For example, as at today, the price of an Economy Airmail parcel with
Signature to the United States rose from $36.19 to $38.20, a 5.5% increase.
By comparison, the current inflation rate is about 1.9%
In August of this year I was in Chatswood, Sydney and went to post
a letter at the post office in the heart of the CBD that had been there
for decades (picture below).
I was somewhat surprised that there were no longer any postal boxes
out the front.
I went inside looking for the postal boxes. There were no postal boxes
inside either and for that matter, no customers. Instead the post office
shelves contained nothing but baby formula, vitamin tablets and health
and beauty items.
There were two "workers" behind the counter who were doing nothing
except looking out inside an Australia Post post office with no customers.
I asked them where the post boxes had moved to?
They said, "Not here any more. Here only for shipments to China".
Under the apparent genius of the current Australia Post CEO,
Christine Holgate, the Australia Post post office was no longer a post
office but a so-called "Daigou shop" where Chinese buyers could buy
crap and conveniently ship it to China ostensibly so they, the shopper,
could do so at a personal profit.
The workers supplied directions to the new regular post office several
hundred metres away which was not easy to find, being hidden at the
end of a lane and then tucked away beneath the railway station complex.
I had to go back a second time to the "ship crap to China for a personal
profit post office" to get them to elaborate further as to where it was.
Alas, not anymore, it's terrible. 5 or more years ago they got some CEO in who cut the guts out of it and then walked away with huuuuge bonuses. A tragic loss.
For example, as at today, the price of an Economy Airmail parcel with
Signature to the United States rose from $36.19 to $38.20, a 5.5% increase.
By comparison, the current inflation rate is about 1.9%
In August of this year I was in Chatswood, Sydney and went to post
a letter at the post office in the heart of the CBD that had been there
for decades (picture below).
I was somewhat surprised that there were no longer any postal boxes
out the front.
I went inside looking for the postal boxes. There were no postal boxes
inside either and for that matter, no customers. Instead the post office
shelves contained nothing but baby formula, vitamin tablets and health
and beauty items.
There were two "workers" behind the counter who were doing nothing
except looking out inside an Australia Post post office with no customers.
I asked them where the post boxes had moved to?
They said, "Not here any more. Here only for shipments to China".
Under the apparent genius of the current Australia Post CEO,
Christine Holgate, the Australia Post post office was no longer a post
office but a so-called "Daigou shop" where Chinese buyers could buy
crap and conveniently ship it to China ostensibly so they, the shopper,
could do so at a personal profit.
The workers supplied directions to the new regular post office several
hundred metres away which was not easy to find, being hidden at the
end of a lane and then tucked away beneath the railway station complex.
I had to go back a second time to the "ship crap to China for a personal
profit post office" to get them to elaborate further as to where it was.
Found an item I simply can't get here. It'll fit in a matchbox. Item cost was $14. Postage was $56 US. I told them to forget about it.
US postage rates have skyrocketed since Obama's mis-administration (anyone remember when WE had to pay the security levy of $9 here before they'd accept anything going to the USA... )
We are just copying our Masters...monkey see, monkey do.
Postage up, service DOWN, DOWN, DOWN. It's not just here and US though - I buy a lot from Switzerland and Poland, and the service now is slower than ever - so far, 5.5 weeks for items that used to take 4 days.
US postage rates have skyrocketed since Obama's mis-administration
The general historical view is that the current USPS problems can be traced
back well before that to the George W. Bush administration.
Specifically Congress signed into law the Postal Accountability and
Enhancement Act of 2006 where the USPS was mandated to change the
rules governing retiree pensions and health benefits.
The Act required the USPS to calculate all of its likely pension costs over
the next 75 years and then to squirrel the money away to cover it.
According to the USPS Inspector General, the USPS has set aside some
$335 billion for its pensions and retiree healthcare.
According to the US Treasury, the USPS has been losing money for more
than a decade. Of the US$139 billion debt it currently has, most of the
line items are associated with unfunded pension and retiree health liabilities.
A task force has been set up under the Trump Administration to develop
recommendations for reforms of the USPS.
Thats a good read Gary in that we probably face similar issues here in regard to shrinking revenue , competition and digital communication.
I wonder if eventually they will all sell off the monopoly side of things with other services and cut a deal so to speak to make the sheets balance out a little better . The big carriers are ,in the US and elsewhere are pumping lots of $ into infastructure .
The single largest factor involved in our postal service's financial woes, and
the subsequent drop in performance and value for money, is the fact that Australia is a member of the Universal Postal Union[as are most other countries]. This membership requires the receiving country of a posted object
to handle the object from arrival in that country to its final destination free of charge. This worked well all the time that the number of objects coming and going was fairly similar, but the effect of the enormous amount of packages arriving from China was catastrophic. A figure plucked from the sky, but I
imagine that probably at least 50 or so items arrive here for every one that
leaves here; what business could thrive when put in that position? I,for
example, have received probably a hundred or so items from China[and elsewhere] over the last few years, but I can't remember the last time I sent
anything other than the occasional letter overseas.
raymo
Aust Post has already sold the local POs as franchises, cutting the employee base and limiting their exposure to the associated liabilities. Likewise the parcel delivery service has been outsourced to commercial carriers.
Effectively what they’ve done is unload the street front stores as that business is shrinking, while performing the backend of sorting and the backend bulk transport.
Australia Post has increased it Postal Rates ...came into effect today ...!!
Col....
I have found good news re this.
In the Parcel Pack Bags, U can now put items up to 5kgs, as long as it fits in the bag. This includes even the smallest bag that previously could only take items below 500gms, before U incurred additional costs.
Getting very tired of AusPost's BS. Their inability to track items even though the sending country postal service can is infuriating.
For example I bought my wife a present from St. Petersburg, Russia. RF Post tracked it all the way to Aus, including telling me it was in Aus Customs, then released, then with delivery driver for delivery. Aus Post on the other hand claim "Cannot track this parcel"... What gives Australia Bloody Post?
Same with Swiss Post - told me to the second what time I signed for my package here. Aus Post, again, couldn't track it even though my regular parcel guy gave it to me.
2 Weeks ago, I ordered a simple videocard from a PC shop in VIC, by AusPost Express Post. This is usually 2 business days to Townsville.
About 6 days later (thanks to a weeks end and Queen's B'day), It's tracked as "Delivered". I haven't seen it. I check the 7 cameras in front of the house, and no delivery that day. I immediately lodge a complaint by the AusPost App.
The next morning, I visit the 2 local post offices, and discover that it has been signed for, by a name I don't know, and delivered by a particular driver. It appears I have a bit more info now than AP management would like me to have.
3 days later, I get an email, saying they need 5 days to work it out. 5 days later, I get an email stating that AP will be closing the complaint, as this has been referred to the Seller (who are in the fine print, AP's customer - not I).
My return email was not nice. Short version: I revealed my hand that I know who delivered it, to which name - therefore knowing when, where, an who dropped the ball. I will not endure a Merry-go-round of blame. I know the shop have done fine so far, as they have for the last 10 years.
AusPost... over 1 million complaints per year and counting
...probably ..!! 
We are paying for the BS carbon Credit's !. 
