Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
- Letters (1 oz)-3-cent increase to 49 cents
- Letters additional ounces - 1-cent increase to 21 cents
- Postcards - 1-cent increase to 34 cents
In my opinion, still a bargain
(Modified by Moderator on 2013-09-25 20:42:31)
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It sure is 
Any increases proposed for international mail?
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"(Modified by Moderator on 2013-09-25 20:42:31)"
Thank You
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11:49:19am
Were the first class rate to rise to fifty cents it would still be the least expensive for possibly the best service in the civilized world.
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here, here Charlie. you are absolutely right.
Those calling for the USPS's demise are really looking to reward their friends at UPS, fedX, and as-yet unborn delivery services who clearly will not deliver anything to your house for 50c.
i am amazed that 3c is all they're asking for given their financial plight
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I'm sure they would love to ask for more, but their hands are tied behind their backs. They could probably ask for 60 cents and if they got it, would still never have enough money to get back to black.
Mike
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Hi all
You are very lucky in the US.Over here in Australia they have done away with 1 & 2 cent coins ,smallest is now 5 cents ,so every time there is a price increase it goes up in multiples of 5 cents.
Brian
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USPS needs to learn how to spend its money wisely, and how to spend it on the right things.
- Did you know that for the lighthouse issue the USPS produced a special video about lighthouses? How much did that cost?
- Have you seen all the packaging that USPS has put into the new Inverted Jenny souvenir sheet? That wasn't cheep either. Also, a clerk asked me what the "secrecy" was about the issue when I bought a couple of the expensive sheets today. He said that they were instructed not to buy the sheets for themselves and not to open any packaging to look at the sheets.
These are two of the most recent things from what I consider to be the "it doesn't make sense" category from the USPS.
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09:00:43pm
What doesn't make sense is Congress loading up pension payments that will not fall due for fifty years.
There are members of Congress who are simply not interested in representing their constituents unless by constituents you mean some wealthy backers. That is what is behind the requirement that USPS carry such hefty pension burden. Anything further would not be about stamps and will only be discussed in the appropriate forum.
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Yes, that is true too, and is a primary cause for the budget shortfall of USPS.
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Michael, I agree that many of the USPS marketing, distribution, and production policies make no sense, but they are miniscule components of a muli-billion dollar deficit.
Michael, Charlie, the pension plan is, of course, the most onerous contributor to the deficit, and mandated by Congress, along with responsibility for DoD pension part of now-USPS employees. Further, as is often the case, Congress mandates actions (Sat delivery, offices open) while providing no relief to make that happen.
David
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"I agree that many of the USPS marketing, distribution, and production policies make no sense, but they are miniscule components of a muli-billion dollar deficit. "
I agree, but that is a sippery slope. Those thousands of dollars add up. If there are 1000 people in the USPS who say that it is only a couple of thousand of dollars to spend on something, and the USPS does this just a couple of times a year (buying, doing whatever), we are talking about millions. Millions add up too.
Let's take the inverted Jenny souvenir sheet that was issued this past week. It costs $12 to buy. It probably cost the USPS (even with all the packaging) about $1 to produce. They printed 2.2 million of these. There is no $2 postage rate, so these stamps are not going to be used that much in the mail. Pure profit for the post office, somewhere around $24.2 million if they sell them all. My post office has not poster or notice to the public about this issue. The souvenir sheets are kept in the safe and are not allowed in the general stamp stock. To get a stamp out of the safe requires someone to put it into inventory through the computer. The clerk who sold me the sheet took about 5 minutes to do this. He then brought out a sheet and instructed the other clerk that if she sells one, she has to get someone to open the safe, enter the quantity removed into inventory, and she has to make a manual entry on a sales sheet that she sold one. How many clerks are going to go through that? My post office received 200 of these sheets, and no one knows it.
USPS could be placing an ad on TV, in magazines, in post office lobbies etc., to get the public to buy it. If the sales were successful, USPS could come up with similar issues to get people to buy. They won't, or they'll overdo it and turn people off. The way this one seems to be going, the unsold sheets, a large percentage of them, will probably be recalled and burned. Costs money to do that process too.
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The little post office I use (NOT the one my mail goes thru) has the little magnetic board on the counter showing all of the stamps currently available there, and that includes the inverted Jenny. However, the clerk did have to get the person who can access the safe to pull one out for me, and then there was all the mishigosh about inventory as Michael said. But the clerks/postmaster are very accommodating, friendly and customer oriented. Can't say that for the one that my mail goes thru....
Roger 
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When you find a post office that is customer friendly, hang with it!
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my little one in Red Hook NY is fabulous; i bring mail to it from the city even though I work almost across from Manhattan's main PO, which is nearly dysfunctional.
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a few more comments
"Those thousands of dollars add up"
who can argue with that mathematical logic; it's the underlying causality that remains in question. I don't know if the unnecessary issuance of so many commemoratives leads to waste or not. Clearly, it's more than is needed. Similarly, I don't know how much more it costs them to list, store, and fulfill the various varieties, like press sheets, uncut press sheets, and various booklet and perf formats from usually different printers.
on these, the real question is whether they make money from the sold, but unused, stamps.
and i think your point is that better marketing or promotion is likely to lead to more kept stamps. I assume they test these things and factor out variables such as subject matter, timing, availability, etc., when determining the success of stamp retention.
I would think, though, that most promotions and sponsorships are likely to be wasted money for many reasons, but that doesn't mean the issuance didn't make money from its kept portions. A FOI request might prove worthwhile for those with the time and inclination (it ain't me, babe). I can't imagine, for instance, that most airtime commercials would pay off, given the fractured audiences on such a broad spectrum of platforms; but how would I know. I think the only success they could really claim would be of newly introduced topical collectors because most existing collectors already pay attention
David
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Why doesn't the post office just increase its rate to something like 75c per ounce for domestic mail instead of the little increments each year? To be honest, that is still very reasonable considering the services, compared to $10 for a UPS or FedEx letter. Is there a Congressional mandate limiting how much they can raise the rates?
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Federal law limits increases to the rate of inflation. Anything above that has to be approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, which means a political fight.
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this post
Of course, silly me; I should have realized, politics rears it's very ugly head again.
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Peter, Congress is all over the USPS, and doesn't let it run itself like a business should be run. Why should Congress? All that those Bozos know is how to waste and spend money. I'll be that deep down many in Congress are proud at how much money the USPS wastes.
Whenever USPS wants to close an unprofitable post office, people write to their Congressman, and voila. The post office remains open.
What the USPS needs is for the government to get out of its business. There are laws prohibiting the post office from shipping certain articles, like alcoholic beverages. USPS wants to be able to be able to ship wine to compete with UPS and the others. It needs Congress to repeal the laws. Congress should repeal itself for all the good that it does. Oh, wait a moment...sorry. Just had to slap a politician's hand that I felt going into my pocket.
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11:24:43pm
" .... Is there a Congressional mandate limiting how much they can raise the rates? ...."
Here is is 11:25 PM and the countdown to the nation going to hell in a hand basket is getting close to numbers I can handle on fingers and toes.I needed a jape to cheer me up.
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OK, how's this?
What dog can jump higher than a building?
Any dog, buildings can't jump!
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"GROAN'
Dan C.
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Ok then, how about the Irishman that walked into a bar and ordered tea.
The bartender fainted.
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Why did the Irish cook only put two hundred and tharty nine beans in her soup?
Because one more and it would have been two farty.
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OY!!
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12:57:52pm
I understand that due to the unrest in Greece, Olaf, Gunnar, Erik and Sigurd, have been hired to guard the Parthenon:
The Four Norsemen of the Acropolis.
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02:33:45pm
A non-partisan political joke, particularly appropriate during these chaotic times.
One day a farmer was out with his animals when a brand new car went by. After a few moments the car came back and a man in a perfectly tailored suit stepped out.
The man went up to the farmer and said, "this is a nice herd of cows you have. I've always wanted one. So, if I can tell you exactly how many there are will you give me a calf."
The farmer was a little bemused by this, but agreed.
Immediately four other men got out, set up electronic equipment and used it to count every individual animal's legs. They then divided by four and came up with the answer: 322.
The first man immediately picked an animal up and started to walk away with it when the farmer finally said, "if I can guess your job will you give me the calf back?"
The man agreed so the farmer said, "You sir, are a congressman."
Disappointed the man asked, "How did you know?"
The farmer answered flatly, "you have a staff to do all the actual work, you did your job in an overly complicated way, and you know absolutely nothing about cows.
This is a herd of sheep. "
"....Now please, give me back my dog. ...."
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THAT was so good, it could make a Vulcan laugh! 
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Charlie! 
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01:17:27pm
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/cash-strapped-postal-service-hikes-stamp-price-3-cents-8C11254566
- Letters (1 oz)-3-cent increase to 49 cents
- Letters additional ounces - 1-cent increase to 21 cents
- Postcards - 1-cent increase to 34 cents
In my opinion, still a bargain
(Modified by Moderator on 2013-09-25 20:42:31)
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re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
It sure is
Any increases proposed for international mail?
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this post
10:35:55am
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
"(Modified by Moderator on 2013-09-25 20:42:31)"
Thank You
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
26 Sep 2013
11:49:19am
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
Were the first class rate to rise to fifty cents it would still be the least expensive for possibly the best service in the civilized world.
2 Members
like this post.
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Auctions
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
here, here Charlie. you are absolutely right.
Those calling for the USPS's demise are really looking to reward their friends at UPS, fedX, and as-yet unborn delivery services who clearly will not deliver anything to your house for 50c.
i am amazed that 3c is all they're asking for given their financial plight
Login to Like
this post
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
I'm sure they would love to ask for more, but their hands are tied behind their backs. They could probably ask for 60 cents and if they got it, would still never have enough money to get back to black.
Mike
Login to Like
this post
Auctions
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
Hi all
You are very lucky in the US.Over here in Australia they have done away with 1 & 2 cent coins ,smallest is now 5 cents ,so every time there is a price increase it goes up in multiples of 5 cents.
Brian
2 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
USPS needs to learn how to spend its money wisely, and how to spend it on the right things.
- Did you know that for the lighthouse issue the USPS produced a special video about lighthouses? How much did that cost?
- Have you seen all the packaging that USPS has put into the new Inverted Jenny souvenir sheet? That wasn't cheep either. Also, a clerk asked me what the "secrecy" was about the issue when I bought a couple of the expensive sheets today. He said that they were instructed not to buy the sheets for themselves and not to open any packaging to look at the sheets.
These are two of the most recent things from what I consider to be the "it doesn't make sense" category from the USPS.
Login to Like
this post
Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
27 Sep 2013
09:00:43pm
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
What doesn't make sense is Congress loading up pension payments that will not fall due for fifty years.
There are members of Congress who are simply not interested in representing their constituents unless by constituents you mean some wealthy backers. That is what is behind the requirement that USPS carry such hefty pension burden. Anything further would not be about stamps and will only be discussed in the appropriate forum.
3 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
Yes, that is true too, and is a primary cause for the budget shortfall of USPS.
Login to Like
this post
Auctions
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
Michael, I agree that many of the USPS marketing, distribution, and production policies make no sense, but they are miniscule components of a muli-billion dollar deficit.
Michael, Charlie, the pension plan is, of course, the most onerous contributor to the deficit, and mandated by Congress, along with responsibility for DoD pension part of now-USPS employees. Further, as is often the case, Congress mandates actions (Sat delivery, offices open) while providing no relief to make that happen.
David
Login to Like
this post
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
"I agree that many of the USPS marketing, distribution, and production policies make no sense, but they are miniscule components of a muli-billion dollar deficit. "
I agree, but that is a sippery slope. Those thousands of dollars add up. If there are 1000 people in the USPS who say that it is only a couple of thousand of dollars to spend on something, and the USPS does this just a couple of times a year (buying, doing whatever), we are talking about millions. Millions add up too.
Let's take the inverted Jenny souvenir sheet that was issued this past week. It costs $12 to buy. It probably cost the USPS (even with all the packaging) about $1 to produce. They printed 2.2 million of these. There is no $2 postage rate, so these stamps are not going to be used that much in the mail. Pure profit for the post office, somewhere around $24.2 million if they sell them all. My post office has not poster or notice to the public about this issue. The souvenir sheets are kept in the safe and are not allowed in the general stamp stock. To get a stamp out of the safe requires someone to put it into inventory through the computer. The clerk who sold me the sheet took about 5 minutes to do this. He then brought out a sheet and instructed the other clerk that if she sells one, she has to get someone to open the safe, enter the quantity removed into inventory, and she has to make a manual entry on a sales sheet that she sold one. How many clerks are going to go through that? My post office received 200 of these sheets, and no one knows it.
USPS could be placing an ad on TV, in magazines, in post office lobbies etc., to get the public to buy it. If the sales were successful, USPS could come up with similar issues to get people to buy. They won't, or they'll overdo it and turn people off. The way this one seems to be going, the unsold sheets, a large percentage of them, will probably be recalled and burned. Costs money to do that process too.
Login to Like
this post
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
The little post office I use (NOT the one my mail goes thru) has the little magnetic board on the counter showing all of the stamps currently available there, and that includes the inverted Jenny. However, the clerk did have to get the person who can access the safe to pull one out for me, and then there was all the mishigosh about inventory as Michael said. But the clerks/postmaster are very accommodating, friendly and customer oriented. Can't say that for the one that my mail goes thru....
Roger
Login to Like
this post
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
When you find a post office that is customer friendly, hang with it!
Login to Like
this post
Auctions
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
my little one in Red Hook NY is fabulous; i bring mail to it from the city even though I work almost across from Manhattan's main PO, which is nearly dysfunctional.
Login to Like
this post
Auctions
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
a few more comments
"Those thousands of dollars add up"
who can argue with that mathematical logic; it's the underlying causality that remains in question. I don't know if the unnecessary issuance of so many commemoratives leads to waste or not. Clearly, it's more than is needed. Similarly, I don't know how much more it costs them to list, store, and fulfill the various varieties, like press sheets, uncut press sheets, and various booklet and perf formats from usually different printers.
on these, the real question is whether they make money from the sold, but unused, stamps.
and i think your point is that better marketing or promotion is likely to lead to more kept stamps. I assume they test these things and factor out variables such as subject matter, timing, availability, etc., when determining the success of stamp retention.
I would think, though, that most promotions and sponsorships are likely to be wasted money for many reasons, but that doesn't mean the issuance didn't make money from its kept portions. A FOI request might prove worthwhile for those with the time and inclination (it ain't me, babe). I can't imagine, for instance, that most airtime commercials would pay off, given the fractured audiences on such a broad spectrum of platforms; but how would I know. I think the only success they could really claim would be of newly introduced topical collectors because most existing collectors already pay attention
David
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this post
01:32:11pm
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
Why doesn't the post office just increase its rate to something like 75c per ounce for domestic mail instead of the little increments each year? To be honest, that is still very reasonable considering the services, compared to $10 for a UPS or FedEx letter. Is there a Congressional mandate limiting how much they can raise the rates?
Login to Like
this post
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
Federal law limits increases to the rate of inflation. Anything above that has to be approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, which means a political fight.
Login to Like
this post
03:06:04pm
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
Of course, silly me; I should have realized, politics rears it's very ugly head again.
Login to Like
this post
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
Peter, Congress is all over the USPS, and doesn't let it run itself like a business should be run. Why should Congress? All that those Bozos know is how to waste and spend money. I'll be that deep down many in Congress are proud at how much money the USPS wastes.
Whenever USPS wants to close an unprofitable post office, people write to their Congressman, and voila. The post office remains open.
What the USPS needs is for the government to get out of its business. There are laws prohibiting the post office from shipping certain articles, like alcoholic beverages. USPS wants to be able to be able to ship wine to compete with UPS and the others. It needs Congress to repeal the laws. Congress should repeal itself for all the good that it does. Oh, wait a moment...sorry. Just had to slap a politician's hand that I felt going into my pocket.
Login to Like
this post
Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
30 Sep 2013
11:24:43pm
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
" .... Is there a Congressional mandate limiting how much they can raise the rates? ...."
Here is is 11:25 PM and the countdown to the nation going to hell in a hand basket is getting close to numbers I can handle on fingers and toes.I needed a jape to cheer me up.
Login to Like
this post
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
OK, how's this?
What dog can jump higher than a building?
Any dog, buildings can't jump!
Login to Like
this post
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
Ok then, how about the Irishman that walked into a bar and ordered tea.
The bartender fainted.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
Why did the Irish cook only put two hundred and tharty nine beans in her soup?
Because one more and it would have been two farty.
Login to Like
this post
Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
02 Oct 2013
12:57:52pm
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
I understand that due to the unrest in Greece, Olaf, Gunnar, Erik and Sigurd, have been hired to guard the Parthenon:
The Four Norsemen of the Acropolis.
Login to Like
this post
01:06:38pm
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
02 Oct 2013
02:33:45pm
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
A non-partisan political joke, particularly appropriate during these chaotic times.
One day a farmer was out with his animals when a brand new car went by. After a few moments the car came back and a man in a perfectly tailored suit stepped out.
The man went up to the farmer and said, "this is a nice herd of cows you have. I've always wanted one. So, if I can tell you exactly how many there are will you give me a calf."
The farmer was a little bemused by this, but agreed.
Immediately four other men got out, set up electronic equipment and used it to count every individual animal's legs. They then divided by four and came up with the answer: 322.
The first man immediately picked an animal up and started to walk away with it when the farmer finally said, "if I can guess your job will you give me the calf back?"
The man agreed so the farmer said, "You sir, are a congressman."
Disappointed the man asked, "How did you know?"
The farmer answered flatly, "you have a staff to do all the actual work, you did your job in an overly complicated way, and you know absolutely nothing about cows.
This is a herd of sheep. "
"....Now please, give me back my dog. ...."
3 Members
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03:26:14pm
re: Jan 2014 USPS proposed increase
THAT was so good, it could make a Vulcan laugh!
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