USPS Rate Increase (Sept 16 2024) - based on zip codes, not zones

[wastingtime101]

Per this announcement:

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.

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Took a quick look at some of the zips on the list; they look mostly rural. Anybody else think a price change based on specific zip code rather than an entire zone is too complicated?

Stamps.com released a similar announcement a couple weeks ago (link) but it was incredibly vague. At least this announcement from eBay explains more than stamps.com did.

I don't see anything from pirateship.com (yet).

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@wastingtime101 wrote: ... Took a quick look at some of the zips on the list; they look mostly rural. Anybody else think a price change based on specific zip code rather than an entire zone is too complicated?...

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Yes, indeed.  It makes hash out of the whole Zone system.

The ZIP Codes on that list which are closest to me aren't particularly rural or inaccessible, but they are farther from the nearest major sorting center. Some of the Massachusetts ones are on the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. If this is the case, it would seem to be a USPS imitation of the rural surcharges imposed by FedEx and UPS.  Implementation of this can't possibly be cost-effective.

[wastingtime101]

Rural and/or low population is what I was getting on the spot checks I did. Probably low mail volume areas.

DeJoy has already hit many areas with lower mail volume by ending evening pickups and not even announcing it to residents or posting signs in post offices. The USPS policy was to tell people only if they ask about it.

[wastingtime101]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

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.

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Hey kyle@ebay . I noticed the announcement specifically said rates are affected TO those zip codes.

There's no mention of rates being affected FROM those zip codes. If a seller lives in one of those zip codes, is it safe to say their label costs will only be affected it they are shipping TO an affected zip?

For example, a seller is located in an affected zip but shipping TO Los Angeles - does that mean the lower rate will apply since it's based on the "TO" and not the "FROM" - or is it based on both to AND from meaning every package under 20 lbs the seller ships will be affected by higher rates?

[readabouthorses]

This is interesting. I live in the country, zip code 27574, which is on the list. However I don't get mail at my house as I have a PO Box at 27573 which is not on the list. So definitely targeting rural country folks. 27573 is Roxboro NC which is a small little town but they don't get the increase.

I noticed Priority Flat Rate was on the announcement. So does this mean there would be 2 rates for Flat Rate ... one for the townies and one for the country folk? Doesn't that sort of sound like discrimination?

[12345jamesstamps]

Yes...I read about this a while back.

It's basically small towns or small like rural areas. 

Items however going to hubs first...scary not knowing what might happen.

Could be bad using eBay shipping label and getting an additional charge later down the road.

As eBay is great with refunds...refunds do not happen overnight.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@12345jamesstamps wrote: ... Could be bad using eBay shipping label and getting an additional charge later down the road....

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The eBay shipping calculator is based on USPS's, so it will surely incorporate the new rates as promised in the quoted Announcement.

[ebooksdiva]

I'm rural, very rural horse and cow pastureland, my zip code isn't listed. Could be because of the overall growth in my area.

[readabouthorses]

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@ebooksdiva wrote:

I'm rural, very rural horse and cow pastureland, my zip code isn't listed. Could be because of the overall growth in my area.

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Does the town your mail comes to and your rural address have the same zip code? Where I live when I first moved here we had one zip code for the town and the rural and then at some point the USPS split them up so the town (Roxboro NC) has one zip code and the rural areas another.

[ebooksdiva]

The post office that delivers my mail is in a different zip code.

[buyselljack2016]

Only 20,860 17,000+ Zips affected. 

Guess I will have to write them down, so I know why the cost is higher 🤣🤣

[1786davycrockett]

@wastingtime101 

Sneaky.

Isn't this the THIRD postal increase for 2024?

Still room for a few more, I guess. . ..

[na_833338]

A couple of weeks ago I can remember seeing some sort of announcement from the post office about rural zips seeing more delays in delivery times as the post office implements new policies, but it didn't mention anything about rate increases.

A postal clerk at my local office told me that within the next 12 months, we will notice an improvement in delivery time for the area I live in.  I guess if it gets better for the urban populations, something has to get worse for rural areas.   A change in focus to please the larger communities, I guess.  

It's likely more details will emerge that will create more chaos in the mail delivery system.  I also recall the announcement mentioning that it wouldn't affect mail-in vote ballots in the coming election.  We will see how that works out.  It will be interesting to see what changes with eBay.

[wastingtime101]

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@na_833338 wrote:

A couple of weeks ago I can remember seeing some sort of announcement from the post office about rural zips seeing more delays in delivery times as the post office implements new policies, but it didn't mention anything about rate increases.

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This is a merchant rate increase @na_833338 - it affects online third party postage providers like eBay, stamps.com, etc

It's not a rate increase at retail so your post office won't know about it unless they follow changes related to third party shipping providers.

[the-movie-man-plus]

Update! 

I read the announcement incorrectly.

Been up all night and got ahead of myself when reading it. All I saw was price hike and I started seeing red. 

Goodnight