Although First-Class Mail volume has declined in recent years, greeting cards remain popular with many customers — especially during the holidays.
U.S. consumers purchase approximately 6.5 billion greeting cards each year, generating $7 billion-$8 billion in annual sales, according to the Greeting Card Association, an industry trade group.
Christmas cards are the most popular type of seasonal card, with approximately 1.6 billion cards sold each year, the association reported in the fall.
According to the latest Household Diary Study, a national research effort sponsored by USPS, more than 1.3 billion holiday greeting cards were mailed in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2018, reflecting a 3.8 percent increase over a three-year period.
Overall, holiday greeting cards represented about 43 percent of all U.S. household personal correspondence in 2018, the study found.
This is encouraging news for the Postal Service, which counts First-Class Mail among its most profitable products.
To help serve holiday greeting card customers, USPS offers a wide variety of secular and religious stamps, as well as special postmarks. Many Post Offices also sell cards.
Additionally, each holiday season, the Postal Service offers recommended mailing deadlines to ensure customers’ greeting cards are delivered on time.
Of course, greeting cards aren’t just popular with customers. Many USPS employees enjoy sending and receiving them, too.