USPS Price Increase (April 17, 2011)

If you are shipping coins (don't we all trade/sell?) then here's come the rate hike

Here's the whole article from USPS website (http://www.usps.com/communications/...r11_017.htm)

Postal Service Price Adjustments Set for April 17
Stamp Price Remains 44 Cents; Impact to Retail Customers Minimal

WASHINGTON -- The Postal Regulatory Commission has notified the U.S. Postal Service that price changes announced Jan. 13 satisfy the requirements of the law and will take effect April 17.

The first U.S. Postal Service mailing services price change in two years will have minimal impact on retail customers who will continue to pay only 44 cents for a stamp.

Price changes of note for retail customers include the following:

* First-Class Mail letters (1 oz.) remain unchanged at 44 cents,
* First-Class Mail additional ounces increase to 20 cents,
* Postcards will cost 29 cents,
* Letters to Canada or Mexico (1 oz.) increase to 80 cents, and
* Letters to other international destinations will remain unchanged at 98 cents.

"Postal Service products and services offer a great value to the American public," said Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe. "For a very affordable price, you can send letters, bill payments, packages, and other mail across town or across the nation."

The 1.7 percent average increase is at or below the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index -- although actual percentage price increases for various products and services vary.

Prices will also change for other mailing services, including Standard Mail, Periodicals, Package Services and Extra Services. Larger volume business mailers will see price increases in a variety of categories. Detailed pricing information is available online at http://www.usps.com/prices.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://www.usps.com/communications/...welcome.htm.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.