General Forum

Stamps and other items are going up.   Seems as though they just raised some package rates and I dont know if these will be affected.

https://www.stamps.com/usps/postage-rate-increase/

I found these tables easier to read.

https://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2017/pr17_062.htm

Thank you for the info guys.

I wonder if Paypal shipping rates will go up for packages. They still haven't caught up to the last rate increase when 1st Class Parcel went up to a minimum of $3.00.

I was informed by my favourite postal girl that our rates in Canada will be going up around mid-month.  Having said that, I took the time to price out some costs for shipping to our friends south of the border.  Turns out I can ship a 400 count box full of cards for the samecost as a 300 count.

Here is an ideaof the costs (before therise in rates):

PWE - business or personal - 1-18 cards reinforced with cereal box board - $1.20

Bubble envelope kept slim (about 25 cards per pack - 3 to 4 packs so 25-100 cards) - $3.50-$6

Up to a 400-count box filled - $16.82

800-count box filled - $26.67

These rates are in Canadian dollars. Experience shows that rates in the USA to ship to Canada is about the same other than you pay in US dollars (before anyone says that means more than we pay, remember your salaries are also US dollars).  I believe you get tracking for your costs; in Canada, tracking raises the costs substantially.  In over 100 trades, I have only had one PWE not arrive safely - to another Canadian address; he got the replacement cards in another PWE.

Many of you have taken advantage of the PWE method to get some cards. I also welcome large trades but like to maximize the # of cards for economic reasons.  I think we all think alike here.

One final note - it does make adifference which postie I deal with. I have found one right by where my girlfriend lives that always gives me the best rates possible.  Now when she sees me coming, she knows what is being shipped. If you deal with a post office, find the best person working there.

Happy trading!

You normally get a discount when you buy postage through Paypal. It was something like 13%. With the rate rising to $3.50, I expect to be paying around $3.05. Which is still highway robbery. They should be charging more for junk mail.

When I started using Paypal Shipping instead of going to the PO, the price basically matched for both options. When the PO went up to $3, nothing changed with my Paypal prices. I didn't even know the PO went up until I ran out of printer ink and HAD to go to the PO to ship some things.

BTW, I only ran out of ink b/c my new ink was on back-order for a few weeks after I ordered it. I guess it was still worth it to shop around online b/c I still saved half the money it would've cost to get it from my printer manufacturer or an office supply store.

Bruno,  I have also paid different prices for the exact same thing here at the U.S. Post Office.  I don't understand it, but apparently they don't either, or they would be better synchronized.  Of course, I recently mailed a Christmas ornament that a friend had bought and left behind in my car, and the envelope arrived at his house empty.  That was a PWE too. Flat ornament in a thick card toploader, in a sealed team bag, with the extra non-machinable fee paid.  Only the toploader and the opened team bag were in the torn envelope.  We assume somebody thought there would be cards inside!

Spaz, is that what happens when the printer ink company runs out of ink in their printer?

That's what happens when a secondary-market company is trying to sell stuff they don't currently have in inventory! I think they actually ran out of cartridges to put the ink into that would fit my printer.

As for your PWE experience, I had a similar one and is the reason I stopped sending anything valuable (cards or personal value) through PWE. I sent a set-collector 4 base cards for free b/c he needed them to complete a set. The value couldn't have been more than $4 INCLUDING the toploaders, penny sleeves and team bag. The envelope arrived in his mailbox with no cards, but the toploaders, penny sleeves and team bag were still in the envelope. The envelope was slit open on a short side. I am glad it happened when I was sending freebies instead of something I sold or traded though! After that, I've refused to use PWE for anything and the story re-inforces why I don't do PWE at all anymore. If it doesn't have a tracking number, I'm not mailing it. I'm also more likely to pay for shipping on ebay and such to get a card shipped with tracking. If I pay postage and they still send it in PWE, I knock them hard on shipping price when leaving feedback.

Oh, I meant to add that it really does matter what postal employee you are dealing with when you ship things. The new people or fill-ins from another location don't really know what they are doing to get the price you are used to paying. If the clerk knows you, they know what you are doing and what you want. They will ring it up the way you want without you having to say anything. My local PO way out in the country has really random people fill-in for the regular clerk. If I don't tell them "I want 1st-Class Parcel", they will just ship by weight OR measure the package and try to ship out cheap but with no tracking, insurance, etc. When I first started trading online, the smallest bubble mailer (Size #000 or 4x6 inch) would only ship as Parcel if it was 3/4ths of an inch thick OR if it couldn't be easily bent by the clerk! Even if you put a Delivery Confirmation stamp on it back then, the non-regular would try to measure it. I was really tired of seeing them trying to bend my packages of cards, so I was glad when they switched from DC to Tracking. Also, even the "non-machinable" stamp doesn't guarantee that an envelope won't go through the rollers!