Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Priority mail and package services will see increases (around 3%), but it looks like the smaller flat rates will remain the same. Commercial and bulk mailers are getting hit with larger increases (5%+). That's a move that will certainly cut down on bulk mail and parcels being shipped by businesses through the USPS. More revenues for UPS, not USPS.
First class and priority international mail is going up too. Eventually USPS will price people out of the market for shipping parcels out of the country.
I hope the future USPS "sticker" program does good to replace more lost revenue by continued diminished mail volumes.
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Michael78651:
Stein's Law: "If something can't go on forever it has to stop."
The USPS is marching on the same road as all other postal
systems, none of which can go on forever.
I think I speak for some Canadians when I say that Canada Post will
be forgotten the moment it closes its doors for the last time.
Season's greetings.
John Derry
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no, those increases will not save USPS; that's why they are trying to change the way they are governed, primarily the pre-funding of retirement accounts and reducing delivery days. Congress mandates both but in typical congressional fashion then doesn't give them tools to stay alive in the face of unfunded mandates.
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If they would increase the Ist class postage to 49 cents a one ounce letter then go to 3 day a week delivery. They might be able to sustain themselves for another ten years. The U.S.P.S. then could have all part time employees and could stop all the benefits they are having to pay out. The Pensions and Medical is what is going to sink the ship. The changes are going to haft to be drastic and fast or the U.S.P.S. is never going to make it.
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08:19:34pm
So I guess the question is: If the USPS goes under, how does the mail get delivered? My guess is the government will resume operation of the postal system, and we all know how efficient and "within-the-budget" our folk in DC are.
Actually, don't think it will come to that. The USPS will file for bankruptcy, and a bankruptcy judge will reform the pension and medical plans, and make other necessary adjustments to get it profitable again. Going to be a lot of unhappy retirees and future retirees, but there is probably nothing else viable at this stage of the game
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11:31:56pm
Or, the people, the voting people could smarten up and clean out the deadwood from Congress and get a forward looking President who can get this country rolling once more. That would include the USPS. There are some terrible inequities in our taxation laws as well as other areas.
FDR did it in the 1930s from a wheel chair with the help of a functioning cooperative Congress.
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Oh Charlie,
Dont you like living in country where the rich get richer and the rest of us struggle to make ends meat, where our country's foreign policies consist of a passing hand shake at a funeral and a basketball clinic in China!!!!!
A country where your forced to purchase unaffordable inadequate health insurance with a SMILE!!!
And now you want to fix the post office- first there was mail then e-mail, snail mail and junk mail-whats next Obamamail!!!!!!
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04:35:43pm
" .... A country where your forced to purchase unaffordable inadequate health insurance with a SMILE!!! ...."
I keep looking for some factual stories about people forced to purchase unaffordable insurance but just about every story I've seen, when investigated is of people who didn't completely checkout the program to see what rebates they are entitled to.
Or like that guy who appeared on Fox News and explained how he was going to have to fire some employees or reduce their hours to part time hours. The NY Times reporter checked and discovered that he only had four employees and as you probably know he is exempt unless he has fifty or more full time workers.
Three other people or couples appeared on that Fox program and it turned out that not one had a valid case of harm being done by the ACA, and as far as I can discovered Fox never once explained to its viewers that the stories were invalid.
I am sure that there are people who will wind up paying somewhat higher premiums, that seems like the way statistics work, but then those rates are set, not by the government, but by the private insurance companies who write the policies, enroll the hospitals, recruit the doctors, negotiate the reimbursement rates with pharmacies and most importantly change or terminate existing policies.
It may take a while to iron out some of the bugs, as it seems to have been with just about every other major program initiated by governments or manufacturers (***) but at least the United States will no longer be the only supposedly civilized country that fails to have some kind of universal health care available for its citizens. After all it has to be complicated to build a comprehensive program that covers 300,000,000 people using only the Massachusetts plan that Governor Romney started as a model. If I recall, that took almost two years to get close to its goal of enrolling most of its six million residents, but look at how successful it is now.
Actually, despite its dumb marketing policies, and the fiscal burdens it carries thanks to Congressional double talk, the USPS does a pretty good job of delivering three-quarters of a billion pieces of mail every business day
(***) I was thinking about Apples iBook recall, the Edsal, the infamous Corvair, Apollo Thirteen or that little war we got into looking for WMDs that were never found.
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Charlie, you're my hero for both your observations.
on USPS, they are great at doing what they are mandated to do, efficiently and cheaply. Congressional mandates are, as one would expect, counterproductive and, if USPS fails, will be on the hands of Congress.
On ACA, we continually see some ideological groups posing as news organizations positing all sorts of fictions as fact and unwilling to admit falsehoods in the face of contradiction. Pity there's no law that requires TV stations to label opinion as such, and not dressed as if it were news or fact.
Anecdotally, my health insurance has risen between 11% and 16% each year since i've been in my job, now 20 years. This year, with ACA in place, my insurance is dropping 20%. Can i prove causality; no. Do i think ACA is a factor; yes.
David
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I am glad to hear that someones rates have actually decreased instead of increasing. The company I work for decided not to cover spouses if insurance is offered at their work place, even if it is junk or unaffordable. This year we both have to pay for insurance. So our rates have increased by 100% this year...ouch!
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This is probably a good time to start a new post about the Affordable Care Act and I wouldn't be surprised if some moderator moved all these insurance posts there.
As for me, I'm another person whose rate decreased slightly and I got better coverage. I had catastrophic health coverage until now as I am self-employed. Before this month, I paid $480 a month for a $10,000 deductible and could not change plans easily (if at all) due to pre-existing conditions. I had no dental coverage, and limited prescription coverage. My plan was canceled when the ACA came into play; yes, I'm one in a million! LOL!
I could not get the website to work for me, but that was not really an issue as my income did not qualify for any subsidies. I found a new policy on my own, with another company who now could not deny me coverage or hike up and put restrictions due to pre-existing conditions (thanks to ACA). I signed up for a $4600 deductible plan with dental and comprehensive Rx coverage for $450 a month. A similar plan before the ACA would have cost me over $700 with my current insurer!
Am I happy? Yes, in the sense that I got better coverage, could not be bullied by restrictive coverage if I tried to change plans, and got something new, dental coverage. But also no, in that overall, the ACA in my opinion falls short of what should be a civilized country's commitment to health care for all (not something that still depends on predatory insurance companies). That's the Canadian in me, and yes, I'd pay higher taxes if I knew it were going to health care.
IMHO.
Cheers,
Peter
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It's official. First class rate in the USA goes up 3 cents to 49 cents on January 26, 2014. They should have just gone up to 50 cents. Makes it easier to figure out.
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After 3 days of NO residential mail delivery here in the Chicago area they figured if they raised to $0.50 more mail carriers might be shot-they are already shooting the cable guy!!!!!!!
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03:37:41am
" .... This is probably a good time to start a new post about the Affordable Care Act and I wouldn't be surprised if some moderator moved all these insurance posts there. ...."
That seems like a good idea and since the four or five posts are contiguous it ought to be possible for them to be moved en masse to the non-philatelic or possibly the Steamroom.
On the other hand, perhaps with a subject that excites so much partisan vibrations, we might be better off just leaving things as they are.
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06:24:21am
Charlie
I do not have the ability to move individual posts, I can only edit or delete them. I suggest you start a new topic (Steamroom seems most appropriate since folk have strong feelings - both pro and con - on the ACA). You can copy and paste, or use the quote feature, to make sure relevant parts of this thread are included.
I do not intend to delete the irrelevant posts here, but I am not the only moderator, and I cannot speak for the others. However, I would be very appreciative if we could get this thread back on the topic of "USPS raises postage rates."
Bobby Barnhart
DB Moderator
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I'll bite, concerning the new postal rates.
Does anyone know what the rates will be for International First Class mail, both letter and packages? I'm particularly interested in 1 ounce to 6 ounces in weight.
Thanks.
Peter
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04:14:51pm
I cannot find a definitive answer for anything other than 1 oz letter ($1.15 everywhere) and oversize rate ($0.70, which I believe is per ounce).
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if the rate structure from the last period holds, that $1.15 will be for 1 oz everywhere EXCEPT Canada, where it will deliver up to 2 oz. I am speculating here.
David
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Here is a summary of the postal rate increases, including package rate changes:
Small Business Trends Postal Rate Increase Page
This article also references a Stamps.com piece that is more detailed but still has the changes as 'pending'
Stamps dot com article
Summarizing for packages:
"Packages will see a number of increases:
First class package rate (used for domestic mail up to 13 ounces) goes up an average of 5%. For instance, there’s a flat rate for the first 3 ounce, and it goes up 24 cents, to $1.93.
Media mail rate (used for books, DVDs and CDs) goes up an average of 6.3%.
Most flat rate Priority remains the same. Exceptions are the small flat rate box which goes up 10 cents, and the large flat rate box, which goes up 50 cents.
Priority Express (formerly called Express mail) will increase on average 3%. There will also be a new option for 10:30 am delivery, costing an extra $5 — so if it absolutely must get there by the morning, you now have this option as long as you are willing to pay extra."
Selling just got more expensive, especially on eBay where your final value fee INCLUDES your shipping cost.
Peter
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Shipping fee has been included in the FVF at eBay for a while now. They did that to thwart the sellers who were charging a penny for an item, but $99 for shipping (and other similar practices).
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07:07:47am
" ..... sellers who were charging a penny for an item, but $99 for shipping ...."
Surely not !!!
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Yes, Charlie, that is quite true and it did not take eBay long to figure that little trick our and include shipping fees in their fee structure. So once again a few sly folks messed it up for everyone. C'est la vie!
Mike
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Oh please. eBay raised the rates by charging fees on shipping handling because they wanted all that extra revenue. They could have easily sorted all their sellers by shipping fees then ordered the 1 penny purchase with $99 shipping types to cease or get booted. Those idiots were just being scapegoated by a world class fee generating monster.
Bruce
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...... and then I sit here (in Europe) and wonder: How much is an ounce? 
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11:21:11am
Peter
There is a mindset in the USA that, as we know better how to do things, the rest of the world should do as we do, not vice versa. 
Actually, I do not know why we have never joined the rest of the world in measurement simplification. Our schools teach both systems of measurement from pre-school through graduation. Our scientists and researchers use the metric system. Maybe the powers that be just do not want to spend the money to changes all the highway signs?
It'll happen one day. Perhaps when the Brits and Aussies begin driving on the correct side of the road!
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Bobby, it'll happen when we default on all our loans to China and China takes us over.
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12:51:39am
As Liz posted "... 1oz = 28.350g ..." and one of our equally antiquated pounds equals about 454 gms.
Also because of the obstinacy of a certain segment of out population, just about all our groceries are labeled with both the metric and avoirdupois system. (avdp)
All my medications are measured in milligrams or if liquid cubic centimeters.
In just about all my international correspondence I use avoirdupois and add the metric equivalent as a matter of courtesy.
And then there is the equally ridiculous clinging to the Fahrenheit temperature scale.
All because some knuckle draggers are adverse to both change and simplicity, people who confuse chauvinism with patriotism.
But everyone of my children, and now grand children, are not only taught metrics in school, this old man insists on making sure that they can use metrics and convert quickly between scales.
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Here is the link to which you can get all the information on all the price changes imposed by the USPS on January 26, 2014:
http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm
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I see that the postage rates will be 1 cent less if you use a meter ! 
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Bob, interesting. There has been a differential between meter and stamps on priority and express. but this is the first time i've seen it on first class.
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If the USPS is promoting the use of meters, does this mean that the Forever stamps are a flop ??????????
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08:29:54pm
Michael,
Do you know if the discount applies to metered mail which is already discounted (bulk mailings, non-profits, etc.), or just to first class rates? Just curious.
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12:09:26pm
On January 26, 2014, the first class rate goes up from 46 cents to 47 cents. That is a fact. However, USPS is pushing to change that to 49 cents.
Priority mail and package services will see increases (around 3%), but it looks like the smaller flat rates will remain the same. Commercial and bulk mailers are getting hit with larger increases (5%+). That's a move that will certainly cut down on bulk mail and parcels being shipped by businesses through the USPS. More revenues for UPS, not USPS.
First class and priority international mail is going up too. Eventually USPS will price people out of the market for shipping parcels out of the country.
I hope the future USPS "sticker" program does good to replace more lost revenue by continued diminished mail volumes.
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The past is a foreign country, they do things different there.
18 Dec 2013
02:53:03pm
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
Michael78651:
Stein's Law: "If something can't go on forever it has to stop."
The USPS is marching on the same road as all other postal
systems, none of which can go on forever.
I think I speak for some Canadians when I say that Canada Post will
be forgotten the moment it closes its doors for the last time.
Season's greetings.
John Derry
4 Members
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re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
no, those increases will not save USPS; that's why they are trying to change the way they are governed, primarily the pre-funding of retirement accounts and reducing delivery days. Congress mandates both but in typical congressional fashion then doesn't give them tools to stay alive in the face of unfunded mandates.
Login to Like
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re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
If they would increase the Ist class postage to 49 cents a one ounce letter then go to 3 day a week delivery. They might be able to sustain themselves for another ten years. The U.S.P.S. then could have all part time employees and could stop all the benefits they are having to pay out. The Pensions and Medical is what is going to sink the ship. The changes are going to haft to be drastic and fast or the U.S.P.S. is never going to make it.
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They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin
19 Dec 2013
08:19:34pm
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
So I guess the question is: If the USPS goes under, how does the mail get delivered? My guess is the government will resume operation of the postal system, and we all know how efficient and "within-the-budget" our folk in DC are.
Actually, don't think it will come to that. The USPS will file for bankruptcy, and a bankruptcy judge will reform the pension and medical plans, and make other necessary adjustments to get it profitable again. Going to be a lot of unhappy retirees and future retirees, but there is probably nothing else viable at this stage of the game
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
19 Dec 2013
11:31:56pm
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
Or, the people, the voting people could smarten up and clean out the deadwood from Congress and get a forward looking President who can get this country rolling once more. That would include the USPS. There are some terrible inequities in our taxation laws as well as other areas.
FDR did it in the 1930s from a wheel chair with the help of a functioning cooperative Congress.
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To error is human -to really fowl things up takes a computer
20 Dec 2013
08:24:12am
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
Oh Charlie,
Dont you like living in country where the rich get richer and the rest of us struggle to make ends meat, where our country's foreign policies consist of a passing hand shake at a funeral and a basketball clinic in China!!!!!
A country where your forced to purchase unaffordable inadequate health insurance with a SMILE!!!
And now you want to fix the post office- first there was mail then e-mail, snail mail and junk mail-whats next Obamamail!!!!!!
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
20 Dec 2013
04:35:43pm
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
" .... A country where your forced to purchase unaffordable inadequate health insurance with a SMILE!!! ...."
I keep looking for some factual stories about people forced to purchase unaffordable insurance but just about every story I've seen, when investigated is of people who didn't completely checkout the program to see what rebates they are entitled to.
Or like that guy who appeared on Fox News and explained how he was going to have to fire some employees or reduce their hours to part time hours. The NY Times reporter checked and discovered that he only had four employees and as you probably know he is exempt unless he has fifty or more full time workers.
Three other people or couples appeared on that Fox program and it turned out that not one had a valid case of harm being done by the ACA, and as far as I can discovered Fox never once explained to its viewers that the stories were invalid.
I am sure that there are people who will wind up paying somewhat higher premiums, that seems like the way statistics work, but then those rates are set, not by the government, but by the private insurance companies who write the policies, enroll the hospitals, recruit the doctors, negotiate the reimbursement rates with pharmacies and most importantly change or terminate existing policies.
It may take a while to iron out some of the bugs, as it seems to have been with just about every other major program initiated by governments or manufacturers (***) but at least the United States will no longer be the only supposedly civilized country that fails to have some kind of universal health care available for its citizens. After all it has to be complicated to build a comprehensive program that covers 300,000,000 people using only the Massachusetts plan that Governor Romney started as a model. If I recall, that took almost two years to get close to its goal of enrolling most of its six million residents, but look at how successful it is now.
Actually, despite its dumb marketing policies, and the fiscal burdens it carries thanks to Congressional double talk, the USPS does a pretty good job of delivering three-quarters of a billion pieces of mail every business day
(***) I was thinking about Apples iBook recall, the Edsal, the infamous Corvair, Apollo Thirteen or that little war we got into looking for WMDs that were never found.
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re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
Charlie, you're my hero for both your observations.
on USPS, they are great at doing what they are mandated to do, efficiently and cheaply. Congressional mandates are, as one would expect, counterproductive and, if USPS fails, will be on the hands of Congress.
On ACA, we continually see some ideological groups posing as news organizations positing all sorts of fictions as fact and unwilling to admit falsehoods in the face of contradiction. Pity there's no law that requires TV stations to label opinion as such, and not dressed as if it were news or fact.
Anecdotally, my health insurance has risen between 11% and 16% each year since i've been in my job, now 20 years. This year, with ACA in place, my insurance is dropping 20%. Can i prove causality; no. Do i think ACA is a factor; yes.
David
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re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
I am glad to hear that someones rates have actually decreased instead of increasing. The company I work for decided not to cover spouses if insurance is offered at their work place, even if it is junk or unaffordable. This year we both have to pay for insurance. So our rates have increased by 100% this year...ouch!
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06:57:20am
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
This is probably a good time to start a new post about the Affordable Care Act and I wouldn't be surprised if some moderator moved all these insurance posts there.
As for me, I'm another person whose rate decreased slightly and I got better coverage. I had catastrophic health coverage until now as I am self-employed. Before this month, I paid $480 a month for a $10,000 deductible and could not change plans easily (if at all) due to pre-existing conditions. I had no dental coverage, and limited prescription coverage. My plan was canceled when the ACA came into play; yes, I'm one in a million! LOL!
I could not get the website to work for me, but that was not really an issue as my income did not qualify for any subsidies. I found a new policy on my own, with another company who now could not deny me coverage or hike up and put restrictions due to pre-existing conditions (thanks to ACA). I signed up for a $4600 deductible plan with dental and comprehensive Rx coverage for $450 a month. A similar plan before the ACA would have cost me over $700 with my current insurer!
Am I happy? Yes, in the sense that I got better coverage, could not be bullied by restrictive coverage if I tried to change plans, and got something new, dental coverage. But also no, in that overall, the ACA in my opinion falls short of what should be a civilized country's commitment to health care for all (not something that still depends on predatory insurance companies). That's the Canadian in me, and yes, I'd pay higher taxes if I knew it were going to health care.
IMHO.
Cheers,
Peter
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03:17:39pm
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
It's official. First class rate in the USA goes up 3 cents to 49 cents on January 26, 2014. They should have just gone up to 50 cents. Makes it easier to figure out.
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To error is human -to really fowl things up takes a computer
10 Jan 2014
03:33:39pm
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
After 3 days of NO residential mail delivery here in the Chicago area they figured if they raised to $0.50 more mail carriers might be shot-they are already shooting the cable guy!!!!!!!
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
12 Jan 2014
03:37:41am
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
" .... This is probably a good time to start a new post about the Affordable Care Act and I wouldn't be surprised if some moderator moved all these insurance posts there. ...."
That seems like a good idea and since the four or five posts are contiguous it ought to be possible for them to be moved en masse to the non-philatelic or possibly the Steamroom.
On the other hand, perhaps with a subject that excites so much partisan vibrations, we might be better off just leaving things as they are.
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They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin
12 Jan 2014
06:24:21am
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
Charlie
I do not have the ability to move individual posts, I can only edit or delete them. I suggest you start a new topic (Steamroom seems most appropriate since folk have strong feelings - both pro and con - on the ACA). You can copy and paste, or use the quote feature, to make sure relevant parts of this thread are included.
I do not intend to delete the irrelevant posts here, but I am not the only moderator, and I cannot speak for the others. However, I would be very appreciative if we could get this thread back on the topic of "USPS raises postage rates."
Bobby Barnhart
DB Moderator
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06:40:34am
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
I'll bite, concerning the new postal rates.
Does anyone know what the rates will be for International First Class mail, both letter and packages? I'm particularly interested in 1 ounce to 6 ounces in weight.
Thanks.
Peter
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They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin
12 Jan 2014
04:14:51pm
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
I cannot find a definitive answer for anything other than 1 oz letter ($1.15 everywhere) and oversize rate ($0.70, which I believe is per ounce).
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re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
if the rate structure from the last period holds, that $1.15 will be for 1 oz everywhere EXCEPT Canada, where it will deliver up to 2 oz. I am speculating here.
David
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07:04:18am
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
Here is a summary of the postal rate increases, including package rate changes:
Small Business Trends Postal Rate Increase Page
This article also references a Stamps.com piece that is more detailed but still has the changes as 'pending'
Stamps dot com article
Summarizing for packages:
"Packages will see a number of increases:
First class package rate (used for domestic mail up to 13 ounces) goes up an average of 5%. For instance, there’s a flat rate for the first 3 ounce, and it goes up 24 cents, to $1.93.
Media mail rate (used for books, DVDs and CDs) goes up an average of 6.3%.
Most flat rate Priority remains the same. Exceptions are the small flat rate box which goes up 10 cents, and the large flat rate box, which goes up 50 cents.
Priority Express (formerly called Express mail) will increase on average 3%. There will also be a new option for 10:30 am delivery, costing an extra $5 — so if it absolutely must get there by the morning, you now have this option as long as you are willing to pay extra."
Selling just got more expensive, especially on eBay where your final value fee INCLUDES your shipping cost.
Peter
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09:17:31am
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
Shipping fee has been included in the FVF at eBay for a while now. They did that to thwart the sellers who were charging a penny for an item, but $99 for shipping (and other similar practices).
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
17 Jan 2014
07:07:47am
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
" ..... sellers who were charging a penny for an item, but $99 for shipping ...."
Surely not !!!
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re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
Yes, Charlie, that is quite true and it did not take eBay long to figure that little trick our and include shipping fees in their fee structure. So once again a few sly folks messed it up for everyone. C'est la vie!
Mike
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09:45:08pm
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
Oh please. eBay raised the rates by charging fees on shipping handling because they wanted all that extra revenue. They could have easily sorted all their sellers by shipping fees then ordered the 1 penny purchase with $99 shipping types to cease or get booted. Those idiots were just being scapegoated by a world class fee generating monster.
Bruce
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re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
...... and then I sit here (in Europe) and wonder: How much is an ounce?
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They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin
19 Jan 2014
11:21:11am
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
Peter
There is a mindset in the USA that, as we know better how to do things, the rest of the world should do as we do, not vice versa.
Actually, I do not know why we have never joined the rest of the world in measurement simplification. Our schools teach both systems of measurement from pre-school through graduation. Our scientists and researchers use the metric system. Maybe the powers that be just do not want to spend the money to changes all the highway signs?
It'll happen one day. Perhaps when the Brits and Aussies begin driving on the correct side of the road!
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03:14:08pm
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
Bobby, it'll happen when we default on all our loans to China and China takes us over.
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
20 Jan 2014
12:51:39am
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
As Liz posted "... 1oz = 28.350g ..." and one of our equally antiquated pounds equals about 454 gms.
Also because of the obstinacy of a certain segment of out population, just about all our groceries are labeled with both the metric and avoirdupois system. (avdp)
All my medications are measured in milligrams or if liquid cubic centimeters.
In just about all my international correspondence I use avoirdupois and add the metric equivalent as a matter of courtesy.
And then there is the equally ridiculous clinging to the Fahrenheit temperature scale.
All because some knuckle draggers are adverse to both change and simplicity, people who confuse chauvinism with patriotism.
But everyone of my children, and now grand children, are not only taught metrics in school, this old man insists on making sure that they can use metrics and convert quickly between scales.
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01:38:45am
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
Here is the link to which you can get all the information on all the price changes imposed by the USPS on January 26, 2014:
http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm
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01:33:09pm
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
I see that the postage rates will be 1 cent less if you use a meter !
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re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
Bob, interesting. There has been a differential between meter and stamps on priority and express. but this is the first time i've seen it on first class.
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08:21:46pm
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
If the USPS is promoting the use of meters, does this mean that the Forever stamps are a flop ??????????
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They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin
30 Jan 2014
08:29:54pm
re: USPS Raises Postage Rates
Michael,
Do you know if the discount applies to metered mail which is already discounted (bulk mailings, non-profits, etc.), or just to first class rates? Just curious.
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