USPS Sticker Shock

[lightning2000]

Hi All,
Talk about sticker shock! I just got back from the Post Office. Late last week, we sold a FOV 1:72 scale Aunt Jemima tank off ebay and thought that by quoting $16 for Air Mail shipping to Australia that would cover it with the new fee structure. Well, to our surprise, an item like this, which weighs less than 1 pound with the packing material, cost a whopping $21 to ship via Priority Mail International, to points down under.

Not sure how many people from Australia are going to be purchasing from the US going forward, since the Post Office eliminated surface mail and Air Parcel Post as options. I imagine Europe will be a little cheaper, but not by much...

Lightning2000
www.themotorpool.net

[aferguson]

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.

[lightning2000]

Hi,
Its very possible rates to Canada could have gone down, but I'm not so sure. Keep in mind that the Post Office will now be religiously applying "balloon charges" to oversized boxes that do not meet normal weight criteria. In other words, a large box with very little weight to it will face a surcharge. They're now looking at cubic measurements for each shipment, not simply weight anymore.

Your best bet would be to have someone bring a similarly sized box and weighted item to the Post Office to see how much it will now cost to ship to Canada.

Lightning2000
www.themotorpool.net

[aferguson]

well i used USPS's own rate calculator and put in the weight for a box of both 84 total size and 134 (or whatever the top limit is) and those are the rates they gave me.

Canada Post's rates are higher now for domestic shipping than shipping to the US, so it seems that USPS has gone the same way. Since the vast majority of packages are domestic, i guess that's where they applied the rate increases.

Whatever the case is i'm glad.....could have spelt the end of 1/18 collecting for me if USPS rates had soared.

[Rowsdower]

I mailed a whole bunch of eBay stuff today. for the most part the rates weren't too bad, some were less than my shipping quotes so I was happy. A seven pound box of model railroad cars going to Illinois was $18 for priority though.

[FieroDude]

Canada Post's rates are higher now for domestic shipping than shipping to the US, so it seems that USPS has gone the same way.

Further proof of the wicked Canadian conspiracy! Their lumber has infiltrated our homes. Their coins have invaded our money supply. Now they are planting people in our post office! Next thing you know, there will be vinegar for our french fries and our Smarties will look and taste like M&Ms! Rise up and defend American against the invasion!

Just kidding, Aferg. But it is odd how postal rates are being handled. I need to check to see how much rates to Germany and Australia have changed. It seems like the US post office is intentionally trying to get rid of any kind of business but simple letters. I also wonder how many people here are going to mad when they find out that their forever stamps "don't apply" to a lot of letters that used to be ok for a first class stamp. Kind of like that exclusion clause on insurance. You're covered, as long as it's not A, B, and C.

[crossroads]

I was running some prices on usps.com and saw a first class main international option. It says this is the new Airmail letter post. I never shipped that method much before so I don't remember the prices.

A 1lb package to Australia is $10. Of course they don't give a shipping time for this method. They say it varies per destination. One good thing is that you can use all of the priority mail boxes for this. The only stipulation is there is a 4lb weight limit.

Might be an option for some light items for those who don't mind waiting a few days.

Also there is a discount for printing your labels online. Might be worth the hassle.

Ronnie
www.crossroadsdiecast.com

[lightning2000]

Hello,
I've never heard of that shipping method nor did the postal clerk indicate it was available to us. Of course the item was packed up in a Priority Mail box per their new rules, so they probably figured we wouldnt be interested in a cheaper alternative. Anyway, I'll check with them tomorrow to see what the restrictions are. You cant ship much under four pounds and I'm thinking the chance of items getting lost will probably go up as well.

We're going to test the USPS online shipping system later this week to see what types of issues arise. We're all set at this end just never gave it a whirl. We've also got FedEx putting together a proposal to see if their rates come in any cheaper. Of course, then we have to use standard boxes for all shipping, which essentially wipes out whatever cost savings they'll probably offer.

Its going to be interesting to see if someone else can step in and offer a low cost alternative yet still be reliable. I think the days of using the Postal system as a low cost means of shipping may be numbered...

Lightning2000
www.themotorpool.net

[lightning2000]

Hello All,
I now see what the problem is with the recent rate hikes by the USPS, particularly in the area of shipping oversized parcels. Besides the surge in prices for oil, the USPS is now on a for profit business model, similar to UPS and FedEx. So, we now have a goverment agency that is making money off the consumer under the guise of recent price hikes. The postal clerk I spoke to confirmed this and indicated their checks are no longer drawn against the US treasury but instead come from a private sector bank. So, now they're now on an equal footing with other major carriers. What's next? Police Departments handing out summons every sixty seconds for the tiniest infraction including jaywalking just to meet payroll?

Lightning2000

[aferguson]

Canada Post has been in a profit making business set up for years and for the most part it has worked well. They used to be a big drain on the tax payer, but no more.

The only problem i have with it or indeed any Gov't agency being in business for profit, is that they have a monopoly. It's not like you can run to Joe's Mail Service, if you don't like Canada Post's (or USPS's) rates. However, for packages there is competition from couriers at least...but couriers generally only offer services which are speedy and as such, expensive. They don't really have anything like what the Post Office offers with Airmail Parcel Post, for example.

The bottom line of all the rate hikes is this: if people don't like it they will eventually stop shipping so many packages and thus profits will fall off, so the courier companies and USPS will have to get more efficient, so they can cut rates or offer cheaper (slower) services.

[lightning2000]

The only problem i have with it or indeed any Gov't agency being in business for profit, is that they have a monopoly. It's not like you can run to Joe's Mail Service, if you don't like Canada Post's (or USPS's) rates. However, for packages there is competition from couriers at least...but couriers generally only offer services which are speedy and as such, expensive. They don't really have anything like what the Post Office offers with Airmail Parcel Post, for example.

Hi,
I agree 100% but you'll never hear a congressman cry foul regarding this type of monopoly. Maybe we've all been spoiled with relatively inexpensive shipping rates previously offered by the USPS vis a vis other carriers.

I know that on the bulk mail side of things, alot of corporate customers are reevaluating their marketing strategies. An email costs nothing to send out (until eventual legislative action takes hold) versus the cost of printing and mailing a massive number of catalogs/brochures. Just wish we had a Star Trek transporter beam where we could zap a package to a customer instead of dealing with all the hassles of shipping in an era where costs seem to go up overnight. Of course, there's no telling if a tank would arrive in one piece, based on my memory of certain Star Trek episodes.

Lightning2000

[bboc]

A "business model" for the Postal Service would be all well and good except for one thing. They already have an entrenched bureaucracy. Therefore, there will be no efficiency at the upper and middle levels. Instead, they will cut costs at the lowest level, which is where the services are delivered. And then, as customers slip away, the upper management will wonder why. But logically, but irrationally, they will raise rates again to attempt to make a profit.
I am making this rant because it has just happened at our local Post Office.javascript:emoticon(':evil:')
Evil or Very Mad

[ltcbj]

Yes bboc, I have heard exactly that emeanating from my local post office. We still have the same people manning that fort but as they retire they will not get replaced. Non-replacement has already been happening at other p.o.'s in the area and around the country.

On another line a two pound package I was asked to send to france would cost ~$25 USPS, but ~$70 FedEx and ~$90 UPS. What kind of insanity is that? These all include some level of tracking which I have discovered has just recently become necessary at least for Europe. Of my last six packages to Europe only three made it on time and they were all trackable, two were very late (5+ weeks late, one trackable) and one was lost completely by the Italian mail service.

[lightning2000]

Hi,
The USPS will be undergoing dramatic changes going forward as they move away from letter delivery to parcels, more on a footing with UPS. Email communications has taken away a good portion of their letter carrier operation and as we move more and more towards a paperless, digital world, eventually all bill paying operations will follow suit, like it or not. I forsee one day when there will be no need for mail carriers and everyone will eventually be asked to visit their local Post Office to pick up any mail, including residents within built up urban areas. This will further expedite the move towards online communication.

Eventually, the USPS will be sold to a major freight carrier, since they still have huge legacy costs and a multi-layered bureaucracy that just cant be tamed, and is still bulging with employees that just dont get it in today's world. While most people wont be happy with this development, it might improve package delivery efficiencies world over.

Personally, I think the diecast business is going to be hit hard by these recent developments, since alot of people still like heavy, oversized replicas of their favorite wartime armament. Bigger is still better in a lot of people's eyes. I recently had to quote someone $36 to ship one of the new 1:32 FOV vehicles to France, which is almost the value of the item itself.

Answers? I'm not sure there are any at this point short of hitting the lottery or being fortunate enough to have a brick-and-mortar outlet in your backyard so you can allay the shipping costs. It may become a rich man's hobby, as less and less people are able to afford what will be coming down the line years hence...

Lightning2000
www.themotorpool.net

[ltcbj]

Yeah, Thanks.... Newman!

[lightning2000]

Newman or Cliff Clavin?

[Philip]

From what I'm reading here, and elsewhere, USPS will be much higher than UPS and Fedex. However, the above example by itcbj is just the opposite. Has anyone done a side by side comparison?

[lightning2000]

Hi,
Itcbj was discussing a 2-pound parcel to France. In regards to side-by-side comparisons within the US, that's not a simple thing despite what I read on the other forum regarding the Dragon 60188 Nashorn. Let me explain.

Besides any site-wide sales a vendor might be running or the weight keyed in for each item within their back office system, there are many more factors that arent being considered. For instance the distance from Point A to Point B is going to be different for each seller/client. So, if we were shipping an item like this to Maryland it would be cheaper than if we were shipping it to California which is multiple shipping zones away. Conversely, if someone on the west coast is shipping to someone on the east coast, the shipping costs are going to be much higher than say shipping from California to Arizona. If the seller is located in the mid-section of the country, then his shipping costs will probably radiate in a more equi-distant manner.

Secondly, sellers now have to consider the dimensions of the parcel along with the weight. In the past, the USPS wasnt enforcing what they term are "balloon charges", now they are. Essentially, if they have to ship a larger package with relatively light weight, then the seller will be hit with a balloon charge, which now clocks in around $3.50 or so. So, if we were to ship, say, two 1:32 scale FOV vehicles to the west coast in an oversized box, we have to pay the freight based on weight and dimensions of the parcel, plus run the risk of getting hit with this surcharge.

Its not a pretty picture but one that needs to be examined more closely before you start comparing one vendor with another without having all the facts at hand. I'm not blaming anyone, its just that the shipping landscape has changed dramatically. Just this morning, I watched as a customer at the Post Office declined shipping an 8 pound parcel to Israel. It was going to cost her somewhere around $40 to ship what she said were labels in the box.

Cordially,

Lightning2000
www.themotorpool.net

[Philip]

I'm sure there are many variables and it is not quite as cut and dried as might be thought. Since we do not have a brick and mortar store in my area, I have to order everything through the mail. Mailing rates can be confusing. A couple of years ago I ordered from an online store in Hong Kong. I got the Johann Huber 1/72 Jagdpanzer IV L70 for $28.00 + $5.00 shipping. I thought that had to be a misprint, but sure enough it was $5.00 shipping. I meant to look at the box to see if it really came from Hong Kong and not "outsourced" to someone in the states, but forgot to. Hmm?

[Tshintl]

That's an interesting point you make there lightning2000. The exception being the "flat rate" boxes available through Priority Mail, but that wouldn't be practical for every situation.

[lightning2000]

There's a lot of things that dont make sense with the present system. For instance, you can ship to some parts of Canada cheaper than you can to some parts of the US, even though the carton can weigh exactly the same.

In regards to your cited example, the shipping cost quoted could in fact be cheaper from Hong Kong to the US than the other way around. Thats something the seller worked out with the Hong Kong post office, who then handed off to the US when it reached a US Port of entry. I know it doesnt make sense, but there it is...

Lightning2000

[lightning2000]

Hello Tshintl,
Yes, I was even contemplating that myself but obviously didnt want to interfere. I thought it was up to the Postal clerk to say something. Now that they're on a for profit business model, I'm not sure they even want to mention this to the average consumer.

In regards to diecast, the flat rate boxes dont work plus it would get too confusing from a vendor's point of view. Sure it might work occassionally for the average guy just selling one or two items, but its just not a practical solution for us. It also means you're forcing a 1:72 scale vehicle to fit and the chance of it breaking in transit go up exponentially. Not sure what the answer might be...

Lightning2000