Brooklyn residents scrambled Saturday to get things in the mail before the prices increase.

This is the first postal increase since 2002. All types of mail are set to go up. Starting January 8, the price of a 1-ounce piece of mail will go up 2 cents to 39 cents. Express Mail goes from $13.64 to $14.40 for half a pound. Postcards will cost a penny more and certified mail increases 10 cents.

The hikes are due to a federal law passed in 2003 that forces the U.S. Postal Service to put more than $3 million in an account by this October.

Related link U.S. Postal Service