Sitting down?
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has announced that it’s asked for another price hike for first-class stamps. No, not the same one that made news in July, but a whole new hike the agency hopes will go into effect in January – making it only the second time in the 247-year history of the USPS that stamp prices have gone up twice in a year.
The hike will have to be approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, but if it does, Forever Stamps will increase again from 60 to 63 cents, paving the way for Postmaster General Louis Dejoy to move ahead plans to keep increasing stamp prices at an “uncomfortable rate.”
Wait, there’s more…
USPS said that Forever Stamps aren’t the only thing going up in price. The price for 1-ounce metered mail will increase to 60 cents, sending postcards to someone in the U.S. will increase to 48 cents, and a 1-ounce letter mailed to a foreign country would increase to $1.45.
In its announcement, the Postal Service said it’s also asking for price adjustments on Special Services products – Certified Mail, Post Office Box rental fees, and money order fees, for example.
“It is destructive for Postal Service leadership to squeeze every last drop of revenue from the mail at the expense of the American people,” said Keep US Posted Executive Director and former U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-Kans.).
The advocacy group was 110% behind the Postal Reform legislation and is now taking action to make sure postal reform does its job to curb stamp increases.
“In just a decade, Americans could be paying well over $1 to mail a single letter. Using the mail will become unaffordable for American families, as well as newspapers, nonprofits, and businesses that depend on the Postal Service,” Yoder said.
Fighting the man who manages the postage meter might take some doing, but Keep US Posted is asking Americans to contact their members of Congress and ask for action, by visiting KeepUSPosted.org and clicking “Take Action.”
Beating the Post Office at its own game?
If you want to get ahead of the Postal Service's hike, you could go out now and buy a slew of Forever Stamps at the current 60-cent rate, then use them until the end of time.
When it comes to buying first-class stamps at a discount, that's another option. However, only a few stamp vendors are totally legit. The others are likely counterfeit.
According to ConsumerAffairs research, both Walmart and Costco sell stamps (when purchased in large quantities like 100) at slight savings – like a few cents.
As far as jaw-dropping deals are concerned, there are rogue stamp sellers who are selling stamps at half-off. The problem is it’s illegal to buy and/or use them and buying through an unreputable third-party pretender could possibly result in them stealing and re-selling your private information when you order with a credit card.
“If a scammer collects your personal data and payment information, that could trigger other problems: identity theft and fraudulent purchases without your permission or knowledge,” the Detroit Free Press’ Frank Witsil warned in his coverage of fake stamps.
Gary Guthrie covers technology and travel for the ConsumerAffairs news team. Prior to ConsumerAffairs, he was a programming consultant for radio and TV stations in some 20 markets around the U.S., as well as a presentation developer for the likes of Jack Daniel's, Procter & Gamble, AT&T, and Columbia University.