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Sticker Shock USPS

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Sticker Shock USPS

DisCrzytoo

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I'm sure this has been discussed over the past couple of months, but I haven't been on the boards for a while. I recently arranged a 2 pin trade with someone in Hong Kong. When I took the LBE to the post office it cost $6.55 to send it! Holy Cow! The last time I sent something to Hong Kong it was like $2.50! What happened? And when?

Joy
 
It happened when they raised prices at the end of January 2013 (I think it was the end of January)
 
Someone posted that some people have been sending LBEs as "large letter" or "letter-sized" and getting a lower postage rate without using a customs form!
 
Flat rate is $20!!?
YES! I just checked $23+ for flat rate box! Not sure of Max Weight for that, if there is one. Used to be (yrs ago), "if it fits" in the envelope- one "flat rate" & it was less than $10. Those were the days !
 
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I'm pretty sure the rule is 3/4" max, but not more than a 1/4" of variation.

Regardless, I still think that is going to be hard to achieve no matter how clever the packaging (and even harder to convince postal clerk), but I'm going to try like hell this weekend. I got gigged for $10 on my first attempt since the increase. We'll see how it goes this time.
 
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starry_solo said:
Someone posted that some people have been sending LBEs as "large letter" or "letter-sized" and getting a lower postage rate without using a customs form!
Click to expand...

They have been very lucky then, as the rule of thumb to qualify for the letter rate is "FLEXIBLE", which means it can bend at any location on the envelope, which basically disqualifies most pins, LOL
 
I have received several trades lately from the U.S. that qualified as "Large Envelope" and cost only $2.25 to send to me in Canada. Some of them had multiple pins.

I think it's partly how you package it and partly which postal office/clerk you get - if you have multiple post offices in your vicinity you might want to try different ones (they're everywhere here).
 

That could very well be, but I have been told by my local postmaster that if it goes through the system, and someone feels it is incorrectly processed, i.e. Large Envelope when it should have been Package, it will either be sent back, or sent through with postage due, and that could really mess delivery times, etc.
 
I've had no problems so far, and one package contained 6 pins.

You'd want to use bubble wrap larger than the pin -ie. to fit most of the envelope- to keep the thickness more consistent.

As for being "flexible", saying that a package with something as small as a pin isn't flexible is ridiculous - there's isn't much you could send that is flexible at every single point in the envelope. You wouldn't send papers in a bubble envelope, and the USPS would have said paper only if that's what they meant. A 1/4" stack of paper in a regular envelope would be less flexible than a bubble envelope with a few pins in it. At 1/4" thick, the envelopes are too small to send clothing, so what the hell would qualify as a "Large Envelope"?...my guess is the stubborn clerk won't have an answer for that.

If you're sending multiple pins, make smaller packets of 1 or 2 pins per piece of bubble wrap. Then lay them side-by-side so they'll fit in the envelope and place a littie tape across to keep them side-by-side - this will keep the whole thing flexible and at a uniform thickness.

...another thought: I wonder if the clerks would be less difficult if you called them "lapel badges"? ...the description is accurate, but they might assume they're fabric?
 
Well, for starters, we are a small town that uses PO Boxes and not mail delivery so the local postmaster knows most people who come in on a regular basis, and she sees what I get and send out regularly, so trying to say "Label Badges" won't work, LOL; plus all they have to do is pick it up and realize there is a solid mass in the envelope, with or without bubble wrap around it. Flexible, in this case, means anywhere in the envelope, so it can not bend at the pin itself, so it is a small package, not a large envelope.

Plus, in all fairness, if someone tries to "save a few bucks" by shipping it under the wrong classification, and then it can't be found, or becomes lost or damaged, then that really is not USPS's fault, is it? Trying to bypass the rules, IMO, serves not only to hurt USPS who is already hurting, but could mess up the trade.
 
I just think it's really sad. I like trading internationally and this is definitely going to curb that real quick. If it's not a multiple trade with pins I REALLY, REALLY want, then it's not worth it to me anymore.

Joy
 
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