It's official. Peak shipping season is here.

In case you missed it, a seasonal, temporary increase on USPS® shipping products went into effect on Sunday, Oct 3. These price increases will immediately roll back to previous rates on Dec 26, 2021. 

Shipping volumes across the country begin to increase during the back-to-school season and rise steadily into the holiday period. The USPS® is the first carrier to begin seasonal shipping rates, but all major carriers including FedEx® and UPS® announce rate adjustments during this time of the year in anticipation of peak-season package and shipping demand. In most cases, these increases help carriers meet the rise in shipments with extra trucks, flights and delivery persons.

The USPS® seasonal adjustment affects prices on Commercial and Retail domestic competitive parcels, including Priority Mail® (PM), Priority Mail Express® (PME), First-Class™ Package Service (FCPS), Parcel Select®, USPS® Retail Ground, and Parcel Return® Service. There are also pricing increases that affect individual USPS® Zones. Rates for each Zone are calculated by the distance a package has to travel in miles from its origin point.

Here's how the price changes affect Priority Mail®, Priority Mail Express®, Parcel Select® Ground & USPS® Retail Ground Services:

• $0.75 increase for PM and PME Flat Rate Boxes and Envelopes.
• $0.25 increase for Zones 1-4, 0-10 lbs.
• $0.75 increase for Zones 5-9, 0-10 lbs.
• $1.50 increase for Zones 1-4, 11-20 lbs.
• $3.00 increase for Zones 5-9, 11-20lbs.
• $2.50 increase for Zones 1-4, 21-70 lbs.
• $5.00 increase for Zones 5-9, 21-70 lbs.

• FCPS Commercial will increase $0.30 
• FCPS Retail will increase $0.30 
• Parcel Select Lightweight (DSCF and DNDC) will increase $1.00
• Parcel Select DSCF will increase $1.00
• Parcel Select DNDC will increase $1.00
• Parcel Return Service will increase $1.00

A full list of commercial and retail pricing can be found on the U.S. Postal Service’s Postal Explorer website. We will keep you updated on the latest developments as this temporary rate change unfolds via our Mailing and Shipping blog, so be sure to bookmark it for the latest news! You'll also want to stay in touch when we announce rate increases and seasonal surcharges for FedEx and UPS, expected on Nov 1.

Rate increases represent a big increase in the cost of doing business, so we hope you'll check out some of our shipping solutions and find ways to reduce the impact on your postage budget. 

Get Shipping Discounts All Year Long!

Tired of surcharges? Want rates that are updated automatically? Want to compare prices? Rate shopping is one of the best ways to help your business save on shipping. You can rate shop, compare pricing and get commercial discounts all year long with shipping software like Neoship. In fact, you can save 40% on Priority Mail costs! 

SAVE ON SHIPPING

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• Powerful mailing options and access to postage discounts
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• Advanced tracking and reporting history
   

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