POSTAGE RATES

An unofficial site by Jerry Nelson.
Effective 11 May 2009; 44 cents/letter
Valid for 2010
Revised 17Mar2010 for Express/Priority mail

Inspired by the friendliest home town post office in the USA, Lafeyette, TN
(see "My Two Bits" at end)

Note: mail that can’t get through a sorting machine costs more. A flat, flexible business-sized envelope is cheaper than flat, flexible manila envelopes that need bigger sorting machines and they are cheaper than thick, inflexible envelopes of the same size and weight that are UNMACHINABLE.

Letters 1st Class 44¢ + 17¢ as of 11May09, valid 2010

1 oz $0.44 after 11May09 Bad envelope penalty 20¢
2 ounces $0.61 after 11May09.
3 ounces $0.78 after 11May09.
3.5 oz $0.95 after 11May09. Heavier? Go to FLATS (next).

Up 2 cents from $0.42 on 11May09; next increase expected May 2011.

Rigid object inside? Metal clasp? Button & closure string?
Add non-machinable penalty ("bad envelope" penalty), increased to $0.20 May08; unchanged for '09.
Square? Goes though their machines but they can’t tell which way? Add $0.20
Almost square (less than 30% height-width difference)? Add $0.20.
Too skinny? (long length more than 2.5x short)? Add $0.20.
Length over 11 ½” ? Go to “Flats” (next)
Height over 6 1/8”? Go to “Flats”.
(A Size 14 envelope is OK; Size 10 is normal)
Thicker than ¼”? Go to “Flats”.

Tired? Sorry. Too bad. Congress gave away its power of oversight and let the Postal Service change rates by itself.

“Flats” (Large 1st Class Envelopes)

Effective 11May09:

1 oz $0.88 and add17 cents each additional ounce
2 ounces $1.05
3 ounces $1.22 (fold it in half and go in a business envelope for 78 cents)
4 ounces $1.39
5 ounces $1.56
6 ounces $1.73
7 ounces $1.90
8 ounces $2.07
9 ounces $2.24
10 ounces $2.41
11 ounces $2.58
12 ounces $2.75
13 ounces $2.92

FLATS:

Over 13 oz? Consider Priority Mail flat-rate envelope.
Your envelope is inflexible, lumpy, not rectangular? Add 34 cents, go to “Packages”.
(No cardboard to prevent creased photos, sorry.)
Length over 15” ? Go to “Packages”.
Height over 12”? Go to “Packages”.
Thicker than ¾” Go to “Packages”

After 12May08, it went up 3¢
After 11May09, it went up 5¢

First Class 44¢ +17¢ Flats padded envelopes and small pkgs
International and Postcards PRIORITY
ExpressMail $$$ and insurance MediaMail (bookrate)
Money Orders, Delivery Confirm Print your own zone chart

Packages / Parcels / Lumpy envelopes 1st class

Padded envelopes, rigid photo mailers, medical samples, small boxes. You may write on your little box, "1st Class Airmail." The official name is "1st Class Mail Parcel" ( not Parcel Post !)

Effective 11May09:

1 oz $1.22 and add 17 cents each additional ounce
2 ounces $1.39
3 ounces $1.56
4 ounces $1.73
5 ounces $1.90
6 ounces $2.07
7 ounces $2.24
8 ounces $2.41
9 ounces $2.58
10 ounces $2.75
11 ounces $2.92
12 ounces $3.09
13 ounces $3.26

After 12May08, it went up 4¢
After 11May09 it went up 5¢

Delivery confirmation is offered online for about 18¢ cents vs $0.80 at the counter.
If over 13 oz, try instead Priority Mail flat rate boxes (any weight if you can fit it in).
Too big for the box? I prefer the brown UPS trucks from ups.com. You have to register.

Length plus girth over 108”? Go to Parcel Post calculator.
Length plus girth over 130" Go to UPS like I told you -- Post Office won't take it.

2009: UPS max 165" length plus girth, 108" max length. Bigger stuff can go UPS with a paid penalty, or with freight services.

First Class 44¢ +17¢ Flats padded envelopes and small pkgs
International and Postcards PRIORITY
ExpressMail $$$ and insurance MediaMail (bookrate)
Money Orders, Delivery Confirm Print your own zone chart

International Airmail (Boy, I hate this -- too complicated.)

1 ounce: Canada $0.75. Mexico $0.79. Rest of World (RoW) $0.98.

One ounce is a business envelope with 5 sheets of typical Xerox paper, or 1 sheet and six 4x6" photos. Leave out 1 sheet or 1 photo to be safe.

CANADA       1 oz         $0.75
                        2 oz         $1.00
                        3 oz         $1.25
                        3 1/2        $1.50

MEXICO        1 oz           $0.79
                        2 oz           $1.34
                        3 oz           $1.89
                        3 1/2       $2.44

Rest of World 1 oz $0.98
2    Go online.
3 Expect 50¢ to $1
31/2    more than Mexico. Or see Details below.

DETAILS for Cheaper and Costly Countries.

Cheaper Countries, Groups 6-9. Africa, Central and South America, Middle East, Asia, New Zealand
                            1 oz        $0.98 + 78¢/oz
                       2 oz    $1.76
                          3 oz    $2.54
                       3 1/2    $3.32

Costly Countries, Groups 3-5. China & Hong Kong, Russia, South Korea, Japan, Australia (host to a key ground station in a famous spy satellite system), European Union countries, Turkey .
                            1 oz        $0.98 + 84¢/oz
                       2 oz    $1.82
                          3 oz    $2.66
                       3 1/2    $3.50

Please double-check your country at http://postcalc.usps.gov/

NOTE: "each additional oz up to 3.5oz" means that you pay a full oz for the next half-ounce after three.
After 3.5 oz, try a Priority Mail flat rate envelope and stuff it with lots of extra stuff.

Don't have lots of extra stuff to mail? Don't want to move up to Priority Flat Rate?

Then put your 4 ounces in a larger envelope. Service up to 64 oz was dropped on 12May08, but only for LETTERs. No letter service, sorry. Change the envelope, and .... it's "First Class Mail International LARGE ENVELOPE" service. For 1, 2, 3, 3 1/2 oz, expect to pay 26¢ to 31¢ more if you don't use a small envelope, and, for 4 oz and up, expect to be denied service unless you use a large envelope.

Not just large but lumpy too? Pay slightly more and go to Packages ("First Class Mail International Packages").

After about 1 lb 2oz your large envelope will cost more than a Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelope, so get one and stuff your envelope into it -- it's free and the weight doesn't matter.

Why stop at Canada, Mexico, Cheap, and Costly? Why just 4 levels, 9 country groups? With 100 major nations in the world, we still have a long way to go. Stay tuned.

Postcard 28¢

4 ¼ x 6" max, 0.016” max (0.016" is "16 mills"; a typical business card is 12 mills)
Too big? Mail under letter rates for 44 cents domestic .

Increased 1¢ 12May08
Increased 2¢ 11May09

International Postcards 98¢

Canada

: 75 cents

Mexico

: 79 cents
RestOfWorld: 98 cents

Aerograms / Air Letter Sheets are discontinued by the postal service of the United States. . Was $0.75 to any country. Write whatever you want, mail it to any address you want -- done. The good old days.

If you have old Aerograms, you can use them at the current First-Class "Regular" Letters rate by adding additional stamps. Or save them for eBay.

First Class 44¢ +17¢ Flats padded envelopes and small pkgs
International and Postcards PRIORITY
ExpressMail $$$ and insurance MediaMail (bookrate)
Money Orders, Delivery Confirm Print your own zone chart

Priority Mail

Effective 4 January 2010. Revised 17Mar2010, sorry I'm late.
On-line prices are shown below.
To cope with the complexity and to obtain a discount that is usually 3%, purchase Priority postage online at:
http://postcalc.usps.gov/

Since 12May08, everything but flat-rate varies by zone.
So let's concentrate on flat rate.

$4.75 flat rate envelope domestic, any zone, any weight
as long as you can seal the envelope without extra tape.

(Remember, this is the on-line price, to put on your own stamps, it's $4.90)

$4.85 small flat rate box domestic, any zone, any weight
as long as you can close the flaps on the seams.

8-5/8" x 5-3/8" x 1-5/8"

$10.20 regular/medium flat rate box any zone, any weight.
Two regular-size boxes are available:

11" x 8.5" x 5.5" and
13.625" x 11.875" x 3.375

$13.95 large-size box to any zone, any weight
$11.95 to an APO/FPO address (no price break for the smaller sizes above).

12" x 12" x 5.5"

2009 size down from 12" x 12" x 6", and
price up from $12.95 2008, $13.50 2009, $13.95 2010.

(Caution: these rates typically change in January -- no, not every change happens in May.)

The regular-size Priority boxes may be used internationally (20 pound maximum )
—

Canada

and

Mexico

, calculate
— All other countries, calculate

If not a flat rate shipment, you can use your own packaging.
If it's virtually a local shipment, don't use flat-rate. A regular shipment that's $26.30 coast-to-coast will be only $8.37 locally for even the large box.

PRE-MAY 12, 2008:
Insurance up to $500 was available on-line; up to $5,000 if you presented the package to a Post Office clerk.

Priority “Dimensional Pricing”:

Packages larger than 1 cubic foot traveling far (Zones 5 through 8) are priced by size because such trips use air transportation. Or rather, you use the same old tables that price everything by weight, but you must use an imaginary weight calculated from your package size as 8.9 lbs per cubic foot. This works out to LxWxH in inches divided by 194. //Rant: These people are trying to have something both ways at once (size or weight? We can't decide!!) Now we have a world of lies: your box surely does not weight exactly 8.9 lbs/cubic foot. Complexity, lies, and indecision might be some people's definition of "bureaucracy". ///EndRant

First Class 44¢ +17¢ Flats padded envelopes and small pkgs
International and Postcards PRIORITY
ExpressMail $$$ and insurance MediaMail (bookrate)
Money Orders, Delivery Confirm Print your own zone chart

Express Mail

Since 12May08, everything varies by zone.
To cope with the complexity and to obtain a discount that is usually 3%, purchase Express postage online at:
http://postcalc.usps.gov/

Any Express shipment up to 1/2 lb must use a "Flat Rate Envelope". If not a flat rate shipment, you can use your own packaging, but, if it will fit, a flat-rate mailer is usually cheaper, because:
a $18.30 flat rate envelope takes any weight to any zone. For 2 lbs, expect $17 - $29; for 4 lbs, expect $19 to $37.

Order flat rate envelopes in cardboard or Tyvek here. This complex page may not display in browsers not sold by Microsoft or not favored by the USPS. The browser sold by Microsoft is called "Internet Explorer".

To find the page if it has been moved, search on Express mail maximum order like this: sample search. Look for hits on pages with the address "shop.usps.com" (Why isn't this a "dot-gov" site?)

Declared Value Insurance Fee

Available on most domestic services, but you would want it only for trackable shipments like Priority or Express.

$0.01 to $50: $1.65
$50.01 to $100: $2.05
$100.01 to $200: $2.45
$200.01 to $300: $4.60
$300.01 to $400: $5.50
$400.01 to $500: $6.40
$500.01 to $600: $7.30
$600.01 to $5,000: $7.30 plus $0.90 for each $100 or fraction over $600 in declared value.

Maximum liability is $5,000.00.

Restrictions apply to foreign mail – try a wired bank to bank transfer instead. Banks charge $25 or $50 per transaction.

First Class 44¢ +17¢ Flats padded envelopes and small pkgs
International and Postcards PRIORITY
ExpressMail $$$ and insurance MediaMail (bookrate)
Money Orders, Delivery Confirm Print your own zone chart

Media Mail Rates

Books, DVDs, etc. Be sure to follow postal regulations exactly as to what can go into the box. No variation by zone; not cheaper locally.
After 11May09: Domestic Rates
Up to 1 pound: $2.38
Up to 2 pounds: $2.77
Up to 3 pounds: $3.16
Up to 4 pounds: $3.55
Up to 5 pounds: $3.94

Yes, it goes higher, see http://postcalc.usps.gov/ and expect $7.84 for 15 lbs, $13.69 for 30, and $29.29 for the max which is 70 lbs.

Before 12May08:

Up to 1 pound: $2.13
Up to 2 pounds: $2.47
Up to 3 pounds: $2.81
Up to 4 pounds: $3.15
Up to 5 pounds: $3.49

Before 11May09:

Up to 1 pound: $2.23
Up to 2 pounds: $2.58
Up to 3 pounds: $2.93
Up to 4 pounds: $3.28
Up to 5 pounds: $3.63

Domestic Money Orders

Up to $500 -- $1.10

$500.01 to $1000.00 -- $1.50

Domestic Delivery Confirmation

First Class Mail $0.80 at the counter, less if you mail electronically.
Priority Mail $0.65 at the counter, free if you mail electronically.
Parcel Post $0.55; $1.80 for Signature Confirmation
Certified mail (proof you sent it): $1.15.
Proof they got it (Return Receipt): $2.30 and up.
Registration (postal employees sign a register as the item passes each step in its journey) starts at $10.60. Registration is a prerequisite to adding large amounts of insurance.

First Class 44¢ +17¢ Flats padded envelopes and small pkgs
International and Postcards PRIORITY
ExpressMail $$$ and insurance MediaMail (bookrate)
Money Orders, Delivery Confirm Print your own zone chart

POSTAL ZONES

from my town McLean to ZIP XXXxx

Try http://postcalc.usps.gov/Zonecharts/ (a U.S. Postal Service link) for your own town. You can get a chart like the one below.

This zone chart is handy for Priority boxes that are not flat rate, and essential for Parcel Post if you insist on killing yourself instead of using the on-line calculator at http://postcalc.usps.gov/

3-digit ZIP Code prefix is 221. The first 3-digits of your destination ZIP Code determine the zone. (* - Indicates zones eligible for Intra-BMC Rates)
ZIP Code Prefix	Zone	ZIP Code Prefix	Zone	ZIP Code Prefix	Zone	ZIP Code Prefix	Zone
005	3	254	1*	456..457	3	710..714	5
006..009	7	255..261	3	458..497	4	716..717	5
010..059	4	262..265	2	498..509	5	718	6
060..079	3	266	3	510..513	6	719..729	5
080..087	2	267..268	2*	514	5	730..731	6
088..119	3	270..286	3	515..516	6	733..741	6
120..123	4	287..296	4	520..528	5	743	6
124..127	3	297	3	530..532	5	744	5
128..129	4	298..315	4	534..535	5	745..748	6
130..132	3	316..317	5	537..551	5	749	5
133..136	4	318..319	4	553..561	5	750..768	6
137..154	3	320..342	5	562	6	769	7
155..159	2	344	5	563..564	5	770..784	6
160..165	3	346..347	5	565..567	6	785	7
166	2	349..352	5	570..577	6	786..796	6
167	3	354..355	5	580..587	6	797..816	7
168	2	356..358	4	588	7	820..831	7
169	3	359..361	5	590..595	7	832..838	8
170..176	2	362	4	596..599	8	840..844	8
177	3	363..369	5	600..609	4	845..847	7
178..179	2	370..374	4	610..617	5	850	8
180..188	3	375	5	618..619	4	852..853	8
189..199	2	376..379	4	620	5	855..857	8
200..212	1*	380..383	5	622..631	5	859..860	8
214	1*	384..385	4	633..641	5	863..864	8
215	2*	386..398	5	644..658	5	865	7
216..223	1*	399..410	4	660..662	5	870..875	7
224..225	2*	411..412	3	664..668	5	877..885	7
226..227	1*	413..414	4	669..672	6	889..891	8
228..239	2*	415..416	3	673	5	893..895	8
240..241	2	417..418	4	674..681	6	897..898	8
242	3	420	5	683..693	6	900..908	8
243	2	421..427	4	700..701	5	910..928	8
244	2*	430..436	4	703..704	5	930..986	8
245	2	437..447	3	705..706	6	988..999	8
246..253	3	448..455	4	707..708	5

chart from http://postcalc.usps.gov/Zonecharts/

PARCEL POST

I can't figure Parcel Post out, so instead I use flat rate Priority for small stuff, and the brown UPS trucks for heavy boxes. http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/bussol/personal/index.html

To preserve your parcel post sanity, give up and use the USPS rate calculator for "package" or "large package".

http://postcalc.usps.gov/

To do the calculation by hand, our government wants you do get a postal zone table for zones measured from your home town, like the one above, and to use the two tables below and do these steps:

1. Find the BMC city or the ASF city that serves your Zip code.

You can think of a BMC/ASF as a big mailing center or an automatic sorting facility. The largest BMC/ASF is the State of Alaska. Even physically smaller BMC/ASFs can embrace destinations that are as much as 5 zones away.

2. Inter or intra? See if the parcel's destination is or is not in a Zip code also served by your BMC or ASF. Now you know if this is a intra- or an inter-BMC/ASF shipment.

3. Get the zone. For an inter-BMC/ASF shipment, use the destination Zip and a zone table sheet calculated from your home town like the one above for my town to get the destination zone.

4. Decide whether or not you have a nice little machinable box.

A parcel is “machinable” and cheaper if it is not more than 34 inches long, or 17 inches high, or 17 inches thick, or 35 pounds in weight, isn’t tied with string, and other obscurities. (For books, or other printed matter, the maximum weight is 25 pounds.) More at http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/101.pdf

The non-machinable penalty for inter-BMC/AF rates is $3.89.
Within an BMC/ASF, the non-machinable penalty is $2.87

5. If INTER (between BMCs/ASFs), look up the cost to that zone on the inter-BMC/ASF table below, on either the machinable or non-machinable side.

6. If INTRA, here are the costs to Zone 5 for packages from 1 to 10 lbs:

$6.83
7.59
8.33
9.00
9.63
10.19
10.73
11.21
11.66
12.08

The whole table starts on page 20 in
http://pe.usps.gov/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/ratesandfees.pdf

For comparison, the inter BMC/ASF prices for the same weights range from $8 to $20.
(These are non-machinable rates.) If you're a life-long Democrat like me, why don't get together, get drunk and switch to the Republican party for less or better government than this.

BMC/ASF CITY THAT SERVES YOU

glossary:

BMC = Bulk Mail Center

ASF = Auxiliary Service Facility

For more postal abbreviations, acronyms and a USPS technical term glossary, see http://www.listsbank.com/postal_terms.htm
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BMCs (Bulk Mail Centers) in Zip code-order

New Jersey
005, 068-079, 085-098, 100-119, 124-127

Springfield
010-067, 120-123, 128, 129

Philadelphia
080-084, 137-139, 169-199

Pittsburgh
150-168, 260-266, 439-447

Washington DC
200-212, 214-239, 244, 254, 267, 268

Greensboro NC
240-243, 245-249, 270-297, 376

Cincinnati
250-253, 255-259, 400-418, 421, 422, 425-427, 430-433, 437, 438, 448-462, 469-474

Atlanta
298, 300-312, 317-319, 350-352, 354-368, 373, 374, 377-379, 398, 399.

Jacksonville
299, 313-316, 320-342, 344, 346, 347, 349.

Memphis
369-372, 375, 380-397, 700, 701, 703-705, 707, 708, 713, 714, 716, 717, 719-729

St. Louis
420, 423, 424, 475-479, 614-620, 622-631, 633-639

Detroit
434-436, 465-468, 480-497

Chicago
463, 464, 530-532, 534, 535, 537-539, 600-611, 613

Minneapolis/St. Paul
498, 499, 540-551, 553-564, 566

Des Moines
500-516, 520-528, 612, 680, 681, 683-689

Kansas City
640, 641, 644-658, 660-662, 664-679, 739

Denver
690-693, 800-816, 820, 822-831, 856, 857

Dallas
706, 710-712, 718, 733, 747, 750-799, 880, 885

Seattle
835, 838, 970-978, 980-986, 988-994

Los Angeles
889-891, 893, 900-908, 910-928, 930-935

San Francisco
894, 895, 897, 936-966

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ASFs (Auxiliary Service Facilities) in Zip code order

Buffalo
130-136, 140-149

Fargo ND
565, 567, 580-588

Sioux Falls SD
570-577

Billings MT
590-599, 821

Oklahoma City
730, 731, 734-738, 740, 741, 743-746, 748, 749

Salt Lake City
832-834, 836, 837, 840-847, 898, 979

Phoenix
850, 852, 853, 855, 859, 860, 863, 864

Albuquerque
865, 870-875, 877-879, 881-884

Other ASF
Puerto Rico
006-009

Hawaii
967-969

Alaska
995-999

Inter-BMC/ASF PARCEL POST CHARGES by Zone

Parcel Post rates for INTER BMC/ASF destinations

(return to top)

MY TWO BITS: There is a choice between keeping our post office simple so that people can use it, and running it like a corporation to squeeze out every dime. Squeezing out dimes has made our post office so complex that you can only use it online with a computer. Today, services change price every year. "Mail services" change price in May, and "shipping services" change price in January.

Thanks, guys, you can't even pick one date in the year to screw it up, you have to do it twice. Why not every week?

Who chose to do this? Not me. Who gave away power by authorizing rates to change every year without Congressional legislation? Not me. It must be the same Congress that lost the power to declare war (we fight anyway), the same Congress that passes laws and then grants retroactive immunity if you break them, the same Congress that tells the people what is "on the table" and what is "not on the table." Funny, I thought I was the one who sent you to Washington as my representative. You know, "House of Representatives"?

As we watch our Post Office fall apart, could there be a hand under the table, a soft word behind closed doors? Does somebody like what's going on?

Well, I can send up to a pound of junk mail for about half of what it costs you to mail just one letter. Search on "Pound Prices" Periodicals "Advertising Portion" in Google.com, dig it out, it's there. Again, **you** pay for an ounce, they pay less for a pound. And, are you home when the mail comes? Take a look at the weight your Letter Carrier is carrying.

The U.S. Postal Service no longer serves the U. S. people. Whether you work there or are just trying to get service, the U.S. Postal Service no longer serves the people of this country.

Dear US Postal Service, First drop the subsidy for big junk mailers and the big corporations that use them. **Then** tell me about the Internet. **Then** cry to me about fewer ordinary people sending fewer ordinary letters. All of us using this rate page can tell you right now a thing or two about ease of use and what it's really like for ordinary people trying to mail something, but first drop your subsidy for corporations.

This Web page was inspired by a similar page of rate charts put up by the local post office in Lafayette, Tennessee. The government Websites were driving me crazy. Finally I found a site in Lafayette TN that told me how to put stamps on my letter so I could just stick it outside and come in for a cup of coffee. Some guys who work there and one or two of their buddies put up a Web page with the few simple rates and rate tables that most of us need most of the time. I put up my pages to be like theirs. I put up something myself so I could be less formal than a real post office, and add some common sense, such as, "If it isn't machinable, it costs more--here's what the penalty is."

Then what?

Within a couple years the rates were changing very often (two different times every year) and the rate structure was getting so complicated (zones for Priority that used to be the same for the whole country, rates to Canada and Mexico that used to be the same became different) that Tennessee gave up. That's right -- the town post office took down their rate tables and gave up. I challenge you to find any place in the USA besides this place that posts the postage rates of the USA --the ones you need, all on one page. I also apologize for any errors on my page, but at least you can get an overview and the logic -- if any -- behind the rules. Maybe at least I have helped you pick what service you want before you go to http://postcalc.usps.gov/ , I don't want you to stand in line like me only to discover you chose the wrong envelope (and have to go home to fix it).

Our Post Office is part of our civic society -- it is in all our communities, it serves everyone in their daily life, and it is not a corporation. Like many institutions of civic society in our time, it has been weakened.

The changes that have been made to "save money" and "make the USPS a competitive player" in the "free market" have made the US Postal Service too difficult for most people to use. For anything more than a letter, we all have to go on line or stand in line. Anything else would be quicker than all this complexity -- an email, a fax, anything. The price is bad, the service is worse -- by design. We the people are not what counts when profit comes first. Civic society -- our communities and our relations with one another -- is not what counts when profit comes first. The country -- the welfare of the United States of America -- is not what counts when profit comes first.

The only thing we can count on is that the US Postal Service will deliver junk mail at reduced rates for corporate clients right up until the day the system vanishes forever. On that day there will be less competition for the corporations that killed it and want the business. Live with it, get with the program. The failure of post offices in every town in the country is the free market at work. So just accept it. And when the banks failed?
--jerry
J. I. Nelson, Ph.D. (return to top)

McLean, VA Post Office

Vacation over.
Back to reality and 35 lbs of mail.
Maybe next time ask if they offer a shredder option.