OK, this is Real World politics and so may be required to go to the Pundit's forum, but the consequences of this may have a very real affect on how we purchase our games and game accessories.

The US has threatened to leave the Universal Postal Union in October due to unfair tariff situations with many members. If this leave happens, the price of shipping small parcels looks like it will rise dramatically6. More detailed information in the following two articles linked:

Potential Effects Of United States Withdrawal From The Universal Postal Union For US Citizens Overseas

U.S. to leave global postal union next month barring last-minute action; exit could send global parcel rates soaring

Now, how will this affect both the hobby and the industry?

Geez, it's already become cost-prohibitive to send anything bigger than a bubble mailer.

For RPG companiess it is hard to say really. How many actually ship alot of product outside their home country?

For RPG distributors though this may be a big change. And here is the bitchingly hard part... That may mean a dramatic increase in the price of game material. Or a dramatic reduction in game material being sold outside their home countries.

Also if this impacts shipping materials to the US then its going to impact choices to manufacture outside as it will then become prohibitive to actually get the product from china to the US. That depends totally on if this impacts shipping in as well as out.

What is it really going to nail is board gaming. These ship often a-lot more and often a-lot heavier product than RPGs tend to.

Add to that the allready sometimes dodgy practices of EU postal. Up to and including extortion or outright theft. And things get messier.

Isn't it basically just stuff from China that is affected? Like right now, shipping from China is cheaper than shipping inside the US itself. (Seriously, go buy something on ebay, like a cable or phone case or something)

Quote from: JeremyR;1103163Isn't it basically just stuff from China that is affected? Like right now, shipping from China is cheaper than shipping inside the US itself. (Seriously, go buy something on ebay, like a cable or phone case or something)

From reading the articles, it looks like it will be affecting every member of that postal union. From sending out stuff sold on eBay and Amazon, it is already astronomical to ship books to the UK, Australia, and Japan.

Publishing locally, in country; may come back in style?  Hey, local jobs!!!

I suspect the rates from US to other counties will go down, but rates for other members of the union will rise. We have been subsidizing it for years.

Could people really enjoy games made without child slave labor or feel virtuous unless their money props up an oppressive communist dictatorship? That sounds pretty extreme to me.

Bring on the postal apocalypse! All hail localized print and delivery!

Anything that keeps dollars out of China is good with me.

Quote from: brettmb;1103183I suspect the rates from US to other counties will go down, but rates for other members of the union will rise. We have been subsidizing it for years.

So this will be good for those of us that order RPGs from the US.

If so then Good.  I hate postage doubling the price of an order.

Quote from: Shasarak;1103195So this will be good for those of us that order RPGs from the US.

If so then Good.  I hate postage doubling the price of an order.

It's just a guess based on how our postage is inflated when other countries currently pay less to send to us.