consumer protection law, said if Australia Post is claiming a fee, it's not entitled to … it would possibly mean that Australia Post is either in breach of contract, is engaging in a fraudulent practice, or it's at least engaging in misleading conduct in relation to its customers." Australia Post spokesperson said: "Australia Post processes hundreds of millions of parcels each year, with the vast majority accurately assessed for size and weight using sophisticated automation technology ...Our automatic size and weight scanning technology is highly accurate, checked daily and independently verified in line with the National Measurement Act. This ensures a consistent, fair approach for all customers and helps maintain efficiency and safety of our network." The national delivery carrier wouldn't disclose how often the system fails. Professor Paterson said transparency around this data was important and that if Australia Post made a mistake, there needed to be "a straightforward process" to dispute it. #abcbusiness Read More: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-10/small-businesses-hit-australia-post-underpaid-postage-fees/107093290 Subscribe: http://ab.co/1svxLVE Note: In most cases, our captions are auto-generated. #ABCNEWS #ABCNEWSAustralia