USPS rate increase

Littletweed

It looks like the USPS rate increase that went into effect yesterday really sucks. I tried to print an ebay shipping label and saw that for anything 1 - 3 oz's the cost is $2.60 with no ebay discount, and from 4 - 8oz's the discount is applied but costs $2.60. Priority went up as well. Looking on the bright side, first-class is now available up to 1lb.

frankhardy

$2.04 to $2.60? That stinks.

summerof68

Yep, just got hit today for an extra $1.45 on a 2 lb priority package that I regularly send to the same address.

USPS is experiencing massive reductions in operating costs due to a 13 year low in gas prices yet at the same time they are raising the shipping rates.

I guess that's what happens when you pay people with high school degrees $20 an hour plus large benefit packages for simply driving around and placing items in metal receptacles. Only requirements of the job is that you can drive and be able to read 7 to 11 digits.

lahmejoon

Originally posted by: djr
I think the PO needs to stop losing money issuing money orders, passports and require IQ tests.

Lol +1

gemint

That's because fuel prices are soaring...or, well, $0.50 per barrel for low grade North Dakota crude would suggest maybe not. If anything, they should be cutting their rates to pass along some of the fuel savings to consumers.

charrigan

Their costs are primarily legacy entitlements, which are soaring. Not fuel.

MULLINS5

Passing onto buyers. . . .

jeffcbay

Just noticed this today... that sucks. I've been charging $2.50 for the first card, any additional card free. Time to up it to $3.00 I guess.

mlbfan2

I remember the good ol' days of 1999 - a 3 ounce package was 55 cents.

jeffcbay

Rate Increase

GoDodgersFan

In the process of shipping a few items and saw the change. Need to increase my shipping fees.

vintagefun

They need to do away with the free cardboard. Seems every eBay seller is using pristine priority bags and boxes for packing material. If they just charged a nominal fee for the boxes that was then credited at shipping that might help a bit. Though, who's gonna wait in PO lines for that? Maybe a vending type machine. I dunno, but I gotta imagine there's some cost there.

jeffcbay

Originally posted by: vintagefun
They need to do away with the free cardboard. Seems every eBay seller is using pristine priority bags and boxes for packing material. If they just charged a nominal fee for the boxes that was then credited at shipping that might help a bit. Though, who's gonna wait in PO lines for that? Maybe a vending type machine. I dunno, but I gotta imagine there's some cost there.

Yeah I order my Priority boxes online, and they get shipped to my house. All for free. I do use the stuff for it's intended purpose though. I mainly use the Flat Rate Bubble Mailer, and the Small/Medium/Regional Rate A&B boxes.

lilmule

It's kind of amazing with the big increase, taking in with gas prices going way down only makes sense WTH.

LarkinCollector

As mentioned earlier, entitlements are the financial issue with USPS, not gas prices or giving out free supplies. Until they cease to be a quasi-government entity losing billions a year and getting bailed out, prices will increase to attempt to cover what's due for entitlements. If they were a private entity, they would have declared bankruptcy long ago.

sportscardtheory

What a joke.

vintagefun

Unless I ship from work (FedEx) I use USPS exclusively. How do the new rates compare to UPS and FedEx?



Is anyone gonna change primary shipper over this change?



Won't this all just be passed to buyer anyway?



Curious

UncleTwoPillow

If any U.S. citizen were required to pay the USPS a nickel each time they complain about them, their economic problems would be solved by the end of this year.

mtcards

This increase is similar to other increases over the past decade. Each one had the most percentage increase on the first class packages. Remember the first one? Almost ALL prices decreased, or so they advertised, but first class went from 60 cents or so to a buck eighty. Then to 2.04 now a 27% increase to $2.60. Add that the cost of bubble mailers, hard cover and penny sleeve and even the most frugal shippers are looking at $2.85 in costs......factor in the ebay/paypal fee of 12.9% and charging $3.27 breaks you even on shipping a single card.



Star dings power = ACTIVATED

Tomi

FedEx charged me $11.00 for ground shipping (their cheapest price) to send one piece of paper from Chicago to Florida. The PO charges less than a dollar for the stamp. I can easily accept this rate increase considering my other options.

gemint

I think the driver behind it is the fact letters are going away. The bulk of their deliveries are packages now, with regular mail being far smaller a % of the overall deliveries. A friend of mine is a mail carrier and he's been commenting on the decline in letters and the increase in packages for years. I guess they're just trying to make up for the shortfall caused by falling mail volume.

PMKAY

Originally posted by: mtcards
This increase is similar to other increases over the past decade. Each one had the most percentage increase on the first class packages. Remember the first one? Almost ALL prices decreased, or so they advertised, but first class went from 60 cents or so to a buck eighty. Then to 2.04 now a 27% increase to $2.60. Add that the cost of bubble mailers, hard cover and penny sleeve and even the most frugal shippers are looking at $2.85 in costs......factor in the ebay/paypal fee of 12.9% and charging $3.27 breaks you even on shipping a single card.

Star dings power = ACTIVATED

I can ship 1 card in penny sleeve, top loader and bubble envelope from Canada to the US for less than $1.50 Canadian which right now is about $1.03 US.

sportscardtheory

Originally posted by: PMKAY

Originally posted by: mtcards
This increase is similar to other increases over the past decade. Each one had the most percentage increase on the first class packages. Remember the first one? Almost ALL prices decreased, or so they advertised, but first class went from 60 cents or so to a buck eighty. Then to 2.04 now a 27% increase to $2.60. Add that the cost of bubble mailers, hard cover and penny sleeve and even the most frugal shippers are looking at $2.85 in costs......factor in the ebay/paypal fee of 12.9% and charging $3.27 breaks you even on shipping a single card.

Star dings power = ACTIVATED

I can ship 1 card in penny sleeve, top loader and bubble envelope from Canada to the US for less than $1.50 Canadian which right now is about $1.03 US.

Too bad we can't do that here.

garnettstyle

I heard pigpal are raising their fees.

MULLINS5

I haven't had time to update my eBay listings and just sold an item to the UK that ended up costing $10 more to send than charged.

mtcards

[q
I can ship 1 card in penny sleeve, top loader and bubble envelope from Canada to the US for less than $1.50 Canadian which right now is about $1.03 US.




Funny you mention that. I sent a bubble mailer to Norway (non machineable) about a year ago for $1.05. I even questioned the price, but was told it was correct. Now consider, it costs me $2.60 to ship a bubble mailer across town. And we wonder why the PO is going broke

grote15

$2.60 to ship a package 3,000 miles is still a pretty good deal, IMO. Of course, cheaper is always nicer, but if you put things in perspective, the USPS is still the most economical method to ship smaller packages vs other options.

MULLINS5

Originally posted by: grote15

$2.60 to ship a package 3,000 miles is still a pretty good deal

And get it there in a few days. Great deal, imo.