USPS will raise the postal rates on May 14, 2007, so if you have books you have been hoarding, read them, post them and send them out now! The new Media Mail rate for a package under 1 lb (typical paperback) will be $2.13. The rate for a package between 1 and 2 lbs (typical hardcover) will be $2.57. That’s a hike in price, true, but it’s still a bargain. They’ve been losing money on Media Mail rate for a long time, so although it is painful, we understand. USPS is really amazing—their rate of package loss is really tiny, and they handle a mind-boggling amount of items every day. Remember that it will still be less expensive to send a package weighing under 6 ounces by First-Class rate. So if you have a postal scale, dust it off and check your package weights! The USPS fee for electronic DC will rise from 14 to 18 cents. So if you use PBS-DC, you will need to add 18 cents in postage to each package you send after May 14th. To read more about the rate increase you can find the Rate Case on the USPS website. The good news is that the PBS portion of the DC fee will NOT change: that will still be 27 cents.
The thorn in the rose… With the new postal rates, PBS will reluctantly have to change the cost of credits. Each credit will cost $3.45 beginning May 14, 2007. We hate to do it, but with the rise in postage it’s unavoidable. The accountants crunched the numbers, and this is the least we can charge. It will be a less expensive option (as always) to send out books to earn credits, but if you need credits quick for a Wish List book, they are always purchasable in the Kiosk. And check out Box-O-Books if you want to swap books without using credits. The yearly Box-O-Books subscription fee of $8.00 pays itself back with your first few Box swaps—the postage savings for sending multiple books is even more apparent now! And don’t forget the Book Bazaar Discussion Forum, where you will find “deals” galore.
Tags: Shipping Books & USPS
