eBay

cumos55 · ‎01-08-2016

A price increase for parcels appears to be coming as of January 11, 2016.

However, nothing can be found with respect to what the cost of shipping will be as of this date.

Usually we get a lot of information by now.

The recent exchange rate increase will most likely cover any increase in postage, something similar to what happened in 2015.

Is there any published information about January 11, 2016?

sylviebee · ‎01-23-2016

The USPS has also had a hefty increase.

Has anyone else noticed the USPS shipping costs took a leap?

I'm finding that many US sellers are now asking almost twice the shipping cost while the increase was only about 12% or so.

pjcdn2005 · ‎01-23-2016

It's much more than 12% in some cases.

It used to be about $5.70 U.S. for a small package to Canada using first class int'l delcon. Now it is $9.50 I have noticed that some sellers are charging $13.50 which is the cost to Europe.

I'm not positive but I think that the cost for a small flat rate priority package was $26 and now it is $34.

dutchman48 · ‎01-23-2016

People with PO Boxes survive very nicely. We manage through rain, wind, snow and other problems with no complaints. Tell me why residences need mail at their doors 5 days a week in this day and age?

Maybe if people would be more realistic in their expectations instead of feeling entitled, rates would not increase so drastically!!

sylviebee · ‎01-23-2016

Oops.

I was looking at first class increases (12%), but First Class international went up almost 22%

Still, I'm finding that sellers are billing me $16 for items I used to pay $9 for. (Padding it more than a little.)

That's quite a hike!

hlmacdon · ‎01-23-2016

USPS First Class international consolidated something on the order of 17 price brackets that covered 0-4lb to just 4, so some weight ranges had a heftier increase while others were relatively . The difference here is that USPS domestic rates only marginally increased, as they are unable to dramatically raise the prices. Priority Mail and International were more effected as they are classified with competitive services that USPS competes with couriers on, and they have more leeway to increase the rates.

Volume pricing on first class was also flattened out so that smaller business customers were on equal footing with much larger business customers. Contrast that to Canada where a small business may be paying $15+ while a volume customer pays half that.The spread between high volume contracts and small business discounts offered by Canada Post are a huge disparity. Rates with USPS are entirely transparent to the public it serves, while Canada Post hides behind volume based contracts that pander to a handful of customers while disproportionately charging the public it is supposed to serve. An under 1lb weight class, with tracking, and without the stupid 20 cm rule needs to be addressed now that most processing facilities are able to better cope with parcel sorting after all the upgrades.

dmil8030 · ‎01-23-2016

<< I'm finding that sellers are billing me $16 for items I used to pay $9 for. (Padding it more than a little.)

That's quite a hike!>>

There was a huge (in my opinion) rate increase as of Jan 17. And if you are shopping with Canadian dollars,

the costs are going to look enourmous. This link says First Class International went up by 21.6%

http://www.fp-usa.com/ratechange/january-17-2016-rate-increase/

Ouch.

pjcdn2005 · ‎01-23-2016

Still, I'm finding that sellers are billing me $16 for items I used to pay $9 for. (Padding it more than a little.)

That's quite a hike!

A 9 oz package sent first class international would cost the seller $15.50. Unless your packages are 8 ounces or less, it doesn't sound as if there is any padding involved.

sylviebee · ‎01-23-2016

But........ I've always paid about $9-$10 for a package that size and a 22% increase would be closer to $11 or $12 than it is to $16.

The thing with the USPS website estimates that it ALWAYS overestimates cost.

I have no idea why.

hlmacdon · ‎01-23-2016

It is not an across the board increase of 22%, as I mentioned it shoehorns all the 0-4lb rates into 4 rates down from 17 odd, so some are a 22% increase, others are as little as 0.19. The USPS website publishes retail rates, not commercial, which is what most sellers who use electronic postage will be getting. 0-8 oz is $9.03 before ebay FVF, packaging, etc costs are factored in. 8.01 - 32 oz is $14.73 before ebay fvf, packaging etc. When as little as .001 of an oz makes a cost difference of $5.07 in shipping sellers may overestimate to err on the side of caution.

toff3 · ‎01-23-2016

Dutch,

I'm not sure what you mean by "PO Boxes". I know that PO boxes at Canada Post stations are not accessible on weekends because the stations are open only Mondays to Fridays. Personally, I think that's unacceptable, particularly considering the exorbitant rental fees CP charges.

Mail delivery at or near the door has always been a traditional service and in many countries it's offered six days a week, not just five. Also in many countries street mailboxes are emptied on weekends - not in Canada.

All in all, the service Canadians receive from Canada Post leaves a lot to be desired.

Tom

cumos55 · ‎01-24-2016

Canada Post has the mandate to deliver parcels ... all types of mail ... to all destinations in Canada, no matter how remote.

and... Canada is the second largest country in the world, based on total area. .

Couple that with the fact that Canada has about 10 % the population of the US.

and we get a view of Canada Post's responsibility, compared to USPS.

The volume of letter mail has decreased dramatically, while the volume of parcels has gone up... We are not only talking of the weight of items shipped, but also of volume... Letters take up less space than parcels.

Canada Post has had to make unique adjustments, and other countries are watching... and they will most likely follow Canada Post's approach.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Companies such as UPS and Fedex function well in a highly populated area.

BUT... when they have to deliver to remote areas, the parcel enters Canada Post's delivery system.

Then for some international shipping Canada Post will deliver the parcel into FedEx's delivery system,.

I once had a parcel valued at close to $1000 delivered to Canada Post , but it was FedEx that took the parcel from Winnipeg to Hong Kong... It was almost one day delivery

----------------------------------------------------------------

There are several questions that will always have to be answered.

(1) Do we need mail delivery on a daily basis?

(2) Do we really need delivery... door to door 5 days a week?

(3) Community mailboxes work in the newly developed areas in a city... Why not for all areas in a city....

Canada Post is adjusting to the online world, as per their advertising.... Canada Post delivered close to 45 million parcels between Black Friday and Christmas.. This was not low volume lettermail.

USPS serves a population about 10 times that of Canada... They will have to adjust... and there will come a day when their system will start looking like that of Canada's delivery options... Canada Post , plus independent carriers such as UPS and FedEx...

cumos55 · ‎01-24-2016

There is another discussion entitled... The Good Old Days.

In a more broader sense it was things such as..

gasoline at 20 cents,,, 30 cents a gallon... not per litre...

Bread at much lass than $1.00 per loaf

Soda pop at 5, 10 or 15 cents per bottle

Minimum wage at $1.50 per hour.... and if we go back far enough that was $1.50 or less per day.

A house that once sold fro $5,000 or less is close to $150,000 today

Everything is relative, was relative to our salary.... It was like that years ago and will be like that in the future.

The cost of postage is a reflection of how the dollar value of things change... but not necessarily the relative value of each time in this world of ours....

and even for relative value nothing is perfectly the same from year to year.... Look at today's price for gas, compared to one year ago and then for 50 years ago. Salaries go up... the cost of things goes up... and so does the cost of postage.

Each postal service has to make appropriate adjustments .... Canada Post included..

How many people remember that purple stamp with the Queen's image... on lettermail?

How much? FOUR cents... I have a shoe box full of those stamps.

Today a postal clerk will place lettermail stamps on parcels to sell these stamps , to move them out of inventory because more will be coming....

cumos55 · ‎01-24-2016

We live in a world of computers, a world with "The Internet"

Communication worldwide is instantaneous

How many people still write letters and use Canada Post..... snail mail

Texting.... non-verbal communication... cell phones in your pocket... social media ... online electronic money.... Police with video cameras on their vest..... and on.. and on

Most everything is instantaneous if your computer is working.

The only thing that is not instantaneous is that large parcel... but then even there things are getting faster.... with faster delivery

Buying online... imagine a mall with stores selling about 50,000 purses in total... eBay does this online... and people buy, buy, buy.

Take everything that eBay has to offer and put everything on eBay on one single location... How big would eBay be?

The electronic age with instant communication, with today happening today, right in front of each of us......

Canada Post must adjust, and Canada Post will adjust... and then many of the postal services in other countries.... just might follow Canada Post's example.... or something like what Canada Post is doing

and... Why Not????

cumos55 · ‎01-24-2016

In today's world...

Lincoln's assassination would have been seen instantaneously.

How about Kennedy's assassination....

Reagan was shot ... was almost videotaped...

How about that demonstrator in China that stood in front of a tank.... viewed almost immediately on the internet..

We live today... today!

Nothing is hidden... well.. almost nothing...

dutchman48 · ‎01-24-2016

I can get my mail at my postal outlet 7 days per week. And I don't pay for my PO Box as we have no street delivery and never had. I do not miss street delivery at all. I have never had a theft issue from my PO Box but have where I used to live with street delivery.

People in this country are spoiled and expect everything to stay as it was unless they want something more, then they complain. If you take something away, they complain. They think they are entitled to whatever they want.. Residences do not need mail 5 days per week, I am sure 1 day would work just fine as regular mail has reduced drastically.

It is time the consumer smartened up with wants and expectations, and that the post office would live in the real world. Tracking costs in this country are absolutely absurd. We are the only country that has ridiculous rules for 2 cm on light and small packet so CP can gouge small business. Huge rate increases are getting to be the norm and are killing small business in this country.

I could go on and on but I am sure no one really cares and the system will only get worse.

And, I forgot, the Government should keep their nose out of the lousy 5 ¢ increases in letter mail and the door to door deivery, and start regulating the ridiculous parcel and tracking costs.. Oh, and the union needs to realize that what their members do is not rocket science and they need to stop the greed and gouging as well.

ypdc_dennis · ‎01-24-2016

@dutchman48 wrote:

... has ridiculous rules for 2 cm on light and small packet so CP can gouge small business. ...

There is no 2cm limit for small packet.

Maximum: Length + Width + Height = 90 cm

Maximum size: no side longer than 60cm

Minimum sizes: 14cm length, 9 cm width, 0.1 cm thick

-.-

The so-called 2cm limit is because of Canada Post's old lettermail sorting equipment which can't handle thicker sizes.

-.-

i.am.vivian · ‎01-24-2016

@sylviebee wrote:

But........ I've always paid about $9-$10 for a package that size and a 22% increase would be closer to $11 or $12 than it is to $16.

The thing with the USPS website estimates that it ALWAYS overestimates cost.

I have no idea why.

Those GSP items might start to look a lot cheaper now with this. 🙂

sylviebee · ‎01-24-2016

@i.am.vivian wrote:
@sylviebee wrote:

Those GSP items might start to look a lot cheaper now with this. 🙂

I've had exactly those same thoughts, and for items under $20 Canadian the GSP is starting to look better.

However, the GSP still charges import charges on items over about $17 US, while our government chooses not to collect.

(I know that some feel that items over" X"amount get dinged. However, it's been my experience that almost everything gets delivered with no added cost regardless of the value the seller pegs in, while the GSP gets you every time.)

dutchman48 · ‎01-24-2016

My apologies, but it is still there for the light packet which I use all the time.

Why is it still there for light packet other than to gouge. If the equipment will take small packet at greater than 2 cm, it should also take light packet!

femmefan1946 · ‎01-24-2016

If you have to take an elevator 20 floors and open a locked box in a public area with a key how is that different than walking out your front door and down the street 50 metres to a community box?

Rain. And Snow.

And slipping on ice.