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New 2016 (proposed) postage rates are up
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cosmicray



Posts: 7286

PostPosted: Tue Nov 03, 2015 8:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looking at my old rate charts ... the cost for shipping a 3-oz parcel:

2001 - $0.80
2006 - $0.87
2007 - $1.47
2008 - $1.51
2009 - $1.56
2010 - $1.56
2011 - $1.56
2012 - $1.64
2013 - $1.69
2014 - $1.93
2015 - $2.04
2016 - $2.60 (proposed, 1 thru 8 ozs)
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UnicornDreams



Posts: 39

PostPosted: Tue Nov 10, 2015 12:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

They just ain't gonna stop until we're paying $18 bucks to send a letter to auntie Clara. Laughing

Pardon my improper English (above)
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adrienneszat



Posts: 229

PostPosted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 7:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks more and more like smashing us 'little' sellers. Even small businesses with brick & mortar will not be hit as hard as we are. Hmmm....I don't understand it beyond, 'greed': The Postal Workers are cut down and that means less payouts and less expenses. Although people email and text online and in hand, the online little businesses and big businesses alike have skyrocketed, making enough business for USPS and the other carriers alike.
The 'New World Order' sure is squeezing the little man out and making us also pay for their write-offs in our taxes. Mad

There may be no way around this, but we can try different things to keep swimming for a little while longer; perhaps offering multiples in one sale, almost like a lot, but calling it a 'cluster' sale. For example: grouping several related or similar items together in a bundle to qualify as ONE sale (also reducing PP & Stripe .30 transactions fees) into an 8oz FC purchase, utilizing lighter weight items ordinarily sold as stand alone sales.

Just a thought; may work for some and not all, depending on your items.

Any other ideas?
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adrienneszat



Posts: 229

PostPosted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 7:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I realize this is already accomplished with patterns, post cards, magazines, etc. - buy so many and get a better rate via matrix or even Flat rate Envelope or box. I mean also arrange other items into one prepared sale: small doll, a clothing set and maybe a storybook that would ship 8oz or more,,, see?
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dccollectibles



Posts: 2759

PostPosted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 8:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't see why the USPS feels they have to distinguish themselves at all. They already smoked the competition on their international prices before all this free shipping nonsense started. The only possible exception being big box stores that ship in huge bulk freight. Those can see savings of up to 85% off! But since none of us fit that bill, and at that level money really isn't an object, I'm calling it a case of pure greed.
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tigercreekgifts



Posts: 6293

PostPosted: Tue Dec 22, 2015 7:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It is greed! I read an article that said they are doing away with comm. plus rates soon too and high volume shippers will be paying comm. base rates. So how long before they do away with comm. base too and decide that everyone needs to pay full counter price? when that happens it would be pointless to keep wasting ink and printing online because if we have to charge full price buyers will be upset if we have to keep adding $1 for ink etc.

Pretty soon, it will be a better bargain to just use FedEx's $5 flat rate option and for those of us who have no FedEx close by we will have to pay a fee to have them pick the orders up from our houses and those of us who liver rural enough, our fees would be higher because where I live FedEx will deliver but will do not come out here to pick, they make the USPS do their pick ups and bring the packages to them which costs more before then the usps wants a cut of the pick up fee.
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tigercreekgifts



Posts: 6293

PostPosted: Tue Dec 22, 2015 8:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm already having my ratings on ebay slipping fast for my shipping charges, every single customer is only paying $2.99 to $3.99 and they are giving me 1 star ratings for shipping price as if it's my fault, making it seem like I'm price jacking for extra profit. You'd think I was charging $14 to ship a pack of stickers with the way people are acting so rude over that over there. $2.99 is average for what they bought, they don't understand handling fees and I only charge exactly what I need but giving me poor ratings for shipping price makes it seem like I'm charging $5 extra just for profit or something.

The people buying from me that also sell online, they are not complaining about my shipping prices, they are giving me 5 star ratings and saying the price was very reasonable because they understand why we can't ship everything for $1 or for free.
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dccollectibles



Posts: 2759

PostPosted: Tue Dec 22, 2015 8:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd like to know how this new smartpost/surepost option works. That's when the carrier hands off to the usps for delivery (a must for rural and some other areas). Supposedly it's cheaper to use the service, and for some reason they can use bound printed material with it. Probably against the rules, but they're doin' it.

I'd also like to know where they get the fancy cart-tape that self-adheres to the box (almost melding with it). You know the brown "professional" tape. But that's another story.
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tigercreekgifts



Posts: 6293

PostPosted: Tue Dec 22, 2015 9:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

They sell that tape online but you have to order in very large quantities usually and some places do sell them in smaller lots but they charge more if you buy smaller quantities. I can't stand that tape but I read something that said you have to apply water to it like an old fashioned stamp and use a heating tool to get the tape to shrink and stick. For large volume shippers they have machines that will do all that in just a few seconds.

Not sure exactly how that works but I know if FedEx has to pass the package to a rural carrier there is some type of fee involved but I think we never see the fee, maybe it's hidden in the shipping price. Not real sure. And I have no clue why UPS or FedEx would be handing my packages to the USPS for delivery, I don't live that ruraly I can see the city lights from up here and hear the trains like they're right next door and UPS and FedEx deliver to my house all the time so not sure why my last few packages they handed them to USPS for completion because my mom just got a package yesterday and FedEx brought it all the way here. Normal size packages, not too heavy or large.
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dccollectibles



Posts: 2759

PostPosted: Tue Dec 22, 2015 9:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For my incoming packages it works great, as I can schedule a time to go pick them up rather than deal with annoying questions of why someone is driving up our supposed private driveway and "bother" family Rolling Eyes It also means I can pick them up from the PO and take straight to storage for the time being. Meaning I get to get out of the house for a couple hours or so. Always a plus!

Yet another perk of the big boys then I guess. I'll stick to my Walmart special tape for now Laughing
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jigsaw-puzzle-palooza



Posts: 822

PostPosted: Tue Dec 22, 2015 7:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm waiting for USPS to start charging a fee for picking up packages at my door. I see they already have a $20 fee for pickup at a requested time. How many people pay $20 for that service? I can't imagine it's that many.
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adrienneszat



Posts: 229

PostPosted: Tue Dec 22, 2015 7:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I do my own work: I don't trust leaving my packages or having them possibly be picked up late or not at all. I don't sell huge rolls of steel; just little things I can carry myself. I work alone. Cool
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tigercreekgifts



Posts: 6293

PostPosted: Tue Dec 22, 2015 7:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jigsaw-puzzle-palooza wrote:
I'm waiting for USPS to start charging a fee for picking up packages at my door. I see they already have a $20 fee for pickup at a requested time. How many people pay $20 for that service? I can't imagine it's that many.


They already do charge to pick up if you're not shipping high priced priority or express mail. And yeah, UPS charges a pick up fee. I remember when a cable company sent me a pre-paid box for my internet box when I moved away and UPS wanted $20 to pick it up, I said that's stupid, it defeats the whole purpose of having prepaid shipping and it doesn't even cost $20 to mail this thing so why charge me $20 to pick it up? But at that point in time, I was lucky and had a UPS store right up the street and the Cincinnati airport had a major UPS dist. center on their property too which was only a 10 min. drive from me.
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adriennesmusicandbookshop



Posts: 12

PostPosted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 7:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks like it might become cheaper in the near future just to deliver it to our customers ourselves. Shocked
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tigercreekgifts



Posts: 6293

PostPosted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 10:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

adriennesmusicandbookshop wrote:
Looks like it might become cheaper in the near future just to deliver it to our customers ourselves. Shocked


You start a 2nd store?
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