Royal Mail New Postage Costs

[puffin]

Hi all,

I haven't been on here much at all lately.

I'm sure there is probably another Royal Snail thread around, but their new prices are unbelievable!

Had a chat (should I say disagreement) with a royal mail on Friday, I think they are outrageous.

I know fuel costs etc are going up, but a flat rate of the same price £ for 1st Class 100grams all the way up to 750grams - same applies to 2nd class although different prices obviously.

This will effect a LOT of ebay sellers selling low weighted items hugely?

What is everyone's else taking on it?

Any alternative options out there?

Cheers

 

[quikshop]

Actually their biggest increases are for their post collection service. They have introduced price tiers so if you want to name the time of collection on your chosen day(s) they charge you £1000 more for the privilege.

The sooner RM is broken up and privatised the sooner we can get some real price competition into the market... oh and weaken a Union at the same time

 

[puffin]

Actually their biggest increases are for their post collection service. They have introduced price tiers so if you want to name the time of collection on your chosen day(s) they charge you £1000 more for the privilege.

The sooner RM is broken up and privatised the sooner we can get some real price competition into the market... oh and weaken a Union at the same time

Haven't actually looked into the collection service, it was offered to me when I signed up for the OBA.
Whether I would do 50 items or 5000 items, I'd still want to drop it off and save that money for the collection cost.
Seems an added expense that is not needed IMO.

 

[quikshop]

Its still free if you spend over £15,000 a year with them, so it's not an issue for us but I was shocked to find the price changes in a little under 18 months, it's a 200% increase for naming the day and time you want collection... horrendous.

 

[SellerExpress]

The increases in charges are massive, the removal of the 100-750gram bracket really hits home with me. Those who will suffer the worst from these changes will be the DVD and CD sellers, especially those casual home sellers. I understand it's a declining market but I do worry that Royal Mail will only speed up rather than slow down the decline with these changes.

 

[deniser]

I'm just working out a strategy for dealing with our parcels after the increase takes effect and just looking at the price list for over the counter services, can't believe what I am seeing. is this correct or am I misreading that to send a 2kg parcel by 1st class recorded delivery costs £9.25 (minimal compensation and variable timescale) but to send the same parcel by special delivery (next day service with £500 compensation) costs only 50p more at £9.75?

 

[JonLake]

I am appalled at the increases especially for small packets - taking away the tiers up to 750g!

I started a thread the other day about the possibility of starting a local to local mail service - in principle - as an alternative to Royal Mail but it got no backing or interest at all - quite the opposite.

I must say I am plesaed to see from this thread that some people at least are enraged by the increases and are not just willing to roll over and accept them!

Apathy is the main reason that large firms are able to ride roughshod over small businesses as they let them!

Rant over!!!!!

 

[Jayser100]

I have decided to cancel our business collection because of the ridiculous rising costs. I am also switching from Smart Stamp to franking. My volume of packet mail has increased up to around 300 a month on average now so we should save around £130.00 a month on our old system. Unfortunately this is more than offset by the postal increases but at least it helps and means I won't have to hike up our product prices too much.

 

[deniser]

Well, from 30 April they will have lost 80% of my business to the couriers with whom I have agreed a much more attractive package. I will continue to use them only for non mainland Europe, Northern Ireland, UK islands and highlands of Scotland - their loss making parts - so surely this will only make things worse as I am sure I am not the only one!

 

[Top Hat]

Its now cheaper to send a 200g parcel to Australia that it is to send it to the UK

 

[emmylou74]

what is the price of the small packet going to? I keep asking at the post office but they keep just saying we don't know yet.

 

[businessfunding]

The sooner RM is broken up and privatised the sooner we can get some real price competition into the market... oh and weaken a Union at the same time

I'm afraid I don't agree with this at all; Royal Mail, for personal post is a service which (still) delivers phenominally good value.

As has already been shown, if you make it competitive, people will come and take the easy or lucrative bits which will destroy those that are relied upon by poorer members of our society (much like the privitisation of buses)

Business parcel post is, to a large extent, already competitive.

 

[Jayser]

emmylou74, your Post Office staff are being downright lazy. The new rates were made public several days ago and are available on the Royal Mail website, including the charges for packets.

We received large posters with the rates on the other day and I find it hard to believe your PO doesn't have at least one of those to put on their wall.

 

[emmylou74]

you don't know my po I am not surprised in the least. And no - no poster up on the wall or leaflets yet. Will check online. I am mainly large letter but do get some that just have to go small packet.