People sending packages through the U.S. Postal Service will have to pay more starting this week, as the agency temporarily raises shipping prices amid rising fuel costs.
According to a news release, USPS announced on Wednesday, March 26 that it will increase the cost of shipping packages by 8% for a limited time to “better align its cost of transportation with the marketplace.”
This increase applies to the following products:
- Priority Mail Express
- priority Mail
- USPS Ground Advantage
- parcel selection
First Class Mail stamps and other USPS products are not affected. The price changes came into effect at midnight on Thursday, March 26.
Gas prices are rising
The USPS pricing changes come as oil, gasoline and diesel prices have risen since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran.
According to AAA, as of Tuesday, March 24, the national average price of gasoline was $3.98 a gallon, up 10 cents a week and nearly a dollar more than a month earlier.
Will USPS run out of money?
The USPS has warned that without congressional action it could run out of cash by 2027.
Postmaster General David Steiner, who takes office in July 2025, told Reuters and the Associated Press earlier this month that the agency could struggle to pay vendors and employees if Congress does not lift its $15 billion statutory debt limit.
“If we don’t do something different we will run out of cash in 12 months,” Steiner told Reuters.
USPS debates raising ticket prices
Steiner told lawmakers on March 17 that the price of a first-class stamp could rise by 12 to 17 cents, potentially increasing the cost from 78 cents to between 90 and 95 cents per stamp. He said the increase would “largely resolve our controllable losses.”
No stamp increases have been approved, and customers can still purchase a sheet of 20 stamps for $15.60 at USPS locations and online.
Trump has emphasized on reforming USPS
Last year, President Donald Trump said he was considering merging the USPS, which is currently an independent agency, into the Commerce Department, according to a previous report by USA TODAY. The agency would then be under the authority of the executive branch.
Trump said at the time, “We want a Post Office that does a good job and doesn’t lose huge amounts of money. And we’re thinking about doing that.”
Millions of people trust USPS
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the U.S. Postal Service delivers mail and packages to millions of addresses across the country, including rural areas where private carriers often do not serve. By law, the USPS is required to provide “universal postal service,” meaning delivery to every address in the country six days a week—which the GAO says is costly.
The USPS also plays an important role in public health and elections. A 2020 study found that the agency dispensed approximately 1.2 billion prescriptions in 2019, an essential service for communities that rely entirely on the USPS. During the 2024 election cycle, the USPS processed more than 99 million ballots, according to a USPS news release.
President Trump voted by mail in the 2026 Florida special election, despite previously calling mail-in voting “corrupt” and claiming without evidence that it leads to widespread voter fraud, USA Today reports. Voting rights advocates have warned that such claims could undermine public confidence in the Postal Service.
Contributing: USA TODAY’s Fernando Cervantes, Kinsey Crowley and Trevor Hughes; reuters
Julia Gomez is a trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers popular toys, scientific studies, natural disasters, holidays and trending news. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at (email protected).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sending a package? USPS raised prices by 8%
Reporting by Julia Gomez and Michelle Del Rey, USA TODAY/USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect