media mail rates go up?

[keziak]

I was just using Endicia and unless it's screwed up the rates for Media Mail went way up. I saw any number of messages about the recent rate increases but didn't see MM mentioned. Now if this is true all of my postage rates here are in the red. Has anyone else seen this?

[dhbookds]

here's the announcement..........

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/July-2024-USPS-Rate-Changes/ba-p/34538677

[nobody*s_perfect]

Yes, MM increased. Here are all the current rates:

http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/notice123.pdf

Life is simpler when you set up calculated shipping, which automatically adjusts to any postage changes.

[keziak]

You are not wrong, I just have always used flat rate and now I get to reprice all of it. Fortunately I use calculated on Ground Advantage. 

I feel stupid except I thought I read the notices carefully and when I didn't see a whiff of MM changes I just assumed they'd stayed the same.

[keziak]

of course if I do raise my prices and most other sellers do not I will have immediately made my listings uncompetitive.

[dhbookds]

If sellers start losing $$ on shipping.......they will adjust pretty quickly.......and rarely are "lots" comparable since they usually don't have the same exact books.  If you didn't use calculated, I was going to suggest just adding a handling fee to all.......

[mike_jayroe]

you might of made a mistake because some rates went up early in July and media went up on the 14th. Hopefully all my listings should be okay.

[1786davycrockett]

@keziak 

Yeah, that 50 cents price increase (from $4.13 to $4.63) is a blow beneath the belt.

Shipping charges for books, CDs and DVDs is outpacing the value of many of my items.

"Delivering for America," huh.

Thanks, Postmaster General DeJoy -- that's really going to help my business.

[chevymontecarlo88]

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@1786davycrockett wrote:

@keziak 

Yeah, that 50 cents price increase (from $4.13 to $4.63) is a blow beneath the belt.

Shipping charges for books, CDs and DVDs is outpacing the value of many of my items.

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It was already getting challenging for CD/DVD sales. I think many will have to resort to selling many of these in lots to justify shipping costs. Not good for that category for sure.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@1786davycrockett wrote:

@keziak 

Yeah, that 50 cents price increase (from $4.13 to $4.63) is a blow beneath the belt. ....

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With the new "Cubic" rates for Ground Advantage, it's sometimes cheaper than MM.  For instance, a 4-ounce package measuring 8 x 8 x 2 inches, costs $4.36 to Zone 8 and just $3.79 to Zone 1.

Here's the eBay shipping calculator where you can check up on specific situations:

http://www.ebay.com/shp/Calculator

[chariot_badges]

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@keziak wrote:

of course if I do raise my prices and most other sellers do not I will have immediately made my listings uncompetitive.

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But, by not raising prices, your competition will make themselves unprofitable and will soon go out of business.

Raise prices.
Make your money, or find something else to do.

[buyselljack2016]

If USPS had any sense the MM class of service would not exist in it's current state. 

There is little rational for its existence.

Why should a Beavis and Butthead dvd ship at a cheaper rate than a box of cereal.

[luckythewinner]

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@keziak wrote:

You are not wrong, I just have always used flat rate and now I get to reprice all of it.

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If you use business policies and set up a separate shipping policy for Media Mail, you can change the policy once and it automatically updates all of your listings.

[fern*wood]

I've always felt the reasoning for the discount is no longer valid.  If they would eliminate the discount for these packages, maybe all other postage rates wouldn't have to to keep going up so much. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

I suspect that Media Mail use has declined significantly over recent years due to expansion of electronic media, and perhaps USPS is just letting it wither away.