2021 USPS Shipping Rate Increases
The United States Postal Service will be raising rates in 2021 staring Sunday, January 24th.
USPS Letter Price Increase 2021 vs 2020
| weight | 2021 | 2020 | increase |
| Letters – 1 oz. | .55 | .55 | 0 |
| Letters – Additional Ounces | .20 | .15 | .05 |
| Metered Mail Letters (Commercial Rate) – 1 oz. | .51 | .5 | .01 |
| Metered Mail Letters (Commercial Rate) – Additional Ounces | .20 | .15 | .05 |
| Flat/Large Envelope – 1 oz. | 1.00 | 1.00 | 0 |
| Flat/Large Envelope – Additional Ounces | .20 | .20 | 0 |
| Postcards | .36 | .35 | .01 |
USPS Media Mail Price Increase 2021 vs 2020
| weight | 2021 | 2020 | increase |
| 1 | $2.89 | $2.80 | $0.09 |
| 2 | $3.45 | $3.33 | $0.12 |
| 3 | $4.01 | $3.86 | $0.15 |
| 4 | $4.57 | $4.39 | $0.18 |
| 5 | $5.13 | $4.92 | $0.21 |
| 6 | $5.69 | $5.45 | $0.24 |
| 7 | $6.25 | $5.98 | $0.27 |
| 8 | $6.81 | $6.52 | $0.29 |
| 9 | $7.37 | $7.06 | $0.31 |
| 10 | $7.93 | $7.60 | $0.33 |
- The rate increases do not stop at 10 lbs, however that’s going to cover most of the books that are being shipped. If you max out the 70 lbs weight limit, you’d end up paying a total or $1.53 more than in 2020.
- NEW: An overweight/oversize surcharge of $100 will be added for packages that exceed the 70 lb. maximum weight limitation or the 130 inch length plus girth maximum dimensional size limit. This $100 surcharge must be paid by the shipper before the package will be delivered.
USPS Flat Rate Commercial Price Increase 2020 vs 2021
| Product | 2021 | 2020 | increase |
| Small Flat-Rate Box | $7.40 | $7.15 | .25 |
| Medium Flat-Rate Box | $13.75 | $15.05 | .45 |
| Large Flat-Rate Box | $19.3 | $18.30 | $1.00 |
| APO/FPO Large Flat-Rate Box | $17.8 | $16.80 | $1.00 |
| Regular Flat-Rate Envelope | $7.40 | $7.15 | $0.25 |
| Legal Flat-Rate Envelope | $7.70 | $7.45 | $0.25 |
| Padded Flat-Rate Envelope | $8.00 | $7.75 | $0.25 |
First-Class Mail Price Increases 2020 vs 2021
| Mailpiece Weight | Zones 1 & 2 | Zone 3 | Zone 4 | Zone 5 | Zone 6 | Zone 7 | Zone 8 | Zone 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ounce | $0.27 | $0.27 | $0.28 | $0.28 | $0.29 | $0.30 | $0.31 | $0.31 |
| 2 ounces | $0.27 | $0.27 | $0.28 | $0.28 | $0.29 | $0.30 | $0.31 | $0.31 |
| 3 ounces | $0.27 | $0.27 | $0.28 | $0.28 | $0.29 | $0.30 | $0.31 | $0.31 |
| 4 ounces | $0.27 | $0.27 | $0.28 | $0.28 | $0.29 | $0.30 | $0.31 | $0.31 |
| 5 ounces | $0.25 | $0.26 | $0.26 | $0.26 | $0.19 | $0.17 | $0.18 | $0.18 |
| 6 ounces | $0.25 | $0.26 | $0.26 | $0.26 | $0.19 | $0.17 | $0.18 | $0.18 |
| 7 ounces | $0.25 | $0.26 | 0.26 | $0.26 | $0.19 | $0.17 | $0.18 | $0.18 |
| 8 ounces | $0.25 | $0.26 | $0.26 | $0.26 | $0.19 | $0.17 | $0.18 | $0.18 |
| 9 ounces | $0.11 | $0.12 | $0.12 | $0.12 | $0.20 | $0.21 | $0.22 | $0.22 |
| 10 ounces | $0.11 | $0.12 | $0.12 | $0.12 | $0.20 | $0.21 | $0.22 | $0.22 |
| 11 ounces | $0.11 | $0.12 | $0.12 | $0.12 | $0.20 | $0.21 | $0.22 | $0.22 |
| 12 ounces | $0.11 | $0.12 | $0.12 | $0.12 | $0.20 | $0.21 | $0.22 | $0.22 |
| 13 ounces | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.26 | $0.27 | $0.28 | $0.28 |
| 14 ounces | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.26 | $0.27 | $0.28 | $0.28 |
| 15 ounces | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.26 | $0.27 | $0.28 | $0.28 |
| 15.999 ounces | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.26 | $0.27 | $0.28 | $0.28 |
INCREASE PER PACKAGE for Regional A and B Flat Rate Boxes – 2021 vs. 2020
| Box Type | Zones 1 & 2 | Zone 3 | Zone 4 | Zone 5 | Zone 6 | Zone 7 | Zone 8 | Zone 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | $0.15 | $0.12 | $0.13 | $0.09 | $0.47 | $0.50 | $0.54 | $4.68 |
| B | $0.16 | $0.13 | $0.14 | $0.83 | $0.78 | $0.89 | $1.01 | $8.60 |
Priority Mail – 2021 Rates (Commercial Base Pricing)
| Weight (lbs.) | Zones 1 & 2 | Zone 3 | Zone 4 | Zone 5 | Zone 6 | Zone 7 | Zone 8 | Zone 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0.14 | $0.11 | $0.11 | $0.08 | $0.36 | $0.37 | $0.38 | $2.85 |
| 2 | $0.15 | $0.12 | $0.12 | $0.09 | $0.45 | $0.47 | $0.5 | $4.36 |
| 3 | $0.16 | $0.12 | $0.13 | $0.10 | $0.55 | $0.61 | $0.71 | $5.92 |
| 4 | $0.16 | $0.13 | $0.14 | $0.10 | $0.64 | $0.72 | $0.82 | $7.13 |
| 5 | $0.16 | $0.13 | $0.14 | $1.06 | $0.73 | $0.83 | $0.95 | $8.29 |
Priority Mail will see an average increase of 3.6% (Commercial Base). A 1 lb. package going to Zone 8 using Priority Mail will increase $0.38, costing $8.80 in 2021 compared to $8.42 (does not include holiday surcharge) in 2020.
Because the variety of circumstances that can arise when shipping something with priority mail are much more varied than when shipping first-class mail or flat rate mail, the above table has purposefully been left incomplete. Here are some major takeaways about the 2021 USPS Shipping Rate Increase:
- Rate increases are 2.04% or lower for packages weighing up to 6 lbs. being delivered to Zones 1-5. The one exception is Zone 5 at 5 lbs. which is seeing an increase of $1.06 (9.96%).
- For all packages weighing up to 70 lbs. being delivered to Zones 6-8, the rate increases are significant at 4.50% or higher.
- For packages weighing 7 lbs. or more, Zone 1-5 are seeing a significant increase of 3.96% or higher.
- For packages weighing 11 lbs. or higher, the rate increase is a minimum of 7%.
- Rate increases for Zone 9 (U.S. territories) are increasing by 24.99% or more
USPS is going to price themselves out of business. I use Media Mail, so they are still he cheapest for those items, but for clothing and the like, i will compare other methods.