Postage
By marcyaz
@Marcyaz (35316)
United States
April 13, 2016 10:53am CST
Have you heard the cost of postage stamp is being lowered two cents in the US.
The new cost of a first-class stamp will be 47 cents rather the 49 cents it has been.
The postal service is governed by the Postal Regulatory Commission and is a financially independent federal agency, meaning it must raise its own money to operate and does not receive tax dollars.
International letters will drop from $1.20 to $1.15 and postcards will drop from 35 cents to 34 cents.
The reduction affects commercial shipping rates, as well.
19 people like this
23 responses
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
13 Apr 16
oh nice, has that ever happened before? Going down rather than up
2 people like this
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
14 Apr 16
@Jessicalynnt
I don't recall ever having heard that the postage has ever gone down only up, up , up. lol lol
2 people like this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
15 Apr 16
@Marcyaz pretty much, seems wild!
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (86431)
• United States
13 Apr 16
I was happy to hear that postage was being reduced in price. I don't think I've ever heard of this before
2 people like this
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
13 Apr 16
@Marilyndaa1225
I don't think I had heard of the PO reducing the price ever before either.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21742)
• Canada
13 Apr 16
You are still getting a great rate. I sometimes take advantage. Parcels get mailed in Buffalo or Niagara Falls, NY.
2 people like this
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
13 Apr 16
@Morleyhunt
It seems it used to be every year it was going up so people have been doing more and more on the computer instead.
2 people like this
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
13 Apr 16
@carebear29
I think it is a good thing this is happening, don't you?
2 people like this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
13 Apr 16
When it drops will be time to stock up since you know darn well they will go up again.
1 person likes this
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
13 Apr 16
@AbbyGreenhill
We know that everything goes up in price so I wonder how long this will last.
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
13 Apr 16
@Marcyaz They will probably wait a year or so.
1 person likes this
@lovebeingmummy2 (806)
• Aberdeen, Scotland
13 Apr 16
we are the opposite here in the UK, stamps are expensive
2 people like this
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
13 Apr 16
@lovebeingmummy2
I have just heard that stamps there are about double the price of stamps in the US.
@Ruby3881 (1963)
• Canada
14 Apr 16
That's pretty cool! Though I actually thought your postal rates were somewhat lower. Our stamps are now mostly the "permanent" variety, which means you can continue to use them even if the rates go up. They cost 85 cents for postage within Canada, though if you just buy one at a time they'll hit you for a dollar.
1 person likes this
@Howar_Cao (7)
• Hangzhou, China
14 Apr 16
The cost of postage stamp is going down or up seems to have no effect on me.Because I am used to write email instead of snail mail.I and my Chiese friends all thouht the former is cheaper and convenient.I don't know if still has many people like to write with pen and paper in the Western countries.It is not eco-friendly.
1 person likes this
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
14 Apr 16
@Howar_Cao
The western countries are the same, the Post Offices have lost a lot of business because most people now pay bills on the internest and write emails instead of sending out from the post office.
@Howar_Cao (7)
• Hangzhou, China
14 Apr 16
@Marcyaz This makes me think of the postcard.Maybe the last thing as I would use the postage stamp is to send postcards to my friends when I am in a journey.
@infatuatedbby (94909)
• United States
13 Apr 16
Yes! It's nice to see the stamp cost going down! I just bought a sheet of stamps too, darn could have saved a few a cents 
next time!
next time!1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40605)
• Laguna Woods, California
14 Apr 16
It is the dumbest thing I ever heard of. They say now the post office will lose $2 billion for the coming year. What is the point of that? They will just have to hike taxes to make up for the decrease in postage. Stupid idea if I ever heard of one.
1 person likes this
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
14 Apr 16
@DeborahDiane
I heard the same thing and it doesn't make much sense. Of course if they wouldn't deliver on Saturdays that could make the difference but Congress won't let the PO do that for some reason.
@VivaLaDani13 (60811)
• Perth, Australia
31 May 16
It's getting quite annoying with how prices are getting higher on certain things. I can't believe I am going to say this, but "back in my day" lol I remember when stamps here were about 40c. They are now $1.
Or like the bus now. Used to be 50c when I was in high school. Now it's $1.80. Doesn't sound like much but when you do it often, it begins to all add up.
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
31 May 16
@VivaLaDani13
It is terrible how the prices today are so high. Yeah when you do it every day it does add up to a lot of money.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109845)
• Los Angeles, California
13 Apr 16
About time after years and years of price hikes. The Postal Services needs to realize the volume of snail mail will never return to former numbers and will only diminish in the electronic age. In their defense, it is Congress refusing to eliminate Saturday service which would save billions and is not needed anymore.
1 person likes this
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
13 Apr 16
@JohnRoberts
That is true about the Saturday service and the snail mail has fallen a lot.
