Yay! Postal rate increase

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alli713

alli713

..has a fleece addiction
Joined
Jan 28, 2009
Messages
4,649
Location
Twin Cities, MN
It's that time again! Time for postal prices to increase starting Jan 2nd. Looks like at this time only priority is going up.

I thought to post here for any sellers not aware of this yet, and so the general public knows so that they don't wonder why some shipping prices may go up.

From what I can see priority is increasing about 3.5%, as well as the flat rate box pricing goes up. They're also introducing two new flat rate options, Legal Flat Rate envelope @ $4.95 and a padded flat rate envelope @ $4.95

Pricing can be seen here
http://pb-support.s3.amazonaws.com/rate_change/Rate_Change_full_Jan_2011.pdf
and
http://www.novapcc.org/attachments/files/465/2011 Shipping Services Price Change FAQ's.pdf
 
I guess the PO decided they needed an anual COL raise, even though the public isn't getting them? Very nice.
 
hahaha yeah, my yay in the title was a tad sarcastic :SarcasmA:

I think they must raise them every year now? At least that's what it seems like, I remember posting a thread like this one other time.

It is frustrating because it gets so expensive then to buy online, and people like me try not to raise our prices, but USPS gets away with it!
 
alli713 said:
hahaha yeah, my yay in the title was a tad sarcastic :SarcasmA:
Click to expand...

You mean... we weren't actually celebrating? :cry3: :tease:

And they wonder why people are mailing stuff less and less... They are a contributor to their own demise... Granted, email doesn't help, but they could make it easier and less expensive to mail stuff...
 
I prefer to shop on-line because it saves me gas and time, but if they keep hiking up prices ($10.00 to ship a 4 ounce item) then that too is going to change for a lot of people, especially if they have to worry about returning it.

Ash - Maybe that's WHY they keep hiking prices. With lots of folks using email and paying their bills on line, they are losing money so hiking up the package prices is the only way to get it back. I notice more and more places are going to UPS and FedEx though as their prices are more reasonable and, in a lot of cases, they have better service.
 
Ugh....I wonder if the "online" prices will go up at the same rate as the "office" prices.
 
The post office is failing because it is a product of the federal gov't and has to abide by their rules - but can receive no funding. This vs. FedEx/DHL/UPS whom are true businesses and can run the way they like.

Personally I'd rather pay a little more in postage than have Saturday service cut. They are trying to get it cut but it has to go through congress.
 
tunes said:
I prefer to shop on-line because it saves me gas and time, but if they keep hiking up prices ($10.00 to ship a 4 ounce item) then that too is going to change for a lot of people, especially if they have to worry about returning it.

Ash - Maybe that's WHY they keep hiking prices. With lots of folks using email and paying their bills on line, they are losing money so hiking up the package prices is the only way to get it back. I notice more and more places are going to UPS and FedEx though as their prices are more reasonable and, in a lot of cases, they have better service.
Click to expand...

$10 to ship a 4oz item? I ship 4oz items all the time and it only costs me $1.56 (not including tracking).
 
$10 to ship a 4oz item? I ship 4oz items all the time and it only costs me $1.56 (not including tracking).
Click to expand...

A lot of on line places have a minimum shipping price. For instance, whether you buy $1.00 worth or $15.00 worth, it's $10.00 to ship it. They don't even go by weight, they go by the dollar amount of the item you are buying. That irritates the crap out of me. I pay the same price to ship a shirt as someone else would pay to ship a brick??
 
If the service was good, I wouldn't mind the post office increasing their rate, but far too often my mail arrives mangled, ripped open, or doesn't arrive at all. Lately we haven't even been getting our mail...this one is our local post office though. They must be short staffed...some days they don't deliver until almost 8pm...other days they don't deliver at all.
 
Yeah, we get later and later mail delivery, too. The post office is very seriously short staffed here. More people move into the area and they don't hire anyone new. I waited in line for 45 minutes a couple weeks ago...it was awful, but only two people were working that day.
 
I recently was hired in Houston as a temporary city carrier and let me tell you that it is a very psychical demanding job! They put tons of mail on you and expect you to deliver it all within 6 hours usually and on average over 1000 stops to include certified and registered mail/packages without getting into any type of car accident out on the busy streets! I was also let go after a few months due to cut backs to help save on money, even though the USPS is in severe need of staffing. That job sucked and it was thankless, and I was new and new to TEXAS and didn't provide me with any maps at all and expected a lot.
I also recently just took an economics course for my masters and there is more to it than just having the lowest price out there for a business to excel. I tell you what though, the way the USPS is going they will not make it. Actually not a lot of people realize but sometimes FEDEX and UPS utilize the USPS to mail stuff to their clients. I have had HORRIBLE service from the USPS in my past as well...even while working for them!
 
My husband works for the USPS - it's definitely complicated. They are NOT a federal entity, but they have to answer the the feds. They are majorly understaffed in areas, but have huge freezes on hiring because plants are going to be closed in the next few years so jobs are going to be excised out. They have also increased the living zone for people being excised out. For instance if your job is eliminated in Maine they can say quit or move to Virginia. Cost of living is very different across the US, but the people get paid the same. A city carrier in a small town in Maine makes the same as a city carrier in NYC. You can thank a very powerful union for that.

Also, USPS does not own ANY planes therefore they have to rely on commercial jets, FEDEX and UPS to fly the mail. They are also subject to paying all those increases for fuel to get mail from point A to point B. USPS does deliver a LOT of the FedEx and UPS mail, especially in rural areas. You pay to have UPS deliver it, but it may arrive USPS since UPS drops it off at the local post office for delivery.

The retirement in the USPS system is actually over funded compared to just about every other place out there, but congress will not let them decrease the amount of funding so they cannot reallocate that money into other areas that would help out right now.
 
I'm not saying working for USPS is great. Actually, most people now have crappy jobs and aren't thanked for what they do. My husband has been working with a 10% pay cut and also lost all bonuses and this has been going on for almost 2 years, which means he makes less now than when he started at his job.

That's not what this thread is about really.
 
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