USPS rate increases

Does anyone have any more details on this? On another forum I saw someone post

" No more online printing of Parcel Post postage (called Standard Post now). First-Class Mail International (now First-Class Package International Service) 1oz rate has doubled to $6.55."

$6.55 for 1 oz??

 

Here's a quick summary

http://www.stamps.com/usps/postage-rate-increase/

The Stamps.com rate on that page is the same as the Commercial Base rate you also get with Click and Ship or Ebay postage, I think. It looks like it's being applied for the first time to International First Class, so that's good. You can dig in here to get the nitty gritty.

http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/Notice123.pdf

Execyutive summary: everything's more expensive and foreign trade will suffer most.

 

Welcome to Canadian style postage.

 

The new international rates are outrageous.

Unfortunately for those who sell on Amazon marketplace, Amazon has refused to increase the shipping reimbursement for international sales. They still charge $6.89 for a CD, but the actual cost to ship it is now around twice that.

 

This was a big issue last April here in the UK, when postage rates increased by some margin. International rates were increased by more than domestic.

 

I bet that will change.

 

One would hope, but their response to sellers asking about it has been that they have no plans to pass the rate hike along to customers, and that sellers have to either eat the difference or raise their sale prices to compensate.

 

I'm surprised by how much the international rates rose. I knew there was an increase, but didn't really investigate before hand (oops). Then I went to ship a CD that I sold oversees that previously would have cost $6.90 was now $11.48 (!). Fortunately, I only had one like this and have updated my ebay listings to reflect the new rates. I've noticed that a lot sellers on ebay haven't updated their shipping rates either (including some large sellers that I have saved - they are in for a rude awakening soon).

 

I'm a little shocked.... I calculated a 7 oz. package to germany and it jumped over $4 from what I used to pay. It's bad enough that International buyers get socked with duties on their end, but to pay almost $12 for postage is ridiculous.

 

$11.48 for a CD, where was it going to?

And was that regular first class air mail?

 

Yep, $11.48 is the new regular first class airmail rate to most countries for a 5 oz. CD. More than double the previous rate of $6.12.

 

I don't even want to know what it's going to cost foreign buyers for a 13-15 oz LP...

 

I wonder how much it is to ship a cd without the case worldwide now, guess if I sell cds worldwide it will have to be without the case but with the inserts unless its a valuable cd to save on shipping.

I wonder how the UK seller Zoverstocks can still ship cds to the united states for only $2.99 per cd, the royal mail website said it would cost about 3.86 british pounds to ship a cd airmail to the USA, I bet they get bulk shipping discounts.

 

It doubled to $15....I just had to pass on an LP I wanted here from a member. I guess my buying spree with U.S. members is done!

 

They will have, I'm sure.

 

Edit: Nevermind, the package I just got from zoverstocks today says TNT post on it not royal mail, they must use TNT post instead of royal mail since they must give large bulk discounts.

 

At least they changed one thing for the better...no more little green tracking slips for delivery confirmation. The computer generates the number and it prints on your receipt.

 

This is a complete disaster. I just ate $70 in price increases on today's shipments alone. My hands are shaking I'm so frustrated.

One CD to Europe went from $6.90 to $12.75...not only will this kill businesses, it will also kill demand.

 

From now on, I am going to be more cautious on bidding on/buying items from U.S. sellers who do not specify the shipping cost. "Inquire before bidding" or "we'll work it out" is a poor approach to international shipping; sellers should conduct research (and it doesn't take much time) and be upfront about the cost.

 

Research every possible country that someone could buy from?

 

If you conduct research, you will find out there are only a few different rates to apply.

 

Or you could be like many other sellers and refuse to send to countries you are not familiar with. I recently talked to an online seller who would ship to Japan but not to Korea because he doesn't know how much it would cost for shipping. I explained that Korea is right next to Japan and the cost should be identical. Still, the seller wasn't comfortable. At that point, I gave up and took my business elsewhere.

 

The problem is the USPS website doesn't specify zones in the online shipping calculator. It is a drop down menu of every country.

I understand what you're saying... with experience shipping to various countries you can get a feel for what the postage will be. But this now goes out the window with the new rates, sellers are starting from scratch.

 

Yes, I just found that out for myself and remembered how it was like when I was in the States.

It looks like while the default rate has increased considerably, the rates for additional ounces appear to have remained the same. So while buying one CD is going to be cost prohibitive for the most part (and imagine the cost if the seller insists on registered shipping), buying several CDs together (or buying vinyl records) should not be affected as much.

Another loophole that USPS appears to have closed is sending a small envelope with a CD in it as a letter. Although the rule was always in place to classify it as a package, in practice I always sent stuff out as letter post as long as the thickness did not go over the stated limit. Probably, with years of experience, USPS workers wised up.

 

The exact same thing that happened up here last year with Canada Post. Small sellers just can't get a break anymore.