USPS rate increases

I sent a single piece of vinyl to Sweden, $18.60.

 

Sales from my eBay store has dropped about 40% due to the rate hike. Less money for the Postal Service and less disposable income for me. Way to go!

 

I wish I had read the posts in this thread sooner. I just mailed off a bunch of CDs I sold on Ebay, including two to Canada. When I got to the Post Office, the cost for postage was $7.50 for each disc. I'd only charged $4 postage for each and the discs were sold for only a couple of dollars. Bottom line, between postage, packaging and Ebay and Paypal fees, I am down about $7.00 (and two CDs I could have sold in the U.S. or donated to the library). I definitely am not shipping out of the U.S. anymore. I can't see why anyone in Canada would be willing to pay what I would have to charge to cover actual costs to mail there and it certainly makes no sense when postage is two or three times the value of the disc. Oh well, at least no more screwing around with customs forms and waiting in line at the Post Office.

 

Let's hope the amount of international sales, more like a lack there of, results in a noticeable dent in their profits for 2013 and USPS decides to renew/reduce costs.

 

Me too, I'm out

 

Will they even notice? They are so incompetent that they might continue to blame email for their loses.

 

I've never been worried about the USPS's competency. My mail gets here every day, and so far as it's in their hands they've gotten it for me all over the world. It is nearly impossible to discuss the actual causes of this fiscal crisis without getting into political areas where we don't go on SHtv, but they are well documented elsewhere and have nothing to do with the quality of their work, organization or staff.

And no, I don't work for the USPS, although they work for me.

 

Complaining about it on a music website will do nothing...write your elected officials.

 

It builds post counts so it does something.

 

I used to buy a lot of used CDs from the US.
$5.00 to Ireland seemed reasonable for one CD. Now for the same CD its $12.75 or beyond on average.
It would really want to be a pretty awsome CD for me to pay $12.75 for shipping. Sorry lads.
It costs me about $4.00 to ship the same CD to the US.

 

Don't say that!

I just took all of my CDs off of Amazon (they had been up for three years, it was all leftovers anyway), and dumped them at the used store for $2 each. I guess I am glad I got out of that racket at this time. I would of had to close international shipping options, and for my genre 20th Century Classical, 60% was sent outside of US.

I used to ship all of my LPs Priority Mail, and when that service sky rocketed in price, I went with Media Rate exclusively. So the postal service has never made more money off of me with the rate hikes, they have lost money each time. And now I am done with CDs as well. I am still doing vinyl, at least for now.

 

Here's some background information:

Rising Postal Rates Squeeze Small Record Labels (NPR 29.1.2013)

 

It's similar for me in Canada as well. It costs me $5.50 to ship a CD to the USA, but it costs $9.75 from the USA to me?!?!

 

Writing your elected officials will have the same result!

 

Anyone know what the price increase was for the discounted presorted bulk junk mail rates. Getting kind of tired of subsidizing discounts for people to mail trash.

 

I used to buy quite a lot from U.S. Amazon Marketplace sellers and until recently also from U.S. sellers here, but no more. ImportCDs' international shipping rates haven't gone up yet and are still reasonable. I wonder for how long...

I always thought Dutch international rates were insanely high, but suddenly they seem almost moderate now...

 

I mentioned it earlier in the thread but I have stopped even looking at Amazon US for cd's now. I will still buy off eBay if the seller stills lists the postage as being $5-$7.50 but even my buying there has slowed down.

Luckily I can buy the discs I want off of Karl on here.

 

I don't generally sell CDs, but if I did the only way I could sell them to Scotland with a $5 - $7.50 shipping charge for a single item is by adding $6 onto the price to hand over to the Post Office. It now costs about $US 13 over the counter at the PO to send a CD to Europe, not even including packaging costs.

 

Yep fully understand but the rate rise must be affecting a lot of US sellers both on fleabay and on Amazon.

 

Just had a quick look for something on fleabay and found it as a BIN for $7.99 and postage of $29.99. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that I won't be buying it as I can get it off of Amazon UK for £12.99

 

Oh absolutely. Since the rate hike I can't sell anything on ebay. I would list 10 CDs and would sell at least half. Now, I am selling 1-2 listing 20 and more. Awful is an understatement.