Postage Rates just went up again...

[aoiddr]

I must've totally missed this news when it got announced back in October, but postage rates just went up this morning (Sunday, Jan 17).

A "Flat Rate Envelope" went from $5.05 to $5.75!

And now anything sent First Class that weighs 1 oz to 8 oz costs $2.60 (instead of each of those having their own cent tiers).

Full list of prices:
http://blog.stamps.com/2015/10/22/usps-announces-postage-rate-increase-starts-january-17-2016/

 

[fake]

 

[MuppeT]

thank you obama !

 

[madman]

What really sucks is that you no longer get a discounted rate when you print your own labels at home.

 

[NeoSneth]

Gas prices at an all time low... Let's increase shipping rates.

Makes total sense.

 

[ebinsugewa]

First Class used to be the joint. Now it's not much less than Priority.

 

[Karou]

View attachment 32036

what it meansis?

 

[SpamYouToDeath]

Gas prices at an all time low... Let's increase shipping rates.

Makes total sense.

The fuel for the vehicles isn't their only expense. Also, they're subject to the whims of our less-than-rational Congress:
http://business.time.com/2013/02/07/how-healthcare-expenses-cost-us-saturday-postal-delivery/

tl;dr: they're required to comply with some absolutely insane funding requirements, which puts them in the red a lot (on paper).

 

[Rot]

what it meansis?

...I find this richly ironic...

xROTx

PS. We still need that chat sometime...

 

[wyo]

What really sucks is that you no longer get a discounted rate when you print your own labels at home.

Damn, you're right Medium flat rate box went from $11.30 to $13.45. That's a 19% increase.

 

[ki_atsushi]

Jesus, fuckin' scalpers.

It's not our fault the federal government can't run a fucking thing right, yet we sure have to pay for it either way. Asses.

 

[BanishingFlatsAC]

My father in law is a postmaster and told us that Amazon is paying OT for carriers to deliver on Sunday. They only deliver Amazon packages though. Amazon is also shifting away from UPS and towards USPS for its prime shipping. If they decided to open their own shipping company, I'd be surprised if USPS doesn't cut down delivery to three days a week.

 

[@M]

At least they didn't raise the price of stamps again (for now).

 

[Xian Xi]

What really sucks is that you no longer get a discounted rate when you print your own labels at home.

This is what pissed me off the most. There no price advantage anymore. I wonder if through ebay I still get my shipping discount.

 

[MuppeT]

This is what pissed me off the most. There no price advantage anymore. I wonder if through ebay I still get my shipping discount.

doubt it as they where just redirecting rates from/through the usps site.

 

[Xian Xi]

doubt it as they where just redirecting rates from/through the usps site.

No, it was a different discount. Once you get power seller status you get an even lower rate. For example, the small flat rate box retail before was $5.75, click and ship would be $5.25, with the ebay discount it was $5.05.

 

[wyo]

This is what pissed me off the most. There no price advantage anymore. I wonder if through ebay I still get my shipping discount.

I am still getting a discount on eBay.

EDIT: Good news, guys! Paypal label purchases appear to still be discounted, even for non-eBay orders. Of course the rate is still a bit higher than before but at least it's not full retail.

 

[GohanX]

Nice!

 

[aoiddr]

What's the best way to purchase shipping for international packages now?

 

[MuppeT]

No, it was a different discount. Once you get power seller status you get an even lower rate. For example, the small flat rate box retail before was $5.75, click and ship would be $5.25, with the ebay discount it was $5.05.

hmmm - sounds nice. I tried couple of times comparing ebay shipping with usps site shipping and it was always the same.

 

[wyo]

Use Paypal to print non-eBay USPS labels now. Not quite as low as eBay Top Rated / Powerseller but still a worthwhile discount.

Also worth mentioning...I often use FedEx Ground/Home Delivery for larger/heavier packages. You can save ~20% if you use ShipRush (free to sign up) to pre-print labels.

 

[Electric Grave]

...I only buy forever stamps 'cause I rarely use them...

 

[aoiddr]

Use Paypal to print non-eBay USPS labels now. Not quite as low as eBay Top Rated / Powerseller but still a worthwhile discount.

On https://www.paypal.com/shipnow, there is a Package option under "Priority Mail International," but the "First Class Mail International" only has "Letter" and "Large Envelope" (but no package).

I know the USPS website has "First-Class Package International Service"...odd that Paypal doesn't have that as it's half the price of "Priority Mail International." >_>

 

[GohanX]

You can do first class international, but it has a weight limit of just a few ounces.

 

[BIG BEAR]

The 2016 prices look like the prices I paid in 2015. I concluded that the discount for printing out your own postage wasn't really much of a savings due to me using my costly INK & paper.
Thanks for the heads up.
BB