New RM online postage prices from 7th October

Rantband

1st class letter £1.65

https://www.royalmail.com/sites/royalmail.com/files/2024-09/online-price-guide-october-2024-v1-ta.pdf

Rantband

Not online/Post Office prices
https://www.royalmail.com/sites/royalmail.com/files/2024-09/our-prices-october-2024-v1-ta.pdf

soolin

Goodness, they really are pushing the price gap between online and over the counter prices for parcels.
For example RM48 small parcel up to 2kg is currently £3.39 and at PO it is £3.89. From October online remains the same at £3.39 but PO goes up to £3.95. 

For any sellers using the PO that's 60p a parcel more plus all the on costs (FVFs etc) so will probably end up 70-75p more than those sellers using online post. 

One of my DILs has started selling a few bits on ebay (she already uses Vinted) and it worked out cheaper for her to buy a cheap label printer and print her labels and drop them at the PO or mail centre on her way to work, than it did to go out in her lunch break to get things posted. 

WLM21

soolin said:

 and it worked out cheaper for her to buy a cheap label printer and print her labels and drop them at the PO or mail centre on her way to work, than it did to go out in her lunch break to get things posted. 

Could you use a normal A4 printer for printing off labels .. Unless you were doing more than one, you would waste paper, but economics makes the idea worthwhile.

For small parcels at the PO (current price £3.69) buying first class stamps now at £1.35 will be worth £1.65 soon, so 2 per parcel saves 60p. Just top up with the difference. I'm not sure whether that £3.69 price will increase too

Rantband

WLM21 said:

soolin said:

 and it worked out cheaper for her to buy a cheap label printer and print her labels and drop them at the PO or mail centre on her way to work, than it did to go out in her lunch break to get things posted. 

Could you use a normal A4 printer for printing off labels .. Unless you were doing more than one, you would waste paper, but economics makes the idea worthwhile.

For small parcels at the PO (current price £3.69) buying first class stamps now at £1.35 will be worth £1.65 soon, so 2 per parcel saves 60p. Just top up with the difference. I'm not sure whether that £3.69 price will increase too

As per the new pricing shown above the price increases to £3.75, a 50p increase above the online price so you are saving 10p for the pleasure of queuing at a Post Office.

Kim_13

At this rate it will end up cheaper to put your letter in a box and send it as a parcel, they know they have to compete with Evri et al for parcels so will have no revenue at all if they push it too far. 

The prices also seem as though the second class will be five days a week and first class six thing is already a done deal, with such a differential. Had anyone ever thought this was a possibility, they’d have bought more firsts before the prices went so ridiculous. 

Price increases every year has now become price increases every six months.

miller

I think I can see a positive... if you put a first class letter stamp on a large letter by mistake the recipient won't be asked to pay £5.20 like now as £1.65 is more than £1.55 (second class large letter).

soolin

miller said:

I think I can see a positive... if you put a first class letter stamp on a large letter by mistake the recipient won't be asked to pay £5.20 like now as £1.65 is more than £1.55 (second class large letter).

That's a really good point!

misterthrifty

For most of the ebay items I send this will work out as a drop in prices. I use stamps, which I buy at a discount, and send parcels second class, most of them are treated as 1st class and reach their destination the next day. Small & medium parcels using 2nd class are coming down around £1 each, so I'm pleased.
The international prices look horrendous, more complicated and costly so that will have an impact on overseas sales. 

coupleuk

"Universal Postage Service delivering 6 days a week" - oh boy did I laugh.

We live in a Somerset Town of 22,000 with a large Royal Mail sorting office.

For months now we receive our post on just ONE DAY PER WEEK.

My wife received 1 birthday card on time this week, no doubt the remainder will arrive with our weekly delivery next week.

Forget about a 1st Class Service or a 2nd Class Service - we're below a Third World class of service here.

RFW

coupleuk said:

"Universal Postage Service delivering 6 days a week" - oh boy did I laugh.

We live in a Somerset Town of 22,000 with a large Royal Mail sorting office.

For months now we receive our post on just ONE DAY PER WEEK.

My wife received 1 birthday card on time this week, no doubt the remainder will arrive with our weekly delivery next week.

Forget about a 1st Class Service or a 2nd Class Service - we're below a Third World class of service here.

There are more than two services anyway. The system is so ridiculous now that I have about 20 different options for sending the same parcel if I'm selling on Amazon (who have their own RM prices). They're all essentially first and second class but there are differences in how they're handled. I suspect regular stamps are at the bottom of the list now.