Postage rates set to rise tomorrow and every six months through 2027

It's time for another postage rate increase. The cost of mailing a 1-ounce first-class letter, what most of us use to send letters, cards and even pay a few bills, rises to 78 cents Sunday. That's a 5-cent increase. It's the first such rise in the letter rate in 12 months. The new rate schedule encompasses other mailing categories as well: -- Metered letters (1 ounce), commonly used by businesses, rises to 74 cents, up 5 cents. -- First class flats, or large envelopes, will increase by 11 cents to $1.61; the additional ounce rate for flats goes up 27 cents to 30 cents depending on the weight of the envelope. -- Postcards go to 62 cents, up 6 cents. -- International post cards and 1-ounce letters increases a nickel to $1.70. -- Certified mail will cost $5.30 per piece plus $4.40 for the physical green card return receipt or $2.82 for the electronic return receipt. -- Marketing mail, flats and other services will see an average increase of 7.4 percent. The rate increases follow a 3.2 percent boost in priority mail and priority mail express rates and a 9.2 percent increase in parcel post rates that took effect in January. The U.S. Postal Service said in announcing the new rate structure that it planned to "adjust" rates each January and July through December 2027. Despite the rising cost to mail items, postage costs in the United States remain among the lowest in countries with high mail volume. In Canada, letters cost $1.44 Canadian ($1.06 U.S.); Germany 0.85 euro ($1 U.S.); France 1.29 euro ($1.51 U.S.); United Kingdom 1.7 pounds ($2.55 U.S.); and Japan 110 yen (76 cents U.S.) The new rates fall under the USPS's Delivering for America 10-year plan developed by Louis DeJoy, who resigned as postmaster general on March 24. DeJoy, a one-time shipping executive, served in the position for five years and attempted to put the postal agency on secure economic footing through a series of cost-saving actions. David Steiner, former CEO of Waste Management, takes over as the country's 76th postmaster general this month. He was appointed to the position by the USPS Board of Governors on May 9. Steiner also is a board member of FedEx, a major competitor to the postal service in the package delivery sector. The two-month delay in Steiner taking on the job has allowed to end his responsibilities with FedEx and manage other business and financial dealings as required by law. Nevertheless, his appointment has led to questions about the future of the country's 250-year-old postal agency. President Donald Trump has publicly called for privatizing postal services repeatedly in both of his terms. In February he said he was considering placing the USPS under control of the Commerce Department in a move that would essentially be an executive branch takeover of what has been an independent agency since 1970. "We want to have a post office that works well and doesn't lose massive amounts of money," Trump said as reported by the Associated Press. "We're thinking about doing that. And it'll be a form of a merger, but it'll remain the Postal Service, and I think it'll operate a lot better." For decades the USPS has seen declining first-class mail volumes and increased competition for package services from UPS, FedEx and Amazon while facing rising costs. DeJoy's plan, part of which included a marked reduction in the number of mail processing centers nationwide, has faced opposition from members of Congress and postal worker unions. In Ohio, the plan led to the closing of centers in Akron, Athens, Canton, Chillicothe, Dayton, Ironton, Steubenville, Toledo and Youngstown with mail sent for distribution to places such as Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Detroit and Pittsburgh, adding to delivery times particularly in rural areas. The postal service reported that it had $3.3 billion in net losses in the second quarter of its fiscal year ending March 31. The amount was more than double the $1.5 billion net loss in the second quarter of the 2024 fiscal year. Club meeting The Black River Stamp Club meets at 5 p.m., Wednesday at the Lorain Public Library's North Ridgeville Branch, 35700 Bainbridge Road. Howard Chapman, president of the Society of Israel Philatelists, will be the speaker. Afterward, the club will conduct a short business meeting followed by an auction of stamps, covers, supplies and ephemera. The meeting is open to anyone interested stamps and postal history. Dennis Sadowski can be reached at sadowski.dennis@gmail.com.