USPS Temporary Price Increase Takes Effect

Earlier this year, USPS informed all of its commercial partners that it would temporarily raise prices on packages for the holiday season. On October 18th, that official price increase took effect. This increase will run until December 27th. Note that the temporary price increase only affects rates at USPS Commercial Pricing, not the Retail Rates. So, all prices at the Post Office and on USPS.com remain the same.

The Temporary Price Increases

The price increases that went into effect this week apply to: First Class Package Service, all Priority Mail services, Priority Mail Express, and Parcel Select Ground. In essence, the price increases are just surcharges that USPS is imposing on top of the price of postage…even though USPS higher-ups have gone out of their way to not call them “surcharges.” We’ve listed the temporary price increases below:

• First Class Package Service – Increasing by 25 cents
• Priority Mail – Increasing by 40 cents
• Priority Mail Express – Increasing by $1.50
• Parcel Select Ground – Increasing by 40 cents

Due to the huge increased volume of packages amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, the USPS Board of Governors made the decision to temporarily increase commercial prices. Theoretically, this price increase will help USPS will remain competitive while also generating much-needed additional leading up the peak holiday season.

Despite the Price Increase, You’ll Still Save More Money with Shipping Software Instead of Paying Retail Rates

Even though this price increase may add up when shipping lots of packages over the next few weeks, it doesn’t mean Commercial Pricing has lost its appeal. In fact, you’ll still save much more money when you use shipping software to buy postage online at Commercial Pricing rates.

Online shipping software allows you to ship at the deepest level of discounts that USPS only reserves for huge commercial partners. The best options out there are totally free, and won’t even charge any fees or markups on top of postage! With shipping software, you’ll also get access to special services you won’t find at the Post Office, such as Priority Mail Cubic. In some cases, you’ll be able to save up to 90% off what you’d normally pay for postage at the Retail rate. If you’re saving that much money on your postage, then a temporary price increase is really just a drop in the bucket.

Want to the save the most money on shipping?

To get the cheapest rates even after the temporary price increase, check out our guide:

Choose the Best Shipping Software