By Bill McAllister, Washington Correspondent

The United States Postal Service appears to be taking a cue from two of its biggest package competitors with the imposition of temporary price increases on all commercial domestic packages.

Both United Parcel Service and FedEx have imposed temporary surcharges on packages in the past, often citing changing market conditions.

That is just what the USPS disclosed on Aug. 14, when the agency announced that it plans to raise package prices between Oct. 18 and Dec. 27.

Citing “increased expenses and heightened demand” for online packages due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increased holiday volume, the Postal Service announced it is planning its first temporary price changes.

The higher rates must be approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission.

The USPS announcement did not say how much new revenue the agency expects from the changes.

According to a filing with the commission, the temporary changes will raise prices for Priority Mail Express shipments by 0.07 percent, Priority Mail by 1.7 percent, parcel select by 5.9 percent, parcel return by 3.3 percent and first-class packages by 5.6 percent.

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