The United States Postal Service (USPS) is raising postage rates again. This is the third time since January of last year and the first time in six months since July of last year.
According to ABC on the 2nd, the postage stamp price for U.S. first-class mail (less than 1 ounce) will rise from the current 66 cents to 68 cents starting the 21st. The domestic postcard shipping fee will increase from 51 cents to 53 cents, and the international postcard shipping fee will increase from $1.50 to $1.55. In addition to postage prices, prices for most postal services, including Priority Mail by 5.7% and Priority Mail Express by 5.9%, are scheduled to increase from the same date.
The rates for ‘USPS Connect Local’, the same-area same-day and next-day delivery service that USPS first introduced in 2022, will remain the same for the time being. The USPS said, “The burden of operating costs continues due to rising prices, and the effects of the problematic transfer pricing model are still being felt,” adding, “The Postal Service’s ‘Delivering for America’ 10-year plan pursues this.” “Price adjustments were inevitable to generate profits to realize ‘financial stability,’” he said. He added, “The United States’ postage rates are the cheapest in the world, and the delivery service is excellent.”
Postage rates in the United States are determined by the USPS Board of Directors, which consists of nine members. However, Commissioner Louis DeJoy said last year, “We will support rate increases until the USPS escapes its deficit structure and achieves its goal of self-reliance.”