As announced earlier this year, the U.S. Postal Service will be raising the cost of a Forever Stamp on July 9 by 3 cents from 63 to 66 cents. The USPS explained this was meant to “offset the rise in inflation.” The cost of sending a domestic postcard will increase from 48 cents to 51 cents, and a 1-ounce letter mailed outside of the US will be $1.50, up from $1.45 earlier this year. The price for a single-piece letter and flat additional ounce will remain at 24 cents, however.  

 This is actually the second increase in the cost of Forever Stamps this year. In January, the price increased from 60 to 63 cents, as announced in October of 2022. Operating expenses, inflation and increasing transit costs have been major factors. In 2021, the USPS announced its “Delivering for America” 10-year plan which it hopes will make the Postal Service “self-sustaining and high performing,” in addition to remediating a projected $160 billion in losses that could be faced over the next decade otherwise. 

Earlier this year, officials from the Postal Regulatory Commission announced that they expect price increases at least twice a year through 2024. The Postal Service cited the fact that they generally do not receive tax funding, instead relying on the sale of stamps, packaging and other products and services to remain operational. 

Unlike domestic courier services like FedEx and UPS or international couriers like DHL, the Post Office offers free pickup. Also, unlike corporate parcel delivery services, USPS offers Saturday delivery free of charge. Pitney Bowes’ PitneyShip software also offers the best market discounts through USPS compared to FedEx or UPS. Of the three, USPS is also the only one to offer free return pickup as well as holding pickup at no charge.