I also think I remember that this was started because many countries did not feel the US was paying them enough to handle inbound mail and complained to the UPU. It is all supposed to even out in a few years. Scott - the problem isn't limited to collections - ANY envelope more than 1/4 inch thick has to go as a parcel - every window has a slotted "go-no go" template.. Put a few stamps or covers in a photo mailer and your cost is min $4 within the US and over $10 international along with the requirement for a customs form.
Carol, Sure, the 1/4" rule would be reasonable though in 90% of cases I would think. That's more than 1/2 cm wide, and so long as you're not using corrugated cardboard as the protection against bending, it would work. There is no 100% solution, I'm simply saying that anything that fits a regular envelope and remains under a couple ounces would easily pass as a letter. If it's bigger than that, then sure, call it a parcel. Generally speaking, we use dealer cards, and a thin plastic sleeve which we buy by the 1,000 cheap. Plastic is better at preventing folding than cardboard anyway, and weighs much less. A dealer card is about the same size as a photo including in thickness...
Agree, if you're shipping covers, that's a problem, but most of the discussion I see here is about the "exceptions" and not the "rule", unless of course, you're dealing exclusively in covers (and I know a few who are) or collections (I also know a few who are). So if that's your inventory, then yeah, it affects 100% of your shipments.
When we were shipping from Singapore, we could ship registered for $2.20 internationally! But Express mail (EMS) was around $36. Then we moved the operation to Japan, and registered is $6 internationally, but EMS dropped to only $20 here. We can send by "first class" for around $2. We find it the most favorable of any of the locations we could ship from. Just offering this up as a comparison to shipping rates in other countries.
When we reach registered, then it needs a customs declaration, but otherwise, in the mail slot it goes.
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Scott - the problem isn't limited to collections - ANY envelope more than 1/4 inch thick has to go as a parcel - every window has a slotted "go-no go" template.. Put a few stamps or covers in a photo mailer and your cost is min $4 within the US and over $10 international along with the requirement for a customs form.
Sure, the 1/4" rule would be reasonable though in 90% of cases I would think. That's more than 1/2 cm wide, and so long as you're not using corrugated cardboard as the protection against bending, it would work. There is no 100% solution, I'm simply saying that anything that fits a regular envelope and remains under a couple ounces would easily pass as a letter. If it's bigger than that, then sure, call it a parcel.
Generally speaking, we use dealer cards, and a thin plastic sleeve which we buy by the 1,000 cheap. Plastic is better at preventing folding than cardboard anyway, and weighs much less. A dealer card is about the same size as a photo including in thickness...
Agree, if you're shipping covers, that's a problem, but most of the discussion I see here is about the "exceptions" and not the "rule", unless of course, you're dealing exclusively in covers (and I know a few who are) or collections (I also know a few who are). So if that's your inventory, then yeah, it affects 100% of your shipments.
When we were shipping from Singapore, we could ship registered for $2.20 internationally! But Express mail (EMS) was around $36. Then we moved the operation to Japan, and registered is $6 internationally, but EMS dropped to only $20 here. We can send by "first class" for around $2. We find it the most favorable of any of the locations we could ship from. Just offering this up as a comparison to shipping rates in other countries.
When we reach registered, then it needs a customs declaration, but otherwise, in the mail slot it goes.