Price of postage goes up Sunday

New prices on stamps and other postage start July 13, marking the first of multiple rate hikes planned by the U.S Postal Service.

The changes will raise the

cost of a first-class stamp

by a nickel from 73 cents to 78 cents starting Sunday, according to the USPS.

Pricing on letters, postcards and international mail will see similar increases.

Buy stamps today to beat the increase.

The adjustments will increase the cost of mailing services by approximately 7.4 percent, according to the agency’s website.

Similar

hikes on shipping services

including Priority Mail and USPS Ground Advantage will also take effect July 13, raising the cost of each by 6.3 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively, officials said.

The cost of Priority Mail Express won’t change, however.

“The USPS governors believe these new rates will keep the Postal Service competitive while providing the agency with needed revenue,” officials said.

The adjusted postal rates are the first in a series of

planned price hikes

— five in all — on first-class “forever” stamps set to roll out over the next two years, McClatchy News reported.

Pricing changes will occur “each January and July thereafter” through December 2027, the USPS said.

The latest adjustments will include a 6-cent increase on domestic postcards and a 5-cent hike on international letters, according to the agency’s website.

Despite the changes, the Postal Service said its mailing and shipping rates “remain among the most affordable in the world.”