USPS First-Class Forever Stamps & Mailing Services Will Increase – Starting January 27th
Need to mail letters or packages?
You may want to head to the post office soon! Starting January 27th, 2019, a price increase on USPS First-Class Forever Mail Stamps is coming. The increase from 50¢ per stamp to 55¢ per stamp amounts to an extra $1 cost per book of stamps. This is the largest percentage rise since 1991 when postage increased from 25¢ to 29¢.
However, the cost to mail a domestic postcard will remain the same at just 35¢ each.
Also, select USPS mailing services will be increasing! 😩 As an idea, Priority Mail will increase approximately 5.9%, so a small box that previously cost $7.20 to ship will rise to $7.90, while a medium box will jump from $13.65 to $14.35. Also, Priority Mail Express fees will increase by approximately 3.9%.
On a positive note, each additional ounce to mail a single-piece letter will be reduced from 21¢ to 15¢, so a 2-ounce stamped letter, such as a typical wedding invitation, will decrease from 71¢ to 70¢. Visit USPS for more details.
So they can’t deliver the mail and packages correctly, in a timely manner… Let’s give them a raise. Makes perfect sense. 🙄
USPS in my area is better than UPS, FedEx, and Amazon Logistics. My USPS carrier arrives within the same four hours every mail day, and packages that don’t fit in my mailbox arrive in good condition. UPS and FedEx come whenever they feel like it. Amazon Logistics has the tracking map, but twice they have scanned something I ordered as out for delivery in a particular vehicle when it was actually in another vehicle or still at the warehouse.
Congress is also to blame. A bill was passed and signed that requires them to fund 75 years of pension checks in advance.
My mail man actually folded a child hard cover book in half to fit it in my box because he did not want to bring it to the door. To top it off the book was wrapped in clear packaging, so it was visible for him to know what it was. He did that twice. the second time my husband sarcastically replied thanks and held the book up to him. He smirked back and said no problem. I reported him. He also once couldn’t fit all my mail in my box so he took a big rubberband and tied it to the outside of my mailbox. They have sent my mail back to the sender without putting it in my mailbox, so my bank canceled one of my cards. My coupons have been stolen out of my bath and body works several times. Constantly puts my packages on my neighbors doorstep. We get a huge rotation if mail men. The one my family had growing up was the same man all throughout my childhood. He retired around the time I moved away at 19. He was amazing. He never left our packages on the door. He would hide them and leave a note on our other mail, or he would hold it until his route was dne, circle around and knock again. He was the nicest man.
I had the same thing done to a hardcover children’s book. It was wedged so bad it took all my strength to wiggle and pry it out.
Perhaps get one of those bigger mailboxes. Thats what i have so packages can easily fit.
The carrier is the problem, not the mailbox.
The carrier shouldn’t have strapped something to the side of the box or shoved something into the box that was too big for it.
On a side note, how exactly do you fold a hardcover book in half?
It was a child’s book, so it was not a super thick book. He just folded it up and squeezed it on in.
And Fran it is not my mail box that is the issue. If it doesn’t fit he should have taken the time to walk it up to my door step. I have a standard sized box that sits at the street. He has folded my pictures in half to fit them even when the envelope is stamped do not bend. He has ruined a ton of my stuff. I did the right thing by reporting him. He was removed not to long after. Believe me, I didn’t want it. It wasn’t until his nasty attitude after being the one in the wrong.
Fran, we bought an extra large mailbox and today our mail lady jammed a 13 pound box inside, on top of the mail. Smh. The mailbox is actually slowly leaning to the side from holding oversized packages that should’ve been taken up to our door.
My previous carrier shoved a roughly 8.5″ x 11″ paperback book in my tiny apartment mailbox and ruined it. I got it on Amazon Prime Day 2017 as a gift for my mother. I called Amazon, and they sent a free replacement. She shoved that one in my box too. She quit this route last year because of my building. No carrier wants this route, so it took a while to find a replacement. I have a new carrier now. I haven’t had any problems with her so far.
I have had my sons school pictures in an envelope clearly marked “photos do not bend” that had cardboard inside to remind that it should not be bent and it was folded in half and purposely creased to shove it in my mailbox. The company was nice enough to resend the photos even though it wasn’t their fault and the mailman did the exact same thing! It’s ridiculous. That’s why I don’t tip them like many do during the holidays. And as usual everything is going up except our paychecks :/
I live in Hawaii and it’s amazing how quickly and economically USPS delivers items to my door. Nothing but gratitude for the workers and this service!
I know the postal people work hard. When I go to the office they are very friendly and professional. My only issue is with the smartpost service. If my package was scanned onto the delivery truck and is out for delivery it should be delivered that day. Falsely claiming there was an issue preventing my package from being delivered is just dishonest and in very poor taste. That’s happened quite a few times. This doesn’t happen with UPS or FedEx.
I am not surprised the costs are going up. I rarely buy stamps, so that increase is not a big deal to me.
my usps is incredibly reliable and my mailman is a god among delivery people.
We paid $23 to mail a small pkg to Germany in December. But.seriously that is a real deal! It was taken from SC and delivered to our daughter’s door in only 6 days. I am wondering if international stamps are going up. We need to check and stock up. The grandchildren love getting envelopes of anything from Nana and Poppa. Still a bargain at $1.15 each.
Again?!
Too bad they can’t catch the thieves that steal gift cards by slitting envelopes. I had a $50 card removed from a card. Would like to at least know that it is being properly looked into instead of getting the envelope stamped that there was no mail in it!
Never mail gift cards in the mail. So many thieves are looking for just that!
Unfortunately, those thieves are coming right out of the postal service. I had my mail stolen. I went directly to my mailbox after I watched the postal worker delivery my mail. So it happened from the time it shipped out to the time it arrived in front of me. Also, having a lot of packages coming from the usps already opened.
Now that you say that I realize that’s exactly what happened to my Xmas envelope from my aunt! It was only a book she made of bird photos she had taken, thank goodness. I thought it was so bizarre when the EMPTY envelope was delivered with a handwritten note saying it wasn’t closed or something to that effect. No, they definitely opened it to check for gift cards. Crooked @$$ postal workers! Yes, give those scumbags a raise!
Call USPS directly to make your formal complaints. Especially if mail is stolen they redirect you to a special center that is used only to investigate mail fraud from within their office. When my mail was being stolen they took it crazy serious. It was a huge ordeal
Our postal carrier is awesome (great attitude and super considerate)! So, I’m hoping part of the increase will go towards raises or improved benefits for the employees. And, even though it may seem like a significant increase to some, I still think it’s amazing that I can send a card from WA to my aunt in Florida for only 55 cents!
Can someone recommend a reputable ebay buyer I can buy forever stamps from?
USPS actually sells on Ebay. I’ve purchased from them several times with no issues whatsoever.
Thank you!
If you can, wait for Ebay to have a promo code. Even with the shipping fee, it would still be cheaper than going to the post office. If you ordered just one book of 20 stamps without a code today, each stamp would be $0.5625. A roll of 100 would be $0.5125 per stamp today.
I am hoping they will have a promo code before January 27th. I don’t need any stamps. I rarely have anything to mail. I just collect the stamps that I think are pretty.
Thank You. I received a code the other day from ebay. It’s $10/30 I believe.
Thanks for this reminder! I had forgotten I had that email offer from ebay. Ordered 3 sets of 20 for $21.25 from USPS on ebay 🙂 Less than $.36 per stamp.
Do you know what the email was titled or of ot is a code you can share??? (Not a one time use) can’t find it in my email but i do love ebay!
Now, do you know what the email was titled or of ot is a code you can share??? (Not a one time use) can’t find it in my email but i do love ebay!
Sorry I’m just seeing this message. For some reason I was not getting notifications. I don’t remember the title of the email. It was one time use and was not transferable. I tried giving mine away at first, but the person was not able to use it.
With the eBay money back guarantee, I’d think your purchase is safe with any buyer…?
Nope! I bought a phone off eBay and it was locked and the seller “couldn’t remember his password to unlock it” and we never got our money back. Made a bunch of calls to eBay and even argued with the lady on there 😠 nothin
How long ago did this happen? Dispute the charge with your card issuer. You got scammed, so you didn’t receive what you thought you were buying, and Ebay didn’t honor their policy. That should be enough evidence to get your money back.
Just found on Amazon 100 stamps for $39 shipped. That’s 39 cents for one stamp. I read the Q&A and it seems legitimate amazon dot com/US-Flag-Forever-Patriotic-American/dp/B07B5N35XY
It isn’t sold by USPS. It is sold by “Party plot”. The seller only has 30 lifetime ratings and has a 93% positive rating for the past 12 months. The seller has no ratings in the past 30 days. This roll of stamps is the only thing they are selling.
Amazon should stand behind product if not legit
Amazon has HORRIBLE customer service. I’m still waiting for a response, over a week later, after complaining about an issue I had. I wouldn’t count on them to back you up with a bad seller after my own experience.
In my opinion Amazon has the BEST customer service!! EVERY complaint I’ve had (and I’ve had a LOT because do most of my shopping there) they’ve always solved it very quickly. Free shipping, free months of prime, refunds and free products, even if it was an independent seller. It’s a little less convenient now that you can’t email them as easily and have to either call or chat, but I literally think Amazon ROCKS in this department. Sorry you’ve experienced crappy service!!
Thanks DavidFL! Got em! Great Deal. Only a few left.
Is there a way to know if they are real or fake?
Please read the Q&A. I haven’t bought from them yet because I don’t need that many. But based on people’ responses, they seem to be real. They said they have been in the [stamp business] for 50 years. Also remember, not everybody who buys stamps would go on-line and give ratings/reviews. Just saying. I’m not promoting their company, just sharing what I found 🙂
The “in the stamp business for 50 years” is from a different seller, “The Perfect Stamp”.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t always matter. I purchased from a private seller backed by Amazon with free Amazon 2 day shipping. The item was a fake, but the reviews and pictures were amazing, so I thought it had to be a great product. After leaving him a negative review he wouldn’t stop harassing me to change my review for money. He got up to 60$. I still refused and ended up reporting him after he started writing my home address asking me to change my review. Fake reviews are often bought and paid for and a lot of the times they will write fake negative reviews on legitimate sellers pages to boost their page to the top.
Invest in stamps, make 10% on your money! On another note, I purchased 300 forever stamps last summer for (I think) 36 cents each and they were legitimate. I have been using them since then.
It’s still cheaper than me traveling from Texas to Ohio myself! 😂
Ug hate this. Seems like a big jump.
.55 to make my Granny happy to get a birthday card, or a smile for my nephew to get a Valentine’s card (with $5) or funny card to let a college friend know I am thinking of her…I’d pay double the price! I love sending cards, especially when you can get great ones for .50.
I agree.
If Amazon paid their fair share to the USPS, they wouldn’t need to constantly increase rates. We’re subsidizing a billionaire.
Exactly!
I’m pretty sure Amazon doesn’t randomly choose how much they are willing to pay USPS. They have both worked out a deal. Amazon needs their things delivered and USPS needs money. There’s no way anyone can say that a good chunk of their revenue is not from Amazon. Also Amazon is not the only business that pays less than face value to USPS.
Thanks for the heads up!
You’re welcome, Carol!
I’ve got two regular mailmen–one at home, one at work. Both are fantastic. Like with anything else, there’s always a few bad apples. If you’ve got one, call up and report the issues. Enough issues and calls and they’ll be booted to make way for someone who wants to do the job.
If you have a fantastic mail carrier call every so often an brag on them! I do it whenever I have great service(anything retail), managers are always so shocked to hear compliments.
You are lucky!! I have complained about receiving others mails, my packages being delivered to the wrong address and so on. The last time I called my local postmaster said I complain too much and hung up on me! He is a rotten apple and spoils the whole bunch for me!
Don’t call your local office!! Call USPS directly to make your formal complaints. Especially if mail is stolen they redirect you to a special center that is used only to investigate mail fraud from within their office. When my mail was being stolen they took it crazy serious. It was a huge ordeal.
Well I will still send cards and mail. People buy fast food and Starbucks and don’t bat an eye :-/
True
I still remember when stamps were 19 cents…..
My mom remembers when they were $0.04. The cheapest price I remember is $0.29.
Question- my son is getting married next year They will need about 100 stamps for the invitations. Can i buy 100 forever stamps tomorrow. at the going rate today.. And use them next year? Thanks every penny helps when it comes to a wedding
Yes! You can! And congrats to the happy couple!!
No worries- that’s why they are called ‘forever’ stamps. As long as there is a usps they are good.
Yeah, these stamps will work next year and the year after and so on. That’s why they’re marketed as forever stamps so that they still work when prices go up =) Congrats to your son btw
The forever stamps doesn’t have an “expiration date” so to speak. That is why ppl like to get them No matter what the current forever stamps cost, you can still use your older ones.
Any idea if 2nd class bulk rate mail is going up? I own a small newspaper that’s mailed every week so even s small increase is a big deal for me…
Wow, so much drama! Thanks for the heads up I’ll be sure to buy more “Forever” stamps and mail a package to my friend before the increase.
Well it’s obvious from these comments I need to buy lots of stamps to support USPS. Y’all don’t want to know how expensive and more unreliable everything will be without them.
Need to grab some for Graduation invites & Thank you cards! Thanks for heads up!
I have two USPS employees that deliver to my home. One is great and really goes above and beyond. The other has gone as far as to tell me she hates delivering to my house because I have order too much. I told her I don’t tell her what to do with her money so she shouldn’t comment on what I do with my one mine. I have anxiety disorder and ordering from the comfort of my home is very helpful for me when there are times I shouldn’t need venture out. After that, she started shoving my boxes in my mailbox like others have said, leaving them sitting next to the mailbox where they are visible for theives and I’ve had two envelopes slit with a gift card and money stolen out of them. NO amount of complaining to the higher ups has done anything to resolve it, either. :/ Very thankful for the man that does his job correctly and shame on the lady that’s not making the local USPS look bad.
That’s making*
I sincerely wish people would stop to think before they complain about the postal service. You are getting something that only costs you 50 cents! (What else can you get these days for 50 cents?) A postal carrier is out in all weather delivering your mail and packages. I live in the Midwest and people don’t even shovel their sidewalks but expect mail delivery. I know they don’t always get it right but, seriously would you want that job? A little kindness goes a long way.
I understand not complaining about 50 cents, but the complaints here aren’t about 50 cents. They are stating where larger amounts of money have been lost due to damage/lost items that were unnecessary. The complaint isn’t that the stamps are 50 cents, but that this change in cost is to benefit some that may not deserve it. Like I said in my circumstance, one postal worker is great and the other is doing a disservice as an employee for USPS.
The problem isn’t necessarily the increase, it’s the incompetent employees and a failing system. I ship 20 to 30 packages a week. That’s a lot of money in shipping costs and then I have to pray and obsessively check the tracking to ensure the purchased items are delivered. Out of 20 packages usually there are delays or problems with at least 5 or 6. That can effect my business and potential customers. And then to be told to be grateful and happy with the USPS is just frustrating. I get we all make mistakes, but at least the USPS could try to do better. The answer I usually receive is, what do you expect there are a lot of packages. Just embarrassing for our government to continue to fund these imbeciles.
The government has some control over USPS, but the government doesn’t fund them. USPS receives no taxpayer funding. USPS relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its operations. They haven’t received a government subsidy since 1982. The only exceptions to that are related to voting.
Exactly. I can’t believe how much people love to complain.
I live in a small town and was surprised I could send a package in the busiest shipping week in December 500 miles to a relative and it just took 2 days to get there. The tracking process was very good too.
I recently moved and emails and phone calls are nice but there is nothing like receiving a letter or card in the mail.
I am 60 now and have seen the price of lots of things go up. Remember when bread was 5 loaves for 1$ when I was a teen.
And, as another pointed out, USPS has big financial obligations to their pension fund.
How about international stamps and mailing? going up?
Anyone know?
Coming back on here to update everyone..I saw so many expressing concerns with the usps. I’ve never had major trouble. Theres been a few times my mail was left in my neighbor’s box no biggie. But today I have an issue. I ordered 100 stamps from ebay usps on the 10th. It was supposed to be delivered the 17th. Well i received an email yesterday saying it was delivered yesterday in left in/by the mailbox!!! I didn’t receive it! I was home. No knock on my door. So I waited until after work today to check my mailbox. Still nothing. I contact the seller. I’m being told to take the tracking # to my local office and speak to a supervisor to see where it was delivered to!! Unbelievable. So now I’m on the phone… holding… trying to talk to someone. Sigh!!! Wish me luck!
fajyvrxuxpdsowyqyslqcxzhslqemk
crvdwmwwtmklerpoidgoxgcqsuqtyy
jhtdlosgirkiciidvammbrzzdrfghc
wpeiqqelvvliqsyxdclqvblwyckcia