It's not just because they want to annoy you. Although, that might be a side effect. The USPS is a weird beast— a government service that has to act like a business. They don't get taxpayer money for operations. They have to fund themselves with stamp sales and package deliveries.
Inflation hits them hard. Gas for trucks, paper for letters, health insurance for postal workers— it all costs more. And here's the kicker: people are mailing way fewer letters. The volume of first-class mail has been dropping for years. So to cover their costs, they raise the price on the letters that do get sent. Simple, frustrating math.
The quirky truth about forever stamps
You bought a forever stamp for 55 cents in 2026? Congratulations. That same stamp is valid today, even if the price has shot up to 73 cents. The USPS loves this trick— it makes them money now, because you prepay for a service they might deliver years later. It's like a very slow, very boring lottery where you always win (or lose, depending on how you see inflation).
Here's a funny fact: the USPS once issued a stamp featuring a dinosaurs on a rollercoaster. It was adorable. And that stamp is still legal postage. So if you have one buried in a drawer, you can mail a letter using a T-Rex! Take that, inflation.
