Upcoming USPS Price and Service Changes in July 2023
by EasyPost
Last updated: July 5th, 2023
If you’re part of the shipping industry, you know change is our only constant! Yep - new rates and service changes for USPS are coming once again. USPS is changing prices and select services starting July 9th, 2023.
What USPS rates are changing?
The proposed changes have been approved by Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) and are scheduled to start on July 9th, 2023. EasyPost will update the USPS Rate Chart page to feature the new rates once they are live. But, if you’d like to see the new rates ahead of time, you can view them on USPS’s website.
The price change will help combat the rising inflation of operating costs. If you have any questions about how these changes could affect your business operations, reach out to your dedicated EasyPost Customer Success Manager or contact support.
What USPS services are changing?
USPS will be making several changes to their services ranging from an entirely new mail class to updates for services and mandates. Here is a summary of affected services:
- Consolidated and rebranded mail classes: “USPS Ground Advantage”. See details below.
- Priority Mail Express will be added to the USPS Returns product and named “Priority Mail Express Return Service”
- Registered mail coverage limits for Domestic Registered Mail will be reduced and the rates will change
- New Hazardous Material identification requirements will be mandated. See our blog post for full details
USPS Ground Advantage and USPS Ground Advantage Return Service
Starting July 9th, 2023 First-Class Package Service (FCPS) Retail and Commercial, Retail Ground (RG), and Parcel Select Ground (PSG) mail classes will be merged under the new mail class branding “USPS Ground Advantage”.
USPS Ground Advantage Overview:
- 2-5 days estimated national service standard including offshore deliveries
- Shipments can be up to 70 lbs and 130 inches in length + girth, with ounce pricing at 4 oz., 8 oz., 12 oz., and 15.999 oz.
- EasyPost will support Commercial rates that are zone/weight-based and cubic-based for 0.1 to 1.0 cubic foot.
- Dimensional Weight Pricing applies to all weights and zones
- Postage for parcels addressed for delivery to Zones 1-9 and exceeding 1 cubic foot is based on the actual weight or the dimensional weight, whichever is greater
- Shipments may be subject to oversized pricing, nonstandard package fees, and dimension noncompliance fees
- Includes $100 of USPS insurance coverage for no additional cost
- Users will be able to buy USPS Ground Advantage shipments using the new "GroundAdvantage" service name or the legacy "First" or "ParcelSelect" service names through Jan 21, 2024, at which time the legacy service names will no longer be supported
USPS Ground Advantage Return Service will be replacing “Ground Return Service” and “First-Class Package Return Service” with minor changes.
- Ounce-based pricing will be removed, therefore any shipment less than 1 lb will return a 1 lb rate
- Includes $100 of USPS insurance coverage for no additional cost
Priority Mail Express Return Service
Priority Mail Express Return Service is a new USPS Returns service in addition to USPS Ground Advantage Return Service and Priority Mail Return Service. Priority Mail Express Return Service will have the same service standard as Priority Mail Express.
Businesses who need to receive their returns quickly such as testing kits or repairs can benefit from these fast transit times. Please note that nonstandard package fees do not apply to any USPS Returns shipments.
Priority Mail Express Service Standards
- Next to 2-day delivery times with money-back guarantees
- Free package pickup from your home or office
- USPS Tracking® and $100 of USPS insurance
Domestic Registered Mail
The maximum coverage amount for domestic Registered Mail will be reduced to $50,000. The service will also receive a new pricing structure. Shippers must declare the full value of Registered Mail items.
Items with a declared value of more than $50,000 can be mailed with Registered Mail extra service, but insurance compensation for loss, damage, or missing contents is limited to $50,000.
Declared Value | Fee (in addition to postage) |
|---|---|
0.00 | $16.80 |
0.01 - 100.00 | $17.55 |
100.01 - 500.00 | $20.20 |
500.01 - 1,000.00 | $22.55 |
1,000.01 - 2,000.00 | $24.90 |
2,000.01 - 3,000.00 | $27.25 |
3,000.01 - 4,000.00 | $29.60 |
4,000.01 - 5,000.00 | $31.95 |
5,000.01 - 50,000 | $31.95 + $2.35 for each $1,000 or fraction over $5,000 |
Over 50,000.00 | $137.70 |
Hazardous Materials (HazMat)
USPS will be requiring shippers to identify all HazMat items being shipped. EasyPost implemented the new HazMat identification functionality in April 2023 to support this while giving users time to migrate from legacy HazMat identification values to the new classification types. USPS is mandating the new HazMat types be used effective July 9, 2023 and EasyPost will be ending support for legacy HazMat values. To learn more please see our blog for more details. You can also take USPS's HazMat tutorial to get familiar with the regulations.
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