Once again following UPS, FedEx has announced their 2012 rate changes. The changes will take place on January 2, 2012; the same day that the new UPS rates take place. Below is a list of some of the changes FedEx Rate Changes for 2011: Rates increased an average of 5.9%. The rate increase was partially offset by adjusting the fuel price at which the fuel surcharge begins, reducing the fuel surcharge by 2%. Minimum rates for FedEx Express services [...]

UPS has recently announced their 2012 rate changes. The changes will take place on January 2, 2012. UPS announced an increase of 6.9% for their air service and a 2% reduction in the fuel surcharge. UPS Ground will increase an average of 4.9% with a 1% reduction in the fuel surcharge. Once again, the surcharges take a big hit, especially their declared value fees. Charges will increase from $0.75 to $0.80 per $100 of value. U.S. package services charges will apply to shipments valued [...]

Below are the holiday shipping schedules for the major U.S. based shipping carriers. United States Postal Service - http://about.usps.com/news/service-alerts/2011-federal-holidays.htm Saturday, January 1 - New Year’s Day Monday, January 17 - Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday Monday, February 21 - Washington’s Birthday (President’s Day) Monday, May 30 - Memorial Day Monday, July 4 - Independence Day Monday, September 5 - Labor Day Monday, October 10 - Columbus Day Friday, November 11 - Veterans Day Thursday, November 24 - Thanksgiving Day Monday, December 26 - Christmas Day (Observed) [...]

The United States Postal Service will be raising the prices of First Class Mail beginning January 22, 2012. The cost of mailing a letter will raise $0.01 (one penny) to $0.45. Additional ounces will remain at $0.20. The overall average price increase across all mailing services is capped by law at 2.1 percent. The new prices were filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission on Oct. 18, 2011 and the Commission has 45 days to review the prices. [...]

Provide Postal Service financial relief and undertake reform. The Administration recognizes the enormous value of the Postal Service (USPS) to the Nation’s commerce and communications, as well as the urgent need for reform to ensure its future viability. USPS faces a long-term, structural operating deficit that has been exacerbated by the precipitous drop in mail volume in the last few years due to the economic crisis and the continuing shift toward electronic communication. Absent legislative [...]

View the new ShipSaver Insurance demo video. ShipSaver allows eBay sellers to insure their eBay shipments for less. Tip: View it in full screen mode to clearly see the demo screens. www.shipsaver.co http://applications.ebay.com/selling?ViewEAppDetails&appType=1&appId=insurance.inkfrog.com

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service will resume accepting mail for Canada starting Tuesday, June 28, as a result of legislation passed yesterday by the Canadian government requiring Canada Post employees to return to work tonight. Mail that was held in the U.S. Postal Service network since the work stoppage began is being released today and transported to Canada in stages. Customers will experience some delays in service due to the large volume of mail [...]

Due to the expectation by Canada Post officials that the strike by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers will last until at least sometime next week, USPS will suspend accepting mail destined to Canada — effective Saturday, June 18, 2011, 11:59 p.m. CDT — with the exception of Global Express Guaranteed (GXG) shipments. “As a convenience to our customers and to minimize service disruptions, we arranged to accept mail destined for Canada as long as [...]

eBay told sellers it would begin charging fees on Shipping & Handling charges starting July 6th – currently the Final Value Fee applies only to the selling price. But what happens beginning in July if customers overpay for shipping when ordering multiple items in one transaction? Will eBay refund FVFs for S&H overcharges for sellers who refund their customers? Read the entire article on AuctionBytes.

In a move geared to further compete with FedEx and UPS, the United States Postal Service has added two new services: Adult Signature Required and Adult Signature Restricted Delivery. These new services are meant to be used when a packages need to be received by an adult over 21 years of age. The two services are described as: Adult Signature Required Requires the signature of anyone in the household who is 21 years of age [...]