The United States Postal Service (USPS) is planning to temporarily raise the prices of some of its mail services for the upcoming holiday season, the agency said in an Aug. 8 statement.
“The planned peak-season pricing, which was approved by the governors of the Postal Service on Aug. 7, would affect prices on the following retail and commercial domestic competitive parcels: Priority Mail Express (PME), Priority Mail (PM), USPS Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select,” USPS said.
“No other products or services would be affected,” it added.
“This temporary price adjustment is to help cover extra handling costs to ensure a successful peak season.”
For retail customers in zones 1-4, Priority Mail and USPS Ground Advantage services will be higher by $0.40 to $3, depending on weight. For zones 5-9, these services will cost $0.50 to $7 more. USPS uses postal zones to assess distances between origin and delivery addresses.
Priority Mail Express charges for zones 1-4 will rise between $1.10 and $9.75. For zones 5-9, they are set to increase between $2 and $16.
Other retail and commercial rates are being changed as well.
“This seasonal adjustment will bring prices for the Postal Service’s retail and commercial customers in line with competitive practices,” the agency said.
The proposed rate hike has been sent to the Postal Regulatory Commission for review, according to the agency. If favorably reviewed, the rates will come into effect on Oct. 5 and remain in place until Jan. 18.
USPS had proposed a temporary price hike for the 2024 holiday shipping season as well.
According to USPS, the temporary changes are part of its Delivering for America (DFA) 10-year plan, published in 2021, that seeks to institute several changes at the agency to improve its financial and operational efficiency.
The USPS had raised prices by roughly 7.4 percent on July 13. Under DFA, the agency has been changing postal rates twice annually—January and July.
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