PSA - USPS postage rates increasing soon

[tankerjohn]

Attention letter writers, stamp collectors, and other Nib-adjacent hobbyists who care -

FYSA, postage rates are going up on 31 Aug, so stock up on your Forever stamps now before the price jump.

USPS proceeds with request for postal rate change - Newsroom - About.usps.com

USPS proceeds with request for postal rate change

about.usps.com

That is all.

 

[DCRIII]

Why am I not surprised!
Rates keep going up and the quality of service keeps going down!

 

[tankerjohn]

Sorry, man. To be fair, they haven't increased stamp prices in a while so they're pretty much due for it. I've got a feeling prices for lots of things are going up in the next few months. I don't want to start a political flame war or whatever, but whether you want to blame the pandemic or Washington DC or Big Business or whomever, inflation is just a fact of life right now.

On the service issue, I have found individual post offices to be highly variable. Its totally worth driving a little extra to get to a good one, if you can. Not much you can do about the postman that services your neighborhood, though.

I do appreciate the Forever stamps, though. I remember having to stick a bunch of one cent stamps with an old stamp on a letter to get the correct postage.

 

[Dominic]

Attention letter writers, stamp collectors, and other Nib-adjacent hobbyists who care -

FYSA, postage rates are going up on 31 Aug, so stock up on your Forever stamps now before the price jump.

USPS proceeds with request for postal rate change - Newsroom - About.usps.com

USPS proceeds with request for postal rate change

about.usps.com

That is all.

"First-Class Mail prices would increase by 6.8 percent to offset declining revenue due to First-Class Mail volume declines. In the past 10 years, mail volume has declined by 46 billion pieces, or 28 percent, and is continuing to decline."

Demand is down, so we will increase prices. Isn't that backwards? Lower prices to increase demand.

 

[tankerjohn]

"First-Class Mail prices would increase by 6.8 percent to offset declining revenue due to First-Class Mail volume declines. In the past 10 years, mail volume has declined by 46 billion pieces, or 28 percent, and is continuing to decline."

Demand is down, so we will increase prices. Isn't that backwards? Lower prices to increase demand.

Good question. I don't think the economics of the USPS are quite that simple, though. And the bottom line is that they have to increase revenue to stay solvent. The press release did mention that they are limited by law on how much they can increase prices regardless of supply and demand. Unmentioned in the press release is that they have heap lots of pension commitments and other expenses that further complicate things. Again, I don't want to spark a flame war; just stating facts as I know them.

Speaking only for letters and stamps - not parcels - its an interesting idea, though, that "snail mail" has essentially transformed from a primary means of mass communication to a very niche hobby. Well, mailing holiday and greeting cards is still a common practice. But by and large, people don't just sit down to write a letter to Aunt Susie or a letter from Camp Grenada in the way that used to be cliché. It seems to me that when once-commonplace things like fountain pens or DE safety razors evolve from mass consumption to hobbies, prices go up even though overall demand goes down because hobbyists are willing to spend more money on the objects of their passion. I imagine that avid letterwriters would be willing to spend more than $0.58 for a stamp, especially if the alternative is discontinuation of mail delivery for non-commercial correspondence.

 

[Rhody]

I have no problem with the increase. I see from the psa that metered - what I use - is staying at .51.
I actually had a few premetered .50s and I sent out about 2or 3 letters recently with $1 because I was one cent off and lazy. And wasteful I guess. I consider it my donation to the postal department.

I think the other aspect is that the postal service is a service and not a business. So the usual economic arguments don’t fit 100%. Also Maybe I’m old school but I like to see the letter carrier around.
Think about having someone relatively trustworthy pick up something at your house and then deliver it completely across the county maybe what 3,000 miles for .51. Or one dollar even. What can you buy for $1? Nowadays.

 

[Rudy Vey]

When I got to this country, the postage for a letter was 32 cents, now it is going up to 58 - crazy...But, now I pay my bills mostly online, so a book of stamps last me a long time.

 

[rockviper]

Consider yourself lucky.

Canadian stamp costs by destination:
$0.92 Domestic
$1.30 US
$2.51 International

 

[Doc4]

Consider yourself lucky.

Canadian stamp costs by destination:
$0.92 Domestic
$1.30 US
$2.51 International

I remember when the cost of a Canadian domestic stamp went from 17 cents to 30 cents. Man, people were mad about that one! (Interesting fact ... Canada Post knew the rate was going up but didn't know how much exactly for a little while ... so issued "A" stamps

and ended up selling them for 30 cents.) The rate change was at the end of 1981. As recently as 1976 the rate had been 8 cents ... with multiple increases over the late 70s to 17 cents.

 

[Dominic]

When I came home after studying abroad in 1994, I would write letters/cards to some of the friends I made in Europe, and the cost of a stamp from the U.S. to Europe was 60 cents.

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

When I was a kid, my mom used to send me to the post office with a dollar bill to mail a dozen letters. I brought back $.52 in change. Yep, $.04 for first class in 1963.

 

[Brompton]

Life is expensive.

 

[flynshave]

"First-Class Mail prices would increase by 6.8 percent to offset declining revenue due to First-Class Mail volume declines. In the past 10 years, mail volume has declined by 46 billion pieces, or 28 percent, and is continuing to decline."

Demand is down, so we will increase prices. Isn't that backwards? Lower prices to increase demand.

You can't compete with free. And even if it were free, there would be a lot less demand than there used to be. Electronic communication is still going to be preferred for convenience. People simply don't have a need to send much first-class mail anymore. I use maybe 3 or 4 stamps a year. It's still a bargain... for 55 cents you can have a letter delivered across the county. I wouldn't walk a letter to the house next door for 55 cents.

 

[Dalejr]

Somewhat off topic. When I started collecting in 2009 a small parcel to Canada was $4.50 first class. Now its $20.70.

 

[osya09]

Attention letter writers, stamp collectors, and other Nib-adjacent hobbyists who care -

FYSA, postage rates are going up on 31 Aug, so stock up on your Forever stamps now before the price jump.

USPS proceeds with request for postal rate change - Newsroom - About.usps.com

USPS proceeds with request for postal rate change

about.usps.com

.

That is all.

too much.

 

[Toothpick]

IMO it’s their Flat Rate prices that are ridiculous. Considering the sizes of their flat rate boxes.
Their “large” box is more of a small size IMO. And for $20, to much

I’d happily pay $1.00 for a stamp just so they stop making all their other services so darn expensive for what little you get

 

[tankerjohn]

IMO it’s their Flat Rate prices that are ridiculous. Considering the sizes of their flat rate boxes.
Their “large” box is more of a small size IMO. And for $20, to much

I’d happily pay $1.00 for a stamp just so they stop making all their other services so darn expensive for what little you get

I hear ya, but that’s backwards. The stamps are the loss leader, the real money is in the parcels.

 

[ZJ68]

Demand is down, so we will increase prices. Isn't that backwards? Lower prices to increase demand.

Not if your job is to destroy the USPS.