Realcent.org

1st class goes up 1 cent
( buy 100 forever stamps and save 1.00)

Post card goes up 1 cent

Several new Shipping Services products will be available in January. Free tracking will be offered to all competitive packages, including retail Priority Mail and Parcel Post (recently renamed Standard Post).

New domestic retail pricing for Priority Mail Flat Rate products include:

Small box — $5.80
Medium box — $12.35
Large box — $16.85

( note: you can buy prepaid FRB now and use later. like a forever box.)

Beginning early next year, the Postal Service will introduce a First-Class Mail Global Forever Stamp. The new stamp will allow customers to mail letters anywhere in the world for one set price of $1.10 for a 1 ounce letter.

NOTE:
The prepaid SFRB is 5.35 now. With the price going to 5.80, there is a savings of .45 per box to buy some now. The savings on med. and large are comparable. (med - save 1.00 per, lg - save 1.45 per)

Anyone that uses a quantity should evaluate this in the next 30 days.

http://uspsstore.stamps.com/Store/catal ... navCount=1

The international Flat Rate envelopes will go up $7.00. This is a reflection of the drop in value of the US Dollar. International postal rates are denominated in SDRs. So as the dollar falls against the SDR, our international postal rates must go up to keep pace.

This is one of the best ways to track the real inflation rate.

The $7.00 increase is 29.2276% inflation.

Summary of the 2013 USPS postage rate increase:
First Class Letters (1 oz.) will increase by one cent to $0.46 from $0.45. Each additional ounce will cost an extra $0.20 (no change)
First Class Flats (1 oz.) will increase by two cents to $0.92 from $0.90. Each additional ounce will cost an extra $0.20 (no change)
Postcard rates will increase by one cent to $0.33 from $0.32
Priority Mail Commercial Base (online postage) rates will increase by an average of 6.3% and will start at $5.05 (previously at $4.90)
Express Mail Commercial Base (online postage) rates will increase by an average of 5.8% and will start at $13.09 (previously at $12.85)
First Class Mail International packages will be renamed First Class Package International Service. The service now includes Commercial Base discounts of up to 10% off retail rates. It will also include free electronic USPS Delivery Confirmation International for packages being delivered to Canada
Parcel Post is being renamed Standard Post and will only be available for purchase at the Post Office
Parcel Select is replacing Parcel Post for online postage vendors and will now include free Delivery Confirmation
Express Mail International insurance coverage will be increased to $200 from $100. The coverage is included for free
For Priority Mail International Flat Rate service, a special rate will be offered for delivery service to Canada. Mexico is now included with “all other countries”
New Product! A Global Forever Stamp is being introduced to send a one ounce letter or postcard to any country in the world for $1.10