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Re: New postage rates
Board: LTC: Trades and Trackers
Reply to: #956249 by Linden Leaf
Jan 31, 2018 1:27pm
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I visited the friendly, helpful, knowledgeable folks at my village post office today. They provided me with a new USPS Service Retail Quick Tip Sheet with the new rates.

First Class Postage
Postcards (max. size 4 1/4 x 6 inches) 35 cents

Letters & Cards (max. size 1/4 inch thickness)
1 oz. 50 cents (1 Forever stamp)
2 oz. 71 cents
3 oz. 92 cents
4 oz. $1.13

Large Envelopes (max. 3/4 inch thickness)
1 oz. $1.00
2 oz. $1.21
3 oz. $1.42*
4 oz. $1.63
*Test Example: 20 standard LTCs in card sleeves in a binder page
weighs 2.25 oz. (not double folded cards or layered, no embellishments)

Padded (Parcel) Envelopes (any thickness) Based on weight only
1 oz. - 4 oz. $3.50
5 oz. - 8 oz. $3.75
Re: New postage rates
Board: LTC: Trades and Trackers
Reply to: #956318 by Beetle
Jan 31, 2018 2:30pm
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With these rates, large envelope is the way to go, unless it will fit in a regular envelope.
Re: New postage rates
Board: LTC: Trades and Trackers
Reply to: #956318 by Beetle
Feb 1, 2018 6:48am
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It is important to not that this means UP TO. Once the weight is over then the next level of postage applies:

Large Envelopes (max. 3/4 inch thickness)
up to 1 oz. $1.00
up to 2 oz. $1.21
up to 3 oz. $1.42*
up to 4 oz. $1.63

So 3.1 oz is $1.63.
This is true for bubble mailers, etc.
Re: New postage rates
Board: LTC: Trades and Trackers
Reply to: #956352 by aMAZEing adventure frog
Feb 1, 2018 11:48am
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So truly we should send enough for 4oz. If we are using flat mailers...
Re: New postage rates
Board: LTC: Trades and Trackers
Reply to: #956391 by Beetle
Feb 1, 2018 7:42pm
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I just hosted my man Swap and sorted the cards this week. There were 13 participants. At least two of the flat mailers were over 3oz. Not all manila envelopes weigh the same. Not all binder Pages weigh the same. Even tape is different thicknesses... and depending on how good people clean their envelopes off, sometimes there's many layers of tape.

So I just did exactly as you did with your test envelope but with my supplies. I got the same weight on my scale. Now I took my envelope, my binder page, and the 13 Man cards(without sleeves!!) and they weighed a solid 2.5 oz. That's more weight than the 20 single LTCS. So with the fluctuation of tape, envelope weight, and binder pages you can easily get over 3 oz.
Re: New postage rates
Board: LTC: Trades and Trackers
Reply to: #956395 by Linden Leaf
Feb 2, 2018 7:27am
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So we need some 13c stamps or 10c+3c with the 3 forevers to = $1.63 to get us up to 4 oz.
Re: New postage rates
Board: LTC: Trades and Trackers
Reply to: #956412 by Kiss'n Karin
Feb 2, 2018 3:58pm
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.92 + .71 is what I use at work.
Re: New postage rates
Board: LTC: Trades and Trackers
Reply to: #956324 by Oberon_Kenobi
Feb 2, 2018 4:18pm
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With these rates, large envelope is the way to go, unless it will fit in a regular envelope.

BUT..... you do not get free tracking with that. I take this risk all the time to save on postage. But it sure sucks when one goes missing.
Re: New postage rates
Board: LTC: Trades and Trackers
Reply to: #956249 by Linden Leaf
Feb 2, 2018 6:33pm
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Thanks to everyone on this thread for collecting the numbers for us :) I'm printing out a new chart for reference....and will start sending 4 stamps in my mailers for return postage, just in case there are cool embellishments or thick cards coming back to me :)
Re: New postage rates
Board: LTC: Trades and Trackers
Reply to: #956434 by Munkeybee
Feb 2, 2018 7:32pm
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Yay!! I think that's the safest choice.
Re: New postage rates
Board: LTC: Trades and Trackers
Reply to: #956249 by Linden Leaf
Feb 3, 2018 4:48pm
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Has postcard stamp rates changed?
Re: New postage rates
Board: LTC: Trades and Trackers
Reply to: #956451 by Penguin_Girl22
Feb 3, 2018 8:54pm
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I don't know what they were, but they're .35 now.
Re: New postage rates
Board: LTC: Trades and Trackers
Reply to: #956451 by Penguin_Girl22
Feb 4, 2018 7:24am
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They were $.34. Now $.35. The postcard stamp is a forever stamp. I asked at the PO before rates changed. I was out and bought a roll. Didn’t want to be adding a $.01 stamp every time.
Re: New postage rates
Board: LTC: Trades and Trackers
Reply to: #956467 by The Woodshed
Feb 4, 2018 11:56am
Thread (disabled) Board
Haha ok yea I added a penny to each of my Valentine cards better safe than sorry I figured. Now I know