Lazaro Aleman: Greene Publishing, Inc.
Now is a good time to buy booklets of Forever Stamps from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) if you want to save yourself a cent per stamp.
Or, if you have in your possession stamps other than Forever Stamps, now is a good time to use them; before the proposed postal rate increases kick in on Sunday, Jan. 21.
The Postal Regulatory Commission approved the rate increases that the USPS requested on Oct. 6, including a one-cent addition to the price of a First-Class Forever Stamp, from 49 to 50 cents.
Also going up a penny will be the prices of postcard stamps and metered letters, according to the USPS. The price of single-piece letters mailed to international destinations will remain unchanged, as will the price of additional ounces of weight for letters.
It’s calculated that the increases will raise the prices of mailing services products about 1.9 percent, and that most shipping service products will see an average price increase of 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 USPS explains.
It’s also calculated that the prices for shipping services will increase Priority Mail 3.9 percent and Priority Mail Retail an average of 0.8 percent. As in the past, the Postal Service will not include surcharges for fuel, residential delivery, or regular Saturday delivery.
Also effective on Sunday, Jan. 21, the flat rate retail prices for domestic priority mail will go up five cents for each category, as follows:
In other related news, the USPS announced that it will be releasing a batch of new stamps in 2018, including ones of such iconic figures as legendary performer and civil rights activist Lena Horne; pioneering astronaut Sally Ride, the first woman in space; and singer/songwriter John Lennon, a founding member of the Beatles.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses. It relies on the sale of postage, products and services for their operational costs.