Shipping fees with USPS

[cashmere4088]

I've been an Ebay member since 2000 but was forced to quit for the most part due to high USPS rates. What used to cost $5 to ship now runs $8-$9. I'm sick of these inflated shipping rates. Seems something should be done, what I have not a clue.

[muttlymob]

One is that the cost of international shipping has gone up by a huge amount over the last 5 years, and as much as I hate to admit it, it has impacted my overseas sales, which are not quite as strong as they used to be.

In 15 years of selling there haven't been many eBay or USPS changes up until the last couple years that have significantly affected my sales.

The first and biggest hit was when USPS stopped offering international ground services.  That almost stopped my international sales and they have never rebounded.  For overseas it probably wasn't a long term problem since eBay's buyer protection and other seller penalties would have ruled out ground shipping, but for Canada?  I am 50 miles from the border.  Having to pay for air service to places that would be zone 1 or 2 domestically really hurts.

[lja440]

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@fuzzface50 wrote:

I have to agree with the other posters that don't think it is inflated.  Everything is up from years ago which has been mentioned already.  besides vehicles costing more than years ago or even maintenance repair parts but you need to figure in all the hidden expenses people don't see or realize unless they are in business themselves. I'm talking wages are up, electricity,  business liability  insurance is a big one that jumped up seeing everyone is sue happy nowadays.  Don't forget about them paying rent on their post offices too, that went up. This is why alot of new business's don't make it, they don't charge enough to cover every little expense.  they look at the big overall painted picture but don't look at all the individual fine points that do make the picture complete. 

Then you throw in them losing revenue when the internet started. i'm talking about almost every household had to buy stamps to mail their electric and utility bills or any other bills like credit cards, etc that were due monthly but now most people just pay all those over the internet so that took a big chunk of revenue out of their pocket to help cover those hidden  expenses that people tend to overlook or just plain don't figure in.  

actually i am surprised stamps and shipping don't cost more than what they are getting right now. 

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Indeed, maintenance on the rural carriers personal vehicles isn't fully covered by what we get reimbursed. Besides what I mentioned before consider that you probably get an oil change every 3 months or 3000 miles It only takes 20 work days for me to put 3000 miles on my Jeep.  I go through a couple sets of brake pads each year. Since my route is dirt roads I need a new air filter just about every oil change except in winter.

And I can't just have and maintain one vehicle, but also need to maintain a back up, so 2X the insurance.

Now consider that USPS maintains 211,264 vehicles i(n 2014). The USPS is the operator of the largest civilian vehicle fleet in the world. Every one of them need oil changes brakes and tires.

[lja440]

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@thallidguy wrote:

Yup. First Class letters and advertisements were always USPS' great cash cow, and the Internet took a huge bite out of both. So its best source of revenue has dramatically decreased over the last 10 years, and yet it still has to serve every single mailing address in the United States, no matter how remote or obscure.

If i'm going to be generous, I have to concede two points to the OP: One is that the cost of international shipping has gone up by a huge amount over the last 5 years, and as much as I hate to admit it, it has impacted my overseas sales, which are not quite as strong as they used to be. But my understanding is that USPS now subordinates itself to an international body that governs international postal rates, and for the longest time foreign postal services were furious that USPS charged so much less than them in relative terms — made the foreign postal services look bad (Canada Post in particular, I think).

My other concession is that I would have thought that postal rates might have stabilized over the last couple of years, given that the price of fuel has backed off since oil topped $100/barrel. I remember that the cost of postage was quite stable during oil glut of the 1980's.

But even still, I agree that cost of postage should not be make-or-break for sellers like the OP thinks. It's just another cost that you should be able to pass along to your buyers, if your business plan makes sense.

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Congress mandated a freeze on the international postage that finally ended. Prior it was actually costing USPS more than what was being charged to transport the packages within the country and get it too the receiving country. Remember not all that postage goes to USPS it is also in part payment for the receiving countries postal system.

[dougsue123b]

I must be old, I remember buying the 26 oz Coke for 20 cents plus the 20 cent deposit.

[thallidguy]

Something that just occurred to me:

Since 2000, when you started with eBay, USPS has introduced two important product lines: Priority Flat Rate boxes and envelopee/mailers and Regional Rate boxes. I don't know what you sell, but they have been incredibly useful to me because most of what I sold at my peak as a seller, I could fit two into a Regional Rate A box, and as many as four into a Medium Flat Rate Box. So for multiple-item orders, I could ship 2-4 items for (in many cases) less than what it would have cost to ship one by normal weight/distance-based Priority Mail.

That being the case, I may have been paying less for postage in 2010-15 than I would have to ship the same items when I started selling in 1999.

[buyselljack2016]

Gone are the 1990'S days of the Priority Flat Rate, 2 days, 2 pounds, $2.90

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@buyselljack2016 wrote:

Gone are the 1990'S days of the Priority Flat Rate, 2 days, 2 pounds, $2.90

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Indeed, the introduction of zoned pricing for lower-weight items (below 5 pounds) was the beginning of the end.

[casey768]

USPS first class now goes up to 15.99 ounces.

some items can be shiped cheaper with Fed Exp ground.

[cashmere4088]

Need to claify - been a member since 2000 but I am referring to at little as 2 years on shipping costs when I could mail out a pair of jeans for about $5-7 depending on location. Today that has gone up to $8-12 depending on location.  For the most part I've quit selling on Ebay. USPS prices skyrocketed within a two year time frame. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@cashmere4088 wrote:

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 ... I am referring to at little as 2 years on shipping costs when I could mail out a pair of jeans for about $5-7 depending on location. Today that has gone up to $8-12 ...

 Where are you getting those numbers?  Online Priority Mail for a 2-pound package is currently $7.10 - $10.80.  In 2016, it was $6.01 - $10.77.

https://pe.usps.com/Archive/HTML/DMMArchive20160606/Notice123.htm#1083767

[western_sales]

I too am frustrated with shipping fees.  Raising the price to compensate for shipping fees is not working.  Charging the exorbitant shipping fees is killing our sales. I have been sharing the shipping fees where I can absorb part of the fees and at least make a few bucks.

I was helping a friend pack out her Amazon. 2 boxes shipping via Fedex weighing 76 pounds was only $10.87.  Why can't Ebay work a deal with the post office and other shipping companies to give us this kind of discount. Plus, Ebay is making a small profit on postage.  I compared Ebay postage with USPS and Ebay seems to be making o average about $.25 per shipping label.

Who do we contact to make a mass appeal about this?

[western_sales]

Yes, prices do go up on everything. What I am frustrated about is that Ebay does not work deals with the shipping companies to bring the cost down. I sell on Poskmark, Etsy and Ebay.  They have a set price for shipping that is not so costly.  Well Etsy not so much.

Ebay has lost their momentum by not keeping up with the times such as Amazon. I do not sell on Amazon any more because I do not buy wholesale lots and because their rules are very stringent. 

Sheesh... how do we make money