International Mailing for Libya

On March 1, the U.S. Postal Service temporarily suspended acceptance of international mail service to Libya due to the lack of transportation service to Libya.

Additional information and updates regarding acceptance and movement of international mail to Libya are posted online at usps.com/communications/news/serviceupdates.

Service Resumes for International Mail to Egypt

The U.S. Postal Service has resumed international mail service to Egypt effective Feb. 22. All international mail services are now being provided to Egypt, including Global Express Guaranteed, Express Mail International, Priority Mail International and First-Class Mail International.

On Feb. 3, the Postal Service temporarily suspended acceptance of Global Express Guaranteed (GXG) service to Egypt. All other international mail services to Egypt were temporarily suspended on Feb. 7.
Service updates for international mail are posted online at usps.com/international/serviceupdates.

Postal Service Price Adjustments Set for April 17

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 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.

See also: Postmaster Announces Price Increases (Thursday, January 20, 2011)

U.S. Postal Service temporarily suspended Global Express Guaranteed (GXG) service to Egypt

Keep this in mind if youare planning on shipping or receiving anything from Egypt:

Egypt Post has advised Universal Postal Union member countries that it has not been able to provide postal services since Jan. 25. This situation will continue until security conditions have returned to normal. Egypt Post will assume no liability during this period regarding damages or inquiries concerning mail items in the UPU international network (parcels, letters and EMS). Egypt Post will inform other UPU designated operators when the situation returns to normal.

Then today this was received:

WASHINGTON — On Feb. 3, the U.S. Postal Service temporarily suspended acceptance of Global Express Guaranteed (GXG) service to Egypt due to the lack of GXG transportation service to Egypt.
Post Offices are continuing to accept international letter mail and other package services destined to Egypt.

Currently, this international mail is being temporarily held by the Postal Service until international mail transportation service to Egypt resumes.

Any GXG items currently in the U.S. mailstream destined for Egypt are being returned to the sender, and postage fees will be refunded upon request. GXG items enroute to Egypt are being held at international airports.

Updated information regarding acceptance and movement of international mail to Egypt will be posted online at http://www.usps.com/communications/news/serviceupdates.htm.

Postmaster Announces Price Increases

Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe signaled a new direction in continuing to improve customer relations within the mailing industry by consulting with industry representatives on the effective date for new prices and by relaxing some guidelines on implementing Intelligent Mail services.

"Working together as an industry we can address continuing economic challenges in a way that allows the postal service to generate much-needed revenue while being more responsive to ongoing customer needs," Donahoe said.

The Postal Service filed new mailing service prices with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). Price increases are limited to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) cap of 1.7 percent, consistent with the Postal Law of 2006. Actual percentage price increases for various products and services will vary. It has been nearly two years since the last increase.

After consulting with key industry association representatives, the new prices would become effective on April 17, giving the mailing community more than 90 days to make the necessary technology and system changes to accurately handle the new prices.

"We heard concerns that we were moving too fast on discontinuing POSTNET coding, and we will continue to offer the automation prices for mail with POSTNET barcodes beyond May 2011," Donahoe said.

Donahoe emphasized the value of the Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) to mailers and reiterating the Postal Service commitment to implementing the IMb. To date, more than 41 billion pieces of mail have been processed using the IMb.

Recognizing ongoing industry concerns with challenges associated with implementing the IMb, Donahoe announced that mailers can continue to use POSTNET barcodes to qualify for automation discounts. The POSTNET code was to sunset this May to enable broad adoption and use of the IMb. There will be no Full Service Address Change Service (ACS) charges.

Single-piece, 1 oz. First Class letters will remain 44 cents with additional ounces increased to 20 cents. The price for mailing a postcard will increase one cent. The overall increase is capped at 1.741 percent-at or below the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index. More detailed pricing information is available at www.usps.com/pricesOpens in a new window. This does not affect Express Mail and Priority Mail prices.

Prices for other mailing services, including Standard Mail, Periodicals, Package Services and Extra Services, also will change. Business mailers will see price increases in a variety of categories.

The proposed price changes are expected to generate $340 million for the balance of the fiscal year and $720 million if implemented for a 12-month period.

For more information, visit www.usps.com

For more information see also: Postal Service Price Adjustments Set for April 17 (Friday, February 18, 2011)

U.S. Postal Service to Expand Simplified Addressing for Businesses

Helping Small Businesses Grow, Millions in Postal Revenue Expected

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a move that is expected to help businesses grow — especially small businesses who currently don't use the mail because they can't afford it