Postage increases 2012

polkadot

They do sell 2nd class large letters-when I was in last week they were £20-but I cant remember how many were on the card.

custardy

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Stamp-prices-aren-t-bad/story-15703384-detail/story.html

John Burrow's enjoyable tirade against the Royal Mail's stamp price increase (March 30) – 'OAPs hit by stamp prices' – was weakened rather by his anecdote about his father predicting stamp prices rising to a shilling (5p) in the early 1960s.

The inflation index rate is 17.5 times in the last 50 years, so that 5p would be 88p today.

As first class stamps have just reached 60p, that's only the equivalent of 3.5p (eight pence half-penny in old money).

So perhaps the Royal Mail has done quite well in holding prices at affordable levels?

Stephen Bunting, South Wigston.

porto_bello

In advance of the almost 40% rise in the price of a 2nd class stamp, I bought a book of 100 from the post office for £36 ... it seems daft not to, as in a few weeks time, the same book of the same stamps will cost £50!

That got me thinking: I wonder if anyone is stocking up with such books, with the intention of listing them on eBay in a few weeks time, for half the difference and a quick 20% profit? :cool:

I also wondered if any private sellers are going to be doing that - and then try and tell HMRC that they're 'not really a business'!

soolin

porto_bello wrote: »

In advance of the almost 40% rise in the price of a 2nd class stamp, I bought a book of 100 from the post office for £36 ... it seems daft not to, as in a few weeks time, the same book of the same stamps will cost £50!

That got me thinking: I wonder if anyone is stocking up with such books, with the intention of listing them on eBay in a few weeks time, for half the difference and a quick 20% profit? :cool:

I also wondered if any private sellers are going to be doing that - and then try and tell HMRC that they're 'not really a business'!

There isn't enough profit to bother listing on ebay.

Sell for say £47 plus £1 postage (although realistically you should be looking at special as I'm not sure stamps are covered standard mail).

So £4.70 ebay FVFs plus 40p listing. £1.83 paypal plus 90p postage and 10p for envelope. That leaves you just £4 and you risk a lot sending that basic 1st class post. From that profit you would also need to declare yourself as trading to HMRC which means potentially tax and NI to add as well.

You'd be lucky to clear £4 assuming people are happy to buy from a private seller and only save £2 over the cost of going to the post office an dbuying them themselves

RFW

soolin wrote: »

There isn't enough profit to bother listing on ebay.

I've been wondering about the stocking up on stamps idea. If you use stamps regularly it's obviously a good idea. To make reselling worthwhile you'd need to be buying in the tens of thousands, I'm sure Royal Mail will be pleased but it's not really the best business idea.

On a recent radio debate a postal worker berated someone for telling people to stock up on stamps as it would end up doing him out of a job. I'd have thought that people holding large amounts in stamps was actually a good idea for Royal Mail, especially given that the chances are enough people will forget about or lose them after a few months.

soolin

RFW wrote: »

I've been wondering about the stocking up on stamps idea. If you use stamps regularly it's obviously a good idea. To make reselling worthwhile you'd need to be buying in the tens of thousands, I'm sure Royal Mail will be pleased but it's not really the best business idea.

On a recent radio debate a postal worker berated someone for telling people to stock up on stamps as it would end up doing him out of a job. I'd have thought that people holding large amounts in stamps was actually a good idea for Royal Mail, especially given that the chances are enough people will forget about or lose them after a few months.

I have several hundred pounds worth in hand and have just cleared out my paypal account to push that 'stock' even higher.

One of my items goes on a large letter stamp, so I can charge the increased amount but use a stamp from my stock which increases my profit.

MrMadhatter

I have not used ebay for some time but i really think now with the ebay fees,paypal fees and postage costs that selling on ebay as a small private seller is no longer going to be viable. back to the free ads for me !

porto_bello

We all know that if you went to the PO today and bought 100 2nd class stamps, it would cost £36 and after the price increase, that same book would cost £50.

Answer: stock up now!

What I don't understand is that eBay sellers are already SUCCESSFULLY selling stamps for more than their value!

The above book currently costs £36 over the PO counter - but one seller has already sold 58 books at £39.95 plus £1.30 postage! Why would anyone pay more than £5 over the odds?

I notice one of their buyers alone has bought 25 books - that's £100 above the over the counter retail price! :eek:

Wouldn't anyone with an ounce of business acumen have purchased 25 (identical) books from Royal Mail? Either in person or on-line?

I can't make head nor tail of it! ... Any ideas?

MarkLS12

porto_bello wrote: »

I can't make head nor tail of it! ... Any ideas?

Well once people are paying less than the £50 that the stamps will be worth next month, they are still making a small saving.

I suppose they just don't realise they how easily they can get them.
If they don't want to schlep to the post office they can order them from the Royal Mail online shop, face value no delivery change.
http://shop.royalmail.com/stamp-sheets/100-x-2nd-class-self-adhesive-stamp-sheet/invt/prod36270069/

That's where I got mine, but I chose the Northern Ireland ones, they are a bit more interesting than the normal blue ones, but they are not self adhesive.
http://shop.royalmail.com/country-definitives/100-x-2nd-class-northern-ireland-country-stamp-sheet/invt/prod46530125/

bylromarha

So, with all these increases, apart from bulk buying stamps this week, what alternatives are there to slapping my 10-20 items per day up to the post office?

Most items are 200g packets, so am going to find the increases hit hard.