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Postal Service Hiking Prices in January 2023

The organization intends to increase rates on First-Class Mail products by an average of 4.2%.

The mail is going to get more expensive come January 2023.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) announced it intends to raise pricing by an average of 4.2% on its First-Class Mail products in the new year in an effort to offset rising inflation.

USPS trucks

USPS also plans to increase pricing on special services that include certified mail, post office box rental fees, money order fees and the cost to purchase insurance when mailing an item.

The Governors of the U.S. Postal Service have approved the rate hikes. The Postal Regulatory Commission still needs to sign off on the increases, but that’s essentially a formality that will occur before 2023.

The anticipated price increases include a 3-cent jump for 1 oz. letters and 1 oz. metered letters, with the former rising to 63 cents and the latter climbing to 60 cents.

First-Class Services generally involve standard-sized, single-piece envelopes weighing up to 3.5 oz., as well as large envelopes and small packages weighing up to 13 oz. Items typically mail in one to five business days, or two to five business days for small packages.

Currently, the Postal Service is charging customers heightened rates to ship during its peak holiday season, which the organization defines as running from Oct. 2 to January 22. While those prices are seasonal, the ones that would go into effect in January will be the new standard rates.

Prices on various services from the Postal Service increased an average of 6.5% in July. More rate elevations are likely in the cards, perhaps coming each January and July for a time. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has said the increases are necessary to make the Postal Service financially stable.

Promotional products companies that use USPS will have to account for any increases. Promo firms – and others across all industries – can also expect higher prices from FedEx at the start of 2023.