It happened again. You walked into the local post office with a stack of birthday cards, and the total at the register made you do a double-take. Honestly, nobody really thinks about the price of a stamp until they actually need one, but the canada post mail cost has seen some of its most aggressive hikes in recent history.
If you feel like it was cheaper just a year or two ago, you aren't imagining things. In early 2025, we saw a massive 25-cent jump for a single domestic stamp. Now, as we move through 2026, the corporation is facing nearly a billion dollars in pre-tax losses, and the "cheap" era of mailing a letter in Canada is officially over.
The Reality of Stamp Prices Right Now
So, what does it actually cost to mail something today? If you're just buying a single stamp for a standard envelope (up to 30g), you're looking at $1.44.
That’s for the "I just need one" person. If you're smarter about it and buy a booklet, coil, or pane, the price per stamp drops to **$1.24**. It’s a bit of a psychological trick—$1.24 feels a lot better than $1.44, but it’s still a far cry from the sub-dollar rates we enjoyed not that long ago.
Here is how the current domestic lettermail breakdown looks for the average person:
- Standard Letter (under 30g): $1.44 for a single stamp, or $1.24 if bought in a booklet.
- Oversize Letter (up to 100g): You're looking at $2.61.
- Heavy Oversize (400g to 500g): This jumps way up to $7.36.
Basically, if your envelope is thicker than a few sheets of paper or has a weird shape, the price climbs fast. Canada Post defines "standard" as anything up to 50g that can fit through their sorting machines. Once you hit that 100g mark, you’re paying for the manual handling that comes with "non-standard" mail.
Why Does it Cost So Much?
You've probably heard the CEO, Doug Ettinger, talk about "structural challenges." That’s corporate-speak for a very simple problem: we don't send letters anymore, but the mail carrier still has to walk to every single house.
Since 2006, letter volumes in Canada have cratered by 60%. We went from receiving seven letters a week to about two. At the same time, the number of addresses the post office has to serve has grown by 3 million. It’s a math nightmare.
Interestingly, recent changes to the Canada Post Corporation Act in late 2025 have given the agency more power to set its own rates. In the past, they had to wait for Cabinet approval, which was a slow, bureaucratic mess. Now, they can move faster to adjust prices as their costs go up. This is great for their bottom line, but kinda sucks for your wallet.
Sending Mail Across the Border and Overseas
Shipping to the United States or overseas is an even bigger hit. If you’re mailing a 30g letter to the U.S., you're starting at $1.70. International rates to Europe or Asia are even higher.
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If you're a business, you've probably noticed that the canada post mail cost for international packages is actually somewhat competitive if you use their "Solutions for Small Business" program. You can save up to 58% on international shipments if you’re moving enough volume. For the rest of us just sending a postcard to a cousin in London, we’re stuck with the retail rates.
Parcel Rates: The 2026 Shift
Parcels are where things get really messy. On January 18, 2026, a new price change kicked in. While they didn't hike the price of the basic First-Class stamp in this specific January update, shipping services took a hit:
- Priority Mail went up by about 6.6%.
- Ground Advantage (the slower, cheaper option) jumped 7.8%.
- Express shipping saw a 5.1% increase.
The post office is basically trying to survive on parcels because the "letter" is a dying breed. They've introduced a more "flexible" pricing structure recently—expanding from 45 rate codes to 128. This means if you live in a high-density area like Toronto or Vancouver, you might actually see slightly better rates for local shipping, but rural Canadians are definitely feeling the pinch.
How to Actually Save Money on Postage
If you’re still a fan of snail mail (and honestly, who doesn't love getting a real letter?), there are ways to keep your canada post mail cost down.
- Buy Permanent Stamps: This is the oldest trick in the book. Permanent stamps (the ones with the 'P' in the corner) are always valid for a domestic letter, no matter how much the price goes up. If you bought a roll back when they were 92 cents, they still work today even though the rate is $1.24.
- Use a Meter: If you run a small office, get a postage meter. The rate for a metered letter is usually a cent or two cheaper than a booklet stamp (around $1.23 vs $1.24). It's small, but it adds up.
- The 50g Sweet Spot: A lot of people don't realize that a standard stamp covers you up to 30g. But if you have a slightly heavier letter (up to 50g), you can use a single $1.75 stamp instead of two $1.24 stamps. Don't overpay by doubling up.
- Check Costco: Sometimes big-box retailers sell coils of 100 stamps at a slight discount compared to the post office counter. It’s not a huge saving, but every bit helps when you're mailing holiday cards.
The Future of the Mailbox
There’s a lot of debate right now about whether Canada Post should even be a "service first" organization anymore. Some experts, like those mentioned in recent Blacklock’s Reporter updates, suggest that the agency might need to move toward a more commercial model to stop the bleeding.
For the average Canadian, this likely means more price hikes in 2027 and 2028. The goal is to make the person sending the mail cover the full cost of the delivery, rather than having the government subsidize it.
If you are planning a big mailing—maybe wedding invitations or a business marketing campaign—do it sooner rather than later. Prices are only going one way.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Audit your current stamp stash: Check if you have any 'P' stamps left; those are your most valuable assets right now.
- Weight your envelopes: Don't guess. Anything over 30g or thicker than 5mm will trigger those "Oversize" rates that can double your cost instantly.
- Sign up for a Small Business account: Even if you only ship a few packages a year, the "Solutions for Small Business" program is free and gives you immediate discounts on domestic and international shipping that you won't get at the counter.