USPS Price Increase Starts Today
USPS prices have gone up today. First Class package (1 game) will now cost $4.39 to ship. Priority Mail $7.35. Small Priority mail flat rate $7.90, Flat Rate Medium Box $14.35, Large flat rate $19.95.
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I know the flat rate stuff is still a relatively recent addition to their services, so I always wonder if they are just still tweaking the pricing structure to figure out the sweet spot that makes it sustainable and profitable.
Has it always been this way? I know they are normal now, but has the USPS always had annual price hikes across the board? I'm thinking like more than 10 years ago...is it just to keep up with their rising business costs? So bizarre to see small flat rate box costing closer to $10 than to $5.
I know the flat rate stuff is still a relatively recent addition to their services, so I always wonder if they are just still tweaking the pricing structure to figure out the sweet spot that makes it sustainable and profitable.
It has a lot to do with operating cost has gone up. They been losing money for years. We seen 1 decrease in the past 10 years and it went up the next year. I think they are just making baby steps each year for the ultimate price $1+ each stamp cause to make a massive increase like that would change the way everybody does business.
USPS prices have gone up today. First Class package (1 game) will now cost $4.39 to ship. Priority Mail $7.35. Small Priority mail flat rate $7.90, Flat Rate Medium Box $14.35, Large flat rate $19.95.
How do you figure 4.39? That retail or online? It varies by location and weight is in quads 4,8,12,16 nothing in between
USPS prices have gone up today. First Class package (1 game) will now cost $4.39 to ship. Priority Mail $7.35. Small Priority mail flat rate $7.90, Flat Rate Medium Box $14.35, Large flat rate $19.95.
How do you figure 4.39? That retail or online? It varies by location and weight is in quads 4,8,12,16 nothing in between
That figure is retail. That was for same zone rate. Yes it varies by zone. Coast to Coast it's $4.81. Yesterday it was $3.75 anywhere in the US for 1 game first class. Yes it would be cheaper if you get labels online but just saying the prices have increased.
The shittiest part is the cost didnt reduce for close zones. Just made the closer zones barely go ip while anything further away skyrocketted.
This update just makes free shipping offering impractical. But yet ebay still pushes it. Sonething could swing 2 dollars in shipping cost even being a light first class package going just a couple states further. This swing in cost makes selling cheap sub 15 dollar items extremely hard
The shittiest part is the cost didnt reduce for close zones. Just made the closer zones barely go ip while anything further away skyrocketted.
I actually agree with you on stuff that is over 8 ounces the swing is too much. My issue with calculated shipping is eBay can't figure it out and it is always 30% more than it actually costs because of the commercial discount
Is the zoning idea based on how many zones away?
yes. now even the light first class mail is zoned. Close to you? Slight increase in cost. There are some very unbalanced hikes in there though. 13 ounce package to michigan was at around 4 dollars yesterday. Today 5.12
Is the zoning idea based on how many zones away?
yes. now even the light first class mail is zoned. Close to you? Slight increase in cost. There are some very unbalanced hikes in there though. 13 ounce package to michigan was at around 4 dollars yesterday. Today 5.12
This stinks. It makes $20 the minimum for selling on eBay if the shipping cost can't be predicted.
Is the zoning idea based on how many zones away?
yes. now even the light first class mail is zoned. Close to you? Slight increase in cost. There are some very unbalanced hikes in there though. 13 ounce package to michigan was at around 4 dollars yesterday. Today 5.12
This stinks. It makes $20 the minimum for selling on eBay if the shipping cost can't be predicted.
Im stopping free shipping this quarter. Going to change all my listings to calculated. The post office is too volatile with price structure to make free shipping an option. Researched visibility on ebay boost. It seems the boost comes from guaranteed delivery which Ill just keep on my account. Free shipping is just a fast n free icon. Ill see what happens. Going to add shipping calculated to all listings. Itll take a long time but when things change in the future it wont be a big deal to fix anything.
Cant afford to keep free shipping when an item can be anywhere from 3.00-4.00 dollars to ship for the same item for the cheap stuff. I need the certainty that ill have the same margin regardless of where its shipped. I have no control over who buys items. Free shipping no longer makes sense for small to mid sized sellers.
I'm kind of curious what I'll have to raise my flat rates to now. I don't like using the ebay calculator as it has cost me money on enough occasions low balling their price creation for the buyer. I gave up on doing free about 2 or 3 price increases ago as it got stupid, but before it was a shelter against that insidious FVF they hit everyone with instead of the .99cent +50 shipping scammers.
Ebay just rolled a free 100 or 200 listings promo the other day that lapses like Tuesday or Wednesday so I intend to shove stuff up I already had and more items I pulled from around the room here more or less too so this hike has me a bit paranoid.
I shipped 19 packages online using commercial plus pricing.
At the old rates it would have cost me $56.39 to ship at the new rates it cost $62.64 a $6.25 increase or 33 cents a package on average.
I'll keep doing the free shipping while everyone else jumps off the bandwagon and just power through it. The majority of my business is NY, OH, and PA which is closely zoned to us.
I'll keep doing the free shipping while everyone else jumps off the bandwagon and just power through it. The majority of my business is NY, OH, and PA which is closely zoned to us.
It will be interesting to hear back whether sticking with free shipping results in a boost in your sales, while others are switching to explicitly priced shipping.
It has been a long time since I've sold games, and fortunately most of what I've been selling off lately (toys and board games) are categories where "free" shipping is pretty rare and people expect to account for shipping costs, so it doesn't really impact me while I finish up cleaning house.
I'll keep doing the free shipping while everyone else jumps off the bandwagon and just power through it. The majority of my business is NY, OH, and PA which is closely zoned to us.
It will be interesting to hear back whether sticking with free shipping results in a boost in your sales, while others are switching to explicitly priced shipping.
It has been a long time since I've sold games, and fortunately most of what I've been selling off lately (toys and board games) are categories where "free" shipping is pretty rare and people expect to account for shipping costs, so it doesn't really impact me while I finish up cleaning house.
It’s a close call probably but, you get charged a fvf on the shipping anyway so I would rather be on the free side. People get upset paying $4 shipping but don’t get upset paying $14 for a $10 item with $4 shipping tacked on.
The one that really stinks is First Class by zone now.
Bingo.
I will be listing over a 200 complete toys individually and will see if free shipping still worth it or not.
To each his own, but depending on what era of toys, I have seen no expectation of free shipping.
(80's toys like Transformers generally seem to have explicit shipping and nobody complains)
With paypal discount, my benchmark for a 1st class package with minimal weight was $2.66 cost-to-coast. It's still $2.66 for local zone shipping, but goes to $3.09 if I ship to the east coast. That's not staggering... but annoying. Obviously if I were to ship larger things I'd be a bit more salty...
All aboard the failboat! Can't save a sinking ship...
https://blog.stamps.com/2018/10/19/usps-announces-postage-rate-increase-starts-january-27-2019/
the USPS ( united states postal service ) has gone with their rate(s) also
https://blog.stamps.com/2018/10/1...
... that's what this whole thread is about
I will be listing over a 200 complete toys individually and will see if free shipping still worth it or not.
To each his own, but depending on what era of toys, I have seen no expectation of free shipping.
(80's toys like Transformers generally seem to have explicit shipping and nobody complains)
Anything I sell as "buy it now" always has free shipping unless its some 5lb+ toy under $100, and if I put something over 1lb for an auction I always put shipping charge based on location.