For USPS First Class Package service, what is the amount charged to the buyer for 14, 15 and 15.999 ounce packages?
Thanks in advance for your help!
@johnrj1226wrote:"Yikes, what a mess this thread has become...
Sounds like the classic line from the 1967 Paul Newman movie Cool Hand Luke. "What We've Got Hear Is A Failure To Communicate"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2f-MZ2HRHQ
No kidding! 
(And we also have a little bit of failure to read.) But I take the responsibility for the poor communication - I wasn't clear in my original post.
Thanks, again, to everyone! This is a great community!
@partial*eclipsewrote:
@mangorunnerwrote:
The "Rate I Pay" are the commercial rates charged to sellers. I got it from the latest USPS rate table in Excel format. Very handy to have:
https://pe.usps.com/resources/PriceChange/January%202018%20-%20Price%20Files.xlsxYou might find it easier to use the version that duchess linked to in post #12, which is the official USPS rates publication, Notice 123.
No, I have the HTML and PDF versions, too, but I don't find those easier for my purposes. I didn't reveal my entire spreadsheet in the original post, but I will show more now and explain why I like the Excel version.
I have a separate spreadsheet for each USPS service. I hightlight them with colors for the seller and buyer rates. I add important notes. I add calculations and descriptors. And in many cases, I add my own calculation for the break-even amount: the minumum amount to charge the buyer so that I don't lose money on shipping.
(Yes, yes, yes, I know I can pad my selling price to cover all kinds of costs, including shipping, but I prefer to have my shipping cost included in the buyer's shipping price, not buried in the item price. And on that note, I will also go off on a brief rant and add that I find it unconscionable that in so many cases, eBay charges buyers a shipping price less than the seller's cost. And even more unconscionable, eBay continually encourages and urges sellers to offer free shipping, fully knowing that no one can ship for free. Do buyers want free shipping? SURE! Hey, I'd like free shipping, too - - and free groceries and gas while we're at it. But that is not reality. All of that is just my opinion, of course, and I know that many will not agree. )
Ok, off my rant. Here's a peak at a few of my spreadsheets for anyone that is still around:
Nah, it's one-time work. And for me, less work every time I need to refer to it (than going to USPS documents). It's very helpful to new sellers, like me, that are still getting their arms around shipping cost and all of the variables that go into choosing the best shipping option for each item you sell. If you are selling the same widget every day, that's probably a one-time exercise, but I'm selling a different shape/weight/size of widget each time, and so I'm constantly referring to the tables.
Furthermore, if you are not an astute, heads-up and eyes-wide-open seller, it is very easy for a (novice) seller to never catch on that for many USPS rates, you lose money on shipping if you use the default amounts that eBay charges Buyers. The following table drives that point home. Compare the orange amounts (amount charged to the Buyer) with the purple amounts (the amount that would need to be charged in order for the Seller to break even). In almost every case, the Buyer is charged less than it costs the Seller! Good gravy!
I know there are many remedies... but I wish they were not necessary and that eBay charged a fair default rate to all - both Buyers and Sellers - without the Seller having to do any finagling to just recoup their cost (!).
(Disclosure: yes, I realize that my table ignores Paypal's 30-cent transaction fee, Commercial-Plus rates, DIM weight calculations and many other possibilities that would change things up. This is just a basic, plain-vanilla comparison.)
@partial*eclipsewrote:
@fern*woodwrote:What do you mean by ebay default amounts? ...
I'm pretty sure that he just means "retail" in this sentence: "it is very easy for a (novice) seller to never catch on that for many USPS rates, you lose money on shipping if you use the default amounts that eBay charges Buyers. "
But then that's followed by a complicated discussion of why there should be some other rate charged to buyers: "I wish they were not necessary and that eBay charged a fair default rate to all - both Buyers and Sellers - without the Seller having to do any finagling to just recoup their cost (!)." In which he seems to overlook the need for ebay to show the retail prices, for the sake of those (few) sellers who ship retail. I can't imagine what a "fair default rate" would be. IMHO this is just way overthinking about pennies.
Well, the whole conversation has me befuddled. If I had to think about my shipping costs that much, I'd be frozen in place and never get any listings done. I don't experience postage loses unless I've really messed up on weighing/measuring something ---usually out of over confidence that my item looks like it couldn't possibly weigh more than 2 lbs so I'm not getting out of chair to actually weigh it. !!
