USPS Planning on a Zone 10 in July. Write your Congress person !!

[mam98031]

Apparently USPS is planning on a zone 10 in July that is for Alaska and Hawaii for Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and USPS Ground Advantage.

Here is the article I found on Ecomercebytes.

The USPS is going to make it more expensive to ship packages to Alaska and Hawaii by adding a new postal zone. Sellers who offer free shipping may have to think about adjusting their product pricing to account for the structural cost change if they use the Postal Service to ship their items - even an occasional shipment to the new Zone 10 could become impactful.

Industry trade publication OMG (Official Mail Guide) covered the publication of the USPS July 2024 Release Review where the plans for a new shipping zone for competitive (not market dominant) rates were published.

Zone 10 would be added in pricing tables for Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and USPS Ground Advantage products. 

It appears even Priority Mail Flat Rate packages would be more costly for Zone 10 than existing zones: "A separate rate structure will be implemented to allow Flat Rate Products (Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express) to have a separate price for Zone 10 and also for Zone 9 which includes the Freely Associated States (FAS)."

 

https://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2024/2/1707355789.html

[coastaltechsolution]

@fern*wood 

yes it has yelled at me before also 😁 

Adding this so I do not get in trouble 

[coastaltechsolution]

@inhawaii 

It's all promoted listing fault!!! 

😁

[mam98031]

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@coastaltechsolution wrote:

@inhawaii 

It's all promoted listing fault!!! 

😁

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Isn't everything??

[buyselljack2016]

I don't think I have any "free" at this time, but if I do it likely is an item that goes PFR.

I do have some that I do a "buyer pays flat amount". I will have to evaluate those. Some of those I have already excluded AK, HI, APO/FPO and protectorates because of the impractical shipping cost.

[coastaltechsolution]

@mam98031 

😂

Got yelled at for not enough words😁 

[tobaccocardyahoo]

Ebay's recent financial results have made it clear that they are losing sales of mass market products to Amazon.

Amazon and Amazon's FBA sellers are increasingly using Amazon's own delivery system which has lower costs than common carriers like USPS, UPS and FEDEX.

Amazon's 3P FBA sellers are paying Amazon less to fulfill many items than it would cost them to ship.

A lot of Ebay sellers have to face whether they can compete with the Amazon ecosystem given the current trends in shipping costs.

A brand new seller today was offering a Colgate cleaning kit with a price plus shipping substantially above the Amazon delivered price. He was worried about it not appearing, but that was clearly not going to be significant. A lot of Ebay buyers, locked down during the pandemic discovered they could save money by visiting other Internet sites, and it hurt Ebay and many Ebay sellers.

Although I don't think this Zone 10 issue is a real biggie, I question whether there is any role for consumable mass market product sales on EBay, unless they are liquidation product available at a super price.

For a seller like myself who sells media and collectibles, I have to deal with deciding a new price threshold for requiring returns for a refund. Fortunately, I have few post sale issues, but this past USPS rate hike seems to have reached a high enough level to call for a change. I have enough margin so other than my lowest priced items need rethinking of my shipping charges.

[mam98031]

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@coastaltechsolution wrote:

@mam98031 

😂

Got yelled at for not enough words😁 

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It needs to be at least 10 characters.

[coastaltechsolution]

Correct, it was just sarcasm 😁 

[inhawaii]

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@coastaltechsolution wrote:

@inhawaii 

It's all promoted listing fault!!! 

😁

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.... and managed payments.    😉

[mr_lincoln]

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@coastaltechsolution wrote:

@inhawaii 

It's all promoted listing fault!!! 

😁

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@coastaltechsolution 

Do you mean the new Zone 10 with USPS?

[coastaltechsolution]

@mr_lincoln 

I mean everything is promoted listings fault 😁

[b86fiero]

New zone 10 rates, typical USPS summer / fall price increase if it happens, plus Holiday Surcharge on top of that leaves sellers and buyers ............

[mr_lincoln]

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@coastaltechsolution wrote:

@mr_lincoln 

I mean everything is promoted listings fault 😁

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@coastaltechsolution 

My sincere thanks for clarifying that ... 

[slippinjimmy]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

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@dbfolks166mt wrote:

     I would assume this would be a 2 way street and that sellers in those 2 states and protectorates would see an increase for outgoing packages as well. 

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Your assumption is correct. Read my post above.

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Maybe I'm off.......

MY reading of this paragraph is that outgoing packages sent FROM HI or AK to the Lower 48 will NOT be subject to Zone 10 rates. Zone 10 will only apply under the 4 circumstances listed.

A. Price Changes
Prices are designed to be five percent higher than the Zone 8 prices proposed in Docket No. CP2024–52 that are intended to take effect January 2024. The Zone 9 prices for USPS Ground Advantage will be increased to align with the new Zone 10 prices. The Zone 10 rates apply to (1) packages originating in the Lower 48 States and destinating in Alaska, Hawaii, or the U.S. Territories; (2) packages originating in Alaska and destined to Hawaii or the U.S. Territories; (3) packages originating in Hawaii or a territory in the Pacific Ocean and destined to Alaska, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin islands; and (4) packages originating in Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands and destined to Alaska, Hawaii, or a territory in the Pacific Ocean. Id.

[carlmarxx]

The USPS has Zone 9   that both  HI. and AK.  Should have been placed in  2 years ago   with Zone 10 for All U.S. Territories .    Zone 9 has been in place  since  2009  .