Shipping packages is going to cost more this holiday season as the U.S. Postal Service rolls out new “temporary” costs.
The Post Office is penny-pinching Santa season as part of its ongoing 10-year plan to “return the organization to financial sustainability,” as written in the USPS’s press release when it unveiled its goals for the next decade in March 2021.
Over the summer, the USPS announced price hikes for the holiday shipping season, affecting Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select.
“The changes will help cover extra handling costs and bring prices for the Postal Service’s commercial and retail customers in line with competitive practices,” the USPS said in a news article.
The price hikes took effect earlier this month and will remain in effect until January 18.
Retailers will now pay a 40-cent increase to a $16 increase, and regular Americans will now pay a 30-cent increase to a $13 increase, depending on the package service, weight of the package and delivery zone.
“As a strategic part of the Delivering for America 10-year plan, the temporary changes will support the Postal Service in creating a revitalized organization capable of achieving its public service mission — providing a nationwide, integrated network for the delivery of mail and packages at least six days a week — in a cost-effective and financially sustainable manner over the long term,” the USPS said.
USPS’s controllable loss for the 2024 fiscal year was $1.8 billion, compared to more than $2.2 billion for the year prior.
President Donald Trump has floated the idea of privatizing USPS, despite it being enshrined in the Constitution.
In December 2024, the then-president-elect told reporters, “There is talk about the Postal Service being taken private, you do know that — not the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”
“It’s a lot different today between Amazon and UPS and FedEx, and all the things you didn’t have,” he said. “But there is talk about that. It’s an idea that a lot of people have liked for a long time. We’re looking at that.”
