** bump **

Well, here we go ... Monday is the 14th. There seems to be a lot of confusion out there over some of the new size/weight restrictions and the elimination or alteration of certain forms of "traditional" shipping.

Personally, I'm going to do nothing but flat-rate shipping and CD-selling (they are easy, five-ounce items) for about a month or so, just to let things shake out a bit.

Good luck, everyone ...  

I've seen where a lot of gaming companies have inserted some announcements on their news pages concerning the different ways they will be dealing with the new rates and rules, but Fantasy Flight Games' solution appears to be unique: no USPS shipping for the time being.

Not that I blame them; FFG produces a lot of bigger, heavier games, and those are the sorts of items that now have vastly different shipping policies than they had last week.

The actual announcement is here, if anyone is interested:

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/

Plaag wrote:
((slightly off topic))
Good to see Grimm has a chance to make it out in Aug, been waiting for that since they put out the little d20 book couple years now I think. Will be interesting to see what rules system they design for it this time, but I'm more interested in the fluff.
((Back on topic))

So I'd like to here if anyone has shipped something today and how it went..also is the Ebay shipping calculator updated? Inquiring sellers want to know

ShaneG.

The ebay/paypal shipping calculator is operational.  The big changes are that youhave to measure your box size now if it's not a flat rate envelope or box, since it costs more the bigger it is as well as the more it weighs.  Also, I've noticed international options only come up global priority and global express.....the international first class option (basically, the old airmail) isn't given as a choice, I don't know if that will be corrected in the future or not.  
   The USPS web site has been down pretty much all day...maybe from so many people trying to access it.  It's pretty much impossible to give international shipping quotes to packages not going into a flat rate envelope or box due to this.  As the week goes on hopefully it will be updated on able to give shipping quotes.  I went to the local PO today to drop off some packages and get postage for a couple of first class envelopes.  All the employees at the windows have this giant "rate calculation based on sized) sheet that is in front of them that they have to hold the envelopes or boxes up to to get the rate...man, I really felt sorry for them.  The one I talked to said the switch over so far has been a nightmare.  She said they really didn't train them much on the conversions and she had some trouble locating the right buttons to push while doing my packages.  I would recommend for anyone going inside a post office in the near future to know EXACTLY what you want, otherwise you might be chaged for something else.
  As always, amazed at the absolute crappy way the USPS manages to somehow run itself....I saw today they lost money again in the last quarter, no surprise there.

Mike B.

Reindeergamez wrote:I'm probably going to go searching for answers on the moron-fest that is the ebay message board community.  Wish me luck!  

Without question, the most useless set of message boards on the entire interwebs. You'll need more than luck ...  

Badmike wrote:
Wow, the USPS website finally slowed down enough for me to get on and check some prices. Get ready, international friends, to get socked in the nuts for shipping.  Before, a single paperback in a padded envelope would cost $5 to ship to the UK; now it is $9 for the same service. To Australia it is $11 if I figured correctly. Almost all international postage has doubled.  Geez!  They are really, really steering sellers to flat rate envelopes and boxes.  For international buyers, it would seem the best deal is to get as many items as you can from one buyer and have them stuffed inside a flat rate box, even at $37 you will save money.  
   Reindeer, I believe now that priority mail flat rate boxes are interchangable with the global priority ones, and ditto on the envelopes.  I have asked quite a few postal employees in the last few days and they all concur on this; I also asked a USPS employee that I talked to on the phone. Now, being as that the average USPS employee is 3 INT pts higher than a rock, I don't know if that is for certain, but I have one of the new global prioirty flat rate boxes in front of me and it's basically identical to the USPS regular one.  So I think you are ok using the priority mail boxes and envelopes for international shipments.

Mike B.

Oh, and rejoice my Italian brothers...shipping to Italy has become much easier.  It is now possible to finally send global priority envelopes and packages! (Greece also).

Mike B.

smarmy1 wrote:
LMAO  

It's been a long time since I've heard D&D stats applied to the real world!  

Don't you do this all the time?!

I sometimes only just stop myself from insulting people's stats out loud.
(I have a reaonably high INT, but woeful WIS )

Badmike wrote:
. Now, being as that the average USPS employee is 3 INT pts higher than a rock, I don't know if that is for certain, but I have one of the new global prioirty flat rate boxes in front of me and it's basically identical to the USPS regular one.  So I think you are ok using the priority mail boxes and envelopes for international shipments.

Mike B.

Methinks the rock should be insulted!!          (Both the actual rock and the wrestler turned movie star!!)

Being serious for a moment:  With the increases, anyone heard how this will affect boxes, etc. in transit from anywhere outside the U.S. inbound (or U.S. to overseas outbound)?

sleepyCO wrote:Being serious for a moment:  With the increases, anyone heard how this will affect boxes, etc. in transit from anywhere outside the U.S. inbound (or U.S. to overseas outbound)?

It shouldn't affect those packages/mail at all. Anything mailed before Sunday will ship normally if it had the correct postage for the pre-may 14th levels.

Mike B.