The U.S. Postal Service has proposed new postage rates to be implemented on Sunday, January 24, 2021, subject to approval by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). Listed below are the highlights of the proposed 2021 USPS shipping rate increase for customers buying postage online for DOMESTIC SHIPPING services. For information about the previously announced mailing rates see the USPS 2021 Mailing Rates post.
priority mail express – rates 2021 (commercial base price)
Package Increase: 2021 Rates vs. 2020 Rates
Overall, Expedited Priority Mail prices will increase 2.5% (commercial basis). a 1-pound package going to zone 8 using priority express mail will cost $39.85 in 2021 compared to $38.05 (excluding holiday surcharge) in 2020.
2021 usps shipping rate increase interest points:
- packages up to 20 lbs. travel to zones 1-3 will not see an increase.
- rate increases for zone 9 (us territories) are increasing by 4.95% or more
- trade base and trade plus prices will be the same in 2021.
- maximum discount for trade base price compared to post office (retail) prices is 17%
- new: A $100 oversize/overweight surcharge will be added for packages that exceed the maximum weight limit of 70 pounds or the maximum dimensional size limit of 130 inches in length plus girth. the sender must pay this $100 surcharge before the package is delivered.
priority mail express flat rate – rates 2021 (commercial base price)
Package Increase: 2021 Rates vs. 2020 Rates
Priority Mail Express Flat Rate Envelopes will not increase rates in 2021. Priority Mail Express Flat Rate Envelope prices will remain the same as in 2020, with a range of $22.75 to $23.25 above.
priority mail – 2021 rates (commercial base price)
Package Increase: 2021 Rates vs. 2020 Rates
priority mail will see an average increase of 3.6% (commercial basis). a 1-pound package going to zone 8 using priority mail will increase by $0.38 to $8.80 in 2021 compared to $8.42 (excluding holiday surcharge) in 2020.
2021 usps shipping rate increase interest points:
- Rate increases are modest (2.04% or less) for packages weighing up to 6 lbs. being delivered to zones 1-5. the only exception is the 5 to 5 pound area. which is experiencing 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 more.
- for packages weighing 7 lbs. or more, zones 1-5 are seeing a significant increase of 3.96% or more.
- for packages weighing 11 lbs. or higher, the rate increase is a minimum of 7%.
- Rate increases for Zone 9 (U.S. Territories) increase by 24.99% or more
- Maximum Priority Mail business base discount compared to post office (retail) prices is 40%.
- new: $100 overweight/oversize surcharge will be added excessive for packages that exceed the 70-pound maximum weight limit or the 130-inch maximum length plus girth dimensional size limit. the sender must pay this $100 surcharge before the package is delivered.
priority mail flat rate – 2021 rates (commercial base price)
Package Increase: 2021 Rates vs. 2020 Rates
shipping rates for priority mail flat rate products will increase in 2021. the popular priority mail flat rate padded envelope will increase $0.25 to $8.00 in 2021 compared to $7.75 (excluding holiday surcharge) in 2020 .rates for priority mail means the flat rate box will increase $0.55 to $13.75 from $13.20 currently. rates for the large flat rate box will increase by $1.00 from $18.30 to $19.30 (excluding holiday surcharge) in 2020.
2021 usps shipping rate increase interest points:
- the fee increases in cost as the flat rate box increases in size.
- small flat rate boxes increase only $0.25 (3.5%) while flat rate boxes large increase $1.00 (5.46%).
Priority Mail Regional Rate Charts: 2021 Rates (Commercial Base Price)
Package Increase: 2021 Rates vs. 2020 Rates
rates for priority mail regional rate boxes will increase for all shipping zones in 2021. a 5 pound package going to zone 8 using regional rate box a will increase $0.54 to $12.64 in 2021 compared with $12.10 (excludes holiday surcharge) in 2020. regional rate chart a is priced at 2 lbs. regular priority mail, but may contain items weighing up to 15 lbs.
2021 usps shipping rate increase interest points:
- for regional rate box a, the closest shipping zones (zones 1-5) experience a modest 1-2% increase.
- in zone 6, the increase rate jumps significantly to 4.46% or higher
- rate increases in zone 9 (us territories) are increasing by 25%
First Class Package Service – 2021 Rates (Commercial Base Price)
Package Increase: 2021 Rates vs. 2020 Rates
general rates for first class package service will increase by 6.50%. a 15,999-ounce package for First Class parcel service traveling to zone 8 will increase by $0.28 to $5.98 in 2021 from $5.70 (excluding holiday surcharge) in 2020.
2021 usps shipping rate increase interest points:
- first class parcel service is seeing increases ranging from $0.11 (2.8% increase) to $0.31 (9.75% increase)
- el maximum business discount of first class parcel service compared to post office (retail) is 28%.
- first class parcel service is still the best deal among all companies transportation usa uu.
- new: A $100 surcharge will be added for being overweight or exceeding the maximum weight limit of 70 pounds or the maximum dimensional size limit of 130 inches in length plus girth. the sender must pay this $100 surcharge before the package is delivered.
parcel select ground – 2021 rates (commercial base price)
Package Increase: 2021 Rates vs. 2020 Rates
overall rates for select ground packages will increase 1.3% in 2021. however, many low-weight packages are actually going down in 2021. a 2-pound package going to zone 8 will drop $0.10 to $10.79 in 2021 from $10.89 (excluding holiday surcharge) in 2020.
2021 usps shipping rate increase interest points:
- traveling to shipping zones further afield (zones 6-8) are seeing large increases. a package weighing 70 lbs. travel to zone 7 is experiencing a $9.12 increase.
- new: a $100 overweight/oversize surcharge will be added for packages exceeding the 70lb maximum weight limit or maximum dimensional size 130 inches in length plus girth limit. the sender must pay this $100 surcharge before the package is delivered.
Multimedia Mail: 2021 Rates (Commercial Base Price)
Package Increase: 2021 Rates vs. 2020 Rates
multimedia mail rates will increase an average of 3.57% in 2021. A 1-pound package traveling to zone 8 will increase by $0.09 cents to $2.89 in 2021 compared to $2.80 in 2020.
2021 usps shipping rate increase interest points:
- Rate increases increase as the weight of multimedia mail packages increases. while 1lb rates increase by $0.09, a 45lb package increases by $1.03 and a 70lb package increases by $1.53
- new: a $100 surcharge will be added for overweight/oversize packages exceeding the weight limit maximum weight of 70 pounds or the maximum dimensional size limit of 130 inches in length plus girth. the sender must pay this $100 surcharge before the package is delivered.
stamps.com will automatically update to the new usps rates on January 24, 2021
once the rates are approved by the prc, stamps.com will automatically update all usps rates within the software and web-based version (stamps.com online) on sunday january 24, 2021. if you are a stamps.com customer, no additional actions are needed and you will automatically see the 2021 usps rates on the platform.
Follow the stamps.com blog for more news from usps, including year-over-year comparisons of usps international shipping rates.