[meteorite-list] OT: USPS price increase: international = crazy increase!

From: Yinan Wang <veomega_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:42:09 -0500
Message-ID: <CALpO9Hfo4P=ZWkr1go3umCLx4KmjyV6zWihZeVt0OC_y1y+3kA_at_mail.gmail.com>

At this point I'd be happy to for them get rid of Saturday delivery as
long as international rates stayed sane so it wouldn't affect my
international sales...

-Yinan

On Mon, Jan 28, 2013 at 12:33 PM, Adam Hupe <raremeteorites at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> (PPS: To Adam I say, make money not war, then it works also with the
> states-budget again ;-)
>
> I am all for peace, not war but I refuse to stick my head in the sand and ignore what is happening. Sure housing and electronics are cheap but virtually none of friends around here has been able to hang onto their homes. It is like I live in a ghost town having over half the people pack up and move into cheap rentals.
>
> Perhaps if the U.S. Post office embraced technology, they could lower their rates. Instead, I am forced to wait for a clerk who cannot type and keep up with all of the poorly thought out changes. There is barley enough room to write in addresses on their new customs form and their online software will not even run on every browser! I was forced to purchase a very expensive Zebra direct-thermal printer for postage and their international software doesn't work.
>
> This is what happens when entities become too large to communicate with their own staff or really care about their customers.
>
>
> I am beginning to believe that robots could do a better job. At least they do not show up to work with a category 5 hangover and complain about being underpaid.
>
> Happy Shipping,
>
> Adam
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Martin Altmann <altmann at meteorite-martin.de>
> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Cc:
> Sent: Monday, January 28, 2013 8:57 AM
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] OT: USPS price increase: international = crazy increase!
>
> But, Mike, other things became remarkably cheap.
>
> Imagine, you'd have to do all your e-mail traffic in form of paper letters,
> and if it's urgent to pay a.. a... a "telegram". full stop.
> Or to print your assortment lists and to send them by mail out.
> Oops sorry, to type them first by typewriter and to "hectograph" them (cool,
> my English dictionary hasn't that word anymore).
> Huh, we had then even extra-thin paper for airmail-letters.
>
> ...like it was common practice still far into the 1990s.
>
> If I would do so, I easily would pay 15-20k$ a year only for buying stamps!
>
> Or, hihihi, do you remember the first cellular phones?
> These where you had still to carry a suitcase under the other arm?
> And where the people and we laughed so much about the cockalorums, when they
> ostentatiously screamed on the street in the handset: I'm just this moment
> walking on that and that road..
>
> Oops. Have to explain to the kiddies, why that was so funny:
> At those times then, the phone was at home. If you called somebody and a
> person was not answering, you knew that that person was not at home. And if
> he answered, you hadn't to ask, where he is and what he's doing, because you
> knew, that he's home and is speaking on the phone. Hence it was a
> zero-information.
> And dear children, so it is still today! It makes no sense to call or to
> send an SMS to ask, where the other would be at the moment or to report
> where you are.
> Because if you're waiting for someone, it doesn't help you to know, whether
> he's in the supermarket, on a baseball field or on the road,
> Becauuuuuuuuuuse he comes, when he comes. All other information is
> irrelevant.
>
> Would be interesting to know, with how many billions the private consumption
> could be risen,
> if people would stop sending these empty information, where they are at the
> moment and what they are doing at the moment, wouldn't it?
>
> Alas,
> Children, we survived these old times, without problems.
> On contrary, it wasn't so stressing and stroboscopic like today.
>
> Today we suffered horrible deformations.
> Look at me, I get already impatient, because I'm waiting for Mike's decision
> for 12 hours only, although he is at the moment 10,000 miles away from me,
> and where we would have sent then letters forth and back for the same thing,
> which would have taken easily 3 weeks.
>
> Skol
> Martin
>
> PS: Iiiieeek! German collectors have not only to pay import-VAT on the
> meteorites sent fom non-EU, but also on the postage! That's mean, cause in
> Germany buying stamps is VAT-free.
> Always those communists....
>
> (PPS: To Adam I say, make money not war, then it works also with the
> states-budget again ;-)
>
> PPS: By the way, I'm sitting at the moment in front of my computer and I'm
> typing this posting... ;-)
>
>
>
> -----Urspr?ngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
> [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] Im Auftrag von Galactic
> Stone & Ironworks
> Gesendet: Montag, 28. Januar 2013 16:12
> An: Adam Hupe
> Cc: Adam
> Betreff: Re: [meteorite-list] OT: USPS price increase: international = crazy
> increase!
>
> My local clerk gave me a heads-up about this hike last week. It still sucks
> though. Gripe +1.
>
> This is just another cost that dealers will have to pass along to
> collectors.
>
> A while back, I stopped using boxes to ship Riker displays. Now I wrap them
> up in a double-layer of padding and put them into a bubble-mailer. This
> saves several ounces on weight and a few dollars on postage. There is a
> higher risk of breakage now, but thankfully none have been broken so far.
> I'll replace the occasional damaged one when the situation arises, so it's
> worth it to keep the overall costs down a bit.
>
> The international increase is the worst part. I ship a lot of First Class
> International packages to places like Canada and the UK. Some of these
> could be shipped for $4 or less. Heck, a small bubble mailer to Canada
> often cost under $3 and was cheaper than sending the same package to Hawaii
> or Alaska. I guess that has changed now. It's bad enough the customs short
> form now requires 10 minutes of standing in line for each package, and now
> this.
>
> Like Adam said - I recall the early days of Flat Rate shipping (not that
> long ago actually), and while the cost has gone up, the amount or quality of
> service paid for has not. It's the same as most consumer goods or services
> over the last decade - less for more.
>
> Best regards,
>
> MikeG
>
> --
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>
>
> On 1/28/13, Adam Hupe <raremeteorites at yahoo.com> wrote:
>> This is typical of USPS and Government in general. Give absolutely no
>> warning of impending price or tax increases and make decisions at the last
>> possible second. There are going to be a lot of shocked taxpayers once
> they
>> realize all of the hidden tax increases in the Affordable Health Care Act.
>> As far as shipping goes, USPS is famous for surprise increases. I
> remember
>> 8 years ago when a small flat rate Priority Mail box cost only $2.80. It
> is
>> now exactly double at $5.60.
>>
>> How many people's salaries have doubled in the last 8 years? The
> government
>> should learn to manage our money better instead of spending it like a
>> drunken gambler. At least the gambler is spending his own money. Most
> of
>> us are forced to live within our means!
>>
>> I can hear the complaining now from eBay buyers about the new shipping
> price
>> hike. We go through this once or twice a year.
>>
>> Happy Shipping,
>>
>> Adam
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Yinan Wang <veomega at gmail.com>
>> To: METEORITE LIST <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
>> Cc:
>> Sent: Monday, January 28, 2013 12:15 AM
>> Subject: [meteorite-list] OT: USPS price increase: international = crazy
>> increase!
>>
>> Hi List,
>>
>> This is more of a "OMG, did you see the prices" message, although it
>> is a subject that affects both meteorite sellers and buyers.
>>
>> For those not aware, the USPS raised it's prices on Sunday, while
>> domestically it didn't change by much, internationally it's an insane
>> price increase:
>>
>> https://www.usps.com/business/prices.htm
>>
>> So small flat rate priority international went from $16.95 to $23.95
>> (a 40% increase!). To Canada small flat rate went from $12.95 to
>> $19.95 (over 50%!).
>>
>> Even first class international starting price is now $6.55 and for
>> some places seem to have gone up 125%!
>>
>> Unfortunately, there's not much anyone can do, alternatives are few
>> and still fairly costly. Although, anyone with affordable shipping
>> suggestions, feel free to chime in.
>>
>> -Yinan Wang
>> ______________________________________________
>>
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Received on Mon 28 Jan 2013 12:42:09 PM PST