Postage Rate changes and end of Standard Parcel Service.

From 1st April there will be changes to postal rates and sizes accepted by Royal Mail - I will try to find a price list and post it, but in essence - Letter rates remain the same, but they are introducing a 'Small Parcel' rate for items no larger than 45cm x 35cm x 8cm and max 2kg, and a 'Medium Parcel' rate for items 61cm x 46cm x 46cm and up to 20kg.

If any members are Ebayers, better check that your postage charges cover the new rates, or as I have decided to do, withdraw some items for sale.

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Here is the link to RM site : http://www.royalmail.com/prices-2013

 

Although my postage rates are slightly different here to the mainland, I was in shock when my other half came back from the post office today. He'd posted off an A4 size padded envelope with two bars of milk chocolate and two four packs, one with Mars bars and the other Rolos in it to my daughter in Canada. £18.00!!!

There's also no guarantee it will get there as the contents have to be displayed on the package and it could be pinched in transit! Having said that it only goes to prove that British chocolate is on the 'Wanted' list!

 

£15.40p i got robbed today to send 2 head lamps and £6.40p for 2 plastic indicators Day Light Robbery!!!

 

Having done a bit of research on this it seems that Connect + do an online booked service which is £4.49 to the door but £3.99 if you use a local Co-op as a depot for pick up and delivery. I haven't tried it yet but will certainly try it for larger parcels.
http://www.collectplus.co.uk/

Sending small flat parcels via Royal Mail- a folded top, for example, will be under 8cm and cost about £2.60. A light pair of shoes, on the other hand, will not go through the new PO slot and will cost several pounds more than before to post. I'd generally prefer to use the PO as it is very convenient although I don't feel they deserve my custom any more.

 

This isn't available to us here Madahhlia.

 

Sorry about that, Sheal. It does favour people who live in big urban areas rather than isolated country districts.

 

Sorry Sheal no help but an excellent service from parcel2go , i sent 2 parcels to America, 6 kilos +, both less than 40 pounds, both arrived in less than 48 hrs..

 

Postage costs have always confused me, does anyone know how much it would cost to send one 12" vinyl please?

 

I just get the feeling the PO is committing hari kiri. If they can't compete with Collect+ with all the advantages they have then I can only assume somebody, somewhere doesn't want it to.

 

I think this would be covered by the 'small parcel' rate of £2.60 (2nd class) as the packet can be up to 45cm x 35cm and a maximum of 8cm thick- a standard 12" vinyl is 31cm in diameter.

I do feel that Royal Mail have lost the plot !!

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The problem is RM have shot themselves in the foot by allowing companies to completely outsource the sorting and movement of letters and parcels and then stick them with Royal Mail for the last leg of the journey which isn't profitable so they then have to start charging more, and then the fact that with the popularity of online shopping increasing that parcels now make up a considerable amount of their deliveries which takes up more room in the van and incurs more effort to deliver royal mails prices were a snip if you needed to deliver a large parcel to say Sheal on the isle of man if you tried to get a courier to do it it would of cost you a heck of a lot more than Royal Mail!

if anything Royal Mail have brought their prices up on par with a large courier company...

 

Convenience is one of the PO's major advantages but the higher price bracket for items thicker than 8cm is going to be more than many people want to pay.

Incredible, really, in a time when the demand for parcel post has shot through the roof they apparently can't make a go of it competitively.

Not sure about that. For the kind of smallish parcels that I send the PO was cheaper and more convenient but as soon as the parcel got heavier/bulkier RM was unaffordable compared with a courier. Even more so now when RM will charge over £5 to send something as insignificant as a pair of light shoes compared with less than £4 for Collect+'s cheapest service.