U.S. Postal Service Announces 2010 Shipping Prices

Price of First-Class Postage Will Not Change

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The simpler way to ship -- with
convenient Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes from the U.S. Postal Service -- will
be just as simple in the New Year, when new prices take effect.

Prices for Priority Mail, a product familiar across America through popular
television and online advertisements featuring Al the Letter Carrier, will
change on Jan. 4, 2010. Customers also can look forward to several Priority
Mail innovations.

In a first for the shipping industry, the Postal Service is introducing cubic
volume-based pricing for large volume commercial Priority Mail shippers.
Customers who ship small, dense, space-efficient packages will receive a
financial incentive through a new, tiered pricing option. This encourages
greener, more efficient shipping and is one more way the Postal Service is eco
friendly.

Other benefits for Priority Mail customers effective in January include a
decrease in the domestic Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope retail price from
$4.95 to $4.90. The popular Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box will continue to
be one of the best consumer values in the domestic shipping market at under
$5. Its 2010 price will remain at $4.95.

Cubic volume-based pricing will not be the only first in January for customers
who qualify to ship at Commercial Plus prices. A Priority Mail half-pound
price, based on distance, will be added only in the Commercial Plus pricing
category. And, a new Priority Mail Flat Rate padded envelope measuring 9.5 x
12.5 inches will be available exclusively for Commercial Plus shippers. This
envelope is specially designed for jewelry, electronics and other delicate
goods.

"We have put together a range of creative and innovative products and
services for our customers," said Robert Bernstock, president, Mailing and
Shipping Services. "With these new offerings, the Postal Service is
reinforcing the value of Priority Mail as the right product at the right
time," he said.

In addition to an overall price increase of 3.3 percent, on average, for
Priority Mail, there will be new prices for Express Mail, Global Express
Guaranteed, Express Mail International, Priority Mail International, Parcel
Select and Parcel Return Service, also effective Jan. 4.

Prices for First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, Parcel Post and other mailing
services products will not change in 2010, with the cost of a First-Class Mail
stamp remaining at 44 cents.

"The Postal Service is the best buy in the market, whether you're watching
your budget or gearing up as the economy starts to rebound," Bernstock said,
noting that other shippers have announced price increases of nearly 6 percent
for 2010, excluding fuel surcharges. Most shippers add extra fees for fuel,
rural delivery, Saturday delivery and other items to a customer's final bill.
The Postal Service has no comparable surcharges.

Customers who pay for their shipping services online will continue to save
compared to retail prices. Online costs will be, on average, 5 percent less
than retail for Express Mail and 5.7 percent less for Priority Mail. Online
savings for international shipping will be 10 percent less than retail for
Global Express Guaranteed, 8 percent less for Express Mail International and 5
percent less for Priority Mail International.

A complete listing of 2010 prices is available at http://pe.usps.com under the
"Jan. 2010 Price Change" link. The new prices and product innovations are
pending Postal Regulatory Commission review.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies
on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only
delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million
residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no
tax dollars. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited
website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of
postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most
Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted
Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual
revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail. If
it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 26th in
the 2008 Fortune 500.

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service

Yvonne Yoerger of the U.S. Postal Service, +1-202-268-8596, (C)
+1-202-258-4322, yvonne.yoerger@usps.gov