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Kmart slammed over $375 delivery fee for online order

A Kmart online customer was in shock after she was quoted more than $375 in delivery fees to mail seven items to her.

Rebekah from Atherton in north Queensland wanted to place an order for some pet supplies from Kmart, including two pairs of cat socks, one medium plush pet bed, two large plush beds and two cat beds.

Her total for the items was $76 but it was the postage cost of $375.16 that she couldn't believe.

"I do a lot of online shopping and have never experienced this before," she told Yahoo News Australia.

A Kmart order for $76 with postage charged at $375.16
Despite only spending $76 online at Kmart, the customer was charged $375.16 for postage leaving her confused. Source: Supplied

Queenslander said Kmart's postage costs is 'insane'

Rebekah tried removing certain items from her online order to see if that made a difference to the postage price.

"Even after removing the two large beds they were still charing $124.82 for postage. That's insane!" she said.

She then tried again by removing two cat beds from the online shopping cart.

"It then goes down by over $100 postage. I don't see the justification any way you look at it. Even if these are considered 'bulk' items, which I don't consider them to be," Rebekah told Yahoo.

Kmart's online shopping system had labelled Rebekah's address in Atherton located in Tablelands Region of Queensland as remote, however the upset Kmart customer feels the cost of postage was still too excessive and fluffy pet beds are not heavy items.

The keen customer considers herself familiar with online shopping and compared one of the current edited Kmart orders to a similar Kmart order she placed last year for three travel pet beds and some underwear.

Two Kmart online orders
The customer compared a Kmart order placed in 2019 that provided free postage (left) with a similar current Kmart order that she felt was charging an excessive amount for postage (right). Source: Supplied

The cost of postage was free despite Rebekah claiming the travel pet beds were heavy items.

Yahoo News Australia has contacted Kmart about the situation and a spokesperson said the matter was being investigated.

Delivery costs explained on Kmart website

The details for Kmart delivery are listed on their website.

The Kmart website states depending on the size of your order and delivery location, different carriers are used.

Australia-wide Australia Post are responsible for small items, and Couriers Please are responsible for small items delivered to Metropolitan areas.

Large items are handled by TNT Express or Allied Express Australia wide.

Delivery fees are free for orders over $65 with the exception of "excluded items" that are not detailed.

Standard orders incur a flat rate delivery fee based on your location.

A woman walks outside a Kmart store.
The Kmart website states depending on the size of your order and delivery location, different carriers are used. Source: Getty Images

For metro postcodes the fee is $10, for regional postcodes the fee is $14 and for remote post codes the cost is $16.

The website considered standard orders as "up to the size of a chair or bedside table" and pride itself on "sourcing the most competitive carriers possible".

The website does state that large orders will incur additional fees and considers large orders to be "approximately the size of a bookshelf or storage unit".

Kmart postage: 'That's extreme!'

It's not the first time Kmart has raised eyebrows with their postage charges.

In January a Kmart online customer received one bath bomb packaged inside a large cardboard box more suited to fit a microwave.

When Rebekah shared her postage shock in a Facebook group dedicated to fans of Kmart, most people were just as shocked as she was.

"Ouch the products wouldn't even be worth the postage. That's extreme!" one person wrote.

"I hope that’s a system glitch!" one person commented.

Others compared the postage cost to items they had bought previously.

"I had remote delivery of two push bikes last year and postage was $27" one person commented.

"I've ordered work pants and the postage was dearer than the pants," another customer wrote.

"Might be cheaper to hire a private helicopter, get what you need and fly home again," a user joked.

Rebekah has since decided to purchase the items in store next time she visits Kmart but is concerned they won't have the stock she is looking for.

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