News

March 18, 2008

May 2008 USPS Rate Change Update

In addition to previously announced rates, the United States Postal Service® (USPS®) has announced the updated pricing for the following shipping services – Express Mail, Priority Mail, Parcel Select, Parcel Return Service, and International Mail that will go into effect May 12, 2008.

For the first time this pricing will include commercial volume and contract prices, rebates, online price reductions and other new incentives.

Postmaster General John Potter announced, “these innovative pricing incentives will make our products more attractive to all shippers, especially small businesses. We’re pricing our products to sell in today’s competitive shipping market.”

Some of the recently announced pricing highlights are:

• Express Mail is switching to a zone-based pricing system, resulting in customers paying less for nearby destinations. Customers will receive a 3% price reduction by purchasing Express Mail online or through corporate accounts. Additional price reductions are available for those who ship quarterly minimums.
• Priority Mail will have an average 3.5% savings for customers who use electronic postage or meet other requirements.
• Parcel Select – the “last mile” delivery to every door – will feature pricing and volume incentives for large- and medium-size shippers.
• Parcel Return Service – will move entirely to a weight based pricing system, resulting in significant price reductions for many lighter packages.

For further details, please visit usps.com/prices for all shipping service prices and the mailing service prices announced last month. The USPS website also provides links to downloadable pricing files and other helpful information.