If your business is still using traditional postage stamps for mailing bills or notifications to your customers, you better brace for a substantial price increase.
If you are using a postage meter, there is still a price increase, but not nearly as much.
USPS: First Class letter stamps to go up 5 cents
The Postal Regulatory Commission last month approved a number of changes to take effect in January — one of those changes being a 10 percent price increase for a first class letter stamps. Presently costing $.50, these stamps will cost $.55 effective January 27, 2019.
Mail meter users, though affected by the price hike, will experience much less of a price increase, their postage costs going from $.47 per piece of first-class letter mail to $.50 — representing a 9 percent savings over traditional stamp use during this USPS rate hike.
But it’s not all bad news. Among the approved changes is a price decrease for additional ounces, the price dropping from $.21 to $.15 for traditional postage stamps, and for postage meters, the price lessening from $.71 to $.70 for a 2-ounce letter.
Prices for large envelopes and postcards will remain the same.
USPS: First-Class Package Services, Priority Mail & Priority Mail Express rates to increase
If you are a business using USPS first-class package services, Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express, you should expect price increases as well, thanks to the new changes.
With it's First-Class Package Services, the United States Postal Service is moving toward zone-based pricing. While the current shipping rate is based on the package’s weight, as of January 27, similar to Priority Mail, the price will be determined based on weight and distance. The heavier and the farther a package must go, the more expensive it will be. Retail package shipping costs on average will increase around 13 percent and commercial, by 12 percent.
Under the new changes, Priority Mail retail shipping rates will see a nearly a 7 percent rise and commercial, roughly a 3 percent rise.
Going metered mail could save you postage & labor costs
So, to our earlier point, if you are a business still using the "lick 'em, stick 'em" or maybe even just "stick 'em" type stamps for your regular first class letter, 1-ounce mailings, you could save yourself some money in postage — not to mention time — by using a postage meter.
If you are interested in seeing what kind of savings such a move could bring you, we'll be happy to talk with you to help you determine if going metered mail will save you money.
Just click on the red button below, fill out the form and send it. One of our representatives will contact you right away.
About R.K. Black, Inc.
R.K. Black, Inc. is an Oklahoma City-based, family-owned leading provider of office technology solutions to small and medium-sized businesses in Oklahoma and Kansas. We specialize in everything business technology from copier, fax, printer and scanner technology to document management, onsite paper shredding services, VoIP phone systems and managed IT support to video surveillance solutions.
If you want to learn more about us, feel free to explore the website, read our other blogs or click the button below to be contacted by one of our reps and tell you! Also, be sure to keep watching our social media channels on Facebook and Twitter for more business tips from our blog.
