Another USPS September 16th, 2024 increase?

[sandandtone]

Found this- "Effective September 16, 2024, USPS will increase rates for package delivery to select zip codes. Although this increase affects a very low percentage of transactions on ebay.com, you may see a higher shipping label cost for some locations.

The increase is for weight-based and cubic packages up to 20 lbs. for Priority Mail, Priority Mail Flat Rate, and Ground Advantage delivery to these zip codes.

The eBay shipping calculator will automatically update on September 16 with the new rates.

Thank you for selling on eBay.

The Shipping Team"

Very low percentage of eBay shipments? 17,810 Zip Codes are effected! NY; PA; MA; NJ; are heavily populated and very effected. Why are there SELECT zip codes for these and many states and not all zip codes? Is USPS trying to slide another rate increase in under the radar being an election year? I stumbled across the notification looking for help on another matter. Seems pretty disingenuous at best and sneaky at best.  

[winklers549]

they are also doing a holiday surcharge this year

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@sandandtone wrote: ... Very low percentage of eBay shipments? 17,810 Zip Codes are effected! NY; PA; MA; NJ; are heavily populated and very effected. Why are there SELECT zip codes for these and many states and not all zip codes? ....  

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But the affected ZIP Codes are apparently all in rural areas. This seems to be the USPS equivalent of the rural surcharge imposed by FedEx and UPS.

[readabouthorses]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

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@sandandtone wrote: ... Very low percentage of eBay shipments? 17,810 Zip Codes are effected! NY; PA; MA; NJ; are heavily populated and very effected. Why are there SELECT zip codes for these and many states and not all zip codes? ....  

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But the affected ZIP Codes are apparently all in rural areas. This seems to be the USPS equivalent of the rural surcharge imposed by FedEx and UPS.

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Trying to figure out the criteria for this is impossible. It doesn't seem to be based on population. For example, where I live the rural zip code for where I live is increased but the small town where the PO is located is not (2020 population 8134). However in the next county east of me the zip code for the little town and rural is the same and all is increased ... rural and town. Town population is 2020 population 8628.  So did my small town not get increased but next town over did? It has to be based solely on volume of mail delivered in the mail categories impacted. Does that make more sense? Also I'm seeing Priority Flat Rate mentioned in some articles about this but not in others. Is PFR impacted or not? If so, those increased rates should be available since they are flat rate.

[slippinjimmy]

When this was announced I checked the list of zip codes, I was initially surprised that there were so many zips in States with high populations. I then checked through Google to see where there zip code were.

I found that they were all in areas of VERY low population density, some with a total population of just a couple of hundred PEOPLE (not addresses). I did find a few with populations over 500 but those zips covered a very large area.

Personally I prefer this type of increase over a smaller but country wide increase (I would think differently if I lived in one of those zip).