mail costs more, starting tomorrow

New postage rates go into effect tomorrow, May 11. There aren’t any changes to the shipping rules, just increases in prices. You can download an updated U.S. Postal Rates sheet from our Resources page. It’s a handy one-page guide to all the rates for shipping envelopes or packages up to 1 lb., via First Class mail, both within the U.S. and to international addresses.

For those of you who like to geek out on postage, here’s a quick rundown of the changes:

Letter rate is going up by 2cents per ounce.
Large envelope (aka flats) rate is going up by 5cents per ounce.
Package (aka parcel) rate is going up by 5cents per ounce.
Media mail is increasing by 15cents for the first pound and 4cents for each additional pound.
For international mail, there’s been an increase both in the base rate and in the additional ounce price. For example, the 1 oz. letter rate to Canada is increasing by 3cents; the price for each additional ounce is changing from 24cents to 25cents. The 1 oz. large envelope rate to Canada is increasing by 5cents; the price for each additional ounce is changing from 24cents to 26cents. This means, for a 6 oz. large envelope, you’ll be paying 15cents more on Monday than you did last week.

If you need a refresher about shape-based pricing (ex: the difference between a letter and a large envelope), or how to use media mail, check out our Zinester’s Guide to U.S. Mail.

Oh, and by the way, USPS ended its second quarter with a $1.9 billion loss. It has faced net losses from operations in 10 of the last 11 fiscal quarters; this loss is attributed to a decline in mail volume. Read more, or news coverage