Category: Uncategorized

For the second year in a row, the US Postal Service is raising their prices twice within a single year.

The USPS traditionally issues a price update annually (at the beginning of each year). However, moving forward they will implement price updates on a semi-annual basis (in January and July), starting in 2022.

The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) has approved the 2022 mid-year price increase for a number of products and services that the USPS offers, and the new rates will go into effect at Midnight on Sunday, July 10, 2022. 

The price of a first-class stamp will be raised by two cents.  Below are the other notable changes that will have an impact on some of the products LetterStream has to offer: 

• First Class postage is going up 2 cents; from .58 to .60 
• Certified mail is going up 25 cents; from 3.75 to 4.00
• Certified ERR (Electronic Return Receipt) is going up 15 cents; from 1.85 to 2.00
• First Class flats are going up 4 cents; from 1.20 to 1.24 
• Postcards are going up 4 cents; from .40 to .44 
• Extra Ounces (Letters) are staying the same at 20 cents 
• Extra Ounces (Flats) are going up 4 cents; from .20 to .24 
• International postage is going up 10 cents; from 1.30 to 1.40 
• Registered mail is going up 1.10; from 17.15 to 18.25 
• Standard/Marketing mail is going up 2 cents; from .24 to .26 

For those who rely on LetterStream as their valued print and mail partner, the new rates will go into effect at 4pm the last business day before the USPS implements their new prices (July 8th, 2022).  This is because orders that are received after 4pm Pacific Time will not be mailed until the new rates are in effect on Monday. 

If you’re looking for an electronic way to send your statements, we provide an email delivery service (eDoc Delivery), which allows you to send your documents via email – directly through your LetterStream account.  This can be done in place of, or in addition to, your real mail.  Click here for more information. 

For more information regarding this price increase, visit the USPS website or download the complete list of August 2022 USPS rate changes. 

Visit our website for more information about LetterStream and how to send your mail online without ever touching a piece of paper. 

Pro tip:  if you want to get the old pricing but don’t want your mailing to go out before July 10th, you can always use our schedule job option to schedule your job to be mailed on a future date!

It has been a while since our last COVID-19 update, but that’s because nothing much has changed in our protocols or a capability to process mail.  Our systems remain strong despite large increases in web traffic and our team remains healthy because of the many safety measures that we’ve been operating under.

We do have some concerns however about how the United States Postal Service will keep up with the increase in mail volume this December.  There are large increases in package deliveries this year as shoppers avoid stores and shop online due to the Cornavirus.  These packages will take up truck and delivery vehicle space and may limit the amount of mail or the speed at which mail can be delivered.  We are already seeing our inbound freight shipments being delayed.  That said, we encourage all our customers to send mail early this year for timely delivery.

While not promoted heavily on our website, we do offer electronic delivery of documents in the event you have email addresses for your recipients.  If interested, please contact our support staff or your sales representative.

LetterStream continues to print and mail your critical business correspondence.

Arizona, home of LetterStream, Inc., has yet to implement a shelter in place order but even if they do so, both the State and Federal language around Essential Services should allow us to remain operational for the foreseeable future.

Governor Doug Ducey issued an Executive Order on March 23, 2020 which classifies mail and shipping businesses as Essential Services.  A similar order came from the US Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on March 19, 2020 stating that “Postal and shipping workers, to include private companies” are a part of the Essential Critical Infrastructure.  That said, we believe we will continue to process your mail even if conditions worsen across the country.

Additionally we are taking extreme steps to make sure our workforce is practicing CDC recommendations as well as embracing preventive measures as quickly as we implement them.

To improve Social Distancing we have taken three key actions.  First, we have asked that all administrative employees to work from home.  Secondly we have extended our normal operating hours allowing fewer people to be working at any one time.  And finally we have temporarily suspended the use of our Express Letter job type (click to learn more – Express Letter Temporarily Unavailable ). Each of these actions along with the commitment of all the amazing LetterStream team members should keep us positioned to get your mail out.

Thank you for your continued support of our business and for trusting us with your critical mail.

LetterStream is paying very close attention to the Coronavirus situation and is meeting and taking new actions daily.

At this point, we are still fully operational but we are reducing the number of active employees working at peak times in order to increase “social distancing” for our team.  And while we expect minimal impact, we do know that the amount of mail we can get out the door the “same day” it arrives is likely to be diminished.

Keep in mind that FedEx, Certified Mail, and Expedited mail will have the same priority as always and we believe we will continue to hit those targets.  The change will be in USPS First-class, NonProfit and Standard/Marketing Mail where customers may be accustomed to loading a job at 3pm and seeing it mail the same day, without paying for expedited service.  We foresee this being the most impacted and highly unlikely for weeks ahead.

Here are some things you can do to help us stay in step with you about your mailing projects.  If you need the mail delivered quickly, we highly recommend our FedEx overnight and 3-Day options.  If you absolutely need your mail processed quickly by LetterStream, pay to have your job expedited through rush or expedited services in the shopping cart.  If you just wish your mail would go out faster, I’d recommend trying to load your jobs earlier in the day. Lastly, please anticipate that delays are going to be occurring all around us and all around you.  Please work on plans to compensate for the new normal so that your mailings will go out as needed.

As always, if you have any questions you can contact our awesome Customer Service team, all of whom are working remotely.  Also, our website provides a lot of good help, solutions, and information via the Help button floating in the lower right corner of the screen.

Thank you for your business, for your frequent kind words and for trusting us with your critical mail.  Stay well and hunker down.

Mark Your Calendars!

The proposed price changes that the United States Postal Service (USPS) filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) back in October, were approved. Starting January 26, 2020, these new prices will officially be in effect.

LetterStream prices will reflect the rate changes starting on Friday, January 24th at 5pm Arizona Time (6pm EST), so we recommend planning ahead and approving your mailings before the price increases are officially in effect.

As it goes every year, any job in our system that has been approved and paid for prior to 5pm on the 24th will have the old postage prices, even if we mail it on Monday the 27th.  Following is a list of postage changes for some of our primary products.

Here’s the list of items unchanged by the 2020 rates:

• First-Class stamps staying at $0.55
• First-Class Postcard Rate staying at $0.35
• Extra Ounces staying at $0.15 (for letters, not flats)
• Flat base rate staying at $1.00

And some items that are experiencing an increase, such as:

• International Rates going up from $1.15 to $1.20
• Certified Mail going up from $3.50 to $3.55
• Return Receipt going up from $2.80 to $2.85
• Electronic Return Receipt going up from $1.60 to $1.70
• Registered Mail going up from $12.40 to $12.60
• Flats Extra Ounces going up from $0.15 to $0.20

Sorry, this year we didn’t find any fees that went down for the products that we offer.

Click here to review the USPS press release for 2020 postage rates.
Click here to download and review the complete list of 2020 USPS rate changes.

We should remind you that LetterStream rarely raises our prices.  We simply increase our prices by the amount of the USPS rate increases, and you can expect the same this year as well.

Again, LetterStream will be implementing these changes on January 24^th, 2020 at 5 PM, so make sure you approve any jobs you can before the 24^th to get the old postage prices.

Santa isn’t the only one busy this Holiday season!

We all get sucked into the hustle and bustle of shopping, wrapping, ordering, and MAILING!

The USPS becomes Santa’s little helpers as they deliver about 2.5 million pieces of mail this week alone and about 800 million packages between Thanksgiving and New Years. (WBRZ)

When sending out letters and packages to family and friends and want them to make it to the desired location by the big day, to do so make sure you follow the USPS shipping deadlines schedule.

Dec. 18 – APO/FPO/DPO (except ZIP Code 093) USPS Priority Mail Express

Dec. 20 – First-Class Mail (including greeting cards)

Dec. 20 – First-Class Packages (up to 15.99 ounces)

Dec. 20 – Hawaii to mainland Priority Mail and First-Class Mail

Dec. 21 – Priority Mail

Dec. 20 – Alaska to mainland Priority Mail and First-Class Mail

Dec. 22 – Alaska to mainland Priority Mail Express

Dec. 22 – Hawaii to mainland Priority Mail Express

Dec. 23 – Priority Mail Express

If you want more information about these deadlines go to WBRC.com

Happy Holiday!