The USPS will likely announce its January 2026 postage rates early next week. Shippers are already paying higher rates thanks to the holiday surcharge that went into effect on October 5 and will run through January 18, 2026.
In January of this year, rates for Priority Mail rose 3.2% on average while Ground Advantage rose an average of 3.9%. In July, Priority Mail rates rose another 6.3% on average, and Ground Advantage rose 7.1% on average – and it also began applying Nonstandard Fees to more types of packages.
As we’ve previously noted, many marketplaces and shipping services offer rates through USPS Connect eCommerce, which is the program that allows platforms and marketplaces to offer better discounted USPS shipping rates to their merchants than the Commercial rates.
This year, USPS did not raise the rates of Mailing services (Market Dominant rates) in January, but did so on July 13, raising the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp from 73 cents to 78 cents. In September, the USPS said it would not raise Market Dominant rates in January, leaving the price of a stamp at 78 cents.
