Stamp Price Increase: What You Need to Know for Next Post Office Trip
First-class postal rates are going up for the second time in two years.
While the volume of first-class mail has dropped sharply—from an all-time high of 213 billion pieces in 2006 to only 168 billion in 2011, according to a New York Times story—the U.S. Postal Service is struggling, showing a loss of $36 million per day. The most prominent way for the Postal Service to recover revenue is to raise postage and mailing rates. Since 1885, when the price for the first ounce of a first-class letter was $0.02, rates have increased 24 times and will jump to $0.46, effective Sunday. According to a press release from the USPS, the price of a "Forever" stamp—which allows a customer to send a one-ounce letter anywhere in the United States—will go up one penny to $0.46. Each additional ounce of a first-class letter will…
