The impacts of inflation and extra costs due to supply chain issues may trickle well into the holiday season.
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The U.S. Postal Service announced on Wednesday that it will be raising prices on shipping during the peak holiday season which will run from midnight central time on October 2 through midnight central time on January 22 of next year.
“This seasonal adjustment will bring prices for the Postal Service’s commercial and retail customers in line with competitive practices,” the USPS said in a release. “No structural changes are planned as part of this limited pricing initiative.”
The organization stated that the price hikes were approved on Tuesday by the Governors of the Postal Service, noting that these seasonal upticks in cost were pre-planned.
Packages that this will affect include those sent by Priority Mail Express regular Priority Mail, First-Class Package Service, Parcel Select, and USPS Retail Ground.
Price increases will not affect international packages.
“These temporary rates will keep USPS competitive while providing the agency with the revenue to cover extra costs in anticipation of peak-season volume,” the statement said.
Shipping increases will range from $0.25 to a steep $6.50, depending on the package size.
This marks the second year that the USPS has increased prices during the holiday season, last year using a shorter time frame from October 3 to December 26.
See the full list of pricing increases per package type here.
