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View Full Version : Postage Shock



Mags
April 1st, 2014, 05:21 PM
No April Fool's joke but Canadian postage jumped to $1.00 for a single stamp. Thankfully buying in bulk they are now $0.85 which was a heck of a price increase from $0.63. I can hardly wait to see the international postage rate.

Adhizen
April 1st, 2014, 05:25 PM
Their postage is really crazy....

jackwebb
April 1st, 2014, 06:04 PM
A dollar! For domestic!? That is robbery.

Adhizen
April 1st, 2014, 06:16 PM
It cost me $11.00 Canadian to send a really small box(2"x2"x5") to Montreal from from the Eastern Townships...

Robert
April 1st, 2014, 06:27 PM
High Canadian postage rates (and s-l-o-w service) = why I am reluctant to buy from Canadian vendors. Sad but true.

Bogon07
April 1st, 2014, 07:12 PM
Curiously Canada,UK & Australia all increased their postage rates for 01April this year.
The domestic Australian letter went from 60c to 70c. Luckily the international rate remained the same as they only increased it last year upto $2.60.


High Canadian postage rates (and s-l-o-w service) = why I am reluctant to buy from Canadian vendors. Sad but true.

My pen from Canada to Australia took average time as most from the US in fact at least a week faster than ones coming from certain parts of the US which seem to do a grand farewell tour of the States before leaving. Cost were also average but no where near as economical as postage from the UK.

mrcharlie
April 1st, 2014, 10:33 PM
Curiously Canada,UK & Australia all increased their postage rates for 01April this year.
The domestic Australian letter went from 60c to 70c. Luckily the international rate remained the same as they only increased it last year upto $2.60.

Just so we Americans understand, we can send 1 oz/28 grams of letter anywhere in the world for $1.15, and 2 oz/56 grams for $2.13. The AUS price is equivalent of $2.40 USD and covers 50 grams. It is like if the 1 oz rate was eliminated and we had to pay the 2 oz rate for everything and the prices were raised 13% to boot.

mrcharlie
April 1st, 2014, 10:44 PM
No April Fool's joke but Canadian postage jumped to $1.00 for a single stamp. Thankfully buying in bulk they are now $0.85 which was a heck of a price increase from $0.63. I can hardly wait to see the international postage rate.

It looks like $1.20 to mail to the US, $2.50 to the rest of the world for the 30 gram rate (basically 1 oz). Equivalent of $1.09 USD and $2.26 USD. It is cheaper for a Canadian to send a 1 oz letter to the US than vice versa, but barely. It is cheaper for an American to send to anywhere else in the world than a Canadian by about 50%!

Bogon07
April 1st, 2014, 11:00 PM
Curiously Canada,UK & Australia all increased their postage rates for 01April this year.
The domestic Australian letter went from 60c to 70c. Luckily the international rate remained the same as they only increased it last year upto $2.60.

Just so we Americans understand, we can send 1 oz/28 grams of letter anywhere in the world for $1.15, and 2 oz/56 grams for $2.13. The AUS price is equivalent of $2.40 USD and covers 50 grams. It is like if the 1 oz rate was eliminated and we had to pay the 2 oz rate for everything and the prices were raised 13% to boot.

I think you've summed it up very well.

Although we do have an ace up our sleeves in having a 2nd international rate to SouthEast Asia of a mere $1.85.
Now if only all my US InCoWriMo Penpals could be outsourced to SE Asia or better yet, Australia be considered another US state (after all we get all your TV shows - even if somewhat delayed) and use your postage rates.:)

Scrawler
April 1st, 2014, 11:09 PM
As well as increasing prices they are also closing post offices. My post office is reduced to 15 hours a week, probably as e prelude to closure. I have tried to encourage people to write anything to me to increase the average throughput, and possibly forestall closure. But the postal rates themselves make it prohibitive to write back. I strongly suspect that denizens of remote outposts like this will soon be reduced to doodling and journalling only.

Mags
April 2nd, 2014, 05:46 AM
High Canadian postage rates (and s-l-o-w service) = why I am reluctant to buy from Canadian vendors. Sad but true.

Not too sure about slow service. I bought a pen Mar29 and it showed up April 1 from Wonderpens. I thought the service was excellent. It's just a large price increase just as I was getting back in to letter writing so it feels like a barrier to my using the postal service more. The parcel service will likely be how it evolves.

inlovewithjournals
April 2nd, 2014, 06:30 AM
I couldn't believe the postal increase either. Canada Post is in serious financial trouble and this is their solution. I know what you mean Mags, just as we are getting back into letter writing they raise the rates significantly. And Scrawler I fear you are correct about post office closures. Sad. Here in Calgary many communities are losing their door-to-door mail delivery service and will be collecting their mail from mail compartments at the end of their block. We've had that ever since we moved here to it's not a big change for us, but other communities are outraged. And lots of postal carriers are losing their jobs.

I have access to a postal machine and they have somewhat reduced rates: .75 for domestic and $1.15 for US. No idea what the international rate is. I think I will be using the machine at work more and more, as my "Reply To" pile just keeps growing!

Adhizen
April 2nd, 2014, 06:47 AM
These are coming out in the US later in April.... I like round stamps :)
They are Forever International: https://store.usps.com/store/browse/uspsProductDetailMultiSkuDropDown.jsp?productId=S_ 116904

Scrawler
April 2nd, 2014, 08:31 AM
I couldn't believe the postal increase either. Canada Post is in serious financial trouble and this is their solution. I know what you mean Mags, just as we are getting back into letter writing they raise the rates significantly. And Scrawler I fear you are correct about post office closures. Sad. Here in Calgary many communities are losing their door-to-door mail delivery service and will be collecting their mail from mail compartments at the end of their block. We've had that ever since we moved here to it's not a big change for us, but other communities are outraged. And lots of postal carriers are losing their jobs.

I have access to a postal machine and they have somewhat reduced rates: .75 for domestic and $1.15 for US. No idea what the international rate is. I think I will be using the machine at work more and more, as my "Reply To" pile just keeps growing!

Please buy my software so that I can afford to continue writing letters. It used to be that $5 a month budget for postage would see me send and receive 10 letters. With these increases my hands will seize up and I will forget how to write. My "Reply To" pile is now piling up.

Tuppergal.Victoria
April 2nd, 2014, 05:27 PM
Sorry to read this my friends.

VertOlive
April 5th, 2014, 11:27 PM
These are coming out in the US later in April.... I like round stamps :)
They are Forever International: https://store.usps.com/store/browse/uspsProductDetailMultiSkuDropDown.jsp?productId=S_ 116904

I like round too, but really would prefer a stamp with a better rendition of American oriented themes. This one is sort of psychelic. Though it goes well with my new Jimi Hendrix stamps...

mrcharlie
April 6th, 2014, 01:27 AM
I believe the plan is for all the US International Forever stamps to be round. This is the third (I think) since they started making International Forever stamps, and all three are round.

Mags
April 6th, 2014, 05:47 AM
Looking forward to seeing one of these round stamps on a future incoming letter. Off to buy postage later today for this weeks batch of letters.

Adhizen
April 6th, 2014, 08:20 AM
I have the stamp series before this new one and it's a blue green globe...



These are coming out in the US later in April.... I like round stamps :)
They are Forever International: https://store.usps.com/store/browse/uspsProductDetailMultiSkuDropDown.jsp?productId=S_ 116904

I like round too, but really would prefer a stamp with a better rendition of American oriented themes. This one is sort of psychelic. Though it goes well with my new Jimi Hendrix stamps...

KrazyIvan
April 6th, 2014, 09:14 AM
The last time I was at the post office, they would not sell me the international forever stamps. They gave me $1 and 10 cent stamps. I need to find stamps to make up the difference.

tiffanyhenschel
April 6th, 2014, 09:44 AM
The last time I was at the post office, they would not sell me the international forever stamps. They gave me $1 and 10 cent stamps. I need to find stamps to make up the difference.

That's strange. We're they out of stock? I just bought some last week. They were the leftover Christmas design.

Adhizen
April 6th, 2014, 10:43 AM
I order mine directly from the US post office website... Which gives me the option of pre-orderng stamps I like before they are released.

VertOlive
April 7th, 2014, 09:00 PM
The post office doesn't have them (the thermal map globe) yet. like adhizen, I pre-ordered for the April 22nd release. At least it's better than having to use the wreath in July...

Scrawler
April 18th, 2014, 05:56 PM
I wrote to my mother earlier this week. The postage for my letter to England was $2.83 ($2.85 because there are no cents anymore to give change).

kataish
April 26th, 2014, 12:44 PM
It was a jab to my wallet when that happened. I buy in bulk as it is, so thats fine... but most of my penpals are overseas. $2.50 for internetional? OOF. It cost me $15 for SIX FREAKING STAMPS. I want to cry every time I go to the post office. I sent a *small* package and stocked up on US and int'l stamps the other day (one strip of 6 each) and it cost me $40. Sigh. This is cutting into the pen budget now.

kataish
April 26th, 2014, 12:48 PM
Here in Calgary many communities are losing their door-to-door mail delivery service and will be collecting their mail from mail compartments at the end of their block. We've had that ever since we moved here to it's not a big change for us, but other communities are outraged. And lots of postal carriers are losing their jobs.

This is happening across the entire country. Starting this year, Canada Post's goal is to cut literally ALL at-home delivery and EVERYONE will have a community mail box. Here (http://feedback.canadapost.ca/) is more info on that on the CP site. It makes me really sad.

As someone who HAS been writing letters and who has had penpals for 2/3 of her life... I hate to be the one to say "I remember when stamps cost 35c to send a letter". (I'm not even that old!)

Mags
April 27th, 2014, 06:10 AM
Well the postal market shift is to delivering parcels which is where the growth resides for their industry. I do not like the idea of home delivery being interrupted. Maybe if people stopped ordering off the internet for postal and courier delivery they would focus on the mail and letter market.....nope thought about it. That ship has sailed.

Scrawler
April 27th, 2014, 07:02 AM
I would not expect postal delivery to my door in my location, but was delighted when they put in a community mail box, because they kindly put it near the end of my driveway. It is lockable and so more secure than the old "raise the flag" box I used to have. My concern is that if I do not start receiving more letters, they will close my post office. I enjoy chatting with the postmistress when I post my letters and receive my parcels.

Silverbreeze
May 18th, 2014, 12:07 PM
Curiously Canada,UK & Australia all increased their postage rates for 01April this year.
The domestic Australian letter went from 60c to 70c. Luckily the international rate remained the same as they only increased it last year upto $2.60.

Just so we Americans understand, we can send 1 oz/28 grams of letter anywhere in the world for $1.15, and 2 oz/56 grams for $2.13. The AUS price is equivalent of $2.40 USD and covers 50 grams. It is like if the 1 oz rate was eliminated and we had to pay the 2 oz rate for everything and the prices were raised 13% to boot.

I think you've summed it up very well.

Although we do have an ace up our sleeves in having a 2nd international rate to SouthEast Asia of a mere $1.85.
Now if only all my US InCoWriMo Penpals could be outsourced to SE Asia or better yet, Australia be considered another US state (after all we get all your TV shows - even if somewhat delayed) and use your postage rates.:)

You do know that a lot of the good shows are filmed here in the US then PostProduced in AUS right. Mythbusters for example

Silverbreeze
May 18th, 2014, 12:13 PM
You know something is really funky in the US too. I just did the math, and I can get pre stamped, pre return addressed envelopes from the USPS website for only slightly more then just stamps and envelopes anywhere else.

I am seriously thinking of ordering some rather then getting stamps from the ATM as needed

mrcharlie
May 19th, 2014, 12:07 PM
In the US, domestic postal rates are basically in line with or as low as they've been in my (~50 year) life.

If you do a constant dollar conversion of the rates in the 1970s and 1980s, they basically come out to the equivalent of 50 - 60 cents, and the current rate is 49 cents. It isn't the post office; it is inflation of the currency. You have to go back to the early 1960s before the conversion starts to get lower than 50 cents and at that point the prices are so low (in absolute terms; 4 and 5 cents) that changing even 1 cent is the equivalent of a huge jump in current money (10 cents or more).

I feel sorry for places where they've let the rates languish and then by the time they address them, they have to raise them a lot to keep the service afloat. At least regulators here had the good sense to allow the USPS to increase the rates steadily along with inflation.

And, FWIW and unless I did the math wrong, mail from Canada to the US is cheaper (after currency exchange conversion) than vice versa. It may be the only win for Canadian postal rates, but that is something. Most places in "the west" are more expensive to send an international letter to the US than it is for us to reply.

VertOlive
May 19th, 2014, 06:03 PM
You know something is really funky in the US too. I just did the math, and I can get pre stamped, pre return addressed envelopes from the USPS website for only slightly more then just stamps and envelopes anywhere else.

I am seriously thinking of ordering some rather then getting stamps from the ATM as needed

Yes, but the ATM has Spiderman stamps!

inkyletters
May 19th, 2014, 07:53 PM
Exactly vertolive. Exactly. Three letters are going out today all with Spider-Man stamps!