September is here and almost gone, meaning Halloween is just around the corner and the Christmas shopping/shipping season is on the horizon! This is of course a great time for Tindie sellers, but if you’re in the US and use USPS to ship your packages, this season comes with a little caveat… a temporary rate increase!
Yes, that’s correct, between October 3rd and December 26th, the United States Postal Service will be charging extra. Here’s the announcement of the proposed changes on USPS.com from August 10th:
USPS proposed rate increase
Of particular note in my mind would be the $0.75 increase on flat rate boxes and envelopes, and the $0.30 increase on First-Class Package Service (FCPS) deliveries.
Need to Adjust Rates?
As a seller, you have two choices: absorb the cost, or pass extra shipping charges to your buyers. While the choice is certainly up to you, if you want to make an adjustment, this “How do I create a shipping rate?” article goes over how to make the necessary changes.
Arr-nother Choice?
While I don’t know the details, online postage vendor Pirate Ship has been hinting at a new lower rate option that goes into effect in October. They currently have a “Pirate Ship Simple Export Rate” option for shipping from the US internationally. It’s quite economical, but low speed, so perhaps the new service will be similar.
If you want to give this export method a try for US-international shipping, this type of package is ultimately sent via Asendia USA. Just put that down as the shipping company on Tindie, and you should be good to go!
For more shipping ideas, also check out my Perfect Your Tindie Shipping Game post from earlier this year!
