Since 2015 the rate to mail a 1st class package has increased nearly 50% with the 2019 rate change, I decided to look at my selling trends in comparison to the s/h increases over the past few years.
Most of the cards I sell are lower priced 50-60s commons. My transaction count (total payments) for 2018 was 28% below 2015's count, but I sold 13% more items in 2018 than I did in 2015. From 2015 to 2018 my items/transaction has increased by 41%. This means my buyers are buying more at one time than they were 3 years ago, likely to save on the increased s/h costs which I (as most every other seller) has passed onto their customer. While I am not selling fewer items , based on my transaction counts I am shipping fewer packages....however, my year end USPS shipping costs have remained the same over the past few years.
With the above in mind, I suspect many other businesses have experienced similar results over the past few years. If my experiences are indeed similar to the majority of other businesses that rely on the USPS to deliver their product, this ultimately means that the USPS in not increasing their revenue by raising their rates, they are simply reducing their volume.
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