Apr 14, 2023

USPS increases postage rates

The United States Postal Service (USPS) announced postage increases that will take effect in July 2023.

The affected rates for mailing cards are as follows:

Single-piece

First-ounce stamp will rise from $0.63 to $0.66.

Non-machinable surcharge (Square) to remain at $0.40.

Extra ounce charge to remain at $0.24/ounce.

Presort

Overall, first class is raised 5.378%.

Single-piece letters and cards would go up 4.757%.

Presort letters and cards 5.537%, and flats 7.145%.

The Greeting Card Association (GCA) released the following statement:

“USPS rate increases are a cause of great concern, and GCA has been working to discourage large and frequent stamp price and surcharge increases but the current USPS leadership remains committed to them even though it appears they are leading to excessive volume loss. GCA is an active participant in the Keep US Posted campaign which is mobilizing to oppose the increases. The initial release from campaign spokesperson, former Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-KS) received prominent coverage in the Washington Post and the Washington Times and has been picked up by a number of other outlets.

“GCA believes that since USPS leadership is committed to the large and frequent increases, the best course of action is to seek restoration and enhancement of the regulator that should be constraining the monopoly. The attached document outlines this issue in greater detail and GCA has led in developing principles and recruiting allies to help in highlighting the need for these changes. We will be reporting progress on this initiative moving forward. In the meantime, we expect that the proposed increases will be approved and take effect on July 9, 2023.”