DHL has announced that from July 1, parcel prices for private customer parcels and small packages sent abroad will be adjusted in a bid to address increased labor and transportation costs as well as higher terminal dues for international delivery partners under the regulations of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).
Prices will be adjusted for different country zones and DHL will also classify small packages (päckchen) into the same country zones that already exist for parcels.
Furthermore, DHL plans to introduce two new products for private customers – a new category for parcels up to 2kg for non-EU shipping, which will be available exclusively online; and a ‘mobile paketmarke’ (mobile parcel label) for shipping to countries outside the EU. With the QR code, online-franked parcels and small packages can now also be dropped off for worldwide shipping at branches and machines such as a Packstation or Poststation, without the sender having to print the shipping label themselves.
Additional changes
Starting July 1, DHL will discontinue the ‘Premium’ service for international parcel shipping for private customers due to lack of demand. Additionally, the shipping of cylindrical shipments will be slightly more expensive due to higher handling costs.
There will also be adjustments to the online-offered economy sets: new economy sets of 10 labels for the ‘Päckchen XS’ and ‘Paket bis 2kg’ products for shipping within the EU will be introduced. However, the existing 50 and 100 discount levels will be eliminated for all products due to insufficient customer demand. Coupon codes purchased from economy sets until June 30, 2025, will remain valid for three years.
In addition, DHL will limit the maximum weight of international parcels to 30kg, as most receiving countries only accept this maximum weight in accordance with the Universal Postal Convention.
According to DHL, the reasons for the necessary price adjustments starting in July include significantly increased labor, transportation (especially road) and delivery costs. Additionally, there are higher requirements and thus a greater effort for handling international shipments transported by air.
The Federal Network Agency has already approved the price changes. The price adjustments only apply to the Post & Parcel Germany corporate division, not to DHL Express products.
In related news, online retailers are now be able to offer convenient out-of-home deliveries for domestic and international orders thanks to a new partnership between DHL eCommerce UK and HubBox that aims to enhance the shopper experience.