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Northern Cambria, Pa.

Just mailed some bubbles and found that the rates have gone way up since last year, (or maybe I just got the wrong clerk).
I was told that hand stamped bubbles are now considered parcels and the rates are now:
1 oz. $1.13
2 oz. $1.30
3 oz. $1.47 and so on.
None of the SASB's I received so far had enough postage.
The rate change went into effect May 14, 2007. It looks like seed trading has just got a lot more expensive.
Maybe Rocky will chime in and shed some light on this.

11/20/2007 2:54:34 PM

Santa Rosa California

that funny its still 58 cents for a bubble here with seeds

11/20/2007 3:21:03 PM

Farmington, Utah

Hi Larry, here in Utah today I mailed out a 4 X 7 bubble. It was 58 cents. I have heard others say it was over a dollar here. It looks like even the postal service doesn't know what they should charge.

11/20/2007 3:33:09 PM

Northern Cambria, Pa.

Guess I'll have to find another post office. They gave me a sheet which states:
"If a letter is over 1/4" thick it is charged the flat size rate(which is more than letter rate). If a letter size weighs more than 3.5 oz it is charged the flat size large envelope rate unless it is 3/4 " thick or thicker or rigid or uneven-then it is charged the package size rate."
Letter size is up to 1/4" thick
Flat size is 1/4" to 3/4"
Package size is 3/4 and over.
Geez......

11/20/2007 4:47:36 PM

Sparta, NC

I recieved a bubble with .81 cents postage on it and asked the clerk about it.She said it had the incorrect amount of postage on it and it should have been caught. Then she told me what Larry stated above.

11/20/2007 5:02:17 PM

Nicholls Georgia

hope that was not me sam lol

11/20/2007 5:51:38 PM

Columbus Ohio

I was told .80 would be enough postage. I have recieved several back so far with no problems. Sounds like a conspericy to me.

11/20/2007 6:15:10 PM

Paradise Mountain, New York

I went to the post office today and they took one 4x7 bubble envelope and checked it on the computerized scales. Then she add special handling because it was thicker then a normal letter. Price came out to be $.58. I told her others said it would be $1.10. So she checked everything every which way in the computer and she still came up with $.58. So she told me to bring all I wanted and they would be shipped out for $.58. Maybe others should find a different post office. I would.

11/20/2007 6:21:50 PM

Jericho Vermont

Here in VT I was told the exact same thing that Larry said. Most bubbles are either 1.13 or 1.30. But 1.13 is the minimum for a bubble.
John

11/20/2007 6:34:45 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

$1.10 and $1.30 here, too. There was an earlier post here on BP explaining this after I had sent out my first bubble to Pete Mohr. Pete made up the difference after I had posted it with two first class stamps. I also made up the difference for another grower. I now let the post office do the postage.

Believe it or not, it's cheaper(80 cents) to send a bubble to Canada than it is to send one here in the U.S. The clerk at the post office was dumbfounded as well. I really don't think THEY know what the rates are supposed to be from one post office to another.

11/20/2007 7:12:35 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

BTW-I mailed in 4x7 bubbles as well.

11/20/2007 7:13:48 PM

Mulino, Oregon

The problem is not with the 'sending' post office. It's with the receiving one. Larry you are absolutely correct in what you found out. However some post offices choose to ignore the new rates. I personally wouldn't take the chance. If you are sending out bubbles I would put more postage on it. You could loose your seeds otherwise.

11/20/2007 7:38:55 PM

Northern Cambria, Pa.

Good grief! Leave to the Federal government to screw up something as simple as mailing a small package.

11/20/2007 8:46:09 PM

[email protected]

I think what the deal is 2 things, size of your bubbles, if they don't fit through the slotted sheet they have, then it's a certain amount. Or, if it's mailed as a flat, then the price increases, and I mean alot! I've done this at work, and mailing as a flat is alot more expensive than regular price .58. My .02 cents.

11/20/2007 9:06:58 PM

[email protected]

http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/ratesandfees.htm#wp1008795

Here is the link from USPS it goes from .58 regular first class mail up to .97 first class flat rate. I think this is the issue. Depends on the post office, and from what I was told some post offices return the package back to you if the postage is incorrect.

Believe it or not we had a rep at work come in that owns our postage machine to "train" us on this. Not very exciting training and very confusing.

11/20/2007 9:16:21 PM

ordinary,VA

Larry, same thing here.
been to three different post offices- three different rates..
depends on who is working behind the counter....when mailing bubbles out of the U.S. sometimes have to fill out a form-sometimes i dont have to.

tale of two bubbles one went to Germany the other to Canada.
same size and weight..the one shipped to Cananda cost more than the one going to Germany?

11/20/2007 9:24:01 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

I think it depends on who you get at the post office. Last week I sent out a couple of small bubble packs, and one of the clerks charged me $1.13 each. Yesterday I sent out 2 more, and the Postmaster charged me $0.80 each. They have made the system complicated, having to check how thick each item is.

11/20/2007 10:43:12 PM

Rapid City, SD

just mailed out bubbles today with 20 seeds in em........1.41 each from here in south dakota, last year was 50 cents.......wish i could get a raise of that percentage.

11/20/2007 11:03:43 PM

Ohio

Rock will be able to explain this, Rock?,,,lol

11/21/2007 4:04:20 AM

Wilmington.Ma.

I went to 2 different post offices.One was $1.13 other was .75. The right hand dosen't know what left is doing.

11/21/2007 12:11:43 PM

Farmville, Virginia ([email protected])

Sounds like the post offices are just as screwed up as the rest of the government is. If you look at it from that perspective it all makes sense.

11/21/2007 12:29:58 PM

Parker, Co

yes, anyone sending Self stamped envelopes to growers should make sure to put $1.13 postage on. the napa post offices are all on the same page with the new rates. that prize money will not last long with the new rates!! cg

11/21/2007 1:44:16 PM

Paradise Mountain, New York

I went to the post office today and I told the lady behind the counter what was going on with growers sending there seeds out. So she went and got the post master.The post master took out this board and tried to fit one bubble through the slot. It was to thick. So she said there is a surcharge for the thickness. The price would be $.58. So I bought 58 cent stamps. I went home and suck the stamps on the bubble packs and returned with 35 bubble envolopes and sent them out with no problem. The post master said that other post offices should not be charging for flat prices..

11/21/2007 5:27:26 PM

[email protected]

My good friend who I was with this morning confirms Brian's findings. The weight is primary & the thickness is secondary to the postage rate. I would recommend adding the extra postage to avoid issues.

11/21/2007 7:02:57 PM

Northern Cambria, Pa.

Here is the info if you wish to read it. I was charged between $1.13 and $1.47 for all bubbles except for one that went to Europe which was $1.07! Go figure.
http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/133.htm#wp1045305
http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/101.htm#wp1039555

11/21/2007 9:28:00 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

Based on what I've read here and my own experience, there IS no rhyme or reason to postal charges for bubbles. Cheaper to Canada AND Europe?

11/21/2007 10:43:20 PM

[email protected]

Okay, here is the Real Deal....

A letter is anything 6 X 11 or smaller in size, bendable (machineable), and is less than 1/4 " thick. The charge for this is 41 cents. Surcharge for letters for each ounce over 1 is 17 cents per ounce.

A large envelope charge is anything over 6 x 11 AND OVER 1/4 " thick. The standard charge for this is 80 cents as long as it is bendable (machineable). Every additional ounce is 17 cents per ounce.

A Small parcel is considered anything over 6 x 11, over 1/4 " thick, and not bendable (machineable). Once you hit this criteria, your package is considered a small parcel and is charged 1.13. Same 17 cent per ounce over 1 ounce applies to this also.

Inshort, if you want to put the label "fragile" on it, you can not go as the 80 cent "large envelope" charge. Most of our bubbles are going to be considered large envelopes and go as 80 cents, or 97 cents for a 2 oz'r. The problem here is the USPS checks it not only at the window, but also on the recieving end. It is up to the recieving office to charge a postage due. Be prepared to pay anywhere from 58 cents to 1.26 per bubble. You are at the mercy of the defining official but the rules stated above are the ones that the Post Office goes by.

11/22/2007 12:50:55 AM

Long Island,New York

Rocky...In accordance with postal rules or whatever rules apply---what is the post officer that deams the letter/pkg "under-stamped" allowed or supposed to do with the package?

11/22/2007 8:05:10 AM

[email protected]

G, The recieving office will "browse through" the incoming mail, and if the postage is off (that is, if he catches it) they will stamp it "postage due" and charge the remaining unpaid fee balance.

This is for those who want to avoid mailing hundreds of the incoming bubbles (mostly heavy hitters) and paying the "extra fee" that the seed requestors didnt pay. Never have a return address (or have the seed requestor put his address as the sending and recieving address) as your own, that way if it is "short" on its postage, the requestor will have to pay the POSTAGE DUE when it is delivered.

11/22/2007 8:50:08 PM

ordinary,VA

Rock thats how i adress my bubbles coming back to me.that way if im short i will take the hit..

11/22/2007 9:00:06 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

I take mine to the post office and let them post it. That way, if it's short on postage, it's their fault.

11/22/2007 9:08:38 PM

Hayward, CA

I actually did the same (went to post office) and was told they were 80 cents anywhere in the continental US to mail back to CA.

11/22/2007 10:27:59 PM

[email protected]

Maybe this is why the USPS is the only branch of government that actually operates in the black (as it should). They understand what it costs to run an effective business without going broke. Can't say that about Congress!

11/22/2007 10:51:34 PM

[email protected]

My last post was for those who send out self addressed bubbles, this way the heavy hitters and those who have the seeds in demand are not stuck paying the postage. Always do what Ed does, put your address in both the send and recieve areas on the front of the bubble, that way if there is a shortage, the requestor has to pay it.

As for giantpumkindudes post, that is not always true. The new breakdown (listed above in my first post) of paying for bubbles is complicated, and even internally the Post Office is struggling to define it, as you can tell. Even if it had a clerk put the wrong postage on at the entering PO, the recieving PO may still find a shortage and charge the reciever.

Tremor hit it on the nose, we do not run in the red, and yet, we (USPS) are still one heck of a bargain if you consider the price of gasoline intodays's economy. We run everything that moves the mail outside of a facility on gasoline, and at 3.20 cents and up, it aint easy. Every time the price of gas goes up 1 penny, it costs the USPS over 1 million dollars a day. All that without "tremendous" rate increases, I consider that amazing. And lastly, the USPS is also the cheapest delivery system in the world. We are very fotunate, so give your mailman a hug next time you see him! haahaa..

11/23/2007 8:43:22 AM

Long Island,New York

I don't know....60 cents was safe last year....1.18 this year....my math says 100% increase is tremendous......

11/23/2007 8:49:31 AM

[email protected]

At 60 cents the USPS was losing money which they have now discovered & are recovering. I can't complain about that.

Here is another possible explaination for the "variable rates" we're seeing.

My post office sells a nice fiber envelope. #93090009 CUSHION MAILER 5" x 8.25" (usable inside dimension)
It's a little heavy & at $1.09, costs a lot more money than a "Bubble".

An Eco-Lite #000 Bubble Mailer from esupplystore.com starts out just a little thicker thsn the #9309.

My Henkel Duck #000 are a little thinner when the plastic wrapper is first removed but...........

Bubble mailers contain trapped air. Air expands when it is warmed. Measure the thickness of a bubble. It's already on the verge of failing the thickness test. Now drop some seeds & a note inside, seal it up & lay it on the dashboard of the car...in the sun.

Now go post it. The weight hasn't changed but those little bubbles are now fully expanded so the envelops is WIDER. Now it requires hand sorting by a union handler instead of the machine.

If you side with Labor (love unions), keep saving money on Walmart bubble envelopes & spending extra money on postage. It's good job security on the sorting lines. LOL

If you side with Management try buying the 9309 or some other equivalent fiber envelope. Priority Mail envelops are free though they cost more to post. I have NEVER had a Priority Mail seed fail to arrive.

11/23/2007 9:45:01 AM

Mastic Beach, New York

ok what is the total amount are we looking at for round trip? rounded off course..lol the correct way
btw i give the post guy$20 tip during the holidays...might be less to help off set my addition of seed trading..lol

11/25/2007 11:27:10 AM

Mastic Beach, New York

i paid .58 cents..they wouldnt let me pay more!almost took the whole counter clerks on!they kept putting it back on the scale..that was a 6x9 and 4x6 .58 cents each.

11/26/2007 5:56:16 PM

Maine

Just sent a large bubble with 6 packs of seeds inside of a manila envelope- was .97

11/27/2007 9:12:42 AM

huntsburg,ohio

mine charged me 67 cents for a 1.30 bubble that had 63 cents on it and said to be safe that's what all should have i'm gonna start letting them be sent back if i have to pay plus thats double if the envelope inside don't have enough postage.Jerry

11/29/2007 7:33:59 PM