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“New year, new me” typically means a new year’s resolution to exercise or say “yes” to life more. Carriers, though, use the new year to roll out their General Rate Increases (GRI). These rate changes are not the result of inflation, price of oil, or the desire to just simply raise prices.
General Rate Increases are a result of supply and demand. The ever increasing trend of shopping online is a major culprit for how much we pay for shipping. This is why rate increase announcements tend to start with “In order to maintain the level of service our customers expect…” disclaimers. These rate increases help buy more sporting facilities, fleets of vehicles, employees, polyester uniforms, etc.
The following rate increases are highlighted since they are most likely to impact ecommerce businesses and their customers. If you have negotiated rates with any carrier, reach out to your carriers’ account manager to be sure you’re getting the best information about what rates to expect.
The following rate increases go into effect January 27th, 2019:
USPS reports “The proposed prices, approved by the Governors of the Postal Service, would raise Mailing Services product prices approximately 2.5 percent.”
The following UPS surcharge and rate increases will go into effect on December 26th, 2018:
The following FedEx rates and surcharges go into effect Jan. 7th, 2019.
Effective Jan. 1st, 2019, shipping rates for DHL Express international services will increase by an average of 5.4%.
The following rates will go into effect January 14th, 2019.
Prices for Domestic Parcel Services will increase by an average of 4% for most customers.
The following services will be impacted:
Prices for USA/International Parcel Services will see an average increase of 2%.
Starting Jan. 1, 2019, Purolator’s general list rate will increase by an average of 4.9%. There will also be some changes to select fees and surcharges.
FedEx will implement the following changes to fees and other surcharges, effective January 7, 2019 unless otherwise noted:
The following UPS CA rates and surcharges for the following Effective Dec. 30th, 2018.
DHL Express will update its prices, effective January 2019. In Canada, the average price increase will be 4.9%.
DHL Express will update its prices, effective January 2019. In the United Kingdom, the average price increase will be 4.9% for all products.
The price change applies to Published Rates, all discounted rates and agreements, where contracts allow.
Sign up for a ShipStation trial and save on shipping now! We give you access to a network of discounted rates for:
James Messer is a copywriter specializing in shipping, logistics, and ecommerce.