Shipping rates across the board to increase in 2019 (1 Viewer)

[Warrior]

Saw this on Ebay today;

FedEx Express and FedEx Ground parcel movements increased by approximately 4.9% January 7, 2019.

USPS will be making the following changes January 27.

USPS First Class packages are increasing an average of 11.9%*
Note that USPS First Class Package Service pricing will change from a flat rate per ounce to zone-based pricing per ounce
USPS Priority Mail increases an average of 5.9%*.
Changes in weight distribution of packages will affect pricing on USPS packages starting in June.

So USPS first class packages are going up about 12%, not to mention they are changing the whole "zone" layout as well. I was told by a clerk that in the past, MA, RI, CT, NH, ME, NY, NJ were all in the same zone for me with a flat rate, this is going to change and more zones with higher rates will be added.

They are also going to change the weight distribution of packages in June, those costs will also go up.


As a business owner, I really have to wonder how much longer any sort of "free" shipping can be offered as shipping costs keep rising, not only to get the goods to me from the suppliers, but also for me to get the goods to the customer.

 

[jazzeum]

For you, as a dealer, it’s tough because you’re selling products at retail, whose prices are known to the public, so you can’t factor shipping into the price unlike an Amazon who will still offer free shipping but increase the product of the price.

 

[Charlie Brown]

Amazon will struggle to mark a product above retail price though. Amazon will drop unprofitable lines from their own ranges.

 

[Terp152]

And bear in mind fuel prices, a main cost component, are WAY down. Labor can't have gone up that much. Pure profit driven increases? Chris

 

[marco55]

The USPS is always in the red and I don't understand why as they do a lot of business,especially as their rates are more reasonable. Mark

 

[zblang]

USPS is always in the red bc it’s quasi governmental. Additionally congress takes money from them. They don’t keep all the money that comes in. It’s an odd thing. They always say the Usps is losing money, but in reality they aren’t. They just have “donate” a lot of what comes in

 

[zblang]

Also, I believe, not sure though, that the Usps pays it’s own pensions whereas other agencies are government (as a whole) funded.

 

[hotel3alpha]

ZB Lang,

Your always hating on the USPS. Remember when you were complaining about your post office delivery guy? Well now look what you did...now they are raising the rates. Its your fault ZB...it was you Fredo.

John from Texas

 

[zblang]

Haha!!! He’s gone now! I guess I wasn’t the only ine

 

[hotel3alpha]

ZB,

I would be gone to if I went to a lawyers office everyday and was met with hostility, anger and loathe by ZB Lang, esq. Poor guy probably barely escaped with his life after you gave him evil "postage rate" looks.

The answer-higher postage rates "cause of that dude".

John from Texas..."who likes his postage carrier and treats her nice, offers coffee and sometimes a donut if we have them"

NOT

ZB Lang, esq..."who makes ugly faces at his carrier, says nothing but maybe 'humpfs' or grunts or maybe mouths something under his breath when he is leaving like 'that post office mo-fo' or something"

 

[Warrior]

Yeah, postal workers are such cheery, nice, sunny disposition types, let's treat them nicely.

Today I went into my local rinky dink post office to mail out a whopping 8 boxes, I rarely go there as my building is 45 minutes from here and I use another larger post office near my building.

There wasn't a sole in there except for the civil war veteran old bag who works there, she has the personality of a rattlesnake.

I tried to make small talk with her, she ignored me.

Then some hobo wanders in, then leaves, then a woman comes in, then another guy behind her while the clerk moved at the speed of a glacier processing my packages.

Then someone else wanders in and leaves, so she says to me "You know, you ought to go to another post office if you are going to bring so many boxes in, it's just me here and thanks to you, two of my customers left"...…………...……

Yeah, gee sorry granny, I have a lot of ****ing nerve coming to the post office to do post office type things, I should take my business elsewhere so you can go back on your four hour break.

What a set of stones to talk to a customer like that...……….what does she give ****, she's getting paid, she'll retire with a nice big fat pension while I have to work till the day I drop.

Absolutely unreal.

So let's all do as John says and treat these wonderful folks wit oodles of kindness...…………..

 

[BobZ]

My USPS story: My wife has that USPS service that emails you a photo of your mail each day. A few weeks ago it showed that we were receiving an important letter that day. But it was not in the mailbox. After a day or so I took it to the post office and asked about it, where I was told "Just because that e-mail shows you're going to receive a letter, it doesn't guarantee you're gonna get it." :rolleyes2:

But at least he was nice about it.

(I contacted the sender and they emailed a PDF of the letter, so all turned out well. )

 

[hotel3alpha]

Yeah, postal workers are such cheery, nice, sunny disposition types, let's treat them nicely.

Today I went into my local rinky dink post office to mail out a whopping 8 boxes, I rarely go there as my building is 45 minutes from here and I use another larger post office near my building.

There wasn't a sole in there except for the civil war veteran old bag who works there, she has the personality of a rattlesnake.

I tried to make small talk with her, she ignored me.

Then some hobo wanders in, then leaves, then a woman comes in, then another guy behind her while the clerk moved at the speed of a glacier processing my packages.

Then someone else wanders in and leaves, so she says to me "You know, you ought to go to another post office if you are going to bring so many boxes in, it's just me here and thanks to you, two of my customers left"...…………...……

Yeah, gee sorry granny, I have a lot of ****ing nerve coming to the post office to do post office type things, I should take my business elsewhere so you can go back on your four hour break.

What a set of stones to talk to a customer like that...……….what does she give ****, she's getting paid, she'll retire with a nice big fat pension while I have to work till the day I drop.

Absolutely unreal.

So let's all do as John says and treat these wonderful folks wit oodles of kindness...…………..

Great story George!

Civil war bag! Personality of a rattlesnake! Gawd thats funny!

It must be an east coast thing to be grumpy. Y'all need more sun. Anyway, I find post office stories funny and only once do I remember getting the cold shoulder from a PO employee. It was an old Vietnam vet guy who was salivating over the pretty customer in front of me. Smiling...chatting it up...giggling and stamping away at her letters. She left and I walked up to the cloud of perfume she left behind and dude turned ugly on me..."Whaddya need?" I was like "I need these letters sent and a book of stamps"...and then he went into this sarcastic "American flags, flowers, stamp of the month...what?" and thats when I hit with this with a pause before I answered:

"Whassa matter you not happy today?" I mean, after talking to that beautiful lady who just left I would be on cloud nine all day...I mean c'mon man she was gorgeous...you want me to go get her from the parking lot and make you happy again?...and I can go to the back of the line and we can start this over...book of stamps American flag will do."

He was a little shocked I talked back to him like that and embarrassed because I called him out salivating all over the weighing machine in front of his co-workers. After that he said "hi" to me every time I went there, then we moved and I don't go to that post office any more.

So, I combat the grumpiness by killing them with kindness first before they can even get out a hello and I blast them with salutations and coffee because I want my mail, everyday, on time, clean, dry and prompt.

Cue..."I like to teach the world to sing...in perfect harmony...."

John from Texas