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Postage is going up. Purchase your Forever stamps soon before the increase. It is going up 5 cents for a regular forever postage stamp. International stamps are going up 10 cents. https://about.usps.com/newsroom/nati...-july-2024.htm
This is further frustrating to me because mail delivery and accuracy in our area is FAR worse than it used to be! Yes, I'm still grateful that I can send and receive your average envelope for less than a dollar. But, the success rate of that actually happening is much lower now. It feels like such a gamble. I don't want to stop making and sending cards!
And, when I get a late fee for a bill I never received, I'm not a happy camper! Yes, I still like to receive them via snail mail, but am having to rethink that now. Definitely pay online due to delivery concerns, too.
Sorry....rant over!
__________________ ~~Kim~~
The following 5 users liked this post by InkyTexan:
This is further frustrating to me because mail delivery and accuracy in our area is FAR worse than it used to be! Yes, I'm still grateful that I can send and receive your average envelope for less than a dollar. But, the success rate of that actually happening is much lower now. It feels like such a gamble. I don't want to stop making and sending cards!
And, when I get a late fee for a bill I never received, I'm not a happy camper! Yes, I still like to receive them via snail mail, but am having to rethink that now. Definitely pay online due to delivery concerns, too.
Sorry....rant over!
I was at the post office once and a woman/customer was telling the postal clerk that she got charged a late fee because of a bill the post office never delivered. In fact, the woman was there with the specific purpose of obtaining some sort of proof from the post office that they never delivered the bill so that the late fee would be reversed. Of course, the postal clerk told her they could not give her any such thing. The woman was SO angry and the postal clerk's answer was that she should mail in a check to the utility company a week before the due date with what she thought would be the amount of her bill and anything over the actual amount would just be credited to the following month's bill. WHAT?!?
A customer standing in line behind this poor woman said, "Just get the bill sent to your email address, auto-pay it, and forget about using the post office totally. If they're this unreliable, they don't deserve your business." Good advice, but I do want them to stick around because I love mailing cards!
__________________ Nicole
The following 4 users liked this post by cnsteele:
Thanks for the heads up. Sigh....
They are losing 5 billon again this year....can't imagine why....moving to more package centric-if that is what got us the cheaper package rate ground advantage finally, at least that came out of it. It was ridiculous being forced into priority for so long.
I wonder how much of their mail is us sending cards? (and junk mail) 😊
I started paying online due the corner mailbox fishing where they fish the mail out and play games with with our checks. Big around here. They want us to bring mail to the stations directly now. To make sure the invoice is valid I go directly to the source and pay there because yes, there are online scammers too. It is depressing/exhausting.
__________________ Margot
I am a proud fan club member
The following 3 users liked this post by wavejumper:
I have charged everything to my credit card for years. My husband & I used to spend the summer in our RV traveling and couldn't get the mail easily. So that is what we did. It also insured that we got money back on what we spent which was a plus. I charge everything and pay in full once a month. All of my mail is just junk and Medical related items like what was spent for Medicare after a visit.
Adding 5 cents 2 or 3 times a year is not cutting it I reduced my Christmas card list last year because I am on SS and not rolling in money.
They should charge the junk mail senders more. Why charge us more so they can send us junk we don't want anyway.
Most of our mail goes through Houston which is having a horrendous time getting mail out. I have had things late by a month. When you use a trace to see where the package is the message says it is in Houston or Missour City. Ridiculous. They are buying more huge machines to hurry things up but it will take months and months to catch up.
The following 2 users liked this post by papernut123:
First class letters are now the equivalent of $1.70 in the UK.
Lynda
How much does it cost, in the UK, to send an A7 or A9 card?
I know that almost every time I have something shipped from the UK, the fee seems fairly reasonable (it's sometimes less than what I'd pay here in the USA). Which is nuts.
Edited to add:
Quote:
Originally Posted by papernut123
Adding 5 cents 2 or 3 times a year is not cutting it I reduced my Christmas card list last year because I am on SS and not rolling in money.
I did this, as well, because I use the butterfly stamps and couldn't justify $40 in postage alone. I'm considering using the regular stamps this year.... Maybe a mix....
Quote:
Originally Posted by papernut123
They should charge the junk mail senders more. Why charge us more so they can send us junk we don't want anyway.
Yes! I love this idea!
Quote:
Originally Posted by papernut123
Most of our mail goes through Houston which is having a horrendous time getting mail out. I have had things late by a month.
Yep, I noticed this a few months ago.... I don't live in Houston, but I ordered something from Etsy that shipped from a north Houston suburb, got rerouted down south (opposite direction from me), and then got lost for a few weeks. I submitted a lost mail claim, and it was eventually found. Too late for the birthday present I was hoping for, and I order things at least a month in advance.
__________________ ....call me a little ODD....
Last edited by OneDevotedDame; 05-15-2024 at 05:53 AM..
Reason: add quote
I read that the post office is raising rates every January and July. They've been doing that for the last few years and I don't know how long they plan to continue this schedule of rate increases. The cutie-patootie stamp designs the USPS keeps rolling out keeps my buying, though! Good strategy on their part!
I have reduced the number of cards that I send. I think a few more will be reduced this year. So, for the family and friends who I never hear from - you may not be getting cards from me. Just saying.
__________________ . USA shipping only
The following 4 users liked this post by Arlene_C:
I have reduced the number of cards that I send. I think a few more will be reduced this year. So, for the family and friends who I never hear from - you may not be getting cards from me. Just saying.
I agree! Even though I purchased more postage stamps and envelopes, I do not know how many pieces of mail I will be sending. I do well with birthdays, but not always other things.
I have reduced the number of cards that I send. I think a few more will be reduced this year. So, for the family and friends who I never hear from - you may not be getting cards from me. Just saying.
I did this last year, and wouldn't ya know, I got 3 or 4 cards from people I hadn't heard from in forever. :-/ Sigh.
Postage Increase July 14, 2024
