First Class Stamps To Rise Again, 9p From 76p To 85p

[Anna B 1,401]

15 minutes ago, tinfoilhat said:

If you're shifting volume (thousands) it might pay to ring round. Otherwise you're talking sending as a small parcel for much more than a quid with Hermes etc. Royal mail small parcel prices are surprisingly good value.

 

Royal Mail needs millions spending on it to get it up to snuff though. So much is still done by hand its unreal.

Not so sure about that. I just sent 2 parcels to Australia. One had 5 lightweight children's picture books in a padded envelope costing £10. Postage was £18. The other was a lightweight child's football shirt folded small enough to fit through a letterbox. Postage £8. Both with Royal Mail.

I would have tried Hermes, but shop where I would have gone was shut, and I wasn't sure what else to do.

Edited December 2, 2020 by Anna B

[tinfoilhat 11]

11 minutes ago, Anna B said:

Not so sure about that. I just sent 2 parcels to Australia. One had 5 lightweight children's picture books in a padded envelope costing £10. Postage was £18. The other was a lightweight child's football shirt folded small enough to fit through a letterbox. Postage £8. Both with Royal Mail.

I would have tried Hermes, but shop where I would have gone was shut, and I wasn't sure what else to do.

Ok, just to review you're arguing a price of £8 to send a parcel approximately 9500 miles, mostly by air. £8.

 

A brief check on my DPD rate card suggest 500gram to Australia is about £64, plus VAT.

[jane2008 15]

I sent 7 christmas cards today, in a padded envelope to a city in England.  Makes sense a lot of family live there and will distribute the cards.  It cost me 88p.  I think that is really good value

[Bargepole23 337]

8 hours ago, Anna B said:

Letter volumes might have fallen, but parcels must have gone up. 

Nearly a quid to post a letter is ridiculous.

 

Is there an alternative, or do they have a mnopoly on letters?

Is it? Why, have you costed out what it takes to get that item to anywhere in the country in 24 hours, to the recipients letterbox? Seems to me like there's a lot of logistical costs there.

[DeZeus 11]

I believe there is a case for bringing back 'The Scout. Post' which was good for getting your card delivered locally, or national in a few days. 

It Not only got the scouts out in the fresh air getting exercise delivering your cards, it also was a good fund raiser for the 'Scout Movement ', being cheaper than the Royal Mail.

 

 

Also when You or Companies send emails instead of a Letter, the cost is negligible (small) in comparison to the Royal Mail or Other letter carriers like TNT! Hermes etc.

The decline in the use of Letters has accelerated because the cheaper option of emails being available?

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

On 02/12/2020 at 17:40, Janus said:

I am guessing that they cannot wriggle out of  that obligation.

 

However,  I don't know if they have carte  blanche or not to set any of their price  increases? 

RM is constrained by legislation and its Service Contact obligations.

But these can be amended if HMG or the Regulators agree.

On 02/12/2020 at 12:48, Bargepole23 said:

Most businesses who send any volume of post aren't paying for and sticking 1st class stamps on.

Using RM Post is cheaper via a franking machine, provided that the quantity sent justifies this.

The MAILMARK versions cut 1st/2nd class down to 65p/43p at present- these will rise to 72p/47p.

The downside is the need to lease a machine (Pitney Bowes, Neopost, etc).

[catmiss 12]

I think RM might benefit from a Covid Christmas -I’ve just had 20 cards posted to friends I would have normally passed them to at get togethers