[meteorite-list] OT: USPS price increase: international = crazy increase!

From: Galactic Stone & Ironworks <*meteoritemike_at_meteoritecentral.com*> Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:35:23 -0500 Message-ID: <CAKBPJW-k_n=OHceJp4ZPCJ_nZnOvnR2CNxe4NGkpHotN_QhiSg_at_mail.gmail.com> · meteoritemike_at_meteoritecentral.com

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On 1/28/13, Martin Altmann <altmann at meteorite-martin.de> wrote:
> But, Mike, other things became remarkably cheap.
>
> Imagine, you'd have to do all your e-mail traffic in form of paper letters,
> and if it's urgent to pay a.. a... a "telegram". full stop.
> Or to print your assortment lists and to send them by mail out.
> Oops sorry, to type them first by typewriter and to "hectograph" them
> (cool,
> my English dictionary hasn't that word anymore).
> Huh, we had then even extra-thin paper for airmail-letters.
>
> ...like it was common practice still far into the 1990s.
>
> If I would do so, I easily would pay 15-20k$ a year only for buying stamps!
>
> Or, hihihi, do you remember the first cellular phones?
> These where you had still to carry a suitcase under the other arm?
> And where the people and we laughed so much about the cockalorums, when
> they
> ostentatiously screamed on the street in the handset: I'm just this moment
> walking on that and that road..
>
> Oops. Have to explain to the kiddies, why that was so funny:
> At those times then, the phone was at home. If you called somebody and a
> person was not answering, you knew that that person was not at home. And if
> he answered, you hadn't to ask, where he is and what he's doing, because
> you
> knew, that he's home and is speaking on the phone.   Hence it was a
> zero-information.
> And dear children, so it is still today! It makes no sense to call or to
> send an SMS to ask, where the other would be at the moment or to report
> where you are.
> Because if you're waiting for someone, it doesn't help you to know, whether
> he's in the supermarket, on a baseball field or on the road,
> Becauuuuuuuuuuse he comes, when he comes.  All other information is
> irrelevant.
>
> Would be interesting to know, with how many billions the private
> consumption
> could be risen,
> if people would stop sending these empty information, where they are at the
> moment and what they are doing at the moment, wouldn't it?
>
> Alas,
> Children, we survived these old times, without problems.
> On contrary, it wasn't so stressing and stroboscopic like today.
>
> Today we suffered horrible deformations.
> Look at me, I get already impatient, because I'm waiting for Mike's
> decision
> for 12 hours only, although he is at the moment 10,000 miles away from me,
> and where we would have sent then letters forth and back for the same
> thing,
> which would have taken easily 3 weeks.
>
> Skol
> Martin
>
> PS: Iiiieeek!  German collectors have not only to pay import-VAT on the
> meteorites sent fom non-EU, but also on the postage! That's mean, cause in
> Germany buying stamps is VAT-free.
> Always those communists....
>
> (PPS: To Adam I say, make money not war, then it works also with the
> states-budget again ;-)
>
> PPS: By the way, I'm sitting at the moment in front of my computer and I'm
> typing this posting...  ;-)
>
>
>
> -----Urspr?ngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
> [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] Im Auftrag von
> Galactic
> Stone & Ironworks
> Gesendet: Montag, 28. Januar 2013 16:12
> An: Adam Hupe
> Cc: Adam
> Betreff: Re: [meteorite-list] OT: USPS price increase: international =
> crazy
> increase!
>
> My local clerk gave me a heads-up about this hike last week.  It still
> sucks
> though.  Gripe +1.
>
> This is just another cost that dealers will have to pass along to
> collectors.
>
> A while back, I stopped using boxes to ship Riker displays.  Now I wrap
> them
> up in a double-layer of padding and put them into a bubble-mailer.  This
> saves several ounces on weight and a few dollars on postage.  There is a
> higher risk of breakage now, but thankfully none have been broken so far.
> I'll replace the occasional damaged one when the situation arises, so it's
> worth it to keep the overall costs down a bit.
>
> The international increase is the worst part.  I ship a lot of First Class
> International packages to places like Canada and the UK.  Some of these
> could be shipped for $4 or less.  Heck, a small bubble mailer to Canada
> often cost under $3 and was cheaper than sending the same package to Hawaii
> or Alaska.  I guess that has changed now.  It's bad enough the customs
> short
> form now requires 10 minutes of standing in line for each package, and now
> this.
>
> Like Adam said - I recall the early days of Flat Rate shipping (not that
> long ago actually), and while the cost has gone up, the amount or quality
> of
> service paid for has not.  It's the same as most consumer goods or services
> over the last decade - less for more.
>
> Best regards,
>
> MikeG
>
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>
> On 1/28/13, Adam Hupe <raremeteorites at yahoo.com> wrote:
>> This is typical of USPS and Government in general.  Give absolutely no
>> warning of impending price or tax increases and make decisions at the
>> last
>> possible second.  There are going to be a lot of shocked taxpayers once
> they
>> realize all of the hidden tax increases in the Affordable Health Care
>> Act.
>> As far as shipping goes, USPS is famous for surprise increases.  I
> remember
>> 8 years ago when a small flat rate Priority Mail box cost only $2.80. It
> is
>> now exactly double at $5.60.
>>
>> How many people's salaries have doubled in the last 8 years?  The
> government
>> should learn to manage our money better instead of spending it like a
>> drunken gambler.   At least the gambler is spending his own money.  Most
> of
>> us are forced to live within our means!
>>
>> I can hear the complaining now from eBay buyers about the new shipping
> price
>> hike.  We go through this once or twice a year.
>>
>> Happy Shipping,
>>
>> Adam
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Yinan Wang <veomega at gmail.com>
>> To: METEORITE LIST <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
>> Cc:
>> Sent: Monday, January 28, 2013 12:15 AM
>> Subject: [meteorite-list] OT: USPS price increase: international = crazy
>> increase!
>>
>> Hi List,
>>
>> This is more of a "OMG, did you see the prices" message, although it
>> is a subject that affects both meteorite sellers and buyers.
>>
>> For those not aware, the USPS raised it's prices on Sunday, while
>> domestically it didn't change by much, internationally it's an insane
>> price increase:
>>
>> https://www.usps.com/business/prices.htm
>>
>> So small flat rate priority international went from $16.95 to $23.95
>> (a 40% increase!). To Canada small flat rate went from $12.95 to
>> $19.95 (over 50%!).
>>
>> Even first class international starting price is now $6.55 and for
>> some places seem to have gone up 125%!
>>
>> Unfortunately, there's not much anyone can do, alternatives are few
>> and still fairly costly. Although, anyone with affordable shipping
>> suggestions, feel free to chime in.
>>
>> -Yinan Wang
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