Don't Be Scared of Rate Increases or the Postal Illuminati

From a U.S.P.S. Newsroom bulletin:

The United States Postal Service filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of price changes to take effect Jan. 27, 2019.

If favorably reviewed by the PRC, the new prices will include a 5-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp, from 50 cents to 55 cents. The single-piece additional ounce price will be reduced to 15 cents, so a 2-ounce stamped letter, such as a typical wedding invitation, will cost less to mail, decreasing from 71 cents to 70 cents.

The proposed Mailing Services price changes include:

Product Letters (1 oz.) Letters additional ounces Letters (metered 1 oz.) Outbound International Letters (1 oz.) Domestic Postcards

Current 50 cents 21 cents 47 cents $1.15 35 cents

Proposed 55 cents 15 cents 50 cents $1.15 35 cents

The proposed domestic Priority Mail Retail Flat Rate price changes are:

Product Small Flat Rate Box Medium Flat Rate Box Large Flat Rate Box APO/FPO Large Flat Rate Box Regular Flat Rate Envelope Legal Flat Rate Envelope Padded Flat Rate Envelope

Current $7.20 $13.65 $18.90 $17.40 $6.70 $7.00 $7.25

Proposed $7.90 $14.35 $19.95 $18.45 $7.35 $7.65 $8.00

What does all this mean for you and I? Well, first, the rate change has to get approval. (It probably will.) As ever, I am a strident supporter of our postal system and its incredibly reasonable rates. I find the decrease in the second ounce postage interesting and like that it seems like they want to keep things in nice nickel increments. It means you'd pay 55 cents for a regular letter and 70 cents for a heftier one, where it is currently a vexing 71 cents. Look at that penny, just dangling there. Annoying. This is much cleaner. Plus, no change to postcards or International.

First Class package rates would also start to follow zone-based pricing. That may change things a bit for us on the business end and for those of you who like to mail off little gift packages. 

Also in postal news, our government (when it isn't proposing to privatize the U.S.P.S.), is also making noises about leaving the Universal Postal Union, mainly do to the discrepancy in shipping to and from China which I told you about back in 2016. I got a lot of info on it from NPR's Planet Money. They've got a nice, new show up all about it called The Postal Illuminati. So, there, you see? Nothing to be scared of (except privatization).