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We knew it was coming and now it has arrived. Some of you will recall that I posted the fact that FedEx will start charging...on January 1, 2015...ground shipping rates based on package dimensions and the weight the dimensions imply. Today, UPS announced the same policy...only theirs starts on December 29, 2014. Essentially, their ground rates will be calculated the same as air rates. You can be sure that the USPS will be raising their rates as well. Besides, package dimensions are already part of their calculations. For those of us who ship built up models, buy kits on ebay or order kits, paint, etc. from online hobby shops, this change is going to be a crawling disaster. The bigger the box and the lighter the weight, the worse it will be. You may recall that I shipped a 1/48 Horton Ho-229 to California from Texas. Due to the configuration and a very delicate radar antenna on the nose, the box it was packed in wound up being 22" x 15" x 10". Weight? About 6 1/2 lbs. FedEx used the dimension approach for Second Day Air...which implied a weight of 51 pounds...and wanted to charge me $128.00. I gambled and shipped it by UPS Ground...who did not use the dimension method...only charging for the 6 1/2 pound weight. Price? $18.00. It may be that, where feasible, local IPMS groups....or even four or five individual modelers...will have to order a substantial amount in bulk, dividing it up when it arrives. But the real problem lies in how to ship built up models. Short of paying $100 - $300 or more to ship a single model, we may have to look into the possibility of creating a modelbuilder's Pony Express. The packed model gets handed off from one modeler to the next, each modeler transporting the package a specific distance. There may be other alternatives, but if those of us who build on commission are going to continue having clients, we'll have to find some way to ship the finished model without paying the exorbitant charges resulting from the new FedEx and UPS rates. Opinions? Ideas? Solutions? Richard

As long as reality is causing a bout of depression, here's the latest bit of price gouging. FedEx has announced that starting next January, they will be calculating the shipping costs of ground packages the same way they do air...by package dimensions. And you can be sure that UPS will follow suit. Why? Because when a lightweight product ships in a big box, they can't charge enough too pay for the cost of delivery. At least that's what they claim. To give you an idea of what the effect may be, I needed to ship a model from Texas to California. Fairly small model, but due to it's configuration and the way I had to support it in the box, the box wound up being something like 22" x 15" x 10". Weight? About 7 pounds. I originally wanted to ship it FedEx Second Day Air to minimize time in transit. Instead of weight, they priced it by dimensions/volume the package would require on the plane (it used to be weight only). Price? $128, which assumed that the package weighed 51 pounds. Instead, I shipped by UPS Ground...holding my breath until the package arrived and I learned that it made it intact. Price? About $18. When January arrives, that same size package will cost $128, regardless of whether it goes by air or ground. What effect is this going to have on mail order companies? The large ones will get huge volume discounts. But what about the small...especially one man....garage manufacturers of aftermarket details and short run subjects that major companies will never touch? Then there's custom kit buildups. Will anyone be willing to commission a model when the shipping cost is more...sometimes substantially more...than the model itself, which is already into three figures, if not four. Will we...or can we...pay those exorbitant shipping rates or will the guys...and gals... involved go out of business? Incidentally, care to guess what caused this FedEx decision? Cases of toilet paper and adult diapers. Your opinion?