Wonder why stuff costs so much? Thank USPS

[rmaynard 15,514]

I ship brake linings, lug nut kits, and 9-pin connectors on a regular basis. I always ship via USPS because of the convenience and because their rates are still the lowest for small items. When you buy something from me, you are always charged postage based on what I am charged for the weight of the item. For example, a 9-pin connector kit weighs 2 ounces in the shipping envelope, with paperwork. I charged $3.00 (going up to $3.50). The post office used to charge me about $2.89. The difference is my cost for the envelope. 

 

Now to my point. If you mail a 1st class letter, the stamp is 55 cents. Each additional ounce is 20 cents. So 2 ounces would be 75 cents. Since my 9-pin kit weighs 2 ounces but is bulky, it has to go 1st class parcel. 2 ounces now, as of this morning costs me $3.49 cents. So as a result, I have to raise my prices to cover it. Still don't know why the $2.74 difference.

 

But, then comes items shipped from China. I recently bought some fender brackets for my grandson's go-kart. They weighed about 1 pound. They were shipped from China to California, into the USPS mail delivery service, and on to me. Postage was free. Who picks up that cost? The USPS does and they pass it along to us in the form of rate increases as described above. 

 

Now up onto my soapbox   It's time for the U.S. to stop pandering to China with free shipping. Make China pay whatever it costs, and make the U.S. buyers pay that rate. That will stop a lot of these cheap products from entering the U.S. postage-free and maybe our domestic shipping rates can go down.

 

[JoeM 7,874]

Hey don't forget that junk mail rides in the same truck too!

Then I throw it into their recycle bin and they pay to have it removed. 

 

They have a lot of work to do. Lots of inefficiencies and holes in the system. 

[Pullstart 62,912]

2 hours ago, JoeM said:

Hey don't forget that junk mail rides in the same truck too!

Then I throw it into their recycle bin and they pay to have it removed. 

 

They have a lot of work to do. Lots of inefficiencies and holes in the system. 

Junk mail creates lots of BTU’s in my wood boiler.

[squonk 41,155]

Too bad my congressman is retiring. I could send you enough junk mail to get you thru a winter!

[elcamino/wheelhorse 9,326]

Ok my turn. My SIL died in August lived in Cleveland Ohio. Did a change of address notice so all her mail get  shipped to my wife. I had to pay $0.55 on my credit card to have this done. Now every morning I get a email from USPS with a copy of each piece of mail that will arrive at my house. What a waste of manpower. I don't need to know that Bed Bath and whatever is sending me junk mail about a sale which end 3 days before it got to my mail box.

[squonk 41,155]

25 minutes ago, elcamino/wheelhorse said:

Ok my turn. My SIL died in August lived in Cleveland Ohio. Did a change of address notice so all her mail get  shipped to my wife. I had to pay $0.55 on my credit card to have this done. Now every morning I get a email from USPS with a copy of each piece of mail that will arrive at my house. What a waste of manpower. I don't need to know that Bed Bath and whatever is sending me junk mail about a sale which end 3 days before it got to my mail box.

Just bring the coupon in and get some nice bath towels. They will honor it! 

 

[rmaynard 15,514]

1 hour ago, elcamino/wheelhorse said:

Bed Bath and whatever is sending me junk mail about a sale which end 3 days before it got to my mail box.

 

But not to worry, those BB&B coupons can still be used years after they expire. 

[953 nut 55,321]

A couple years back I sent a new member here a bearing he needed for free and I paid the postage. Much like Bob's 9 Pin it cost several dollars even though it wasn't all the heavy. Tracking showed that it left our post office and arrived at the Greenville, SC facility and didn't move from there. The kid needed the bearing and since I had another I packed it up and requested that the post office give me credit on the lost package (it had been nearly a month). The rather arrogant postal worker told me that I should have insured it. Next stop was the postmaster and she was even worse. Told me that just because a package had been lost for a month that didn't entitle me to any special treatment. Never knew that expecting the post office to deliver a package was considered special treatment.

I went to UPS and paid a couple bucks extra and the bearing was there in two days.

[roadapples 6,983]

A few years ago I  forgot to pay a bill. Had 2 or 3 days so I paid around 12 bucks to over night it so it wouldn't  be late. Checked in a few days and it was late. Went back to the post office and was told all they could  do was give me my money back. Late charge was more than that. Plus late payment went on my record.

[WHX?? 48,828]

See now Bob ...you got mild mannered 'Apples all worked up! 

I just stuffed two dog points in an envelope. .. taped them to a piece of cardboard ... and tossed a forever stamp on it. 

Might want to let me  know you get them @richmondred01...maybe should have put two stamps on it? 

 

A guy does wonder what with all the computerized advancement in the USPS why it's not at least a break even proposition. I'm thinking it's because the USPS high levels don' have to worry about it they got our tax $$ to make up their losses. Here's a novel idea... if the suits running USPS  can't  show a small profit or at least break even they get demoted to a carrier and walk the beat with 50 lbs of extra rocks in the bag! 

 

Whilst we're on our boxes  trying to sell dad's Prius to help pay his nursing  home costs. To help out even further I take over insurance but to do that I have to be the owner. No biggy he sells it to me fer a buck. I apply for a new title registration and walla, I am the new owner but  have  to pay $160 for new plates! I got a big heavy truck that costs me less than 100 to register! DMV figures We ain't paying enough in gas taxes @ 60 mpg so they stick it to Joe wanna be Eco?!?! WTF???  Add insult to injury another 165 for a title transfer so 325 later I got a car sittin by the road with a for sale sign on it!! 

Thanks for letting me vent guys....

[richmondred01 2,237]

Let’s defund the post office rather then the police.

 

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

11 hours ago, rmaynard said:

then comes items shipped from China. I recently bought some fender brackets for my grandson's go-kart. They weighed about 1 pound. They were shipped from China to California, into the USPS mail delivery service, and on to me. Postage was free. Who picks up that cost? The USPS does and they pass it along to us in the form of rate increases as described above. 

 

 

Not true. One thing that the former president managed to do. This is from an article found online about the Universal Postal Union which is actually part of the United Nations. It dates back to the Treaty of Bern and established in 1874. The cost that you paid for the fender brackets was more than likely the shipping costs and only pennies for the brackets.

 

On July 1, 2020, USPS raised the fees it charges for incoming parcels. International shippers, including from China, now have to pay $2.87 per package and $3.95 per kilogram (about 2.2 pounds). This is a huge increase in shipping costs on small parcels from China to the US. In the past, the cost to mail packages under 4.4 pounds (2 kilos) from China was less than the cost to ship the same package within the US. See below for more on the cheap postage that fueled China’s micro-eCommerce boom.

The bottom line is that the cost for shipping small packages from China to the US will be able double what it was in the past.

[Beap52 815]

About a month ago I ordered a spindle for Wheel Horse deck.  The spindle was 60 miles south of my house. It left southwest Missouri, to central Missouri, on to St Louis, then north of St Louis then on to Des Moines, Iowa finally heading south to Kansas City and arrival to my home town eight days later! 

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

3 minutes ago, Beap52 said:

About a month ago I ordered a spindle for Wheel Horse deck.  The spindle was 60 miles south of my house. It left southwest Missouri, to central Missouri, on to St Louis, then north of St Louis then on to Des Moines, Iowa finally heading south to Kansas City and arrival to my home town eight days later! 

 

That is the fault of the current Post Master General, Louis DeJoy. I recently had a package ship from Missouri to Virginia. I was tracking it daily. It arrived at the distribution center near Richmond, VA so I figured an additional day maybe two. Surprise checking  the next day! It was being routed back to Missouri! It is not the employees but the directives that DeJoy has put in place.

[littleredrider 409]

Don’t get me going on the post office. My wife is a carrier, I’m glad she has the job, would t have the house, garage, and a lot of other things because of her job. BUT, there is no way in f’n hell that jobs deserves $30 n hour. Like any job, has it’s good n bad, ups n downs. But that is ridiculous. I work for NYSDOT, many times on the highway with tractor trailers and idiot drivers who won’t slow down wizzing buy ur head at 75. I get literally half her pay. Get called in all hours of the day or nite for an accident because idiot drivers won’t slow down. Plow the roads in winter, cause idiot drivers won’t slow down. 
 

I could get a job there, I have military so that gives me points towards the test, but no way could I work there. They do the stupidest things I’ve seen since being in the military. But I ordered some parts for my four wheeler, ordered last Thursday. Shipping was free, wasn’t In a huge hurry. But said 1-3 days. It should get delivered today. OK, I didn’t go to college n get learned, but I think that’s more than three days. It took 3-4 days just to get to Wisconsin to western NY. 
 

On another show of infinite wisdom, I ordered some stuff from a guy that lived bout 2 hours or so away. Well my truck is a pig on gas, and shipping flat rate was only $12.50 or something, would cost me triple going to get it. I live just east of Binghamton, just off rt17/86, the parts was east of me. It went to new jersey(?) then PAST me to Rochester, west of the state, then to Binghamton then to me in Windsor. I was flipping out on the wife, no wonder the post office is broke!! I just got to work, this got my blood pressure up lol. Glad it’s Friday, last day of snow n ice shifts!! 

[AMC RULES 37,130]

  WOW!

Stunning to think the skilled workers of America don't value themselves enough to warrant $30 an hour. 

[953 nut 55,321]

10 hours ago, shallowwatersailor said:

 

Not true. One thing that the former president managed to do. This is from an article found online about the Universal Postal Union which is actually part of the United Nations. It dates back to the Treaty of Bern and established in 1874. The cost that you paid for the fender brackets was more than likely the shipping costs and only pennies for the brackets.

 

On July 1, 2020, USPS raised the fees it charges for incoming parcels. International shippers, including from China, now have to pay $2.87 per package and $3.95 per kilogram (about 2.2 pounds). This is a huge increase in shipping costs on small parcels from China to the US. In the past, the cost to mail packages under 4.4 pounds (2 kilos) from China was less than the cost to ship the same package within the US. See below for more on the cheap postage that fueled China’s micro-eCommerce boom.

The bottom line is that the cost for shipping small packages from China to the US will be able double what it was in the past.

That is a good first step toward equalizing our foreign trade deficit. Let us hope that our wonderful elected officials don't screw it up!

[rjg854 11,387]

8 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

That is a good first step toward equalizing our foreign trade deficit. Let us hope that our wonderful elected officials don't screw it up!

[roadapples 6,983]

5 hours ago, AMC RULES said:

  WOW!

Stunning to think the skilled workers of America don't value themselves enough to warrant $30 an hour. 

My dad was a Mason (brick layer). I can remember him saying, when I  was a kid, a long time ago, that there was no man worth $2.50 an hour....

[AMC RULES 37,130]

Seems we as a nation only value what our CEO's and politicians bring to the table.

[stevasaurus 22,764]

This thread is starting to slide south...it will be locked if south gets any closer.    One reason to lock this thread is all the bad information that is being spouted.

[AMC RULES 37,130]

I ain't even started yet, best to close it now!

[rmaynard 15,514]

When you are up to your a$$ in alligators, it's difficult to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.

 

My initial objective was to point out that the post office was again raising their prices inspite of how lousy they're service had been.

 

If admin wishes to put the brakes on this thread, feel free. Some folks just can't stop hating.

[tom2p 2,394]

I'm certainly not an expert on the subject and only read a few articles 

 

but it appears one major issue with USPS are the legacy costs - costs associated with retiree pensions and/or health care 

I believe overtime costs have also been mentioned - but the legacy costs appear to be the larger issue (and could be affecting other areas including hiring and therefore overtime)

 

most any business model will be suspect if a significant portion of expenses are allocated to former employees that are not currently performing / working 

 

this includes for profit businesses ... non-profit ... sports teams 

 

[1995 520H+96+97 937]

Thank you USPS and #46.

Biden Bucks arrived today, 3/27/21 at 10:30 AM.

Check was printed ,3/26/21 in Kansas City, MO.