I went to my local Post Office last week to mail out a few chips and was totally shocked at what they wanted to charge me to send a Single $1.00 Chip in a #10 envelope. I had put the chip in the thin brown packing material that sticks together and surrounds the chip. The entire envelope weighed less than 2 oz. The clerk said that will be $7.30 for Ground advantage and that it was the "Cheapest" way to send the envelope/package because rates went UP on July 13th.

I said to her I am NOT paying that to send an item that is worth $3.00 !!

I had told the Buyer that it would be $8.00 for the chip delivered - $3.00 for the chip and around $5.00 for shipping for a total $8.00. Even $8.00 is a lot to charge for a $1.00 chip but $10.30 is crazy !! I asked for the envelope back and left the P.O. I was NOT going to mail out the chip as I would have lost money on the deal.

$1.00 for the chip and $7.30 for shipping = $8.30 and I was charging $8.00 for the chip delivered so I would be losing 30 cents on the deal.

I addition I had to drive about 15 miles round trip to the P.O. My van gets around 22 miles per gallon so I used about 3/4 of a gallon of gas with gas at $3.09 per gallon that's $2.32 for the cost of gas gas. The envelope and the brown packing material probably cost 10 cents. The round trip to the P.O. took about a half an hour - at a minimum wage rate of $7,25 that's another $3.62.

In summary - adding everything up $1,00 for the chip, 10 cents for the envelope and packing material, $7.30 for postage, $2.32 for the gas and $3.62 for my time - that's a total of $14.34 !! I had charged the buyer $8.00 hoping to "make" $2.00 profit on the deal when in reality I was going to lose $6.34 on the transaction.

The above example is a "little tongue in cheek" but you get the idea.

What I am really looking for is advise on getting the shipping charge to deliver a 2 to 4 oz. parcel to less than $5.00 like it used to be.

Please LMK who you use to ship a 2 to 4 oz. parcel and what you pay for the shipping charge. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Take care,
Jerry "Disgusted with USPS" Birl