USPS Rate Increase

[khpony]

I was shocked today when I sold something on ebay and discovered that the small flat rate box shipping increased from $5.95 to $6.80 on January 17th. That's 14%. Wow they should be happy. They mismanage their business according to some reports and then get a 14% increase. If this was in the news then I missed it. If not it was done very quiet. I used USPS flat rates a lot but now will look at FEDEX and UPS for medium size shipping. Sorry for the rant but that's a big increase!

 

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[FreeBirdTim]

All the rate increases in the world won't make USPS solvent. Too many decades of sweetheart pensions have made their business a shambles.

Increasing first class rates (and now small flat rate boxes) is the death knell for a lot of eBay sellers. I used to sell a lot of items in the $5 to $10 range, but it's not worth it now. Who wants to pay $6.80 to ship a $5 item? And now eBay wants sellers to offer free shipping all the time, so there's no way to make money on the cheaper items.

 

[T.C.]

We ship small padded envelopes that are 3 ounces and under...$2.04 with tracking. Shipped the same thing yesterday and it costs $2.66...62 cents increase!! I'll just pass on the increase to the buyer....USPS sucks

 

[1320]

I was shocked today when I sold something on ebay and discovered that the small flat rate box shipping increased from $5.95 to $6.80 on January 17th. That's 14%. Wow they should be happy. They mismanage their business according to some reports and then get a 14% increase. If this was in the news then I missed it. If not it was done very quiet. I used USPS flat rates a lot but now will look at FEDEX and UPS for medium size shipping. Sorry for the rant but that's a big increase!

Try UPS! 1 lb in a 9x6x2 box (size equiv of USPS Small Flat Rate Box) zone to zone (60 miles): $11.26. $16:01 if you get hit with delivery/fuel surcharge.

USPS: 1 lb in a 9x6x2 box: $50 free insurance, free delivery tracking, anywhere in the US and her territories, 3 days or less: $6.80

 

[1320]

I guess some of you will be even more upset to learn that USPS Standard Post costs the same or more as Priority Flat Rate. If you use the USPS and can get your goods into one of the flat rate boxes, do it, you'll be money ahead. FWIW, the USPS delivers ALOT of UPS/FedEx packages and they ain't doing it for free......

 

[1320]

All the rate increases in the world won't make USPS solvent. Too many decades of sweetheart pensions have made their business a shambles.

If not for a 5.7 Billion dollar US Government mandated pre-fund, the USPS made 1.9 Billion in 2014. That's plenty solvent in anyone's book and the business model is far from shambles. The 5.7 billion is a "paper" loss. The USPS hasn't paid the pre-fund in several years but it's still "on the ledger".

 

[T.C.]

Do you work for the USPS, 1320??

 

[1320]

Do you work for the USPS, 1320??

Yes

 

[Limitool]

All the rate increases in the world won't make USPS solvent. Too many decades of sweetheart pensions have made their business a shambles.

Yea... many others also including GM, wall street and others. But thanks to the U.S. taxpayers my pension goes forth uninterrupted. It seems the USPS is nothing but another welfare program for those involved. Shut it down and let the private sector run it. I would of let GM fail... period.

Good for me... but I don't think it's right at all.

 

[G.I.B.]

Yes

We purchased certified copies of court documents in Fl.

Put them in a USPS, insured, 2nd day, tracking number USPS supplied envelope.

It never showed up in Alaska.

Tracking it, it never left the facility we mailed it from.

They searched and searched, finding nothing.

(day 6 now)

Court hearing in AK delayed awaiting the papers.

Fine- then pay the insurance so we can go buy more certified copies of court paper.

Nope- we at the post office are still looking.

We go get new documents, pay again for the same docs, go to FedEx, documents arrive in AK court the next morning.

USPS still won't pay. Still can't find documents, 30+days. But still looking they say...

45 days later it shows up in my mailbox. Fell behind or under something at the originating post office the note says. They say they don't have to pay insurance because they didn't actually loose it, and I now have it.

Didn't refund postage because a carrier delivered it back to me.


~ahhhh yep~

 

[1320]

We purchased certified copies of court documents in Fl.

Put them in a USPS, insured, 2nd day, tracking number USPS supplied envelope.

It never showed up in Alaska.

Tracking it, it never left the facility we mailed it from.

They searched and searched, finding nothing.

(day 6 now)

Court hearing in AK delayed awaiting the papers.

Fine- then pay the insurance so we can go buy more certified copies of court paper.

Nope- we at the post office are still looking.

We go get new documents, pay again for the same docs, go to FedEx, documents arrive in AK court the next morning.

USPS still won't pay. Still can't find documents, 30+days. But still looking they say...

45 days later it shows up in my mailbox. Fell behind or under something at the originating post office the note says. They say they don't have to pay insurance because they didn't actually loose it, and I now have it.

Didn't refund postage because a carrier delivered it back to me.


~ahhhh yep~

This thread is going a little sideways...lol. I completely understand your frustration, I'm also a customer. Is is safe to assume that you used Priority 2 Day with the USPS?
USPS Express mail comes with a whole other set of "guarantees". If you used Express, you get paid back immediately, different set of rules for Priority. Regardless, at some point, someone in the Postal Service should have applied common sense and refunded your money. And yeah, the insurance only covers damaged property. If they had burned,water damaged or otherwise made your documents useless, then yes, you would get your money back. I get that by the documents being late they are useless to you but the USPS wouldn't consider them as damaged.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

If not for a 5.7 Billion dollar US Government mandated pre-fund, the USPS made 1.9 Billion in 2014

If USPS paid 5.7 billion for sweetheart pensions and earned 1.9 billion, then they lost 3.8 billion last year! You confirmed exactly what my post was stating. The cushy sweetheart pensions they give out are killing any chance for USPS to ever be profitable.

 

[T.C.]

Don't take these rants personally, 1320. A big majority of government run outfits are just not business savvy. There are a lot of good people that work for them, but they just don't have the managers smart enough to make them profitable. Also, if these government dinosaurs don't make a profit....no big deal, they are just propped up with the taxpayers money and keep right on running! Amtrack, USFS, BLM and many others are also shining examples. The private sector CAN NOT work that way.

 

[T.C.]

I've worked both sides. Twenty-three years in a lumber mill and twenty years in a public utility job. The hardest part about the public utility job, was learning to slow down....production was a dirty word. Sometimes I had to back up to the bank teller to cash my check....embarrassed about getting paid for doing close to nothing!!

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Don't take these rants personally, 1320

Exactly! It's not personal, it's business (in this case, a poorly run business).

 

[TheRingFinder]

Me @ the USPS - I would like to send this package to Florida, USPS employee - That will be $5.20, and would you like insurance on that?

Me - What the *&^%. I'm paying you to deliver a package, and I have to buy insurance to make sure you get it there?

What a sham - I install audio / visual equipment on the side - Should I charge my customer's insurance just incase I install it incorrectly? Wow -

 

[FreeBirdTim]

How about $1.05 for tracking a $2.00 first class package? Even worse, it's only 23 cents if you print your own label! Does it really cost USPS 82 cents to print a label for me?

 

[Trezurehunter]

They have increased their rates. Have they increased their service ?