Well, it can be said that the US Postal Service has taken the lead ahead of FedEx and UPS in announcing their 2019 Rate Increases. UPS and FedEx General rate Increase announcements should not be far behind. We’re sure all parcel shippers are anxiously awaiting those increase announcements.
This rate increase request from USPS must receive approval from the Postal Rate Commission before they become official. USPS is proposing that these increases become effective on January 27, 2019. From our point of view, we do not see where the PRC will object to these increases so mail and parcel shippers get ready to pay more. As we have said in the past there are three things you can be sure of: Death, Taxes and General Rate Increases.
More about the increases below courtesy of The US Postal Service;
The Postal Service™ filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) today of proposed price changes to take effect January 27, 2019. The new prices, if approved, include a five-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail® Forever® stamp from 50 cents to 55 cents. Metered letters would have a three-cent increase.
The proposed prices would raise Mailing Services product prices approximately 2.5 percent, and most of the price increases for Shipping Services products will vary by product, with Priority Mail increasing 5.9 percent, and Priority Mail Express increasing 3.9 percent. While Mailing Services price increases are limited based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), Shipping Services prices are adjusted strategically, according to market conditions and the need to maintain affordable services for customers.
The proposed Mailing Services price changes include:
| Product | Current | Proposed |
| Letters (1 oz.) | 50 cents | 55 cents |
| Letters additional ounces | 21 cents | 15 cents |
| Letters (metered) | 47 cents | 50 cents |
The proposed domestic Priority Mail Flat Rate® retail price changes are:
| Product | Current | Proposed |
| Small Flat Rate Box | $7.20 | $7.90 |
| Medium Flat Rate Box | $13.65 | $14.35 |
| Large Flat Rate Box | $18.90 | $19.95 |
| APO/FPO Large Flat Rate Box | $17.40 | $18.45 |
| Regular Flat Rate Envelope | $6.70 | $7.35 |
| Legal Flat Rate Envelope | $7.00 | $7.65 |
| Padded Flat Rate Envelope | $7.25 | $8.00 |
PRC review and approval of the proposed prices are required before the scheduled January 27, 2019 implementation date. The complete Postal Service price filings with the new prices for all products can be found on the PRC site under the Daily Listings section athttps://www.prc.gov/dockets/daily. For the Mailing Services filing, see Oct. 10, 2018, Docket No. R2019-1. For the Shipping Services filing, see Oct. 10, 2018, Docket No. CP2019-3.
The Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) and DMM Advisories are available on Postal Explorer® (pe.usps.com)
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