USPS Increase Ebayer warning

Emil Frand · Post by **Emil Frand** » Mon May 14, 2007 10:56 am

Friday I shipped a 1/18 plane,cost $14.00 and change for delivery comfirmation AND insurance, today same box same general location was $25.00! Box was 28x10x10 3 pounds

++ Shipped two through UPS,same size box,same weight about, both to the west coast like the one above, under $10 each,takes 2 days longer.++
USPS, takes inept and gross mismanagment to destroy a near monopoly, Im amazed they lasted this long, can you say Privatization???

Razor17019 · Post by **Razor17019** » Mon May 14, 2007 1:56 pm

Wonderful!

Don't know about where you live, but I am paying 3 bucks for gas.
(so driving around to various WMs is becoming expensive)

We have a 24/7 post office @ our local airport that does super job getting out stuff for me. Now with Emil's post, I fear the days of shipping items cheaply for our hobby have past...

This impacts all of us that also make some money from Ebay!

GRRRRRRR!!!!

We really need to stop using fossil fuels and go solar/electric or some other form to get off this addiction to the stinking foreign oil countries supply!
Of course this isn't news to us guys that have seen the 70's energy crisis. Slowing down to 55 and turning off the light don't cut it!
Someone sneezes in the middle east and we have to pay for it over here!

WAKE UP, AMERICA!
(politely steps off his soapbox and leaves)

FieroDude · Post by **FieroDude** » Mon May 14, 2007 2:29 pm

Kind of makes you wonder whether big oil, Walmart and other big discount retailers lobbied the post office to at least encourage us to shop locally using our cars rather than shopping via the internet or catalogs...

Emil Frand · Post by **Emil Frand** » Mon May 14, 2007 3:16 pm

The increase seems to hit boxes over 21 inches real hard. Other stuff I shipped today that was under 21 was fine. Like I said I went to UPS and shipped 2 planes after the PO thing and both were under 10 bucks, takes 2 days longer. UPS& FedeX have got to loving this.........

VMF115 · Post by **VMF115** » Mon May 14, 2007 3:25 pm

The way I see it if online retailers don't come down in their prices then they might suffer a bit. hint hint.

VMF115 · Post by **VMF115** » Mon May 14, 2007 3:29 pm

Emil Frand wrote:The increase seems to hit boxes over 21 inches real hard. Other stuff I shipped today that was under 21 was fine. Like I said I went to UPS and shipped 2 planes after the PO thing and both were under 10 bucks, takes 2 days longer. UPS& FedeX have got to loving this.........

It looks liek the USPS screwd up big time on this.

Post by **aferguson** » Mon May 14, 2007 4:42 pm

This talk of rate increases was freaking me out a bit so i went to USPS.com and did some calculations. It looks like rates to Canada have actually gone down. A WM sized XD box weighing 5 pounds is $16 and change via Priority Mail® International, which i assume replaces airmail parcel post. Used to cost $18 and change.

A large, Avenger sized box was around $22....about the same as before.

Seems odd but i double checked everything.

Emil Frand · Post by **Emil Frand** » Mon May 14, 2007 4:59 pm

I also checked that as Ive a Canadian buyer and parcel post 6-10 weeks(or somethnig like that) was $12. Problem is he didnt tell me he was in Canada and doesnt seem to understand I wont ship for the cost he paid which was for domestic shipping. Air was $22 like you said. It is weird they hit domestic like this but not international. Like I said inept management.......

ostketten · Post by **ostketten** » Tue May 15, 2007 7:20 am

Friday I shipped a 1/18 plane,cost $14.00 and change for delivery comfirmation AND insurance, today same box same general location was $25.00! Box was 28x10x10 3 pounds

I don't know what kind of plane it was, but it must have been a BBI or something because I don't think a 21C XD aircraft will fit in a 10"x10" box and still have room for much cushioning. I've shipped dozens of XD planes all over the country and when completey packed and ready to ship they weigh right at 7 pounds (or a bit over) virtually every time, and I use a very accurate postal scale to weigh everything before I take it to the post office, so I'm not sure where you got the three pounds from. At any rate, to ship an XD plane USPS Parcel Post from Washington DC to LA costs me right around $15 and an extra 75 cents for Delivery Confirmation, Priority Mail for the same package and destination runs about $20 or so, and insurance (which I never use unless the buyer requests it) will add at least another $2.30 to your total. The rates have gone up for sure, but they are still very competitive with both UPS and Fedex in my opinion. I think alot depends on your location, I live in a mostly rural area and post offices are readily accesible, the nearest UPS hub is over 25 miles away and if you ship UPS out of a retail affiliate like Staples or Mail Boxes Plus, the markup is a killer that averages 25% or more. For my money and circumstances the USPS still represents the best combination of convenience, services available, and price.

ostketten · Post by **ostketten** » Tue May 15, 2007 8:50 am

same box same general location was $25.00!

Then it must have been express mail. I consulted the new rate chart and the highest rate (zone 8 ) for a 3 pound box going by Priority Mail is $10.45, there is no surcharge for your box size because it does not exceed 84 inches of combined girth and length. Express mail for the same package is $24.50 which corresponds pretty closely with the price you quoted. Parcel Post for that weight is just $7.93 and delivery confirmation would add only another 75 cents at most. I don't see how UPS could be cheaper than parcel post and the delivery time (7 days) is virtually the same.