THE United States Post Office has introduced a new surcharge due to inflation, meaning customers will continue to pay more for mailing letters and postcards.
Earlier this month, USPS raised the cost of stamps by three cents — the third price increase in the past year.
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Rates increased in July 2022, then January 2023, and on July 9 of this year, the charge of a one-ounce letter is 66 cents as opposed to 63 cents previously, per Axios.
In April, USPS explained that the additional surcharge of about 5.4 percent for first-class mail was decided in an effort to "offset the rise in inflation."
The service wanted to "address continued elevated inflation and prior years defective pricing model."
Looking back at the cost of postage in previous years, a one-ounce letter mailed in 1999 would have cost United States residents just 33 cents.
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It has doubled in the span of about two decades.
Although USPS data revealed that this isn't terribly uncommon, as from the 1970s to the 2000s, postage costs rose by about three to four times as much every 10 years.
With the July 9 increase, letters weren't the only mailed items that got a price hike.
Postcards sent within the U.S. went up to 51 cents from 48 cents, and international postcards and letters went from $1.50 after previously being $1.45.
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Certified Mail, Post Office Box rental fees, and money order fees were also given similar increases to supposedly combat inflation.
USPS also announced their Ground Advantage shipping service at the beginning of July, per The Daily Independent.
Ground Advantage will reportedly replace USPS Retail Ground, USPS Parcel Select Ground, and USPS First-Class Package Service.
“USPS Ground Advantage is a game changer – for our customers, the industry, and USPS," said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, per the publication.
"By efficiently and effectively integrating our ground transportation model to the magnificence of our last mile delivery operations, we can now offer the most compelling ground shipping offering in the market."
He added: "With USPS Ground Advantage, we are ready to compete for an increased share of the growing package business.”
Ground Advantage promises two to five-day shipping around the United States at an affordable price.
It boasts free package service pickup at home or work and comes with $100 insurance that can be increased up to $5,000.
Either way, Americans should expect the postage increases to continue as well, according to DeJoy.
Dejoy implemented a Delivering for America plan with the intention of achieving "financial sustainability."
However, some officials and politicians have argued against the rate hikes.
Kevin Yoder, executive director of the advocacy group Keep US Posted and a former Republican congressman from Kansas explained that mail volumes go down exponentially more when rates go up.
The decreases are faster than what should be expected, he said in a statement on Keep US Posted's website.
"With three unprecedented postage hikes in 12 months, USPS has kicked off runaway 'stampflation' like the U.S. has never seen, and it's making the situation worse," he noted.
Yoder argued that "mail volume immediately decreased nearly 9% year-over-year, while expenses increased by 16%."
Additionally, fewer people send physical thank you cards or pay bills by mail and instead opt to manage everything online, Axios reported.
USPS data revealed that the highest mail point was in 2006 at 213.1billion, but in 2022 it decreased to 127.3billion.
An 85.8billion difference is significant and could spell continued changes for physical mail moving forward.
Read More on The US Sun
For more on mail and deliveries, check out The U.S. Sun's coverage of one stamp collector's stash that could be worth a fortune after they bought it for only $40.
The U.S. Sun also has the story on three different delivery companies that have increased surcharges this year.
