Experts Tell Sellers to Get Ready for USPS Rate Hike

Shipping experts said sellers should start preparing immediately for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) rate hike that will take effect Jan. 17, 2016. The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) gave USPS the green light Nov. 13 for rates that will go up by as much as 23.5 percent for certain classes of mail that online sellers use to send packages to customers.

The cost of a stamp and other "market dominant" services are not rising, and the impact of the higher rates vary by class of mail and by package weight—not everyone will see a potentially devastating 23.5 percent rise in rates.