USPS rate increase (no more ebay discount)

I knew a fee increase was coming, but I thought my local PO said not for first class. I just checked, and you no longer get a 20% discount printing on ebay.. yikes. Maybe I should start making them do it at the PO again, since I no longer get a discount. Why go through the extra trouble and use my own paper/ink/tape, etc if they do not give a discount?

 

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your right seems futile except if your shipping large volumes of stuff

 

but it does give you instant tracking saves trips , so if you live far might come in handy

 

Thanks for the reminder...just edited all my shipping costs on eBay. Unfortunately, going to bite the bullet on the auctions I have ending today...but it's only a few.

I wonder if, at some point, eBay will do a single thing to make selling there BETTER instead of WORSE.

 

The tracking uploading itself helps, and it looks more professional, but now it will cost more. I understand fee increases occasionally, but why no more ebay discount?

 

I imagine it was usps, not ebay, ending the discount.

 

And as I think about it, the rate increase is bad for both sellers and buyers - buyers are less happy because they have to pay more, sellers get to deal with even more BS from unhappy eBay buyers. Everybody wins!

Maybe it will all be moot anyway (maybe a new discount will come at some point.) Now that I've got my rates changed, it is what it is.

 

I'd like to hear reasons of why rates must continue to go up. Previously it used to be the case of "oil prices are going up - hence transportation costs go up". Mail volume obviously dropped. Oil price is at near lows so they cannot use that excuse. Now what, because of the dropped mail volume, they must raise prices to compensate for it? Sounds like a recipe for "how to jack up prices with all kinds of excuses under any circumstances".

 

When was the last time you wrote a letter - and I don't mean email? Once upon a time that was the prime means of communication.

 

We have 1000's of items listed (not on ebay) that we will end up eating the shipping change on ....

 

What does Ebay have to do with it?

 

USPS has BILLIONS of dollars in unfunded pension and retireee healthcare liabilities, 404-335 = 69 (by their own estimates, they just don't think it's fair to have to fund for estimated future liabilities - see whine at https://www.uspsois.gov/blog/be-careful-what-you-assume). They are being forced, kicking and screaming to become current over 10 years...

 

Xmas cards, post cards - I still send them out. In the last ten years, I'm actually sending MORE by mail thanks to buyers but if it keeps going up, it's just not viable. Maybe more competition is needed?

 

As much as I dislike FeeBay and FeePal, I don't think either company had a hand in this. The onus belongs to USPS.

 

What eBay has to do with it is that they have been trying to strong-arm their sellers to list everything with FREE shipping...so they've basically also started training their buyers to expect free shipping as well. I can't imagine buyers will be happier to pay more for actual shipping costs...but will they complain to eBay? No. They will complain to the sellers.

 

What annoyed me most was when the USPS paid millions of dollars to advertise with Lance Armstrong at the Tour de France and his other bike races. Why does an organization which has a monopoly on First Class Mail afforded by statute need to advertise? The other services are known when customers use other services.

 

Because First Class Mail is dying. USPS needs to compete successfully with Fedex and UPS to survive in a form large enough to actually deliver to every address.

 

And that's it in a nutshell... anybody can make money cherry picking the profitable customers. But USPS

• Must deliver to every address
• Gets no government subsidy
• Has to break even

And that includes cost structures and obligations that were committed to many many years ago

 

They actually gave up competing with them as they now work hand in hand with both. They accept and deliver Fed Ex & UPS packages to their customers. A bigger problem is all of the sideline business they are in. Firstly paying millions to heirs of images they print, selling overpriced padded envelopes, over priced stamped envelopes. Ever spend any time at the P.O. and see the looks on peoples faces when they need a stamped envelope? Not too many repeat customers after the first time. And they have become a third world issuer of stamps. Do we really need in excess of 200 issues or more each year. Imagine the labor cost involved with this. They really need to get back to basics and issue just what is needed to get the job done, because as you say, first class mail is dying a slow death. And $20.00 per hour for a desk clerk??

 

Actually they are still discounting shipping. Anything from 1 to 8 ounces are now $2.60. Only the 1-3 are not discounted. Starting at 9 ounces it is $3.30 (discounted), it goes up 5¢ per ounce.