[SFDXA] ARRL Outgoing QSL Service to Raise Rates

[Bill]

    ARRL Outgoing QSL Service to Raise Rates

09/22/2016

Although ARRL believes it’s important to maintain the long-standing 
tradition of the *ARRL Outgoing QSL Service* 
<http://www.arrl.org/outgoing-qsl-service> as a membership benefit, 
increased administration costs will require an increase in rates, in 
order to keep the Service available and viable.

“The Service has been a member benefit for decades,” an ARRL statement 
said. “Since its official formation in November 1976, tens of millions 
of QSL cards have been shipped from ARRL Headquarters to Amateur Radio 
QSL bureaus of other national societies worldwide. At one time, this 
benefit offered a safe, reliable, and inexpensive way to exchange QSL 
cards for a fraction of the cost of the postal service. What Amateurs 
saved in financial cost, however, was made up for in time; it could take 
months, or even years, to send and receive a QSL through the bureau.”

Effective November 1, the rate for 1 ounce of outgoing QSLs via the 
Service will increase to match the 1 ounce USPS international postage 
rate. As of September 2016, this rate is $1.15 per ounce — about 10 
cards. An additional service fee of $7 will be charged per individual 
transaction, to cover administrative costs.

ARRL said QSLing is very different now, and, while postal services are 
generally more reliable than in years past, international shipping costs 
have risen significantly. “With the advent of the Internet and online 
QSL confirmation services such as ARRL’s Logbook of The World, fewer and 
fewer paper cards are being exchanged,” the ARRL statement observed.

Calling the Outgoing QSL Service “a significant tradition in the world 
of Amateur Radio,” the League said it’s committed to keeping that 
tradition and service alive for members who enjoy using it. “We are 
committed to ensuring our members will be able to send their QSL cards 
through the Service for decades to come,” the ARRL statement concluded.

http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-outgoing-qsl-service-to-raise-rates