A Surcharge Here and a Surcharge There

There are a lot of things that the US Postal Service offers that its competitors like UPS and Fed Ex just don't offer. And even if the competition does offer a comparable service, it comes with a price tag. Remember, these are examples of surcharges assessed ON TOP of the shipping rates.

FedEx, for example, might determine that your article requires special handling. That'll cost you $8.50 as a surcharge. If your address is incorrect or incomplete, they'll charge you $11.00.There's a Declared Value surcharge of $0.80 per $100.00 of value. The Delivery area surcharge applies to select zipcodes and ranges from $2.00 - $3.75. There is a hazardous materials surcharge of $27.50. A residential delivery charge applies as well, $2.55 per package. And the current fuel surcharge is 8.5% on ground shipping and 14% on Express.

UPS also charges that special handling fee of $8.50. If your address is incorrect or incomplete, they will charge you $11.00 just like FedEx. The Declared Value surcharge matches the one FedEx as well. UPS has a Delivery Area surcharge just like FedEx, and in addition to the same hazardous materials charge that FedEx imposes, UPS takes it a step further and charges an additional $5.00 for any shipments containing dry ice. Excessive tracking requests may result in a charge per request of $3.00. Remote area surcharges apply to certain zip codes in Alaska ($15.00) and Hawaii ($6.00). Residential surcharges range from $2.55 to $3.00. The current fuel charge is the same as FedEx charges.

These are only some of the surcharges applied by the competition.

Oh, and those independent mailing agencies, where you can ship UPS, FedEx, and USPS? They all charge hefty surcharges on top of the ones imposed by the agencies.

I'm not sure what FedEx and UPS consider special handling, but the US Postal Service doesn't apply such a charge. If your package is not addressed completely or properly, the USPS won't demand $11.00 from you.  Neither are there declared value surcharges, and residential delivery and delivery to so-called "remote" areas don't cost any more than any other mail. As for fuel surcharges.... there aren't any.

Do away with the Postal Service and you'll be doing away with affordable and reliable delivery of mail and packages.

Let your Congressmen and women to save our Postal Service!

In solidarity,

Maria