jimtaxi
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posted on March 28, 2002 12:00:22 PM new
http://postcalc.usps.gov/Zonecharts/default.asp
Okay, I just took a good long look at the chart after I typed in my first three digits of my zip code and have come to the conclusion that it is the inaccessibility of the zip code that earns it a higher rating in relation to my zip code. This is not like I thought it would be. I expected a pure mileage based setup. I have a few regular auction buyers that have very rural addresses, the County Road and Hwy type and even though they are only a thousand miles away they get the zone rate 8 while big cities in their area may get a zone 5 rating. This new system is going to be a real bear to figure out.
If the post office doesn't make money after starting this system then they are incapable of ever making a profit.
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blairwitch
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posted on March 28, 2002 01:42:55 PM new
Hate to tell you Jim but the USPS already wants another rate hike for 2003. My postmaster told me the higher ups keep wasting the revenue, and increasing their salaries. 
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jimtaxi
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posted on March 28, 2002 02:02:03 PM new
There are several places where UPS can not or will not delivery due to delivery costs. The USPS can really sock it to those locations.
I'd love to see some efficency experts take an accounting at the average post office. They waste time and money with bad processing and methods and make everyone angry with the long lines. They practically drive customers away and over to the other shipping companies. Very sad situation.
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kodiheglin
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posted on March 28, 2002 02:26:49 PM new
I looked up my zipcode, and it puts me in zone 1.
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moonmem-07
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posted on March 28, 2002 02:41:27 PM new
I'm confused by this. I'm in zone 1. So do I need a chart that just pertains to mailing from zone 1? Any help in understanding this would be appreciated.
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deichen
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posted on March 28, 2002 02:50:33 PM new
I do not quite understand it either. So what matters is the zone we mail from as well as the zone we are mailing to?
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jimtaxi
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posted on March 28, 2002 05:17:53 PM new
The new systems rates your destination against your zip code. If something is zone 1 that means it is very close and the cost will actually be less than the old PM fees. If the destination is very far away it is rated Zone 8 and ouch, there will be very high fees for this item, maybe double the old rate.
The thing that threw me was that some zip codes were not that far away and they were Zone 8 rated and I noticed the were rural route deliveries. Those sly bastards may have given certain zip codes to destinations that were hard to deliver.
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jimhhow
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posted on March 28, 2002 05:46:29 PM new
Everyones own zip code is their ZONE 1. The zones are determined, by your zip code. So, kodi, you may be zone 1 to you, but to me here in Philadelphia, I bet you are probably a zone 8 or 9.
To determine what zone you are for a seller, put in the first three digits of THEIR zip code, and then look on the chart for your first three digits.
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jimtaxi
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posted on March 28, 2002 09:18:52 PM new
That's what I figured. There are 8 different zones but the term 'zones' is totally misleading. It should be something more like a rate scale where 1 is the lowest and 8 is the highest.
I'm sure we will hear a lot about how some Priority Mail rates will actually drop when in reality it will only be one of the 8 new rate settings that drops. Since 70% of the nation lives in the Eastern time zone there may be many low zones or rates for them when it is time to mail out items to the West Coast or Alaska/Hawaii it will be very expensive for those bidders.
I think the factor of where the seller is located will become important to many bidders soon. If three different sellers offer the same basic item at the same price a major factor in selecting which buyer to choose may be which seller is closer to the bidder. The heavier the item is more important the distance factor.
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moonmem-07
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posted on March 29, 2002 11:32:49 AM new
Let me see if I have this right. When we put in the first 3 digits of your zip code that tells you the what the zones are mailing from your zip?
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deichen
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posted on March 29, 2002 12:15:28 PM new
I am not really sure, hopefully they will simplify the process.
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jimtaxi
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posted on March 29, 2002 01:48:52 PM new
moonmem, that's it. Years ago when people ordered out of Sears catalogues there was a map in the back of the catalogue that has the US carved into 4 or 5 neat zones.
This is not the case at all with the new system. You can easily see that some zip codes that are almost the same have very different zone assignments. I happen to think it is the rural route addresses that get the dreaded "8" zone because they are 20 miles of dirt roads from the nearest post office and they are now going to pay for their money-losing destination instead of the post office paying.
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moonmem-07
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posted on March 29, 2002 01:56:06 PM new
Thanks Jimtaxi! Almost everything is at least a 6 from me. Maybe I'll use the zone 6 rates and see how I come out.
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jimtaxi
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posted on March 29, 2002 05:30:40 PM new
I don't think you're getting the new system at all. Forget about the name 'zone' altogether.You have no control whatsoever over the 'zones' or costs. Concentrate on the numbers 1 thru 8. One is very good and eight is very bad. One is less than old rates and eight is very high very, maybe double the old rates.
All sellers and bidders at online auctions will have to pay close attention to the cost of Priority Mail on the item they bid on or sell. If a seller's auction says "All items sent out via Priority Mail" and you live in San Diego and the seller is in Bangor, Maine and the item is only a $5 item then you may be looking at a $7 or more shipping on a lightweight item. If another seller with the same item at the same price lives only 20 miles away the Priority Mail with only be $2.85 or some similar low price. That's a big difference in shipping costs.
This should greatly affect the use of Priority Mail on auctions. The lower priced items will be harder to sell when the high postage costs are factored in. That was always been a big drawback in selling low priced items anyways on auctions and now the problem will get much worse.
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jimhhow
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posted on March 29, 2002 05:42:22 PM new
Well, in all my auctions, I place the approx. shipping weight, my zip code, and a link to the USPS calculator. So that my bidders can see what the postage will be. I have done this for a while now, and it works well. I suggest that more people go to a system like that to avoid confusion.
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jimtaxi
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posted on March 29, 2002 07:22:46 PM new
That's a good system to use on an auction item page. More sellers should do that very thing and that practice will no doubt become much more widespread.
The bad part of the new rate hikes will be for destinations far from the seller's zip. A Philadelphia to Honolulu 4 pound parcel will no doubt double in price. Many bidders figure the entire price of an item ( purchase price, s/h and any possible sales tax ) in the amount they wish to spend on any given item. An expensive item isn't near as bad as a low priced item for a bidder to pay a lot of postage on.
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