Any fellow Americans used the US Postal Service yet since the rate hikes? If so, what are the price increases like so far?

I've heard a couple stories but nothing really concrete yet in terms of real damage.

They screwed me up - dimesions also play a factor more than ever now - parcel post has become pretty usless now - it would behoove one to just go for priority an example would be from my zip 37210 to a zip in Maryland 21102 for a package weighing in @ 4 lbs. PRIORITY 7.70 PARCEL POST 7.47 - not much difference. Then there is shipping abroad....

I sent a box out today about 4 pounds or so (shoes the wife is returning to qvc) was only a .27 cent difference between parcel post and Priority.. I sent it parcel post... heh.. .27 cents is .27 cents...

Buy a ton of forever stamps......
and cover your packages with them.....

I have a load of old stamps to use up(all 37 cents) , so I picked up some more 2 cent-ers.... Since I normally do only one or two envelopes a month, I have enough to last until the next rate increase.

You would think, that the amount of US mail, should be decreasing since, the internet and email have came, that due to supply and demand, that the price would go down. But that would make to much sense.

The real problem is there is no longer a surface option for overseas shipping. It is all priority (air) mail now. A five pound package went from $12 to $36.
Trust me.
I started a topic in Spare Parts looking for alternatives.

Shaun

/I guess this is really killing some small businesses, like rare book sellers and the like.

I am confused. I just went to ship something, after having checked the cost on line and when I got to the post office it was higher by like a dollar. Kind of hard to calculate shipping when you are dealing with these inconsistencies.

Its a pity, because I had some good deals with memebers here, and the occasional US Ebay item, but postage from, or to, the US makes any deals today, costly and undesirable. We all lose out on both sides of the pond. Its not too bad yet in Europe, even between countries, but it is increasing all the time .. coming to the point, where its starting to become a factor when deciding where and what to purcahse.
So much for the world getting smaller!!

And the hike in US gas prices doesn't help much either. Does this maybe have anything to do with the recent postal increases? Who knows.

Rob