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The New Postal Rates. Otherwise Known As: Bossy Sure Hopes You’re A Geophysical Engineer.

Effective today, the United States Postal Service introduces Shape-Based Rates which recognize that weight isn’t the only thing that determines processing costs. The following is a summary of the changes:

First-class postcards are now $0.26. First-class letters are $0.41 for the first ounce, and $0.17 for each additional ounce not to exceed 3.5 ounces.

Letter

Maximum letter length is 11.5”, maximum height is 6.2” and maximum thickness is ¼”.

If your letter exceeds these guidelines of weight, height, length, or thickness, then your letter will be classified as a Large Envelope and priced accordingly.

Large_envelope_3

Large Envelopes should not exceed 13 ounces. Maximum length is 15”, maximum height is 12” and maximum thickness is ¾”. In addition the Large Envelope should be flexible, rectangular, and uniformly thick. If your Large Envelope exceeds these guidelines then it is a dead body will be classified as Priority Mail.

Priority Mail now offers envelopes and boxes with flat rate pricing regardless of weight and destination. Which means you’ll be paying $8.95 to send the thing that used to cost $0.39!

According to Postal Service spokesman Dave Partenheimer, “Before the rate change, thickness didn’t matter.” Of course Bossy is pretty certain Mrs. Partenheimer wouldn’t agree.

Here’s The USPS Site To See How Complicated Everything Has Become. Kids: Don’t Try This At Home.

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Comments

  2. I had to go to the post office on Saturday to pick up my mail from my vacation hold. And they’re really pushing their “forever” stamp thingy. You know, the one you pay more for, but will be able to use “forever”. Uh huh. Yeah.
    And the new stamps are ugly!
    I’m just waiting until next week when the Star Wars stamps come out.

  3. You are a fount of wisdom. I think I have to stop selling the contents of my house on eBay – it’s just too complicated.

  5. BOSSY, I *just* had a client ask me what the new postcard postage rate is. I didn’t know, so I told him I’d find out and call him back. So, doing what I normally do, I hit the blogosphere first. I’m *that* professional sometimes, especially on Monday mornings.

    Thanks for the info, BOSSY! Now, I don’t have to search any further.

    …I hate the post office.

  6. Bossy isn’t sure about the Star Wars stamps, but she will definitely be first in line to purchase something from the Mean Girls collection.

  7. Oooh, so for all that extra moohlah, the post office should become even MORE efficient! Whew, I feel better already. Last year alone four packages of mine arrived, not at their intended destination, but instead at the little-known USPS department called This is the Big Black Hole Where Your Packages End Up When We’re Too Ding Dang Lazy to Deliver Them Properly and Guess What Despite First Class Status an Insurance, You Will Never, EVER See Them Again. So this year, I assume I can cut that rate down to three.

  8. The whole post, I was waiting for the thickness joke, and I was greatly satisfied at the end.

    LOL at Uncle Anthrax — sounds like a character from the Addam’s Family.

  10. I still don’t get the whole “forever” stamp deal. Isn’t it only “forever ” until you use it? Thanks for the valuable lessons!

  11. Bossy can barely manage to keep stamps in the house as it is – the whole Forever concept need not apply.

  13. This new information does not do a single bloody thing to alleviate my already sizable post office phobia.I vote for a return to pigeon mail. At least if the little winged bastards fail to deliver the mail to the proper destination, we can go postal on them!