While the Postal Service is not adding any Holiday Surcharges this year, they are increasing Priority Mail rates everywhere you can buy postage online šŸ˜¢

Selling on Amazon FBM
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Email from Pirate Shipā€¦

USPS is increasing some rates on November 18th

  • Priority Mail Flat Rate is increasing up to 6%, because USPS is removing this service from the Connect eCommerce program that provided deeper discounts, so the rates are returning to the Commercial Pricing levels.
  • Weight-Based Priority Mail is increasing up to 10% in zones 1-4, but itā€™ll still have discounts that are cheaper than Commercial Pricing :smiley:
  • Dimension-Based Priority Mail Cubic is increasing up to 23% in zones 1-4 for tiers 0.40 and 0.50ā€”so the largest package sizes for this service are getting more expensive in the lowest zones. But the rates are still cheaper than Commercial Pricing :tada:
  • Ground Advantage is decreasing up to 16% in zones 1-5, depending on the size and weight of your package.
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I cannot find any other documentation for these changes other than PirateShip.

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Since GA became a ā€˜thingā€™ for items over 15.9 ounces I NEVER look at Priority Mail unless a buyer demands ā€˜expedited deliveryā€™.

Iā€™m a lot more excited about that 16% (or less) DECREASE in costs than I am about 1 of 100 or more packages that will cost more.

I was done with shipping and just checked ā€“ since GA started the PO has gotten about 1500 packages from me and 18 have gone priority.

Cost me more on 18 and less on (almost) 1500 sounds like a win to me.

Sadly, I only see it on Pirate Ship as wellā€¦

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It appears Amazon help desk employees are also staffing the USPS Select Business Support Team.

I emailed them last night asking if the information from Pirate Ship is correct. Hereā€™s their response:

Regarding your request about USPS is increasing some rates on November 18, 2023. I would like to let you know that USPS has No Holiday Surcharges in 2023.

Below is some Link for this information. Please check it out.

https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/0919-usps-ready-to-deliver-for-america-during-the-holidays.htm

Please let me know if you have any remaining questions or concerns regarding your request and we will follow up with you within a few business days. If not, we look forward to connecting with you during your regularly scheduled.

And thatā€™s a copy/paste so if it doesnā€™t make senseā€¦

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Thanks, USPS bot, for answering a question I didnā€™t ask. :roll_eyes:

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The over 1 lb rates are supposedly the old Parcel Select Rates,

The parcel select rates were sometimes lower and sometimes higher than Priority.

I would not assume they are going to be less than priority unless the Pirate Ship rates apply to other sites.

I have not checked because my sales are either under 1 lb or can ship media mail.

I never offer expedited deilivery because I wish to have no sense of urgency nor encourage my customers to have any.

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The way we read the Pirate Ship announcement is that this ā€œincreaseā€ involves those companies like Pirate Ship (and Amazon) who have been a part of the Connect eCommerce program which is how Priority Mail Flat Rate envelopes were being sold at $7.60 while the USPS commercial pricing was $8.05. USPS rates within this program is what is being changed. Regular commercial pricing is not being changed (and therefore there is no notice on the USPS site). None of the prices on Pirate Ship or other Connect eCommerce vendors will be higher than the regular commercial pricing. Some of the price increases will return to the regular commercial prices and some of the price increases will increase but will still be below the regular commercial pricing.

We would think that this pricing increase in the Connect eCommerce program is foreshadowing a January increase in the regular commercial pricing.

USPS Proposes New Prices for 2024

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I think youā€™re correct @Lost_My_Marbles, which is why we can only find notice on November changes through the Connect vendors like PirateShip and Pitney-Bowes.

:thinking: ā€¦curious that thereā€™s no notice from Amazon?

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Could only find the Pirate Ship notice ā€¦ nothing from Amazon or ShipStation or Pitney Bowesā€¦
USPS can only change rates after submission for approval on what we normally see in January and now also July. From those prices, USPS can work special programs like Connect eCommerce program. Programs like this are not subject to approval and the rates can change outside of the January / July changes.

Remember ā€¦ Amazon didnā€™t announce the lowering of prices to match the Connect eCommerce program back in May. Probably wonā€™t announce until after they make the change and NSFE blows up with threads on it.

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Which phenomenon received an early broadside over there today (9Nov23):

https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/9df1b96b-fe5d-4588-aa70-9169ba380df3

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Given the response from KJ_Amazon a few minutes ago I suggest that everyone using Amazon buy shipping just ā€˜duck and coverā€™
image

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

These guys make a clown car look normalā€¦

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And thus we see the old Amazon adage ā€¦

Late to lower ā€¦ early to rise ā€¦

Image working for Amazon ā€¦
ā€œHey did you get the memo I intended to send next month?ā€

:man_facepalming: