USPS is raising shipping rates for various services and packages starting July 1st-July 14th, 2024 at locations. USPS is raising rates twice in July 2024, on both July 1st and July 14th. The rates are changing everywhere you can buy postage online, so there’s no avoiding them. Here’s a summary of the upcoming changes:

Ground Advantage

• General Rate Increase: The cost of shipping packages will increase across all weight categories.
• Cubic Pricing: This specialized pricing model for small, heavy packages will also see a rate hike.

Priority Mail

• Average Increase: Rates will increase by approximately 5%.
• Specific Rate Changes: Some specific rates will rise by as much as $3.10.

Stamps

• First-Class Mail Forever Stamp: The price of a Forever stamp will increase from 68 to 73 cents.
• Postcard Stamps: The cost of mailing a postcard will increase from 53 to 56 cents.

Priority Mail Flats

• Average Increase: Rates will go up by about 4%.
• Specific Rate Changes: Individual rate increases could be as much as $1.18.

Priority Mail Cubic

• Average Increase: This service will experience the largest increase, with an average rise of 10%.
• Specific Rate Changes: Some rates could increase by up to $2.97.

Practical Tips

• Evaluate Shipping Options: Regularly review and compare different shipping options to find the most cost-effective solution.
• Use Discounts: Take full advantage of the discounts offered by services.
• Plan Ahead: Anticipate rate changes and adjust your shipping strategies to manage costs effectively.

Priority Mail will increase up to $3.10 on July 1st​

USPS is increasing the “secret” Connect eCommerce rates for Weight-Based Priority Mail, Priority Mail Cubic, and Priority Mail Flat Rate for shipments starting July 1st.

Since USPS doesn’t let its partners publish these rates, all we can tell you is that almost all rates are increasing up to 10 pounds for all Flat Rate package types. Since Connect eCommerce is only available for shipments to/from the continental 48 states, if you’re shipping to or from Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico you won’t see any differences.

• Weight-Based Priority Mail rates are increasing by up to $3.10
• Priority Mail Cubic rates are increasing by up to $2.97
• Priority Mail Flat Rate prices are increasing by up to $1.18

With these new rates, the maximum discount available for Priority Mail compared to the Retail Pricing you’d pay at the Post Office is now 88%.

Ground Advantage will increase up to $2.11 on July 1st​

On July 1st, USPS is also increasing the Connect eCommerce prices for Ground Advantage and Ground Advantage Cubic. Like Priority Mail, these secret below-commercial Pricing rates are only available when shipping to/from the continental 48 states.

• Weight-Based ground Advantages for shipments less than 1 pound are increasing by up to 33 cents for zones 6-8.
• Weight-Based Ground Advantage for shipments that weigh more than 1 pound is increasing by up to $2.11, mostly in 1-5 pounds.
• Ground Advantage Cubic rates are increasing by up to $1.67

With these new rates, the maximum discount available for Ground Advantage compared to the Retail Pricing you’d pay at the Post Office is 86%, down from the previous 89% (comparing a Zone 8 shipment for a 17, 18, or 19 lb package shipped with Ground Advantage Cubic at the 0.10 cubic size compared to the retail price for weight-based Ground Advantage).

Media Mail rates will increase on July 14th​

Media Mail rates will increase by 50 cents for a package weighing up to 1 pound. After that, the rate change will slightly increase for each pound up to 7 lbs before leveling out.

Here’s how that looks:

With these rate increases for Media Mail, you may find that it’s sometimes cheaper to use a different service, depending on the weight of your package and the distance it’s traveling.

Signature Confirmation is going up by 20 cents on July 14th​

Signature Confirmation service for all USPS shipments will go from $3.50 to $3.70, an increase of 20 cents.

Adult Signature (which requires the signer to be 21 or older) will remain at the same price of $9.35.

For more detailed information, you can visit the USPS official website for the latest updates and resources.