Welcome to Envelopes of Hope

[janneke]

On May 14, 2007, the U.S. Postal Service introduced new postal rates based not only on weight, as was done in the past, but now also on the size and shape of the package. This new pricing structure for letters and packages will, according to the USPS, keep costs "as low as possible."

In the past, mail was priced according to weight, and letters, large envelopes and packages were all priced at the same rate per ounce, based only on the difference in weight. But, the USPS states that larger packages take up more space and require more effort to handle, so they now cost more to ship in an effort to absorb the extra cost required to process these items.

Shape now matters as well. Again, this is due to the cost of handling each mail shape – letters, large envelopes ("flats"), and packages ("parcels).

In an effort to keep this complicated system easy to understand for the majority of your mailing needs, here are the basics that should cover most of your outgoing mail.

Post Card: $0.26

1 oz letter: $0.41

2 oz: $0.58

3 oz: $0.75

3.5 oz: $0.92

To qualify for "letter" rates, an envelope can be no larger than 111/2" x 61/8". Also, the maximum thickness can be no more than 1/4". If larger or thicker, "Large Envelope" rates apply:

Some of these "Large Envelope" (flats) rates are:

1 oz $0.80

2 oz: $0.97

3 oz: $1.14

4 oz: $1.31

6 oz: $1.65

8 oz: $1.99

10 oz: $2.16

Size restrictions for Large Envelopes (flats):

Minimum: 11 1/2" long x 6 1/2" high with 1/2" thickness

Maximum: 15" long x 12" high with 3/4" thickness

International mail rates have also increased. A 1 oz letter sent by air mail will now cost $0.90. If weight goes above the 1 oz limit, the price increases to $1.80. In an effort to see how many pages a typical 1 oz letter holds, I took a letter to the post office written on your lined notebook paper. The six page letter weighed in at 1 oz, which would cost $0.90. Accordingly, a seven page air mail letter would be $1.80. Hopefully this will give you an idea as to how many pages a 1 oz letter typically contains.

And, while discussing international rates, a letter sent to either Canada or Mexico will cost $0.69 for 1 oz.

Flat rate "Express Mail" envelopes have increased to $16.25. If the "express Mail" envelope weighs 1 lb, the price raises to $19.50. A 2 lb is $21.40:

Package rates start at $1.13 for up to one oz, with each additional oz costing $0.17.

A 5 oz package would cost $1.81, an 8 oz package $2.32, and a 12 oz package $3.00

[janneke]

On May 12 prices will be adjusted for mailing services ­ First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, Periodicals, Package Services, and Special Services. The average increase by class of mail is at or below the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index.

A First-Class Mail stamp will be 42¢. Customers can continue to use the Forever Stamps they purchased for 41¢, even after the price change. A 62¢ stamp will be available shortly after May 12 for 1-ounce nonmachinable First-Class Mail letters, such as square greeting cards.

Pricing highlights:
No change in the First-Class Mail single-piece additional-ounce price.
Lower additional-ounce price for presorted First-Class Mail letters.
Lower pound price for Standard Mail saturation and high-density flats.
Shape-based pricing for First-Class Mail International letters, flats, and parcels.
First-Class Mail International price groups expand from five to nine groups.

Select prices:

Current New Item
41¢ 42¢ First-Class Mail letter (1 oz.)
58¢ 59¢ First-Class Mail letter (2 oz.)
26¢ 27¢ Postcard
97¢ $1.00 First-Class Mail large envelope (2 oz.)
$2.65 $2.70 Certified Mail
69¢ 72¢ First-Class Mail International letter to Canada and Mexico (1 oz.)
90¢ 94¢ First-Class Mail International letter to all other countries (1 oz.)



Forever Stamps

Have you heard about the Forever Stamp but wondered what it is? With postage rates rising on May 14th, here is the latest information from the US Postal Service on this handy stamp:

The Forever Stamp will be valid for mailing any future 1-ounce single piece First Class mail letter, no matter what the price may be at the time of mailing - without the addition of extra postage. This stamp will increase convenience for consumers by avoiding the "last minute rush" to purchase stamps when new prices are implemented in the future.

The Forever Stamp will feature an image of the Liberty Bell
It will be available at the purchase price of $0.41 each in booklets of 20 at a price of $8.20 and in sheetlets of 18 at the price of $7.38
The Forever Stamp or any nondenominated stamps (except those that bear unique markings, such as First-Class Presort, Nonprofit Org.) may be affixed to items that are sent to foreign countries
The postage value of the Forever Stamp is always the domestic First-Class Mail single piece one-ounce letter rate that is in effect on the day of mailing. Since the international postage rates are always higher than the comparable domestic rates, additional postage must be affixed if such a stamp is used on international mail.
The Forever Stamp will eliminate the need for customers to purchase make-up stamps for future First-Class Mail letter price changes.

[geesje]

First-Class Mail Price Effective Monday, May 11, 2009
Letters – first ounce $0.44
Large envelopes – first ounce $0.88
Parcels – first ounce $1.22
Additional ounces $0.17
Postcard $0.28
Stamped Card $0.31
Stamped Envelope $0.54

First-Class Mail International Effective Monday, May 11, 2009

First-Class Mail International Price
Postcards and Letters – first ounce
Canada $0.75
Mexico $0.79
All other countries $0.98

[janneke]

US postal service may move to five-day-a-week delivery from six• Day without mail could be Tuesday, not Saturday
• Postal service suffered $2.8bn budget shortfall last year
Daniel Nasaw in Washington guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 28 January 2009 22.18 GMT Article historyPerhaps neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night keeps American letter carriers from delivering the post. But economic downturns, paperless offices and an ever-increasing reliance on electronic communication are another story.

The US postmaster general today asked Congress today to allow it to scale back deliveries to five days a week, from six, the result of a massive budget deficit caused by dramatic declines in mail volume.

The postal service had $2.8bn budget shortfall last year, and dwindling mail volume and rising costs could send that up to $6bn or more this year, John Potter told the Senate homeland security and governmental affairs subcommittee.

Americans' extra day without bills, solicitations, magazines and other mail might not be Saturday, but could come on another day of light mail volume, perhaps a Tuesday.

"It is possible that the cost of six-day delivery may simply prove to be unaffordable," Potter said, asking Congress to remove a funding requirement that it deliver mail six days a week. "The ability to suspend delivery on the lightest delivery days, for example, could save dollars in both our delivery and our processing and distribution networks. I do not make this request lightly, but I am forced to consider every option given the severity of our challenge."

The US Postal service has suffered declines in recent years as individuals and businesses increasingly turn to email for ordinary communications, and pay bills electronically instead of using the post. In the agency's fiscal year ended September 30, total mail volume declined 4.5% from the year before to 202bn items. Meanwhile, the agency has steadily raised postal rates in an effort to meet the decline in volume.

The service cutbacks could save the agency $1.9bn to $3.5bn a year, Dan Blair, chairman of the postal regulatory commission, told the committee. But Blair said scaling back to five days a week could result in lost mail volume.

The US postal service dates back to the nation's founding. The first postmaster general was Benjamin Franklin, one of the framers of the US constitution and a co-author of the declaration of independence. In its current form as an independent government agency, the postal service was created in 1971, replacing a cabinet-level agency, the US post office department.

The US postal service's troubles mirror those of the Royal Mail, which in addition to the rise of electronic communications faces a large and growing pension fund deficit. But on its most recent figures, all four Royal Mail divisions were profitable for the first time in 20 years.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/28/us-postal-service-post-office