Postage / Holiday prices 2026
USPS holiday prices, Oct 4, 2026 to Jan 17, 2027
From 12 a.m. CT on Oct 4, 2026 to 12 a.m. CT on Jan 17, 2027, a USPS Ground Advantage label costs $0.40 to $7.70 more at commercial prices and $0.50 to $7.50 more at retail, depending on weight and zone (USPS, announced Aug 25, 2026). Media Mail and First-Class Mail are not affected.
Example: a 1 lb parcel to Zone 4 went from $8.15 to $8.55 at commercial prices, and from $10.60 to $11.10 at the Post Office counter.
Rates verified on
At a glance
- When
- 12 a.m. CT Oct 4, 2026 to 12 a.m. CT Jan 17, 2027. USPS calls it a temporary price change.
- What costs more
- Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select. This page covers Ground Advantage; Priority Mail prices are in USPS Notice 123.
- What doesn't
- Media Mail and First-Class Mail: Media Mail kept its July 12 prices, starting at $4.39 for 1 lb.
- Also ending Jan 17, 2027
- The 8% time-limited increase on the same four services, in place since Apr 26, 2026 (USPS, announced Mar 25, 2026).
- Send by (lower 48, Ground Advantage)
- Thu, Dec 17, for delivery before Dec 25. USPS recommended, not guaranteed. All dates
Holiday add-ons by weight and zone
USPS adds a flat amount to each Ground Advantage price, set by weight band and zone. Commercial prices are the published prices for label services (many platforms and label services negotiate their own rates, which can be lower); retail is the Post Office counter.
| Price type and zones | 0-3 lb | 4-10 lb | 11-25 lb | 26-70 lb / oversized |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground Advantage retail, Zones 1-4 | +$0.50 | +$0.80 | +$1.25 | +$3.90 |
| Ground Advantage retail, Zones 5-9 | +$0.75 | +$1.40 | +$2.75 | +$7.50 |
| Ground Advantage commercial, Zones 1-4 | +$0.40 | +$0.65 | +$1.05 | +$3.15 |
| Ground Advantage commercial, Zones 5-9 | +$0.55 | +$1.05 | +$1.75 | +$7.70 |
What a label costs: July 12 vs October 4
Published Ground Advantage prices before and during the holiday period, for common parcel weights. Zone 1 is nearest, Zone 8 is cross-country.
| Parcel | Commercial, Jul 12 | Commercial, Oct 4 | Change | Retail, Jul 12 | Retail, Oct 4 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 oz, Zone 1 | $6.93 | $7.33 | +$0.40 | $7.90 | $8.40 | +$0.50 |
| 8 oz, Zone 4 | $7.46 | $7.86 | +$0.40 | $8.30 | $8.80 | +$0.50 |
| 8 oz, Zone 8 | $8.40 | $8.95 | +$0.55 | $9.45 | $10.20 | +$0.75 |
| 1 lb, Zone 1 | $7.61 | $8.01 | +$0.40 | $9.55 | $10.05 | +$0.50 |
| 1 lb, Zone 4 | $8.15 | $8.55 | +$0.40 | $10.60 | $11.10 | +$0.50 |
| 1 lb, Zone 8 | $10.67 | $11.22 | +$0.55 | $12.90 | $13.65 | +$0.75 |
| 2 lb, Zone 1 | $7.99 | $8.39 | +$0.40 | $10.80 | $11.30 | +$0.50 |
| 2 lb, Zone 4 | $8.51 | $8.91 | +$0.40 | $13.00 | $13.50 | +$0.50 |
| 2 lb, Zone 8 | $12.87 | $13.42 | +$0.55 | $19.05 | $19.80 | +$0.75 |
| 5 lb, Zone 1 | $9.70 | $10.35 | +$0.65 | $12.95 | $13.75 | +$0.80 |
| 5 lb, Zone 4 | $11.02 | $11.67 | +$0.65 | $15.80 | $16.60 | +$0.80 |
| 5 lb, Zone 8 | $19.19 | $20.24 | +$1.05 | $26.05 | $27.45 | +$1.40 |
| 10 lb, Zone 1 | $11.91 | $12.56 | +$0.65 | $15.95 | $16.75 | +$0.80 |
| 10 lb, Zone 4 | $14.44 | $15.09 | +$0.65 | $19.40 | $20.20 | +$0.80 |
| 10 lb, Zone 8 | $25.34 | $26.39 | +$1.05 | $39.45 | $40.85 | +$1.40 |
| 20 lb, Zone 1 | $16.46 | $17.51 | +$1.05 | $22.75 | $24.00 | +$1.25 |
| 20 lb, Zone 4 | $19.66 | $20.71 | +$1.05 | $27.30 | $28.55 | +$1.25 |
| 20 lb, Zone 8 | $40.39 | $42.14 | +$1.75 | $69.40 | $72.15 | +$2.75 |
Every weight and zone: Ground Advantage rate tables · your exact weight: postage calculator · cheaper options: soft-pack cubic for clothes, Media Mail for books
USPS send-by dates for delivery before Christmas
USPS recommends these as the last days to send for expected delivery before Dec 25, 2026 (USPS, Sep 22, 2026). They are USPS recommended dates, not guaranteed delivery dates.
| Service | Lower 48 states | Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories |
|---|---|---|
| USPS Ground Advantage | Thu, Dec 17 | No single date: USPS sets a service expectation of 10 days or more |
| First-Class Mail | Thu, Dec 17 | Thu, Dec 17 |
| Priority Mail | Fri, Dec 18 | Fri, Dec 18 |
| Priority Mail Express | Sat, Dec 19 | Sat, Dec 19 |
- Media Mail isn't on USPS's list. USPS quotes 2-8 days for Media Mail (USPS: mail and shipping services), so ship books, CDs and DVDs earlier than Ground Advantage.
- Ground Advantage between the lower 48 and Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. territories or the Freely Associated States has a service expectation of 10 days or more, so USPS gives no single date.
- Use the dates to set holiday handling times and cutoff notices for buyers.
Media Mail: no holiday increase
Media Mail still has the lower prices it got on July 12, 2026. For books, CDs and DVDs that qualify, the gap with Ground Advantage is wider until Jan 17, 2027: a 2 lb package is $5.13 by Media Mail and $8.91 by commercial Ground Advantage to Zone 4.
| Weight | Media Mail | Ground Advantage commercial, Zone 4 | Ground Advantage commercial, Zone 8 | Ground Advantage retail, Zone 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 lb | $4.39 | $8.55 | $11.22 | $11.10 |
| 2 lb | $5.13 | $8.91 | $13.42 | $13.50 |
| 5 lb | $7.34 | $11.67 | $20.24 | $16.60 |
| 10 lb | $11.02 | $15.09 | $26.39 | $20.20 |
If your repricer minimums are built on Media Mail postage, the holiday prices don't change them (minimum price calculator). Whether Media Mail rises in January 2027 is still open (what is known about 2027 prices): see the tracker. Full table: Media Mail rates, 1-70 lb.
What to add to free-shipping prices through Jan 17
If you offer free shipping and pay USPS published commercial prices for your labels, the add-on comes straight out of your net until Jan 17, 2027. It's the same dollar amount at any sale price: on a $10, $25 or $50 sale, a 0-3 lb label to Zones 1-4 costs $0.40 more, which is 4%, 1.6% and 0.8% of the sale.
That applies to a label you buy yourself at USPS published commercial prices ("own label" in the table). Labels you buy through the platform follow the platform's own label prices, which can rise by different amounts on different dates: eBay Labels skip most of this increase (see below), and Mercari's prepaid labels change on Oct 19, 2026 (see below). For Etsy and Depop labels, check the price the platform quotes when you buy the label.
The table lists the commercial add-on for each weight band and zone group. Because platforms also take their percentage of the higher price, you need to raise the price a little more than the add-on to keep the same net:
| Parcel | Label add-on | eBay, most categories (own label) | Etsy (own label) | Mercari (own label) | Depop (own label) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-3 lb, Zones 1-4 | +$0.40 | +$0.46 | +$0.43 | +$0.44 | +$0.41 |
| 4-10 lb, Zones 1-4 | +$0.65 | +$0.75 | +$0.71 | +$0.72 | +$0.67 |
| 11-25 lb, Zones 1-4 | +$1.05 | +$1.21 | +$1.15 | +$1.17 | +$1.08 |
| 26-70 lb / oversized, Zones 1-4 | +$3.15 | +$3.65 | +$3.47 | +$3.50 | +$3.25 |
| 0-3 lb, Zones 5-9 | +$0.55 | +$0.64 | +$0.60 | +$0.61 | +$0.56 |
| 4-10 lb, Zones 5-9 | +$1.05 | +$1.21 | +$1.15 | +$1.17 | +$1.08 |
| 11-25 lb, Zones 5-9 | +$1.75 | +$2.02 | +$1.93 | +$1.94 | +$1.80 |
| 26-70 lb / oversized, Zones 5-9 | +$7.70 | +$8.91 | +$8.51 | +$8.56 | +$7.96 |
Mercari prepaid labels: a different increase on a different date
If you ship Mercari orders on Mercari's prepaid labels, you pay Mercari's own label prices, not the USPS prices above, and Mercari's new prices start Oct 19, 2026, not Oct 4, 2026 (Mercari, announced Sep 17, 2026). A 1 lb Best-rate Ground Advantage label goes from $7.48 to $7.99, so from Oct 19 a $25 free-shipping sale needs +$0.57 to keep the same net.
| Package | Before Oct 19 | From Oct 19 | Change | Raise to keep your net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 oz | $4.91 | $5.39 | +$0.48 | +$0.53 |
| 1 lb | $7.48 | $7.99 | +$0.51 | +$0.57 |
| 3 lb | $12.83 | $13.99 | +$1.16 | +$1.29 |
Priority Mail and Standard-rate labels (bigger or longer packages) change too: tracker entry. Mercari's Media Mail labels go the other way on the same date: Mercari Media Mail labels get cheaper: 1 lb $4.99 to $4.47.
Run your own numbers: postage by weight and zone · eBay fees · Etsy fees · Mercari fees · Depop fees · where you net the most
eBay Labels skip most of the increase
eBay says that from Oct 4, 2026 to Jan 17, 2027, eBay Labels prices don't go up for Priority Mail or Ground Advantage packages up to 20 lb in Zones 1-8, or for Priority Mail Flat Rate. Ground Advantage cubic tiers .30-1.0 go up $1.18 to $2.84 depending on zone, and shipments to USPS-designated rural ZIP codes are charged at commercial rates (eBay announcement, Sep 28, 2026).
Bought at USPS published commercial prices instead, the same 1 lb label to Zone 4 costs $0.40 more. Tracker entry.
In the change tracker
- USPS holiday prices: Ground Advantage up $0.40 to $0.75 on 0-3 lb parcels (effective Oct 4, 2026)
- USPS adds a temporary 8% to Ground Advantage and Priority Mail (effective Apr 26, 2026)
- USPS holiday ship-by dates: Ground Advantage Dec. 17, Priority Mail Dec. 18 (announced Sep 22, 2026)
- eBay Labels skip most of the USPS holiday increase (effective Oct 4, 2026)
- Media Mail got cheaper: 1 lb is now $4.39 (was $4.47) (effective Jul 12, 2026)
- Light parcels hit hardest: commercial Ground Advantage drops its ounce tiers (effective Jul 12, 2026)
- USPS may raise stamp and Media Mail prices in January 2027, by up to 2.105% on average per class (announced Aug 21, 2026)
- Mercari Ground Advantage labels go up: 1 lb $7.48 to $7.99 (effective Oct 19, 2026)
- Mercari Media Mail labels get cheaper: 1 lb $4.99 to $4.47 (effective Oct 19, 2026)
Sources
Rates verified on from each official page below.
- USPS: temporary price change for 2026 holiday shipping (Aug 25, 2026)
- USPS Notice 123 (effective Oct 4, 2026)
- Postal Explorer archive: Notice 123, July 12, 2026
- USPS: transportation-related time-limited price change (Mar 25, 2026)
- USPS: recommended 2026 holiday mailing and shipping dates (Sep 22, 2026)
- USPS: holiday shipping dates
- USPS: Mail and shipping services (Media Mail and Ground Advantage rules)
- eBay Community announcements: 2026 USPS peak season rate increases (Sep 28, 2026)
- Mercari help: Fees on Mercari + Shipping change announcements (Sep 17, 2026)
Get the Jan 17 update
What USPS prices do when the holiday and 8% increases end. Free, in the Thursday email.