Hi guys,

Your media mail rates are going up tomorrow (?) right? Anyone know what the new rates are?

No idea. I was hoping to mail a few packages out before they went up, but the line at the post office was out the door.

I can't imagine it could be more than what it was worth to stand in line today.

I need to find some ways to make prepaid labels or something. :erm:

This is the info I have-


The USPS is increasing postal rates which will change the rates for mailing books. Starting Sunday January 8, 2006, the new Media Mail rates will be:


Under 1 lb - $1.59
1 lb to 2 lbs - $2.07

Okay, this seems wrong, but if you look at this chart, it looks like media mail is DOWN in cost. What am I missing?

Nevermind :) I was looking at wrong chart. That was for businesses. Ours is at this page.

Yeah, I actually stood in one of those queues. Took me 45 minutes to mail the packages. However, I did have a book to read while I stood there. A couple people commented on what a good idea that is, and I so wished I had a stack of BC bookmarks in my bag to hand out to those who said that <_<

Mailing costs are going to very quickly start adding up. I figured it wouldn't go up by more than 5 cents, but it looks like it's closer to 10 each per book. I guess that isn't that bad, but thinking of how many swaps/relays/trades, etc I participate in, that's going to start adding up rather quickly. <_<

Does that mean when I mail books for PBS I have to put more than 4 stamps? :unsure:

You have been putting .06 extra postage on all your books? That is crazy lady! Don't give the post office more than is required. If you use the new .39 stamps, you will be .03 short of media mail if you use 4 stamps.

I didn't have too much of a problem at the post today
When I went on Wednesday though the line was insane.

oh, I learned something today...

I don't know how many of you buy the special "support" stamps (they cost 45c and the extra cost goes toward breast cancer research or something else)... apparently those stamps will still be good at the new rate.

Sometimes the extra 0.05 is worth not driving to the post office and waiting in line if you only need to mail one book. Think of the cost of gas alone! Grrr!

Maybe now would be a good time to stock up on one and two cent stamps and make up the difference four stamps would be??

If you have leftover 39 cent stamps, you can combine with two 60 cent stamps to make it $1.59.

I live about 10 miles outside the city limits. And I live 15 miles from the downtown where the Post Office is. It was definitely cheaper to let them have the extra .06 cents then waste all that gas.

Buy stamps online at USPS.com and, as far as I recall, you don't have to pay shipping fee. I am a stickler when it comes to postage. I can't bear to give the USPS one penny more than they already get, even though I am the first to champion USPS as one of the most efficient, and probably cheapest, post service on the planet. What bugs me about the USPS, and all the postal services in the countries I've visited (which numbers only about 8), is the insane bureaucracy that permeates the system and makes so many of the perfectly normal people who work there turn into nit-picking, slow, and annoying human beings. Grrrr. "Going postal" is something that happens to postal customers more than postal employees these days.

My dad was a mailman for 30 years Z. :lol:

So is one of my best friends in the whole world, which is why I always say "some" when I go on my rant about postal employees. And my friend usually agrees with me when I go on my rants, but I think he is just afraid of me :)

And I just placed an order at the USPS store online. It now costs $1 for shipping, but I got some cool new stamps that I never did see at the brick and mortar post office. They are .37 so I will need extra postage, but the .02 stamps are gorgeous.

Aren't they?

Z, did you see the article in the paper this morning about how this rate increase has been a stealth one? As in: the post office hasn't really notified people of it.

Yes, I did notice articles in various papers across the country. However, judging by the incredible queues all over the country, plenty of people did know about it. Yesterday I was wishing fewer had an inkling 'cause it wouldn't have taken me so long to get packages off.

The last rate increase got huge press, and I think this one pretty much got swept under the carpet because it happened so close to Christmas. It was too easy for the USPS to say the message had gotten lost in holiday rush :D

If anyone wants to, ya'll can send me those used stamps when you get the. (hint, hint, nudge, nudge) Me a stamp collector. :-D

There's actually a $1 fee for ordering stamps online--that's the only thing that's kept me from doing it. It may have been raised with the postage increase, though--I haven't looked lately.

Nope. Still $1. I ordered stamps last night and they will be in my post office box by Tuesday at the lastest, so the $1 is well spent. Got some very nice older designs (.37) that I never saw in the post office, as well as some small denomination issue, like a Quaker chair .04 issue, that will look very nice on postcards.

My post office is nearby, so amazing as it may seem, it's actually cheaper to spend the gas. Sometimes I walk there in the summertime. At least for now the gas is cheaper. Next week or next month it may not be. <_< I usually buy stamps at the grocery store while I'm buying groceries if I don't have any international packages.

So do the stamps come to your mailbox then? I may have to look into this. :)

Yup, in a nice sturdy mailer. And it is so much more fun to use a variety of stamps than the same ol', same ol' :)

Also, so many people are using stamps in papercrafts that your mailings will garner even more pleasure 'cause some folks will be getting not one, but two additions to their passions, a book and more papercraft stuff.

It has always cost me a 1.00 to have stamps sent here. But when gas is at 2.50 a gallon........ and this time of year... do you know what sort of line is waiting for you at the postoffice? For me-- having them just arrive in my mailbox --saved me time.

Aren't those pretty? I used up all my .37s sending out as many things as I could before the rate changed but grabbed some for my husband to use at work with the company's left over .37s.