First class stamps to rise 6p to 76p

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51586871" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Royal Mail is increasing the cost of postage, with first-class stamps rising 6p to 76p and second-class up 4p to 65p.

Prices will climb from 23 March, less than a year after they were hiked to their current levels.

The 65p second-class stamp is the maximum under an Ofcom price cap.

"These changes are necessary to help ensure the sustainability of the one-price-goes-anywhere Universal Service," Royal Mail said.

It blamed the increases on "a challenging business environment".

Tough market

Stephen Agar, managing director of letters at Royal Mail said: "We are operating in a tough market at present, under the threat of making a loss by 2021. These price increases will help us maintain the quality of service that is expected by our customers,"

The likelihood has increased that Royal Mail in the UK will be loss-making in 2020-21, the company said in a statement, adding: "We want to invest £1.8bn in the UK to turnaround, grow and sustain the Universal Service."



It said it understands that many companies and households are finding it hard in the current economic environment.

"As a result, we have considered any pricing changes very carefully and in doing so have sought to minimise any impact on our customers."

[hero22]

Unreal. Should be dropping prices to attract business instead our leaders hike the price up. deliberate plan to finish post off completely.

[rogersh]

The company said the price increases are “necessary” to ensure the sustainability of its universal service.

[POSTMAN]

[k979aaa]

The company said the price increases are “necessary” to ensure the sustainability of its universal service.

To pay rico back's exorbitant salary so he can buy all the shares on the cheap but don't tell anyone not even the press!

[theoneandonly1995]

The company said the price increases are “necessary” to ensure the sustainability of its universal service.

Not necessary at all. The prices should be going down, not up.

65p and 76p for stamps is far too much and this is one of the biggest hikes we've had in a long while.
The Ofcom price cap should have remained at 60p, or even gone down to 55p - because RM are just charging as much as they can actually get away with.

Large letters are even worse. A 2nd Class goes up from 83p to 88p. a 1st class goes up from £1.06 to £1.15!

As soon as Large Letters hit £1.01, I went to 2nd class, and with the introduction of Hermes Postable this year, I switched to them, and never looked back.
Sure, Hermes Postable is £2.26, but for that, you get full tracking. In order to get any sort of tracking with RM, you need the Signed for service, which at 1st class, is already more expensive even at the 100g price, and for 2nd Class, it's more expensive from 250g upwards.

With Hermes Postable I can send anything up to 1kg with complete tracking and an extra 0.5cm/5mm thickness (very useful where the 25mm is not enough, but 30mm is).

The only good thing about this is that RM are no longer a total ripoff for anything above 2kg, e.g. a 5kg parcel is £8.99 2nd or £9.99 2nd Signed For. This i still a way off the Hermes/Collect+/UPS/Inpost/DPD prices that can be had through other means, but its a step in the right direction.

And at least I can stock up now at the cheaper rate, or be even more crafty myself by bulk buying large letter stamps on eBay at 42p each, or letter stamps at 25p each, i.e. what they should really be in the first place!

[clashcityrocker]

and with the introduction of Hermes Postable this year, I switched to them, and never looked back.
Sure, Hermes Postable is £2.26, but for that, you get full tracking.

With Hermes Postable I can send anything up to 1kg with complete tracking

This i still a way off the Hermes/

If I was of a cynical persuasion I might think you work for Hermes.
Four adverts for them in one post, Nice going!

[theoneandonly1995]

and with the introduction of Hermes Postable this year, I switched to them, and never looked back.
Sure, Hermes Postable is £2.26, but for that, you get full tracking.

With Hermes Postable I can send anything up to 1kg with complete tracking

This i still a way off the Hermes/

If I was of a cynical persuasion I might think you work for Hermes.
Four adverts for them in one post, Nice going!

Of course I don't work for Hermes :D

It just so happens that they are the nearest equivalent in regards to price and services provided. And for the sizes and categories of parcel I send, they work out better for me than Royal Mail (especially after this steep price increase).

[chocolatesaltyballs]

and with the introduction of Hermes Postable this year, I switched to them, and never looked back.
Sure, Hermes Postable is £2.26, but for that, you get full tracking.

With Hermes Postable I can send anything up to 1kg with complete tracking

This i still a way off the Hermes/

If I was of a cynical persuasion I might think you work for Hermes.
Four adverts for them in one post, Nice going!

Of course I don't work for Hermes :D

It just so happens that they are the nearest equivalent in regards to price and services provided. And for the sizes and categories of parcel I send, they work out better for me than Royal Mail (especially after this steep price increase).

Doesnt matter how cheap they are when they can't even deliver to the correct address from my experience.

[hero22]

and with the introduction of Hermes Postable this year, I switched to them, and never looked back.
Sure, Hermes Postable is £2.26, but for that, you get full tracking.

With Hermes Postable I can send anything up to 1kg with complete tracking

This i still a way off the Hermes/

If I was of a cynical persuasion I might think you work for Hermes.
Four adverts for them in one post, Nice going!

Of course I don't work for Hermes :D

It just so happens that they are the nearest equivalent in regards to price and services provided. And for the sizes and categories of parcel I send, they work out better for me than Royal Mail (especially after this steep price increase).

Doesnt matter how cheap they are when they can't even deliver to the correct address from my experience.

If you use tracking as you say you do im pretty sure the parcels are delivered to the correct address. Do you work for Royal Mail or just on here to stir ?

[Celgar]

and with the introduction of Hermes Postable this year, I switched to them, and never looked back.
Sure, Hermes Postable is £2.26, but for that, you get full tracking.

With Hermes Postable I can send anything up to 1kg with complete tracking

This i still a way off the Hermes/

If I was of a cynical persuasion I might think you work for Hermes.
Four adverts for them in one post, Nice going!

Of course I don't work for Hermes :D

It just so happens that they are the nearest equivalent in regards to price and services provided. And for the sizes and categories of parcel I send, they work out better for me than Royal Mail (especially after this steep price increase).

You are also promoting fraud and criminal activity by providing links to pack of unfranked stamps that are of no use to stamp collectors but will be used by those seeking to avoid paying for postage via RM.

[theoneandonly1995]

and with the introduction of Hermes Postable this year, I switched to them, and never looked back.
Sure, Hermes Postable is £2.26, but for that, you get full tracking.

With Hermes Postable I can send anything up to 1kg with complete tracking

This i still a way off the Hermes/

If I was of a cynical persuasion I might think you work for Hermes.
Four adverts for them in one post, Nice going!

Of course I don't work for Hermes :D

It just so happens that they are the nearest equivalent in regards to price and services provided. And for the sizes and categories of parcel I send, they work out better for me than Royal Mail (especially after this steep price increase).

You are also promoting fraud and criminal activity by providing links to pack of unfranked stamps that are of no use to stamp collectors but will be used by those seeking to avoid paying for postage via RM.

Links removed now, didn't know this would be frowned upon, but it was merely to give examples of what was available on eBay compared to the official sources (though I do note that stamps on eBay are "sold to the serious collector" and that "they cannot be reused").
Unfortunately, the majority of people looking to buy unfranked stamps (i.e. ones that have been salvaged off mail) and not using the correct methods, such as the Post Office, are clearly going to be using them on their post.

And whilst I wouldn't purchase stamps on eBay, I have previously salvaged stamps from letters that have not been franked, and re-used them. Which (a) a lot of people probably already do, and (b) I would not be needing to do this if the prices of stamps were actually reasonable (not 65p for a 2nd class stamp/76p for a first class stamp).

I actually remember a couple of years ago when it was 76p for a 2nd class large letter stamp and 98p for a first class large letter stamp. Not 76p for a 1st class, regular letter sized stamp...

So, to clarify, I'm not promoting the re-use of stamps. eBay sellers are acutally being investigated for matters like this. However, such activities would not be as popular as they are now, if the price of stamps were actually reasonable, i.e. about 35p for 2nd class, 40p for 1st class, and 60p for a "large letter".
In my opinion, the recent price increases are not necessary (certainly on the scale that they are this year, compared to previous years), and that £1.15 for a first class large letter is just asking for trouble.

[Celgar]

This activity and listing of bulk packs of standard design stamps is nothing to do with philately or stamp collecting. No stamp collector will want a hundred large letter red stamps for their collection. They might chop their arm off to acquire a small sheet of earlier stamps from many years ago but these new stamps are commonplace. All of these type of listings should be actively pursued by RM and removed by Ebay or other websites.