Conversation with my postmistress concerning new rates.

laurentyvan

I find that a very efficient, secure, and inexpensive method of shipping coins is with 4 or 5 turns of shrink wrapping around the 2x2 coin holder, then seperately bubble-wrapped inside of a heavy-duty kraft padded mailer (much tougher than the yellow-orange bubble-padded mailers available at Walmart), available at about .50 ea. in bundles of a dozen at Officemax). A one oz+ coin packaged this way will end up weighing about 3 oz or less.

I mailed a coin this morning in this fashion to Europe for $.87. The PM informed me that when rates change (soon) the same package would be $1.25 to $1.50. That's pretty dramatic- no small incremental changes here! Merde- I thought the USPS was making money in the last few years...

Oh yes, currently a padded envelope is 1/4 inch permissible I think (for best rate)- they're shrinking that to 1/8". Padded envelopes larger than 1/8" will now be considered parcels. Wasn't the USPS privatized in the past and is this one more result of that action?

ajaan

<< <i>Merde- I thought >>

coinpictures

Yes, the new postal rates will in effect almost DOUBLE the shipping costs for small light-weight items.

I'm not aware of the USPS being privatized...

TwoKopeiki

<< <i>

<< <i>Merde- I thought >>





>>

Goober

I also remember back in the late '90's the talk of privatizing the USPS by taking it out of the control of the U.S. gov't. I thought this had occurred but don't have anything to substantiate or back up my claim. From what I remember it was brought about to combat the ever growing use of emails over private letters and to bring about competition for UPS and FEDEX.

BS

No the USPS was never privatized.

satootoko

<< <i>I also remember back in the late '90's the talk of privatizing the USPS by taking it out of the control of the U.S. gov't. >>

Actually the United States Post Office, headed by a cabinet member Postmaster General, was reorganized in 1971 as the United States Postal Service, a government owned corporation.

The Postmaster General changed from being a politically appointed cabinet member to a (supposedly) non-political officer chosen on merit; and local postmasters also lost their political appointee status.

laurentyvan

Yes, the new postal rates will in effect almost DOUBLE the shipping costs for small light-weight items.

The high cost shippers have to be squirming in their boots, the ones who charge $4 for shipping on a 3oz envelope.

I would imagine that the USPS's competition is also squirming, in delight.

<< I also remember back in the late '90's the talk of privatizing the USPS by taking it out of the control of the U.S. gov't. >>

<<Actually the United States Post Office, headed by a cabinet member Postmaster General, was reorganized in 1971 as the United States Postal Service, a government owned corporation.

The Postmaster General changed from being a politically appointed cabinet member to a (supposedly) non-political officer chosen on merit; and local postmasters also lost their political appointee status.>>

I knew something had changed but I thought it was later than the 70's Satootoko