Realcent.org

Stamps are now $.47 down from $.49!

https://www.usps.com/business/prices.htm

Postage rate reductions include:
•First-class stamps — 47 cents (old rate, 49 cents)
•Each additional ounce for letters — 21 cents (old rate, 22 cents)
•First-class metered mail (first ounce) — 46.5 cents (old rate, 48.5 cents)
•Postcards – 34 cents (old rate, 35 cents)
•Certified mail — $3.30 (old rate, $3.45)
•Media mail (1-pound piece) — $2.61 (old rate, $2.72)

Man that sucks. Just bought a hundred few weeks back

First time postage rates decreased since 1919. Went from 3c to 2c after WWI.

Saves me a few cents every First Class Ebay or KSA package

Why on Earth would they lower prices? Is there competition with small parcels?
I really fail to understand this. Some sort of political decision?

I believe the last increase was a temporary authorized one and this is the roll back

I believe the last increase was a temporary authorized one and this is the roll back

Correct!

Yep, the last First Class Mail increase was only legislated as a temporary surcharge to help the USPS fund some liabilities (i.e. the pre-funding of pensions that Congress also mandated, to an extent that no other agency has ever been required to do). The USPS lobbied Congress to make the increase permanent, but it apparently fell on deaf ears. The USPS expects to lose an additional $2 billion a year as a result.

The USPS expects to lose an additional $2 billion a year as a result. only in America

I think the congress has been bought by private interests that would like to see the postal service be destroyed and asset stripped.

hobo finds wrote:The USPS expects to lose an additional $2 billion a year as a result. only in America

No one gets mad when the Congress passes a $305 billion highway bill, but if they Post Office loses a penny.... Both are infrastructure. If you factor in the income taxes that the 600,000 employees of the USPS pay, its probably net generating money to the government. Cheapest jobs program the government ever made!

I usually buy discounted US postage on eBay paying about $0.65 or less per $1 face. Being able to save 2 cents now on a Forever stamp now seems to be grossly irrelevant.

How about rolling back the recent painful increases in the Flat Rate Box categories? I didn't calculate the percentage of increase for those, but it seems inappropriate given the lower fuel prices.

Stop the pain!

Being that I have recently been selling off a lot of personal possessions and collectibles and coins on eBay, and here, I was very happy to see the minor, but helpful postage decrease.

As said yes, the surcharge that was passed a couple years ago expired. Bringing the rates back to what they were a couple years ago, I believe.

I have also bought a fair amount of the discounted postage in the past, but as my wife pointed out recently, we wonder if it's really worth it. Because I usually spend an additional 5 to 10 minutes per package counting out and trying to affix the stamps postage in a way that fits without the post office rejecting it. I still have to leave room for their labels for tracking and makeup postage.

So I've almost used up my stock of old postage, and I am debating whether or not to buy anymore.

ONE THING THAT I HAD NOT REALIZED, THAT MAYBE IS STUPID ON MY PART, IS THAT ON ITEMS THAT NEED TO FIT INTO A MEDIUM OR LARGE FLAT RATE SIZE BOX, BUT WEIGH BETWEEN ONE AND 10 POUNDS, MAYBE CHEAPER IN ACTUALLY CALCULATED BOXES, STILL SHIPPING IT PRIORITY.

I SAVED $1.50 RECENTLY BY ACCIDENT, BECAUSE IT DIDN'T FIT IN A FLAT RATE BOX. AND I HAD SUPPOSED THAT A FLAT RATE WOULD'VE BEEN CHEAPER. LESSON LEARNED!