U.S. Postal Service customers are furious about announced price increases that will take effect this summer.
With the increase just a few weeks away, those looking to purchase stamps, letters, postcards and other services would be better off acting quickly and getting what they need.
3
3
At least six U.S. Postal Service (USPS) services will be affected through July 14, primarily stamps, by a release.
There will be a whopping five cent increase in the cost of the First Class Forever Stamp.
It is currently 68 cents for the First Class Forever stamp – and with the increase – it will reach a total of 73 cents.
Heavier letters, whole letters, international letters, domestic postcards and international postcards will also see increases of several cents, according to the USPS statement.
More are expected to be announced later, including “special service products including certified mail and money order fees.”
Shipping rates were not listed to increase, according to the release.
Customers can get the stamps they want before the deadline in just under three weeks through USPS websiteby mail through US philatelyby calling 844-737-7826 or at any post office.
MAKING ADJUSTMENTS
The USPS cited changes in the shipping and mail market as the reason behind the price increases.
He emphasized that the increases were “necessary to achieve the financial stability sought by the organization’s Delivering for America 10-year plan.”
The Delivering for America plan was first introduced in March 2021 as a way for the USPS to grow “from an organization in financial and operational crisis to a self-sustaining, high-performance organization.”
Delivering to America addresses several issues in USPS service that it plans to adjust and fix in the future and complete by the 10-year mark in 2031.
Detailed information about Delivering for America is available on the USPS website.
FAN FURY
While everything seems to be going according to plan, many fans aren’t happy with the cost increases anyway.
One customer said it was “time to call it quits” on a publish to the Facebook.
USPS Price Increases
The following price increases for USPS services were noted in April press releases. All changes are scheduled to take place by July 14, 2024.
- Cards (1 oz): 68 cents to 73 cents
- Letters (1-ounce measurements): 64 cents to 69 cents
- National postcards: 53 cents to 56 cents
- International postcards: $1.55 to $1.65
- International Letters (1 oz): $1.55 to $1.65
- Whole letters: 24 cents to 28 cents
“The USPS is the worst it’s ever been,” fumed another.
“The USPS is deeply in debt,” said a third.
The July price increase is the USPS’ fifth in recent years.
STILL GOING
The first was in July 2022, then January 2023, followed by July 2023 and January 2024.
To give you an idea, with the cost of sending a 30-gram letter set at 73 cents in July, it would have been around 33 cents in 1999.
That represents an increase of 40 cents in 25 years.
Not to mention that there has been a decline in the number of letters sent with the technological advances of the 21st century.
Data collected by the USPS showed that the peak mail in its history was reached in 2006, with 213.1 billion.
FedEx and UPS have also been criticized by customers for increasing surcharges earlier this year.
An automatic fee change from FedEx last August also impacted millions of customers across the country.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
