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D. Linsey Wisdom
News Editor Snail mail fans will spend an extra penny this year when sending letters to loved ones. The United States Post Office announced a one-cent increase in the price of postage effective May 12 when first class mail moves to 42 cents per stamp. Postal increases were raised across the board – affecting First Class, standard mail, periodicals, package services and other special services. This follows last year’s two-cent increase when postage jumped from 39 cents to 41 cents and the post office introduced pricing by size. This trend could be felt every May since the 2006 passage of The Postal Accountability Act. The new law allows for an increase with only 45 days notice, if the increase does not exceed the rate of inflation over the last 12 months. The Postal Service has said it intends to give at least 90 days notice prior to rate increases. In preparation for the increase, the Postal Service is issuing five billion forever stamps – good for the life of the stamp regardless of the current price of a stamp. Last April, five billion forever stamps were issued prior to the two-cent increase last May. It may just be pennies to you, but 10 billion forever stamps at the price of 41 cents brings in $4.1 billion for the Postal Service. Mailing for larger items is increasing more than just a single cent. New shipping prices will not be released until next month. While sending out a single letter may not break the bank when the cost of stamps rise, for businesses and non-profits that use mailings regularly, the rise in price is felt in the pocketbook. Last year’s increase saw a jump in bulk mail that raised the cost of mailers nearly 40 percent, according to the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers. This year’s increase of only 2.9 percent is keeping non-profits a little happier. For a complete listing of postal rates, visit www.usps.com or visit your local post office. Pricing highlights • No change in the First-Class Mail single-piece additionalounce price. • Lower additional-ounce price for presorted First-Class Mail letters. • Lower pound price for Standard Mail saturation and high-density flats. • Shape-based pricing for First-Class Mail International letters, flats, and parcels. • First-Class Mail International price groups expand from five to nine groups. Select prices • First-Class Mail letter (1 oz.)—42¢ • First-Class Mail letter (2 oz.)—59¢ • Postcard—27¢ • First-Class Mail large envelope (2 oz.)—$1.00 • Certified Mail—$2.70 • First-Class Mail International letter to Canada or Mexico (1 oz.)—72¢ • First-Class Mail International letter to all other countries (1 oz.)—94¢ |
