latest new from Aus Post - starts Jan 2016?

[twyngwyn]

https://auspost.newsroom.com.au/Content/Home/02-Home/Article/Media-statement-28-August-/-2/-2/6058

[clarry100]

Correct me if I'm wrong or missed something DG...

But I would have thought if they put up the cost of a postage stamp to $1.00 then any letter be it large or small that uses that stamp will go up too. ie most of our item go out as large letter with two stamps affixed. Currently that costs us $1.40 in stamps.

So as of 1st Jan those same two stamps on our large letters will cost us $2.00.

Means that we will have to up the price of most of our items by 60-cents to cover this increase. And thats not accounting for the ebay fees, although we use "FREE" postage.

[digital*ghost]

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@clarry100 wrote:

Correct me if I'm wrong or missed something DG...

But I would have thought if they put up the cost of a postage stamp to $1.00 then any letter be it large or small that uses that stamp will go up too. ie most of our item go out as large letter with two stamps affixed. Currently that costs us $1.40 in stamps.

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That is what I'm expecting, but what's missing is information related to the two-tier pricing they want to introduce. 

AP want the $1 stamp price to buy their new regular service, and then set their own price (tentative suggestion was $1.50, but that was a preliminary price with view to increasing it) for a priority service, and they haven't mentioned anything, anywhere, about how the tiered pricing will affect large letter pricing, and/or if the same 2 x , 3 x or 5 x stamp price structure will carry over to both.

More disappointingly, the regular service is supposed to be slower than current processing and delivery times, while "priority" will be exactly the same service level we get now at the current pricing.

Which means what they actually want to do is increase the price of the current service to at least $1.50 for a small letter, and if the pricing structure carries over to large letters, to get your items delivered in the same time you do now, you could be paying minimum $3.00 (from $1.40), $4.50 (from $2.10), or $7.50 (from $3.50). 

[twyngwyn]

I use PREPAID for everything....so will stock up as I do before every fee hike...can't hurt

[joethenuts]

i think with stamps once they go up you have to add an extra stamp to make up the difference , for instance if you had 60 cent stamps at home you would have to purchase a 10 cent stamp to make it 70 cents,  and i am sure if you have 70 cent stamps  when they go to $1   you would have to buy a 30 cent stamp to put with your other stamp.

[lyndal1838]

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@twyngwyn wrote:
I use PREPAID for everything....so will stock up as I do before every fee hike...can't hurt

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That will not do you much good as you will have to add the extra postage to the already prepaid amount.

You usually get a week or 10 days grace to allow for items already in the system to be delivered after which you will be slugged for underpaid postage....or your buyers will be.

[digital*ghost]

Actually, I'm pretty sure twyngwyn is correct, in that pre-paid envelopes are much the same as pre-paid satchels, meaning you could stock up on them at the old price. If adding normal stamps to own packaging, you definitely have to make up the difference.

I've never used them myself, as I like padded envelopes for my items and technically, paper envelopes are supposed to contain flexible items (the tough bags, rigid mailers and AP padded envelopes can contain anything, though - very few items I have are flexible, and the ones that are I don't want them to bend in the sorting machines). 

[lyndal1838]

You may be right Digi....I am just going by something that happened to me some years ago.  About 3 weeks after there was a rise in the price of stamps I was handed a letter in a prepaid envelope with just the old postage rate.   It had an AP sticker on it for underpaid postage and the postie told me that it was just outside the timeframe for delivery at the old rate.....but he did not bother to collect the amount owing.

And just a comment about the new system of regular and priority delivery....the post offices are already expected to sort the mail into the 2 groups....they have been doing it for several weeks now and that is part of the reason for the dramatic slowdown in the delivery of mail.

[duck---dodgers]

If the head of AP takes a paycut I will take them serious.

Until that happens they can pull out any figures from anywhere to justify just about anything for a money grab.

[twyngwyn]

The prepaid envelopes don't have amounts on them - so are good forever...I've been bulk buying for years

[digital*ghost]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

And just a comment about the new system of regular and priority delivery....the post offices are already expected to sort the mail into the 2 groups....they have been doing it for several weeks now and that is part of the reason for the dramatic slowdown in the delivery of mail.

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I thought something like that may be happening. 😞 Really unfair, IMO - the lack of details and info, not to mention choice (in terms of opting for a faster service), is really frustrating.