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The USPS has raised domestic shipping rates temporarily for Christmas. This is crazy and has been documented elsewhere. My partner told me about it. She is usually more on top of these government things than I.

bobneumann wrote:The USPS has raised domestic shipping rates temporarily for Christmas.

Why does that not surprise me? Worse yet, it seems like I'm paying more and getting less. A package, sent Priority, that was about 250 miles away from me is still caught in USPS limbo. But a package, sent First Class the following day--from California--is out for delivery as of this post.

That is totally beyond my powers of comprehension. Somehow I don't think USPS manages to hire the best and brightest. They would greatly benefit from a thorough house-cleaning.

Perhaps needless to say, I'm not having anything sent USPS until sometime next year.

bobneumann wrote:The USPS has raised domestic shipping rates temporarily for Christmas. This is crazy and has been documented elsewhere. My partner told me about it. She is usually more on top of these government things than I.

They have some latitude to raise rates slightly as long as they haven't already reached the limits set by congress. Some shipping rates were previously held lower (earlier in the year) so as not to exceed private parcel service rates (which would then take business away from the USPS).   

However, the lame duck president continues to cause harm with this:
President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to withhold all future Covid-19 relief funding from the U.S. Postal Service unless the federal agency dramatically raises its shipping prices—a demand that critics say is ludicrous given the economic calamity the American people and the post office are now facing. "The post office should raise the price of a package by approximately four times," the president added. "Four or five times, that's what it should be."

So, if the defeated president gets his way, the price of sending one little toy model car could increase as much as four times higher than it is now.  You think it's too high now ... oh brother!

Squid wrote:Worse yet, it seems like I'm paying more and getting less. A package, sent Priority, that was about 250 miles away from me is still caught in USPS limbo. But a package, sent First Class the following day--from California--is out for delivery as of this post.

Your truly are paying more and getting less! When Priority Mail first was introduced, it was to be a truly priority handling. However, the USPS didn't really have the infrastructure to handle mail in a system wide expedited manner. So they partnered with FedX to handle the two day delivery stuff. Everything else simply gets handled as first class mail. The only advantage is that you get those small flat rate Priority Mail shipping boxes for FREE! You know, those little boxes you can pack five or six Matchbox models into and then just stick the Priority Mail stamp on and Mail from your home (or print an ebay shipping & postage label and mail from home). But it's all smoke and mirrors, because the (as I mentioned) the Priority Mail package is handled just like First Class mail. No "priority" except for the words on the FREE box.

What about that FREE box? That same size box will cost you about .29 cents retail (buy more than 50 to 100 and they are even cheaper). So that means the Post Office (depending on the zone you ship to) is making at minimum two bucks by giving you a FREE box. So your small Priority Mail boxed package is a marketing system that allows the USPS to "give away" FREE boxes as long as you send the item via the more expensive method. It's a brilliant way to make a premium on every shipment. Today's "got to have in now" public gets a FREE box and fancy title of "Priority Mail" to make everything seem faster and easier.

What you actually get is less and you spend more. In some cases, you can actually save a small amount if the box is loaded up very near the weight limit of the flat rate weight limit on the box and if it's going to the furthest away zone. But, in almost every case, the Priority Mail box and method is going to cost you more. Another "gotcha" is when you go to mail your box at the post office window and the agent looks up the cost, you will hear something like this: "It will be $9.65 by parcel Select or for $10.55 you can ship it by "Priority Mail." The average person hears the word "Priority" and almost always will select the worthless higher priced option (and you didn't even get to use a free box)!

When it comes to an International Priority Mail shipment, well, you just got reamed! Even a one night stand gets drinks and a dinner out of the deal, all you get is the walk of shame out of the Post Office.

Tinman wrote:They partnered with FedX to handle the two day delivery stuff.

I've had umpteen issues with FedEx. They are so bad, I've coined a new slogan for them: "Think it's unbreakable? We'll prove you wrong!"

Back when I was much younger and single, Fed X's logo was: "When it positively, absolutely has to be there overnight - Fed X!" 

So a conversation would go like this on a Friday afternoon: "Want to do some overtime on the job tomorrow?"  
Me: 'Sure."
Partner: What time you want to start, 7:00 or later?"
Me: "Well, I've got date tonight and she's Fed X, so we better make it more like 8:30."

Translation: Because she positively, absolutely has to be there overnight!