Sending a domestic letter through the post office could cost 78 cents starting July 13, 5 cents more than the price of a first-class mail stamp today, if the Postal Regulatory Commission approves proposed adjustments for mailing services filed Wednesday.
The U.S. Postal Service said it notified the commission of plans to raise letter and postcard rates an average of 7.4%. A domestic postcard will cost 62 cents, up from the current 56 cents, while the price for sending an international postcard will increase by a nickel to $1.70. Rate changes apply to single-piece and metered mail.
Single-piece letters weighing more than an ounce will increase a penny to 29 cents for each additional ounce.
The Postal Service is also seeking price adjustments for its Special Services products. Notably, the Postal Service will apply a price reduction of 12% for postal insurance when mailing an item.
The quasicommercial agency said the price changes are needed to help achieve financial stability as it implements operational changes in a changing market to save money. Postal Service prices remain among the most affordable in the world, it said.
Following a directive from the commission, the Postal Service also filed two sets of prices for marketing mail and package services products. While only one set of rates will go into effect on July 13, these prices address the pending proposal to eliminate bound printed matter and expand marketing mail, pending the commission’s approval. The agency said it will provide more details on those changes in the future.
During the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, the organization narrowed its net loss to $140 million. It generated about $150 million in operating profit versus a $2 billion loss for the same period in the prior year.
Under a restructuring plan called Delivering for America, the Postal Service has reduced billions of dollars in costs by adjusting the logistics network to integrate delivery of mail and package categories and shift more air transportation to ground, and it has created new products, adjusted rates and persuaded Congress to repeal a requirement that the Postal Service prepay health plans for retirees.
The architect of the plan, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, abruptly left office last month.
Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.
