SQUISHY ALERT! more postage SNAFU

Just the rate of postage is not the only thing changing today. The size and
thickness of an envelope also has new regulations for mailing. This may
impact some of the squishy mailing people and also flexibility of an
envelope, separate regulations from size and thickness. Here's a news
article I read about this and also a "chart" so if you are already
completely confused "the chart" should really have you scratching your head.

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The postage rate increase in effect May 14 will make a first-class letter
more expensive, but it also may change the shape of your mail.

Consumers may not look past the rate increase for a first-class stamp from
39 cents to 41 cents, but more sweeping regulatory changes approved along
with the increase may have a more dramatic impact on businesses that rely on
mail service.

"I've described this as a perfect storm scenario because this is much more
complicated than a simple price change," said Randy Ford, manager for small
business development for the U.S. Postal Service's southeast region, based
in Memphis, Tenn.

For example, a 2-ounce standard envelope, a 2-ounce page-sized envelope,
called a "flat," and a 2-ounce box all would cost 63 cents to mail.

After May 14, it won't be so simple. A standard envelope will cost just 58
cents, while a flat will now cost 97 cents ? assuming it meets strict new
flexibility requirements ? and a 2-ounce package will cost $1.30, a 106
percent increase.

The changes make it essential for businesses that use the mail to advertise
or communicate with customers to carefully consider the size and shape of
the mailings, said Derek Scott, owner of DataMail, a direct mail house in
Bonita Springs.

"I appreciate what the postal service is doing here because they are, in
effect, going to be sending me more business as my customers try to figure
out what this all means," Scott said. "The shape becomes the big issue and
that is a new consideration."

Scott said many businesses that use direct-mail advertising may want to
redesign their mailing so that they fit into standard letter envelopes to
save money.

Ford said that is the key reason why the price for 2-ounce letters is
discounted.

"The prices reflect changes in our operation and the marketplace," said
Ford, who spoke to a group of business representatives this month in Fort
Myers. "We are realigning the pricing with the actual cost of processing the
mail."

The cost of a 2-ounce standard envelope, for example, has been reduced
because it can be processed on the same sorting machines as typical
first-class, 1-ounce letters. However, the larger envelopes and packages
take more human sorting.

That's also the reasoning behind rules that say that flats must be flexible.
The new regulations actually stipulate how much an envelope must droop if a
certain percentage ? depending on size of the envelope ? is extended over
the edge of a tabletop.

That requirement is going to cost the Lee County government up to $15,000 in
additional postage each year to mail out automobile license tags, said Diane
Hunt, the remittance processing manager for the Lee County Tax Collector's
Office.

The tags make the envelopes rigid, meaning they will be charged parcel
postage instead of the previous rate as a flat, boosting the cost of mailing
each envelope from $1.35 to $1.81, Hunt said.

"That's going to be the biggest impact in our office and it is affecting
every county in the state of Florida," Hunt said.

The same change worries Lorraine Matthews, who works in the office at First
Christian Church in Fort Myers.

"We mail out our sermons on CD and DVD to people who request them and now
those may be considered packages instead of envelopes," Matthews said. "We
would have to raise the cost and we don't want to have to do that."

At the advice of postal officials, Matthews said she was sending sample
packages to the Postal Service district office in Tampa for a formal
determination of cost.

Dennis DiDonna, operator of The Shipping Station in Naples, said he is
concerned that his customers aren't going to understand some of the
regulation changes. For example, the determination of whether a large
envelope is flexible seems too subjective to leave it to counter workers
across the country, he said.
***************************************************************


NEW POSTAGE CHART

POSTAL RATES EFFECTIVE MAY 14:
Letters
? One ounce ? 41 cents
? Each additional ounce ? 17 cents
? Maximum length ? 11 inches
? Maximum height ? 61/8 inches
? Maximum weight ? 3.5 ounces.

Flats (large envelopes)
? One ounce ? 80 cents
? Each additional ounce ? 17 cents
? Maximum length: 15 inches
? Maximum height: 12 inches
? Maximum weight ? 13 ounces

Non-Machinable Large Envelopes
Large envelopes with the following characteristics are subject to package
prices:
? Rigid (not flexible)
? Not square or rectangular
? Not uniform in thickness (1/4 variation in thickness allowed)



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Relevant Pages

  • Re: SQUISHY ALERT! more postage SNAFU
    ... Mailing of patterns is going to be more expensive. ... Consumers may not look past the rate increase for a first-class stamp from 39 cents to 41 cents, but more sweeping regulatory changes approved along with the increase may have a more dramatic impact on businesses that rely on mail service. ... For example, a 2-ounce standard envelope, a 2-ounce page-sized envelope, called a "flat," and a 2-ounce box all would cost 63 cents to mail. ... • Each additional ounce — 17 cents ...
    (rec.crafts.textiles.quilting)
  • Re: SQUISHY ALERT! more postage SNAFU
    ... Would I be correct in assuming if we are just mailing one fat quarter, we can still get away with putting 2 stamps on the envelope? ... Consumers may not look past the rate increase for a first-class stamp from 39 cents to 41 cents, but more sweeping regulatory changes approved along with the increase may have a more dramatic impact on businesses that rely on mail service. ... For example, a 2-ounce standard envelope, a 2-ounce page-sized envelope, called a "flat," and a 2-ounce box all would cost 63 cents to mail. ... Each additional ounce - 17 cents ...
    (rec.crafts.textiles.quilting)
  • Snail Postage Goes up to 39 Cents on January 8, 2006
    ... The cost of mailing a letter will increase to 39 cents on Jan. 8. ... daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at ...
    (comp.dcom.telecom)
  • Re: SQUISHY ALERT! more postage SNAFU
    ... It would certainly be a good idea to get some 17 cent stamps at the PO so ... from 39 cents to 41 cents, but more sweeping regulatory changes approved ... called a "flat," and a 2-ounce box all would cost 63 cents to mail. ... Each additional ounce? ...
    (rec.crafts.textiles.quilting)
  • Re: Stamp goes to 41 cents in May; forever stamp OKd
    ... The board also agreed to the proposal for a forever stamp, ... saying the suggested price for sending things like catalogs ... the first-class rate has the greatest impact and the cost ... of sending a letter will rise from 39 cents to 41 cents, ...
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