USPS makes more changes to your mail, from Sunday
The agency provides for several adjustments which focuses on postal stamps.
THE American postal service (USPS) is certainly no stranger to change - these days, it seems that it would be more surprising if they decided to keep anything the same. Since the introduction of his Delivery plan for America (DFA) In 2021, the USPS actively adjusted its operations in order to achieve financial sustainability by the end of this decade. So far, most of the agency changes have been centered on Increase mail prices and slow down delivery standards. But now the postal service provides adjustments in the light of a major problem: counterfeit shipping costs. Read the rest to find out more about this change and what else you should expect this summer.
Read this then: USPS now delays these changes to your mail delivery .
The USPS recently warned of an increase in counterfeit shipping costs.
False stamps have become a serious problem for the postal service. Back in February 2023, the agency sent an alert Warning the public that an increase in counterfeit shipping costs has been recently found in the messaging system. "The intentional use or the sale of counterfeit shipping costs is a crime because it seeks to obtain services without payment," said the USPS.
Due to the recent increase in this crime, when the postal service announced that it worked to change the way it manages the mail found with counterfeit shipping costs. "As the country's most reliable government agency, we will continue to work with other law enforcement agencies and government to protect the sacredness of mail", postal in -chief inspector Gary Barksdale said in a press release.
Now the USPS is finally preparing to change its standards so that it can better fight counterfeit shipping costs.
The agency is implementing new standards because of this.
The postal service has obtained the green light to modify its distribution standards with regard to counterfeit shipping costs, according to a final decision Published on April 11 on the Federal register . With this adjustment, "mail items with counterfeit shipping costs will be considered abandoned and eliminated at the discretion of the postal service," said the agency in an April 20 on April 20 postal bulletin .
These new standards will come into force this weekend. From May 7, abandoned items "will no longer be returned to the sender", and it doesn't matter if you knew that your mail was fixed with false stamps or not. "Consumers buying online items may be surprised to discover that the supplier has sent their goods using counterfeit shipping costs. [But] Under the new regulation, these items will be considered abandoned and eliminated at the discretion of the service postal ", noted the agency in its its Liberation function of February.
The USPS added: "When this happens, consumers will have to request the appeal from the seller."
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This is not the only change that could upset customers.
Customers have already made their concerns with new very clear counterfeit post standards, as indicated in the Federal register document. But this is not the only change that could lead to controversy this summer. The postal service also recently announced that its planning increased the cost of its stamps in a few months.
In an April 10 Press release , the agency revealed that it had filed an opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission (RPC) of the plans offered to increase the prices of the first class mail by around 5.4%. If it is examined favorably by the PRC, higher rates will come into force on July 9 and will include an increase of three hundred in the price of a first letter stamp forever from 63 cents to 66 cents.
This price increase aims to "compensate for the increase in inflation", according to the USPS. "While operating expenses powered by inflation continue to increase and the effects of a previously defective pricing model are still in line, these price adjustments are necessary to provide the postal service with essential income To carry out the financial stability requested by its delivery for America 10 10 - Plan, "added the agency.
The postal service also emits new stamps.
This is not all bad news, however. The USPS is also preparing to deploy new designs in the coming months. This includes a new stamp for Hamper Chief Standing Bear , which will be available for purchase after his dedication ceremony at Centennial Mall in Lincoln, Nebraska, May 12. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB
A few days later, the USPS will organize another dedication ceremony on May 19 to present its new Collection of endangered species . According to the agency, these new stamps will have 20 photos of different animals disappearing to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Disappearance Species Act.
On May 4, it was also announced that a new Cascade pad series will be released this summer. This collection will be presented on June 13 during a dedication ceremony at Yellowstone National Park . "The American postal service celebrates the variety and beauty of American waterfalls with 12 new stamps," said the agency. "Each stamp has a photograph with the name of the waterfall and the state in which it is located below."