Postage Rate Quietly Increased

[John_S_in_Penna]

Editors should note that the extra-ounce

postage rate recently went up from 21 cents to 22.

Thankfully the main one-ounce letter rate is

unchanged at 49 cents, but this increase will

affect many newsletters, which are more than one ounce.

 

This means that it will cost 71 cents (formerly 70)

to mail a newsletter over an ounce;  and

93 cents (formerly 91) for over 2 ounces.

 

Our region values good writing and good printing quality--

just as a favorite book is more cherished than ephemeral

words on a screen--but I can understand why increases

like this gradually push more and more newsletters

to electronic media!

 

[Paul Dobbin]

It's  a compelling reason to have club newsletters done via the Internet.  Possibly, the dues could reflect a discount for getting the Newsletter by email, thus allowing more money for actual car events.

We did it and the newsletters come in COLOR, no printing costs and we get them faster, and easier to share.  All around better and we still have the personal option to print them,  The biggest savings is the Editor's work load.  (Folding, addressing, stamping and mailing them makes the Newsletter Editor the BIGGEST job in the club) 

God Save the Editor!

[John_S_in_Penna]

Paul, yours is an idea that a good number of regions

would agree with.  Postage costs for 2- and 3-ounce

newsletters, mailed First Class, can add up!

 

Here's another viewpoint--my own, from an editor's standpoint:

 

Editors spend countless hours on preparing the newsletter--

in our region's case, it's 30 to 40 hours per issue.  I spent 12 hours

on one article, doing research, interviewing two different

former Oldsmobile men, transcribing the recordings, and

then composing the article.  After all that work, it is satisfying

to see the result in print for everyone--a tangible expression

of all one's effort.  For example, if a car owner spent hours and hours

on a restoration, wouldn't he like to be able tangibly to drive it,

rather than see images on a computer screen?

 

And a well printed newsletter, in color and on high-quality paper,

gives members a tangible return for their membership.  For our

older members who may not get out to events, that's the only

tangible return they get for their dues.  Some members

save them for years.  Printing the same newsletter on a home printer,

on plain copy paper, doesn't produce the same excellence.

 

Life is about excellence, always doing more and going up higher!

I don't disagree with you at all, but wanted to present another view.

Edited August 17, 2015 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

... (Folding, addressing, stamping and mailing them makes the Newsletter Editor the BIGGEST job in the club) 

God Save the Editor!

 

If your editor is overworked, it may be best to use his talents

for writing and editing, and have a different volunteer handle

the addressing and mailing.

 

Or, if you have a print shop print your newsletter, have them

do that task.  Since they have specialized equipment, it would be

easy for them, and the additional cost is probably much less than you think!

Edited February 22, 2016 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

Now for some good news:

 

On April 10, 2016, the U. S. postage rate will 

be going DOWN!  Yes, from 49 cents to 47 cents

for the first ounce.

 

The news story I read didn't address extra-ounce rates.

But it said that the Postal Service is losing business

(especially to electronic media), so they feel they must be

more competitive.  The Postal Service, long a monopoly,

now has unforeseen competition-- with all the electronic

forms of communication.

 

Historically, I don't recall the price of mailing going down

since sometime around the 1920's, when the letter rate

was reduced to 2 cents.

 

Thank heaven for free enterprise.

Edited March 3, 2016 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

I hope a few people actually read the Newsletter Editor

category on the forum.

 

A drop in postage rates is very rare and should be big news!