Dear Valued Customer,

At SmokingCats, you’re more than just a customer—you’re part of our family, and we’re incredibly grateful for your trust and support. Our commitment to delivering top-quality products with the convenience of free shipping is at the heart of everything we do. However, we need to share an important update about a modest price adjustment, effective Oct 1, 2025], due to rising costs that are beyond our control.

We know you love the simplicity of our free shipping, where the shipping cost is thoughtfully included in our product prices to make your shopping experience seamless. Unfortunately, several external factors have significantly increased our expenses, and we want to be transparent with you about what’s driving this change:

1. **USPS Postage Increase**: In July 2025, the United States Postal Service (USPS) raised mailing service prices by approximately 7.4%. This directly impacts the cost of getting your orders to you quickly and reliably via services like Priority Mail.

2. **USPS Holiday Season Surcharge**: To handle the holiday rush, USPS is adding temporary surcharges from October 5, 2025, to January 18, 2026, on services like Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, USPS Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select. These surcharges increase shipping costs by approximately 5% to 15% per package, depending on weight and destination. Combined with the annual rate hike, this creates a double hit to our shipping expenses during the busy October-to-January season.

3. **Rising Packaging Costs**: Inflation has driven up the cost of raw materials and labor for our packaging supplies—boxes, tape, and protective materials that ensure your orders arrive in perfect condition. These increases are putting additional pressure on our ability to keep costs low.

Despite these challenges, we’re doubling down on what makes shopping with us special:
- **Lightning-Fast Service**: We’ll continue to process and ship most orders within one business day, so you get your products as quickly as possible.
- **Unwavering Quality**: Our team is dedicated to secure packaging, careful handling, and reliable tracking to ensure your order arrives just as you expect.
- **Exclusive Offer**: To show our appreciation, use code THANKYOU10 at checkout for 10% off your next order placed before [Insert Deadline, e.g., November 15, 2025]. It’s our way of saying thank you for sticking with us!

We’re truly sorry for this price adjustment—it’s not a decision we made lightly. We’ve worked hard to absorb as much of these rising costs as possible, but the combined impact of USPS rate increases, holiday surcharges, and inflation-driven packaging costs means we need to make this change to keep delivering the exceptional service you deserve.

Your loyalty fuels everything we do, and we’re here to make this transition as smooth as possible. If you have any questions or just want to chat, our customer support team is ready to help at [support email/phone]. Let’s keep the holiday spirit alive—shop now to take advantage of our exclusive offer and enjoy the same fast, reliable service you love!

With heartfelt thanks,  

SmokingCats, LLC,