The big thing with this rate increase is that the post office is taking into consideration how big and thick the envelope is. There are different rates for the size of the envelope and its thickness.themohawkgirl wrote:im confused... is the price going up or down?
For envelopes that are 6 1/8" x 11 1/2" or smaller AND 1/4" (which would be regular letter sized envelopes or envelopes for 5X7 photos) the price for the first oz is going up from 39 cents to 41 cents. BUT for the second oz, the price is going down from 63 cents to 58 cents. So if you send a 5 X 7 photo, letter, and SASE in an envelope that is about 5 X 7, then if that weighs between 1 and 2 ounces, you will pay 58 cents instead of 63 cents (thus you will be saving money).
For envelopes that are 12" x 15" or smaller AND 3/4" thick or less (which would be envelopes you would use for 8 X 10 photos) they are not considered "letter" sized. They are called "flat rate" sized. The price is going going up to 80 cents for the first ounce and then up to 97 cents if it weighs between 1 and 2 ounces.
So now when I put postage on a SASE I usually put 97 cents on it because I use 9 1/2 X 11 envelopes (which are under the flat rate cost) and expect that a picture will weigh between 1 and 2 ounces. Before the increase I used to just put 63 cents on my SASE's. If you used smaller envelopes made for 5 X 7's then you only have to put 58 cents on the SASE's.
With the postage increase it really pays to start sending 5X7 photos/envelopes because instead of paying 97 cents you only have to pay 58 cents.
So I would be able to save like 5 cents 
I have no clue on how to navigate through all those different scales and tables. 
:x 