Does the USPS Want You to Stop Sending Letters in Idaho?

So, you have some pre-printed stamps for a certain amount. Maybe you are a business that prints a sheet at a time. Maybe you are a philatelist and love having stamps with numbers on them. Perhaps you are mailing out wedding invitations and ran out of stamps on Saturday and need to buy more today.

When Did the Price of Stamps Change?

Whatever the excuse for not being prepared, the cost of stamps just went up again. The price change was announced in October, but somehow still caught some people off guard. It now costs $.68 to mail a letter through snail mail. If you exhaust your supply of numbered stamps on January 19th, you’ll need to get some extra stamps to make up the difference for anything that does not have the ‘Forever’ status.

Forever Stamps may be great, but the new price could catch you unaware. Some people buy 100 stamps in bulk and those last for a couple of years. The price of stamps went up twice in 2023, and 2021, and once per year in other years since 2011. So depending on how often you have to buy new Forever Stamps, you may be more than a little surprised at the new cost.

How Much Did the Price of Stamps Change?

It’s a little thing, really. Who notices $.02? If you do metered mail, it only went up $.01. Postcards went up by $.02, so if you want to let someone have a souvenir from you, it’ll take a little more. Be aware, that international postcards went up $.05. If you have anything pre-stamped, you’ll have to make adjustments.

How Much Does This Affect Snail Mailers?

Businesses that still mail out envelopes for solicitation or billing have to make adjustments to their budgets. Each stamp costs money. Think about how much postage goes through the city to send you a water bill. That money has to come from somewhere for all the residents in the city.

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You have no one to blame but yourselves. If you mailed more via the United States Postal Service, the cost would be distributed over more volume. Email is good for saving money, but there is something to be said for getting an envelope in the mail that isn’t a solicitation or a bill. Bring back handwritten letters and make people happy to hear from you.